by Robert-Kezives·Workflow
Images © Robert-Kezives. Used for product review; image policy.
Listed at rank 572 in the blender_extensions library, K-Tools: Mode Highlight earns its place as a focused UI aid that turns Blender's mode and playback state into header colors and viewport cues. Version 1.1.5 extended it with adaptive contrast controls and Grease Pencil mode mapping for Blender 5.x.
K-Tools: Mode Highlight is a lightweight workflow add-on for Blender that changes header colors automatically based on the mode you are working in. As you switch between Object, Edit, Sculpt, Pose, Vertex Paint, Weight Paint, Texture Paint and Grease Pencil Draw, the 3D Viewport and Properties Editor headers recolor to match, giving visual feedback on where you are.
Beyond mode colors, it colorizes the Timeline and Dope Sheet, Graph Editor and NLA Editor headers during scene playback, and draws a pulsing red Record/PLAY style dot with a real-time frame counter at the top-center of the viewport while animation runs. Adaptive contrast calculates luminance to adjust header opacity for legibility, and dynamic theme tracking keeps overlays in sync with your active Blender theme.
Settings live in the add-on preferences, with an optional sidebar panel under View in the 3D Viewport. Colors apply instantly and save globally, individual editors can be toggled on or off, and configurations can be saved, loaded and restored as JSON presets. Version 1.1.5 added adaptive contrast controls and Grease Pencil mode mapping for Blender 5.x.
K-Tools: Mode Highlight is best for blender users who work across multiple modes and want header colors and playback cues to signal their current mode and animation state.
K-Tools: Mode Highlight is completely free to download and use.
K-Tools: Mode Highlight supports Blender 4.2 LTS and newer, including the 5.x series. Version 1.1.5 added Grease Pencil mode mapping for both current and legacy identifiers: Blender 4.3 and 5.0+ use 'PAINT_GREASE_PENCIL', 'SCULPT_GREASE_PENCIL', 'VERTEX_GREASE_PENCIL' and 'WEIGHT_GREASE_PENCIL', while Blender 4.2 and earlier keep the legacy 'PAINT_GPENCIL', 'SCULPT_GPENCIL', 'VERTEX_GPENCIL' and 'WEIGHT_GPENCIL' modes. This fix addressed Grease Pencil colors not updating under Blender 5.x, which happened because of changes to Blender's internal mode identifiers.
K-Tools: Mode Highlight is configured from Edit > Preferences > Add-ons > K-Tools: Mode Highlight. If you enable Show in N-Panel in the preferences, a dedicated controls panel also appears under the 3D Viewport Sidebar at View > Mode Highlight. From there you can set individual colors for each mode, toggle colors per editor, and enable or disable the viewport overlay. Custom colors are applied instantly and saved globally, and you can save, load and restore configurations as JSON preset files.
K-Tools: Mode Highlight renders a pulsing red Record/PLAY style dot and a real-time frame counter at the top-center of the 3D Viewport while animation is playing. Alongside this, it colorizes designated animation editor headers, namely the Timeline and Dope Sheet, Graph Editor and NLA Editor, during active scene playback. The overlay can be enabled or disabled, and mode colors can be turned on or off individually for the 3D Viewport, Properties Editor, or the animation editors.
K-Tools: Mode Highlight is listed as free here and is distributed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later. For the current version and any licensing details, check the developer's page. The developer also notes it can be installed through Blender's official Extension Platform to stay on the newest release. If you have questions or want to report issues, the developer provides an email contact for support, questions and suggestions.
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