Option to Dim Screen
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If you mean "dim on disable" - we are trying really hard to preserve the initial brightness.
We've had lots of issues reported with external monitors not made by Apple, which is why the dimming feature is off by default in v36. We are trying to get some feedback on where it works and where it doesn't. So if you have a Dell or another external display, please tell us how it dims and if the feature seems to be working?
The way we'd like the world to work is: the monitor knows exactly what luminance it makes at each dimming setting, and it fades slowly and smoothly between them. In reality, every monitor is different and has its own backlight idiosynchracies, and rarely is the fading smooth enough.
But we will get there--it's just that we can't break things on the way.
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Though you should know, I am using an iMac, so the monitor is not external. It still does not preserve properly the brightness. I understand it will take some time, but make sure to include it in the works, it is a major necessity.
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I second @auctoris' initial post. My external display (a 2013 23” LG) is too bright even at its lowest brightness setting to use comfortably in a dim room. I currently have to choose between using f.lux to adjust the color temperature and another program to adjust the brightness. Usually the other program wins. It’d be really nice if a dimming feature were built in to the Mac version.
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@duozmo both Shady and Screenshade (click "Alternative Download") work at the same time as f.lux.
The effect isn't completely even across the screen, so set the monitor's brightness as low as it will go, and then you can use either of the above to go a little further.
I also wish f.lux could automatically dim my monitor at the same time as colour temperature change. But my main external screen doesn't work with backlight dimming, and I don't like the uneven way gamma dimming looks, so I'd have to do it manually anyway.
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"Dim on Disable" doesn't seem to do anything on my 15" MacBook Pro 2010 running OSX 10.11.2 El Capitan.
(EDIT:) I thought this would dim the screen when F.Lux is disabled. Perhaps renaming the option to "Slow Disable" would better describe what it actually does.Separate color temperature and brightness (for dimming) sliders would be a huge hit. Every forum and blog comments that talk about screen dimmers naturally mentiones F.Lux, and every time someone wishes it would also dim. Since it doesn't, additional software is needed. If they don't work together well, F.Lux seems to always lose. I keep trying F.Lux every few months or so, and every time I uninstall it and switch to another tool. I was able to calibrate the MacBook pretty warm, but it's still too bright.
For others in the same situation:
- Brighter Screen Lite (App Store, free) works well. Shortcuts for amount of dimming. No tint.
- Nocturne, free. Tint white AND black! No shortcuts, a bit buggy on El Capitan.
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@Elhem-Enohpi Thanks! Shady is working well for dimming a single external monitor without quitting f.lux. In a setup with two external monitors plus my built-in display, it only dims one of the external monitors. I’m weary of trying Screenshade due to the lack of a proper website & download link.
@mrelwood Blacktree’s Nocturne ruled when it was maintained, but the version I have hasn’t been updated since 2009 and several features no longer function. Are you using a fork, or the original? Can you provide a link?
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@duozmo - Oh, Softonic. Well, I managed to download Screenshade from the "Alternative Download" link, without having to log in or getting any toolbars or weird stuff installed. The app is quite old, 2008, I guess the original developer is long gone. But it still works fine, better than Shady. It has global hotkeys, and a "dim all screens" option that works for me, though I only have one external monitor. If you can't download it from Softonic, I could see if I can upload it somewhere.
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@Elhem-Enohpi I braved the download and ScreenShade seems good. One exception: The tutorial opens a website that's been taken over by phishers (you'll be redirected to computer-virus-notice dot com, which serves an infinite loop of popups). ScreenShade does dim all monitors evenly, which is really nice. Thanks again.
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@duozmo There's a tutorial? Where do you see that?
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@Elhem-Enohpi It's a first time use prompt.
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Oh, ok. I got it a long time ago, so I don't remember. Thanks for pointing it out.
I do see that I've got it blocked in my firewall, maybe not a bad idea. I do that for every app that has no good reason to connect to the Internet. I'm sure the app itself is safe. The company went out of business years ago, some spammer must have taken over the URL.
Anyway, glad it worked out for you!
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If you are command line friendly and/or into scripting, you may this handy. It's a command line utility for adjusting screen brightness. Just type "brightness" followed by a value. That's it.
Binary as well as source code available.
http://osxdaily.com/2009/09/28/adjust-screen-brightness-from-command-line/
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That code uses the same method as f.lux's "dim on disable", i.e., changes the brightness of the backlight LEDs. Great, if your monitor supports it, but many people have external monitors (like mine) that don't.
F.lux could change the overall brightness as part of its colour profile and gamma settings, which would work universally and predictably. That's basically how Screenshade and many of the others work. Unfortunately the effect doesn't look as good as actually dimming the backlight.
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@duozmo said:
Are you using a fork, or the original? Can you provide a link?
Just the regular Nocturne 2.0.0 from 2009:
https://code.google.com/p/blacktree-nocturne/Not using it anymore though, as I need keyboard shortcuts. I have since used Brighter Screen Lite (2013), and now ScreenShade (2013):
http://screenshade.en.softonic.com/mac
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/brighter-screen-lite/id431059009?mt=12@Elhem-Enohpi said:
F.lux could change the overall brightness as part of its colour profile and gamma settings
If the gamma dimmer works the same as the gamma setting in color profiles, please no! Dimming gamma dims only midtones, but for me it's the bright whites that are the culprit. Light gamma and an overall brightness dimming works a lot better for me, as it reduces contrast.
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I don't know if it's actually called gamma dimming, I'm just talking about dimming by making all the pixels a certain percentage darker, the way Screenshade does, vs. dimming by turning down the brightness of the LED backlight.
The first works universally but, at least on my monitor, looks awful. The second looks fine - and uses less energy - but doesn't work on my monitor. Still, if f.lux was to implement it, I'd prefer it be the second way, and hope I get a nice new monitor someday that works with it.
I'm rather surprised that f.lux doesn't already do dimming along with colour temperature change, since it's able to do the "dim on disable". Dimming by 50% is equivalent to reducing the colour temperature by, well, a lot of degrees. So you can have more colour accuracy while still getting the same blue-light reduction. As I've said, it's a bit dumb to have your screen deep orange with the backlight up full. I think a lot of f.lux users don't realize that.
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@auctoris Dimming is already a feature... alt + page up.
