It seems you would like a full WYSIWYG mode.
Have you read the ideas / requests in this topic? Fully visual editor mode (WYSIWYG / WYSWYG)
And I wrote in there something that sounds similar to what you experiment:
I’m almost never in read mode, because by definition in this mode you can’t edit anything. So this is a kind of punitive thing, you can’t never really enjoy your notes in the way they are best formatted (even if there’s still room for improvement in the way Obsidian formats things in read mode). The read mode is a frozen, lifeless, thus almost useless, mode.
So I use my notes 95% of the time with Live Preview, with downgraded formatting.
I was a new user of Obsidian, but I’ve just given up because I’ve realized that the software’s approach doesn’t suit me.
And I think a lot of users don’t realize how much effort they put into Obsidian, with plugins, CSS and so on, to counter the fondamental problem of the software: it is a markdown editor. In a markdown editor you are invited to write with the markdown syntax, and to see the final result in a read-only mode. This is perfectly fine if you are OK with that fundamental statement, which implies that the editing experience is quite austere, with the markdown syntax.
A lot of “tricks” are used to make the editing experience more friendly and appealing (with the Preview mode, or with the help of countless plugins), but as long as Obsidian is, in its core, a markdown editor, you will always have this friction during editing. And, maybe this nagging idea that, really, this markdown syntax, that constantly appears and prevents you from taking full advantage of your notes in editing mode, is ultimately more of a nuisance than anything else…
At least that’s the conclusion I’ve come to. I don’t want to have to edit my notes with markdown syntax. I find the editing experience much smoother and more efficient with a WYSIWYG editor.
The editing experience with Obsidian is not good, to say the least. I think the hype around the software came mainly from the fact that it was one of the first PKM to be free and local, and with the abundance of plugins (that manage to correct its many shortcomings). But writing and formatting notes with the software is really not pleasant.
Now there’s starting to be some other PKMs that are free and local, like Obsidian, but WYSIWYG, and not based on markdown editing. The user experience is much better, easier, smoother and more efficient. I think Obsidian will have to make a tough turn at some point if it is to remain attractive, in the face of these new competitors in WYSIWYG.