How to reduce screen brightness: 3 free filter apps

How to reduce screen brightness below the device’s settings has always been a problem for me, and, I suspect, for anyone who is glare/light sensitive. In this post I propose 3 free filter apps with different characteristics and provide a link to some more screen filter apps, for those who love more options.

Previously I’ve suggested some unexpected ways in which a person with photophobia, glare /  light sensitivity can reduce brightness and glare on computer screen by using free blue light filter apps f.lux and PC Sunscreen or a combination of the two. Similarly the light filter apps presented below may be used simultaneously, combining its capabilities to achieve the desired effects of brightness/glare reduction.

I should warn you the light filter apps below have not been designed as blue light filters. Hence, they won’t necessarily answer your question: How to sleep better at night. (I have just been reading a recent report by The Vision Council, in which they stress the importance and damaging effects of electronic display devices, particularly of the blue light they emit – I plan to summarize their report in the next post, and have written about the issue here).

How to reduce screen brightness: Dimmer – a gray light filter app, full screen

Dimmer is a very effective light filter app. It is as if you put grey tinted sunglasses on. You can reduce brightness by adjusting the opacity/transparency of the filter with a convenient slider (see image below). The Dimmer is a full screen only light filter app.

 How to reduce screen brightness: Dimmer, a gray light filter app, configuration box

The Dimmer light filter app may be downloaded here.

How to reduce screen brightness: ssOverlay – a pick-your-color light filter app, full screen

The ssOverlay light filter app was designed specifically for the people who suffer from Scotopic Sensitivity/Irlen Syndrome (which may be triggered by reflection, glare, brightness, certain light wavelength, i.e. color, and/or color contrast). Hence ssOverlay light filter app will help you reduce screen brightness (full screen only) in one of these eight colors: silver, red, lime, yellow, blue, fuchsia, aqua, and white. The settings are very easily adjusted (see image below).

How to reduce screen brightness: ssOverlay, an 8-color light filter app, configuration box

The ssOverlay light filter app may be downloaded here.

How to reduce screen brightness: T-Bar – a choose-your-color light filter app, part screen only

The T-Bar light filter app was also designed with Scotopic Sensitivity/Irlen Syndrome in mind. It is a colored bar which you can either drag around the screen or lock to your mouse. The color of the light filter can be chosen from pre-defined options and further tweaked to get the ideal color. The transparency level can also be adjusted.

How to reduce screen brightness: ssOverlay, an 8-color light filter app, configuration box within the bar’s color filter

The T-Bar light filter app can help you reduce brightness of just one portion of your screen (the size is adjustable but limited; particularly its height is less than the height of a normal computer screen).

The T-Bar light filter app may be downloaded here.

How to reduce screen brightness: Combining different filter apps

This is just to remind you that you can use these filters in combination. For example:

• You might always use orange text on black background  to minimize light emission of your screen.
• You may also want to keep your blue light filter app on all the time to minimize the amount of high energy, blue light entering your eyes.
• But, when you open a pdf (with a blinding glare of its white background) you also add another light filter app (for example Dimmer, ssOverlay or T-Bar) to reduce glare/brightness.

Would you suggest any other light filter apps that you particularly like?

Here is a link to 10 more in case the three light filter apps presented above don’t work for you.

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