No theme out there is best, so what makes them good enough?
- Good contrast ratio between background and foreground colors.
- Adequate set of colors to identify keywords of a particular language.
- A light color to highlight the current line.
- High text legibility on every component of the application.
- Good contrast ratio between Title Bar, Side Bar, Files Menu, Tabs and Footer to separate them out.
- Overall package should be easy on the eyes.
Presenting to you my collection of hand-picked light color themes for VS Code. All of them have been tested against the parameters above. I hope you like them.
1. JetJet - Light
Authored by Johny Georges, it comes within a set of 5 themes. Built on top of default VS Code Light theme, it offers a pleasing background color with good text legibility. However, sometimes I find it hard to highlight current tab which is permissible considering it fares well on other parameters.
Javascript
HTML
CSS
2. Winter is Coming - Light
Authored by John Papa, it comes within a set of 6 themes. It offers a duotone outlook and distinguishes well the various parts of the editor, text legibility is also good, fares well on the parameters. However, the borders around highlighted tabs and icons in the navigation panel look annoying to me.
Javascript
HTML
CSS
3. Atom One - Light
Extracted from the Atom editor, it comes as a standalone theme. It has a flattish outlook and manages to highlight well the various parts of the editor, fares equally well on the parameters as other themes.
Javascript
HTML
CSS
4. GitHub Sharp
Authored by Joao Moreno, it is a fork of the GitHub Plus theme. The duotone look distinguishes well the exteriors and interiors of the editor. It offers a pleasing color scheme. No complaints so far from it.
Javascript
HTML
CSS
Cover Photo by Artem Sapegin on Unsplash
Top comments (1)
I do have to say that this is one of the rare articles that tackles which light themes are actually good. Most articles about light themes just list the first ones that pop up when they search the VS Code Marketplace. So to you, sir, I give a thumbs up!
Suggestion: Try Github Light Theme - Gray