tedmcdo

Q: App Background Colors Are No Longer Uniform

Ever since upgrading to Sierra, both Chrome web pages, and Atom code editor backgrounds are messed up. For example, in Atom it looks as though I've highlighted all the text, some of the background is dark and some of it is lighter. In Chrome, Facebook's blueish grey background will be uniform, and then get lighter on the sides abruptly. This abrupt change happens on other colors as well, making it look as though I've selected certain parts of the page with my cursor. Basically the uniform color of the backgrounds on certain webpages or apps (i.e. Atom and Chrome) are no longer uniform.

 

This background change only happens when I plug my HDMI cable into an external monitor. If I am working on just my macbook pro retina screen, everything looks fine. If I plug in my HDMI cable to an external monitor, the backgrounds become non-uniform, even on the macbook pro screen (when mirroring). I used the HDMI cable and monitor with a different computer, and the problem does not exist, so I think it has something to do with macOS Sierra. Weird thing is, this problem only occurs with Atom and Chrome. Safari, for example, is absolutely fine.

 

I've included screenshots to show what I mean.non-uniform.jpg

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013), null

Posted on Oct 6, 2016 9:01 PM

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Q: App Background Colors Are No Longer Uniform

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  • by joe_7399,

    joe_7399 joe_7399 Oct 7, 2016 4:46 PM in response to tedmcdo
    Community Specialists
    Oct 7, 2016 4:46 PM in response to tedmcdo
    Hi tedmcdo,


    Thanks for upgrading to macOS Sierra! It looks like when you connect your external monitor to your Mac via HDMI, the Mac is experiencing uniform color schemes. If this only occurs while the external display is connected, you can try the NVRAM reset while it is disconnected to your Mac. 
     

    What is NVRAM?

    A small amount of your computer’s memory, called “non-volatile random-access memory” or NVRAM, stores certain settings in a location that OS X can access quickly. The settings that are stored in NVRAM depend on the type of Mac you're using, and the types of devices connected to it.

    Information stored in NVRAM can include:

    • Speaker volume
    • Screen resolution
    • Startup disk selection
    • Recent kernel panic information, if any

    If you experience issues related to these features, you might need to reset the NVRAM on your computer. For example, if your Mac starts up from a startup disk other than the one you've specified in Startup Disk preferences, or if a question mark icon appears briefly when your Mac starts up.



    How to Reset NVRAM on your Mac


    After resetting the NVRAM, please connect the display and check to see if issue is resolved. You may also want to try booting your Mac in safe mode.

    What is safe mode?

    Safe mode (sometimes called safe boot) is a way to start up your Mac so that it performs certain checks, and prevents some software from automatically loading or opening. Starting your Mac in safe mode does the following:

    • Verifies your startup disk, and attempts to repair directory issues if needed
    • Loads only required kernel extensions
    • Prevents Startup Items and Login Items from opening automatically
    • Disables user-installed fonts 
    • Deletes font caches, Kernel cache and other system cache files

    Together, these changes can help resolve or isolate issues related to your startup disk. 


    Try safe mode if your Mac doesn‘t finish starting up


    Thanks for using Apple Support Communities to post your question. These procedures should have your Mac displaying it's vibrant colors on the Retina display as expected. Have a nice day. 
  • by tedmcdo,

    tedmcdo tedmcdo Oct 8, 2016 11:41 PM in response to joe_7399
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 8, 2016 11:41 PM in response to joe_7399

    Thanks for the reply. I tried this, and the NVRAM reset correctly, but my issue has not gone away. Anything else I might try?

  • by JayB.,Solvedanswer

    JayB. JayB. Oct 10, 2016 9:34 PM in response to tedmcdo
    Community Specialists
    Oct 10, 2016 9:34 PM in response to tedmcdo
    You're welcome! Glad I can help you out here. Since the issue seems to only occur when running specific applications like Atom and Chrome, try uninstalling these apps to see if any other app experiences the problem. If all is fine with all other apps, reinstall one app at a time and test. Let us know how it works out!  

    Before uninstalling those apps, be sure to do a Time Machine backup:

    Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac




    Take care.
  • by tedmcdo,

    tedmcdo tedmcdo Oct 10, 2016 9:35 PM in response to JayB.
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 10, 2016 9:35 PM in response to JayB.

    That worked. I had to do a deep uninstall though, removing preferences and everything (rm -rf ~/.atom). But after reinstalling the issue was gone. Thanks!

  • by Starr.C,

    Starr.C Starr.C Oct 12, 2016 7:47 AM in response to tedmcdo
    Community Specialists
    Oct 12, 2016 7:47 AM in response to tedmcdo
    You're welcome!