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Do you know of any tool for Windows that let me adjust the backlight brightness of a monitor?

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If it is a notebook, you will have a combination to press example FN + F4 - birgher, FN + F3 dimmer. If it is a stand alone monitor.. the only way to change it is via the MENU options on the Monitor.. if its not there.. then there is no other way, but to boost the brightness and/or contrast on the graphics driver. – ppumkin Jan 23 '12 at 13:45

5 Answers

up vote 4 down vote accepted

The solution I am using right now

I found enable DDC/CI option in my displays' settings. The ScreenBright program was able to modify it, although I think it's GUI is quite terrible and easy to break you custom settings. My screens also flicker a lot when changing brightness. Nevertheless, it has a commandline interface, which is much better. Especially when you create your own GUI (which is around 5 minutes in C#) or use plain Windows shortcuts.

Old setup

As a side note to the Dell brightness change - I can confirm that it also did work for me. My setup was:

  • Dell Latitude laptop (5520 I believe)
  • Dell Docking station (the extended version)
  • 2xDell u2412m screens, connected via DVI

The laptop itself had a built-in GPU (Intel HD2500). In its software there was a tab called "monitor settings", iirc. It did indeed communicate with the displays and somehow change their built-in brightness settings. I weren't able to do much more (change profiles, for example), and it took quite a while to "initialize". There was also a 2-3 second delay between the setting of the brightness and actual change. I guess it was mostly due to the screens, which changed brightness gradually.

I've updated my PC to the regular workstation, and unfortunately I wasn't able to find similar setting in the NVidia control panel.

EDIT: It seems that my previous setup used DDC.

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Excellent. Finally a tool that does the job. Many Thanks. – GetFree Dec 21 '12 at 0:18
up vote 3 down vote

The application Display Tuner can control the brightness for many different LCD/CRT monitors.
However, if backlight is a separate setting on your monitor, you might be out of luck.

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Although it didn't work for me, I am upvoting the answer. The "ScreenBright" sofware did work – Bartek Banachewicz Oct 6 '12 at 14:23
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Are you talking about an external monitor or a laptop's built-in display? An external monitor's brightness is almost always controlled externally by the monitor, there just isn't any way to pass brightness settings information over any of the usual display connectors (VGA, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, etc.). A built-in display on a laptop or all-in-one however has its brightness control integrated with the system, and can be controlled from within windows by some software. The actual software to do so will depend on the manufacturer. Windows 7 can do it automatically from the Windows Mobility Center (press Win+X), but in Windows XP you will need the manufactuer's drivers.

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I ask this because I know it IS possible. I use an external monitor with my laptop and in the configuration of my laptop's video card there is a sliding control that let me adjust my EXTERNAL monitor's backlight. Unfortunately, I have to do about ten thousand clicks through the GUI only to reach that sliding control. Simply not practical. – GetFree Sep 11 '10 at 5:51
Interesting. Sounds like it might be specific to the video card's drivers then... I've never seen anything like that before. – nhinkle♦ Sep 11 '10 at 6:04
Me neither. The drivers config dialog box says "Intel Graphics Media Accelerator Driver for mobile" and my external monitor is a Dell 2007FP – GetFree Sep 11 '10 at 6:24
@GetFree Not possible that your laptop controls the backlight of the external monitor.. it must be imitiation, or using a gamma reduction on the driver, to immatate the brightness on the external one. Can you proove that the backlight setting has been turned down? by looking at the stetting on the monitor?? I can bet 10 bux its driven via Drivers and not hardware.. – ppumkin Jan 23 '12 at 13:47
1  
@ppumkin, believe me, it's not emulated via color change or gamma reduction. It really does change the backlight brightness. My best guess is that it must be a propietary mecanism from Dell, since both my laptop and external monitor are Dell. – GetFree May 19 '12 at 10:34
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up vote 1 down vote
  • If you use an Nvidia Graphics Driver (Resource from here )

  1. Right click on desktop and select NVIDIA Control Panel

  2. Click on “Adjust desktop color settings” at the left hand side navigation bar.

alt text

3) Select NVIDIA settings and you can now move the slider for Brightness and Contrast.

Have a look here

http://www.istartedsomething.com/20090829/windows-7-application-controls-backlight-ordinary-webcam/

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That doen't change the monitor's backlight but the image brightness. – GetFree Sep 11 '10 at 6:31
Hmm, I think you are right, I removed from my answer – subanki Sep 11 '10 at 6:36
please update your answer, as this does not control the backlight, but the drivers based contrast/birghtness/gamme.. it is off topic.. I rather up vote you than down – ppumkin Jan 23 '12 at 13:48
up vote 0 down vote

Use Desktop Lighter. It's freeware. After installation you can simply use shortcut keys to increase or decrease brightness. Your monitor's brightness control is at your fingertips. Shortcut keys can be customized. It's a small tool but very useful.

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I've tried this tool before. It just changes the color brightness, not the backlight intensity. – GetFree Dec 21 '12 at 0:21
Don't use this tool, it changes your gamma permanently, and is difficult to change it back, if possible at all. It doesn't change Backlight intensity, just changes the gamma and colours. – Anton8000 May 19 at 16:42

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