FleurPDF tint

Change PDF page background color in Obsidian — with patterns, templates, and zero CSS knowledge required.

Why

Obsidian's built-in PDF viewer renders pages on a bright white canvas. Long reading sessions cause eye strain, especially in low-light environments.

While you can tweak PDF background colors with CSS snippets or the PDF++ plugin, both require technical know-how and only support solid colors. FleurPDF tint fills the gap: a dedicated, GUI-first plugin that makes PDF reading comfortable for everyone.

Features

9 Built-in Presets

One click to switch between carefully curated colors:

Preset	Color	Best For
None	#FFFFFF	Default
Eye Green	#C7EDCC	Extended reading
Warm Yellow	#F5EED6	Warm, cozy feel
Cream	#F5F0E1	Neutral warmth
Sky Blue	#D6EBF5	Cool, calm focus
Parchment	#E8DCC5	Vintage documents
Rose Beige	#F0E0D6	Soft, feminine
Ink Gray	#E8E8E0	Minimal, professional
Dark	#2C2C2C	Night reading

8 Pattern Overlays

Add texture to your PDF pages with 8 pattern types:

• Dot — subtle dot grid
• Grid — graph paper style
• Line — ruled notebook lines
• Diagonal — slanted lines
• Cross — diagonal crosshatch
• Zigzag — chevron texture
• Stripe — vertical bands

Each pattern has adjustable spacing, size, color, and opacity.

Custom Template System

Create and manage your own templates:

1. Create — generate a new template with a single click
2. Customize — pick any color, choose a pattern, tweak every parameter
3. Name — give each template a recognizable name
4. Manage — edit or delete templates in the settings panel

Sidebar Quick Switch

Open the sidebar to switch between presets and custom templates in one click. Includes a Reset button (returns to None) and a Settings shortcut.

Smart Performance

• CSS variables for real-time slider updates — no DOM thrashing
• mix-blend-mode temporarily disabled during drag for smooth GPU rendering
• Only applies to active PDF viewer, zero overhead on notes

How It Works

The plugin uses mix-blend-mode: multiply to make the original PDF white transparent, then applies your chosen background color underneath. This approach preserves all PDF content (text, images, annotations) without modifying the source file.

For dark backgrounds, it automatically switches to mix-blend-mode: screen for correct color inversion.

Installation

From Obsidian Community Plugins (coming soon)

1. Open Settings → Community plugins → Browse
2. Search "FleurPDF tint"
3. Install and enable

Manual Install

1. Download main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css from the latest release
2. Create the folder .obsidian/plugins/fleurpdf-tint/ in your vault
3. Copy all three files into the folder
4. Restart Obsidian and enable the plugin under Settings → Community plugins

Usage

1. Open a PDF in Obsidian
2. Open the sidebar via the ribbon icon or command palette
3. Click any preset card to apply instantly
4. Customize in Settings → FleurPDF tint

Comparison

Feature	FleurPDF tint	PDF++	Theme Quick Switch	CSS Snippet
GUI color picker	Yes	No	No	No
Pattern overlay	Yes (8 types)	No	No	Manual
Custom templates	Yes	No	No	No
Sidebar quick switch	Yes	No	No	No
No CSS knowledge needed	Yes	No	Partial	No
Real-time preview	Yes	Yes	No	No

Privacy & Security

• No network requests — works 100% offline
• No telemetry — collects zero usage data
• No external APIs — no accounts, no tracking
• Local only — all settings stored in Obsidian's plugin data API
• No eval or dynamic code execution

Technical Details

• Built with TypeScript + esbuild
• Compatible with Obsidian 1.13.0+
• Works on desktop and mobile
• License: MIT

Credits

Inspired by the PaperCraft plugin's template management pattern and texture design.

License

MIT © gibsonchan-5