feat(socials): bar appearance — text colour, background plate, opacity, text shadow

In the Socials drawer, under the show/hide switch: text colour, an optional background plate
with its own colour and opacity, and a text drop shadow. The bar had been hard-wired
white-on-transparent since it shipped.

- `SocialsConfig` gains five additive properties (BarTextColor, BarBackgroundEnabled,
  BarBackgroundColor, BarBackgroundOpacity, BarTextShadow).
- Persistence: five new Socials columns, added by the per-column idempotent migration pattern
  (a half-migrated DB heals instead of failing), written in Save and read back in Load with
  defaults for pre-existing rows.
- `SocialBarRenderer.Render(entries, SocialBarStyle?)` — the look is a separate value type so the
  renderer stays a pure "entries + look" function and the preview can never read a half-applied
  config mid-edit. A malformed hex falls back to white/black instead of throwing inside a render
  tick.
- The plate hugs the entries (rounded 20px, padding) so it reads as a caption bar, not a band
  across the frame. Off by default, because transparent is what creators have today.
- The colour pickers reuse `BorderColorPalette` — one catalogue of the app's colours, per the
  TASK 60/63 rule.

Guard: SocialBarAppearanceTests paints the real strip and inspects pixels — default is white with
no plate, a red text colour reaches the glyphs, a 55% blue plate yields half-transparent blue
pixels, and the shadow adds dark pixels that were not there before.

Models/Socials.cs

@@ -70,6 +70,50 @@ public sealed class SocialsConfig : INotifyPropertyChanged
         set => Set(ref _barPosition, value);
     }
 
+    // ─── Bar appearance (creator request 2026-10-30) ───────────────────────────
+    // The bar used to be hard-wired white-on-transparent. These five knobs are the whole
+    // appearance surface: text colour, an optional plate behind it, and a text shadow.
+
+    private string _barTextColor = "#FFFFFF";
+    /// <summary>Text and logo colour of the bar (hex, straight alpha).</summary>
+    public string BarTextColor
+    {
+        get => _barTextColor;
+        set => Set(ref _barTextColor, string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(value) ? "#FFFFFF" : value);
+    }
+
+    private bool _barBackgroundEnabled;
+    /// <summary>Draw a rounded plate behind the entries. Off by default — the bar shipped
+    /// transparent and most creators keep it that way.</summary>
+    public bool BarBackgroundEnabled
+    {
+        get => _barBackgroundEnabled;
+        set => Set(ref _barBackgroundEnabled, value);
+    }
+
+    private string _barBackgroundColor = "#000000";
+    public string BarBackgroundColor
+    {
+        get => _barBackgroundColor;
+        set => Set(ref _barBackgroundColor, string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(value) ? "#000000" : value);
+    }
+
+    private double _barBackgroundOpacity = 0.55;
+    /// <summary>0 = invisible plate, 1 = solid. Only meaningful when the plate is on.</summary>
+    public double BarBackgroundOpacity
+    {
+        get => _barBackgroundOpacity;
+        set => Set(ref _barBackgroundOpacity, Math.Clamp(value, 0, 1));
+    }
+
+    private bool _barTextShadow;
+    /// <summary>A soft black drop shadow behind the glyphs, for a bright or busy scene.</summary>
+    public bool BarTextShadow
+    {
+        get => _barTextShadow;
+        set => Set(ref _barTextShadow, value);
+    }
+
     public event PropertyChangedEventHandler? PropertyChanged;
     private bool Set<T>(ref T field, T value, [CallerMemberName] string? name = null)
     {

Services/Compositor/SocialBarRenderer.cs

@@ -33,8 +33,11 @@ public static class SocialBarRenderer
     public const int Width = 1920;
 
     /// <summary>Returns the strip frame, or null when there is nothing to render.</summary>
-    public static VideoFrame? Render(IEnumerable<SocialEntry>? entries)
+    public static VideoFrame? Render(IEnumerable<SocialEntry>? entries, SocialBarStyle? style = null)
     {
+        var look = style ?? SocialBarStyle.Default;
+        var textBrush = look.TextBrush;
+        var glyphEffect = look.TextShadow ? ShadowEffect() : null;
         var list = entries?.Where(e => e != null).ToList();
         if (list == null || list.Count == 0) return null;
 
@@ -51,7 +54,8 @@ public static class SocialBarRenderer
             item.Children.Add(new Path
             {
                 Data = Geometry.Parse(entry.LogoData),
-                Fill = Brushes.White,
+                Fill = textBrush,
+                Effect = glyphEffect,
                 Width = 24,
                 Height = 24,
                 Stretch = Stretch.Uniform,
@@ -60,7 +64,8 @@ public static class SocialBarRenderer
             item.Children.Add(new TextBlock
             {
                 Text = entry.Handle,
-                Foreground = Brushes.White,
+                Foreground = textBrush,
+                Effect = glyphEffect,
                 FontSize = 14,
                 VerticalAlignment = VerticalAlignment.Center,
                 Margin = new Thickness(8, 0, 0, 0),
@@ -77,7 +82,22 @@ public static class SocialBarRenderer
             Effect = new DropShadowEffect { Color = Color.FromRgb(0x2e, 0xcc, 0x71), BlurRadius = 18, ShadowDepth = 0, Opacity = 0.9 },
         };
         var centered = new Grid { HorizontalAlignment = HorizontalAlignment.Center, Margin = new Thickness(0, GlowPad, 0, 0) };
+        if (look.BackgroundEnabled)
+        {
+            // The plate hugs the entries, so it reads as a caption bar rather than a band across
+            // the frame; 20px radius matches the pill language used elsewhere.
+            centered.Children.Add(new Border
+            {
+                Background = look.BackgroundBrush,
+                CornerRadius = new CornerRadius(20),
+                Padding = new Thickness(18, 6, 18, 6),
+                Child = row,
+            });
+        }
+        else
+        {
             centered.Children.Add(row);
+        }
         container.Children.Add(centered);
 
         container.Measure(new Size(Width, height));
@@ -102,4 +122,52 @@ public static class SocialBarRenderer
 
         return new VideoFrame(Width, height, pixels);
     }
+
+    private static DropShadowEffect ShadowEffect() => new()
+    {
+        Color = Colors.Black,
+        BlurRadius = 4,
+        ShadowDepth = 2,
+        Direction = 315,
+        Opacity = 0.85,
+    };
+}
+
+/// <summary>How the social bar is painted (creator request 2026-10-30: text colour, an optional
+/// plate with its own colour and opacity, and a text drop shadow).
+///
+/// <para>It is a separate value type, not <see cref="SocialsConfig"/>, so the renderer stays a
+/// pure function of "entries + look" and the preview/output can never read a half-applied
+/// config mid-edit.</para></summary>
+public readonly record struct SocialBarStyle(
+    string TextColor,
+    bool BackgroundEnabled,
+    string BackgroundColor,
+    double BackgroundOpacity,
+    bool TextShadow)
+{
+    public static SocialBarStyle Default => new("#FFFFFF", false, "#000000", 0.55, false);
+
+    public static SocialBarStyle From(SocialsConfig? config) => config is null
+        ? Default
+        : new(config.BarTextColor, config.BarBackgroundEnabled, config.BarBackgroundColor,
+              config.BarBackgroundOpacity, config.BarTextShadow);
+
+    /// <summary>Glyph colour. A malformed hex falls back to white rather than throwing inside a
+    /// render tick — a bad colour must never kill the output.</summary>
+    public SolidColorBrush TextBrush => Solid(TextColor, 1.0, Colors.White);
+
+    /// <summary>Plate colour carrying the configured opacity in its alpha.</summary>
+    public SolidColorBrush BackgroundBrush
+        => Solid(BackgroundColor, Math.Clamp(BackgroundOpacity, 0, 1), Colors.Black);
+
+    private static SolidColorBrush Solid(string hex, double opacity, Color fallback)
+    {
+        Color colour;
+        try { colour = (Color)ColorConverter.ConvertFromString(hex); }
+        catch (Exception) { colour = fallback; }
+        var brush = new SolidColorBrush(Color.FromArgb((byte)Math.Round(opacity * 255), colour.R, colour.G, colour.B));
+        brush.Freeze();
+        return brush;
+    }
 }

Services/LayoutStore.Load.cs

@@ -50,7 +50,11 @@ public partial class LayoutStore : IDisposable
 
         using (var cmd = _connection.CreateCommand())
         {
-            cmd.CommandText = "SELECT Id, BarPosition, BarEnabled FROM Socials LIMIT 1;";
+            cmd.CommandText = """
+                SELECT Id, BarPosition, BarEnabled, TextColor, BackgroundEnabled,
+                       BackgroundColor, BackgroundOpacity, TextShadow
+                FROM Socials LIMIT 1;
+                """;
             using var reader = cmd.ExecuteReader();
             if (reader.Read())
             {
@@ -58,6 +62,11 @@ public partial class LayoutStore : IDisposable
                 {
                     BarPosition = Enum.TryParse<SocialBarPosition>(reader.GetString(1), out var pos) ? pos : SocialBarPosition.Bottom,
                     BarEnabled = reader.FieldCount > 2 && !reader.IsDBNull(2) && reader.GetInt32(2) != 0,
+                    BarTextColor = reader.FieldCount > 3 && !reader.IsDBNull(3) ? reader.GetString(3) : "#FFFFFF",
+                    BarBackgroundEnabled = reader.FieldCount > 4 && !reader.IsDBNull(4) && reader.GetInt32(4) != 0,
+                    BarBackgroundColor = reader.FieldCount > 5 && !reader.IsDBNull(5) ? reader.GetString(5) : "#000000",
+                    BarBackgroundOpacity = reader.FieldCount > 6 && !reader.IsDBNull(6) ? reader.GetDouble(6) : 0.55,
+                    BarTextShadow = reader.FieldCount > 7 && !reader.IsDBNull(7) && reader.GetInt32(7) != 0,
                 };
                 var socialsId = reader.GetString(0);
 

Services/LayoutStore.Migrations.cs

@@ -591,11 +591,23 @@ public partial class LayoutStore : IDisposable
                 columns.Add(reader.GetString(1));
         }
 
-        if (columns.Contains("BarEnabled")) return;
+        // Each column is added on its own, guarded by presence — the same idempotent pattern the
+        // webcam table uses, so a half-migrated DB heals instead of failing.
+        AddColumnIfMissing("BarEnabled", "INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 1");
+        AddColumnIfMissing("TextColor", "TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT '#FFFFFF'");
+        AddColumnIfMissing("BackgroundEnabled", "INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0");
+        AddColumnIfMissing("BackgroundColor", "TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT '#000000'");
+        AddColumnIfMissing("BackgroundOpacity", "REAL NOT NULL DEFAULT 0.55");
+        AddColumnIfMissing("TextShadow", "INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0");
 
+        void AddColumnIfMissing(string name, string spec)
+        {
+            if (columns.Contains(name)) return;
             using var alter = _connection.CreateCommand();
-        alter.CommandText = "ALTER TABLE Socials ADD COLUMN BarEnabled INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 1;";
+            alter.CommandText = $"ALTER TABLE Socials ADD COLUMN {name} {spec};";
             alter.ExecuteNonQuery();
+            columns.Add(name);
+        }
     }
 
     // v8 → v9: SocialEntry gains Software (the fediverse instance's nodeinfo

Services/LayoutStore.Save.cs

@@ -314,11 +314,20 @@ public partial class LayoutStore : IDisposable
             var socialsId = Guid.NewGuid().ToString();
             using (var cmd = _connection.CreateCommand())
             {
-                cmd.CommandText = "INSERT INTO Socials (Id, BarPosition, BarEnabled) VALUES ($id, $pos, $enabled);";
+                cmd.CommandText = """
+                    INSERT INTO Socials (Id, BarPosition, BarEnabled, TextColor, BackgroundEnabled,
+                                         BackgroundColor, BackgroundOpacity, TextShadow)
+                    VALUES ($id, $pos, $enabled, $text, $bgen, $bg, $bgopacity, $shadow);
+                    """;
                 cmd.Transaction = tx;
                 cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("$id", socialsId);
                 cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("$pos", socials.BarPosition.ToString());
                 cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("$enabled", socials.BarEnabled ? 1 : 0);
+                cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("$text", socials.BarTextColor);
+                cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("$bgen", socials.BarBackgroundEnabled ? 1 : 0);
+                cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("$bg", socials.BarBackgroundColor);
+                cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("$bgopacity", socials.BarBackgroundOpacity);
+                cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("$shadow", socials.BarTextShadow ? 1 : 0);
                 cmd.ExecuteNonQuery();
             }
 

SocialsDialog.xaml

@@ -20,11 +20,50 @@
         <TextBlock Grid.Row="0" Text="Social Media Site Promotion" FontSize="18" FontWeight="Bold"
                    Foreground="{StaticResource Brush.OnSurface}" Margin="0,0,0,12"/>
 
-        <!-- Show/hide the bar on the stream -->
-        <CheckBox Grid.Row="1" IsChecked="{Binding BarEnabled}" Style="{StaticResource YtCheckBox}" Margin="0,0,0,10">
+        <!-- Show/hide the bar on the stream + how it is painted -->
+        <StackPanel Grid.Row="1" Margin="0,0,0,10">
+            <CheckBox IsChecked="{Binding BarEnabled}" Style="{StaticResource YtCheckBox}">
                 <TextBlock Text="Show the social bar on the stream" Foreground="{StaticResource Brush.OnSurface}" FontSize="13"/>
             </CheckBox>
 
+            <StackPanel Margin="18,6,0,0" IsEnabled="{Binding BarEnabled}">
+                <DockPanel Margin="0,2,0,0">
+                    <TextBlock DockPanel.Dock="Left" Text="Text colour" VerticalAlignment="Center"
+                               Foreground="{StaticResource Brush.OnSurfaceVariant}" FontSize="11" Width="96"/>
+                    <ComboBox Style="{StaticResource YtComboBox}" Height="24" FontSize="11"
+                              ItemsSource="{Binding ColorOptions}" DisplayMemberPath="Name"
+                              SelectedValuePath="Hex" SelectedValue="{Binding BarTextColor, Mode=TwoWay}"/>
+                </DockPanel>
+
+                <CheckBox IsChecked="{Binding BarBackgroundEnabled}" Style="{StaticResource YtCheckBox}" Margin="0,8,0,0">
+                    <TextBlock Text="Background plate" Foreground="{StaticResource Brush.OnSurface}" FontSize="12"/>
+                </CheckBox>
+
+                <StackPanel Margin="18,4,0,0" IsEnabled="{Binding BarBackgroundEnabled}">
+                    <DockPanel>
+                        <TextBlock DockPanel.Dock="Left" Text="Plate colour" VerticalAlignment="Center"
+                                   Foreground="{StaticResource Brush.OnSurfaceVariant}" FontSize="11" Width="96"/>
+                        <ComboBox Style="{StaticResource YtComboBox}" Height="24" FontSize="11"
+                                  ItemsSource="{Binding ColorOptions}" DisplayMemberPath="Name"
+                                  SelectedValuePath="Hex" SelectedValue="{Binding BarBackgroundColor, Mode=TwoWay}"/>
+                    </DockPanel>
+                    <DockPanel Margin="0,6,0,0">
+                        <TextBlock DockPanel.Dock="Left" Text="Opacity" VerticalAlignment="Center"
+                                   Foreground="{StaticResource Brush.OnSurfaceVariant}" FontSize="11" Width="96"/>
+                        <TextBlock DockPanel.Dock="Right" VerticalAlignment="Center" Width="42" TextAlignment="Right"
+                                   Foreground="{StaticResource Brush.OnSurfaceVariant}" FontSize="11"
+                                   Text="{Binding BarBackgroundOpacity, StringFormat={}{0:P0}}"/>
+                        <Slider Minimum="0" Maximum="1" SmallChange="0.05" LargeChange="0.1"
+                                Value="{Binding BarBackgroundOpacity, Mode=TwoWay}" VerticalAlignment="Center"/>
+                    </DockPanel>
+                </StackPanel>
+
+                <CheckBox IsChecked="{Binding BarTextShadow}" Style="{StaticResource YtCheckBox}" Margin="0,8,0,0">
+                    <TextBlock Text="Text drop shadow" Foreground="{StaticResource Brush.OnSurface}" FontSize="12"/>
+                </CheckBox>
+            </StackPanel>
+        </StackPanel>
+
         <!-- Sign-in gate: the first slot is always your YouTube channel -->
         <Border Grid.Row="2" Background="{StaticResource Brush.SurfaceContainer}" CornerRadius="5" Padding="10,8" Margin="0,0,0,10"
                 Visibility="{Binding ShowSignInBanner, Converter={StaticResource BoolToVis}}">

ViewModels/MainViewModel.Socials.cs

@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ public partial class MainViewModel
     private void RenderSocialBarFrame()
     {
         _socialBarFrame = _socials != null && _socials.BarEnabled
-            ? SocialBarRenderer.Render(_socials.Entries)
+            ? SocialBarRenderer.Render(_socials.Entries, SocialBarStyle.From(_socials))
             : null;
     }
 

ViewModels/SocialsDialogViewModel.cs

@@ -42,6 +42,11 @@ public sealed class SocialsDialogViewModel : ViewModelBase
         _signInProvider = signInProvider;
         _signOutAction = signOutAction;
         _barEnabled = current?.BarEnabled ?? true;
+        _barTextColor = current?.BarTextColor ?? "#FFFFFF";
+        _barBackgroundEnabled = current?.BarBackgroundEnabled ?? false;
+        _barBackgroundColor = current?.BarBackgroundColor ?? "#000000";
+        _barBackgroundOpacity = current?.BarBackgroundOpacity ?? 0.55;
+        _barTextShadow = current?.BarTextShadow ?? false;
         _account = account;
         _isSignedIn = account != null;
 
@@ -64,6 +69,47 @@ public sealed class SocialsDialogViewModel : ViewModelBase
         set => SetProperty(ref _barEnabled, value);
     }
 
+    // ─── Bar appearance (creator request 2026-10-30) ───────────────────────────
+
+    private string _barTextColor = "#FFFFFF";
+    public string BarTextColor
+    {
+        get => _barTextColor;
+        set => SetProperty(ref _barTextColor, value);
+    }
+
+    private bool _barBackgroundEnabled;
+    public bool BarBackgroundEnabled
+    {
+        get => _barBackgroundEnabled;
+        set => SetProperty(ref _barBackgroundEnabled, value);
+    }
+
+    private string _barBackgroundColor = "#000000";
+    public string BarBackgroundColor
+    {
+        get => _barBackgroundColor;
+        set => SetProperty(ref _barBackgroundColor, value);
+    }
+
+    private double _barBackgroundOpacity = 0.55;
+    public double BarBackgroundOpacity
+    {
+        get => _barBackgroundOpacity;
+        set => SetProperty(ref _barBackgroundOpacity, value);
+    }
+
+    private bool _barTextShadow;
+    public bool BarTextShadow
+    {
+        get => _barTextShadow;
+        set => SetProperty(ref _barTextShadow, value);
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>The colours offered for the text and the plate — the same catalogue the border
+    /// picker uses, so there is one list of "the app's colours" (TASK 60/63).</summary>
+    public IReadOnlyList<NamedColor> ColorOptions => BorderColorPalette.All;
+
     public bool IsSignedIn
     {
         get => _isSignedIn;
@@ -275,7 +321,15 @@ public sealed class SocialsDialogViewModel : ViewModelBase
     {
         var entries = CommittedEntries ?? throw new InvalidOperationException("Save was not completed.");
         if (entries.Count == 0) return null;
-        var config = new SocialsConfig { BarEnabled = BarEnabled };
+        var config = new SocialsConfig
+        {
+            BarEnabled = BarEnabled,
+            BarTextColor = BarTextColor,
+            BarBackgroundEnabled = BarBackgroundEnabled,
+            BarBackgroundColor = BarBackgroundColor,
+            BarBackgroundOpacity = BarBackgroundOpacity,
+            BarTextShadow = BarTextShadow,
+        };
         foreach (var entry in entries)
             config.Entries.Add(entry);
         return config;

ytLive.Tests/SocialBarAppearanceTests.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+using System;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Threading;
+using System.Windows.Media;
+using Xunit;
+using ytLive.Models;
+using ytLive.Services;
+using ytLive.Services.Compositor;
+
+namespace ytLive.Tests;
+
+/// <summary>The creator (2026-10-30): the social bar was hard-wired white-on-transparent. It now
+/// takes a text colour, an optional background plate with its own colour and opacity, and a text
+/// drop shadow — set in the Socials drawer.
+///
+/// <para>These knobs are painting rules, so the test paints the real strip and inspects its
+/// pixels. Anything less would pass while the bar rendered unchanged.</para></summary>
+public class SocialBarAppearanceTests
+{
+    private static readonly List<SocialEntry> Entries = new()
+    {
+        new SocialEntry { Service = SocialService.YouTube, Handle = "creator", ProfileUrl = "https://youtube.com/@creator" },
+    };
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void The_bar_paints_the_chosen_text_colour_plate_and_shadow()
+    {
+        Exception? failure = null;
+        var results = new List<string>();
+
+        var thread = new Thread(() =>
+        {
+            try
+            {
+                // 1. Default look: white glyphs, no plate, no shadow.
+                var plain = Render(SocialBarStyle.Default);
+                Assert.NotNull(plain);
+                Assert.True(Count(plain!, (r, g, b, a) => r > 200 && g > 200 && b > 200 && a > 200) > 0,
+                    "white glyphs must be painted by default");
+                Assert.Equal(0, Count(plain!, (r, g, b, a) => b > 150 && r < 80 && g < 80));
+
+                // 2. Text colour: red glyphs, nothing white.
+                var red = Render(new SocialBarStyle("#FF0000", false, "#000000", 0.55, false));
+                Assert.True(Count(red!, (r, g, b, a) => r > 180 && g < 80 && b < 80 && a > 200) > 0,
+                    "the text colour must reach the glyph pixels");
+                Assert.Equal(0, Count(red!, (r, g, b, a) => r > 200 && g > 200 && b > 200 && a > 200));
+
+                // 3. Plate: blue at 55% — half-transparent blue pixels must appear.
+                var plated = Render(new SocialBarStyle("#FFFFFF", true, "#0000FF", 0.55, false));
+                Assert.True(Count(plated!, (r, g, b, a) => b > 150 && r < 60 && g < 60 && a is > 100 and < 170) > 200,
+                    "the plate must fill with its colour at the chosen opacity");
+
+                // 4. Shadow: dark semi-transparent pixels appear beside the glyphs.
+                var shadowed = Render(new SocialBarStyle("#FFFFFF", false, "#000000", 0.55, true));
+                Assert.True(Count(shadowed!, (r, g, b, a) => r < 60 && g < 60 && b < 60 && a is > 0 and < 200)
+                            > Count(plain!, (r, g, b, a) => r < 60 && g < 60 && b < 60 && a is > 0 and < 200),
+                    "the drop shadow must add dark pixels behind the glyphs");
+            }
+            catch (Exception ex) { failure = ex; }
+        });
+        thread.SetApartmentState(ApartmentState.STA);
+        thread.Start();
+        thread.Join();
+
+        Assert.Null(failure);
+    }
+
+    private static VideoFrame? Render(SocialBarStyle style) => SocialBarRenderer.Render(Entries, style);
+
+    private static int Count(VideoFrame frame, Func<int, int, int, int, bool> predicate)
+    {
+        var hits = 0;
+        for (var i = 0; i < frame.BgraPixels.Length; i += 4)
+            if (predicate(frame.BgraPixels[i + 2], frame.BgraPixels[i + 1], frame.BgraPixels[i], frame.BgraPixels[i + 3]))
+                hits++;
+        return hits;
+    }
+}