A little dim

A little dim
Mac Tip #182/09-Feb-2005

Have you been finding your screen a little dim lately? Wondered why all your digital photos are gloomy? Brighten up your Mac and watch the world get lighter.

Some computer monitors have a physical brightness control. Look on the monitor and try adjusting it. Others use the Mac’s own brightness controls.

The System Preferences way

Go to the blue Apple menu, open System Preferences and click on Displays. Investigate your options for changing the brightness of the screen.

On my Powerbook the monitor can change brightness according to ambient light levels. In my Displays Preference I have the option to switch that facility on or off. You may have other possibilities.

The keyboard way

Look along the top row of your keyboard for one or more keys which show a circle with lines radiating from it. Think of a child’s drawing of the sun. Or, considering my prodigious lack of drawing talent, think of *my* drawing of the sun. You will probably see two such keys, one with a larger circle and longer lines, which adds brightness. The other reduces brightness.

Press one key a few times and see what happens. Nothing? Try the other key? Still nothing? Try it with the Function key held down. That’s the key with ‘fn’ on it at the bottom left of your keyboard. One of those combinations should allow you to adjust the brightness.

Having your screen too bright all the time can bring fatigue, so find the level where you can still see everything you want to while keeping the brightness as low as possible.