Comments on: Can I make my Mac laptop's screen brighter?

Question: Can I make my Mac laptop's screen brighter?

TochterAusElysium — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 18:18:32 -0800

Is there any software for OSX that will let me make my G4 PowerBook's screen brighter?

I like to use it outdoors, but even with all the brightness settings at their highest, I have to sit in the shade to see the screen very well. Brrr.

By: danb

danb — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 18:36:04 -0800

I don't think there is. It's a hardware thing, not a software thing.

What you can do is press ctrl-cmd-option-8, and it'll invert the colors. Makes it a bit easier to read when there's a lot of glare outside. (Also, it freaks people out.)

By: oaf

oaf — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 18:40:40 -0800

Whoa, I always wondered how you inverted the colors. Cool.

By: TochterAusElysium

TochterAusElysium — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 19:03:59 -0800

Oh, that IS cool. Thanks, danb!

By: nakedcodemonkey

nakedcodemonkey — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 19:14:49 -0800

Sunlight overpowers most LCDs, with the exception of the few made with that special transreflective-whatever.

I don't know of any hardware solution (though if there is one, count on much shorter battery life -- screen brightness is a power hog), but the workaround is to reduce sun glare. Moving into a patch of shade helps. So does turning so the sun is behind the laptop (but then your eyes hurt for a whole new reason, argh). Or bring along your choice of portable shade.

By: cillit bang

cillit bang — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 19:56:36 -0800

Also try command-control-option-. repeatedly (and command-control-option-, to go back the other way)

I don't know of any hardware solution

Glossy screens like the MacBook has are the answer. The only reason sunlight can overpowers LCDs is because it gets picked up by the matte coating, creating a nice grey fog in front of the image.

By: advil

advil — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 20:05:25 -0800

What you can do is press ctrl-cmd-option-8

Where does one find out about things like this?

By: danb

danb — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 20:07:35 -0800

advil: I found out the same way you just did -- a post on a message board. I'm sure someone has a Master List of Weird OSX Shortcuts handy, though.

By: cillit bang

cillit bang — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 20:14:33 -0800

Where does one find out about things like this?

System Preferences > Universal Access

By: dbiedny

dbiedny — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 22:49:38 -0800

Ambrosia Software makes a cool freebie utlity, ScreenCleaner Pro, that is just exactly the medicine for your brightness woes. It does a neat gamma reset.

By: dbiedny

dbiedny — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 22:55:28 -0800

... Or not. I couldn't resist.

By: Wolof

Wolof — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 00:01:55 -0800

The screen cleaner was awesome, cheers!

By: public

public — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 03:07:03 -0800

Official Apple OS X Keyboard Shortcut List

By: kindall

kindall — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 07:36:23 -0800

You can adjust the gamma using the screen calibration function (System Preferences > Displays > Color > Calibrate). In the "Select a Target Gamma" page, move the slider to the left of Mac Standard a bit if necessary.

This doesn't really make the screen brighter, but it does make your screen, overall, lighter by making the midtones lighter.

Actually you may not need to fiddle with the target gamma; just leaving it at native Mac gamma may be enough to help since your display is probably not actually calibrated for the way you use it.