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DESCRIPTION
DarkAdapted is a gamma control application program. It modifies your screen gamma settings so that you may, for example, preserve your dark adaptation while using your computer.
DarkAdapted has earned a 4.5-mouse rating in Macworld's Mac Gems.
DarkAdapted Features:
- DarkAdapted is free of charge (but remains copyrighted by Stephen E. Hutson).
- Customizable gamma presets. Use predefined settings, create your own, and manipulate your presets with ease. For example, use the “Dark Red” setting to preserve your dark adaptation. Or create a preset to deal with monitor characteristics or viewing conditions.
- High-resolution sliders allow you to adjust red, green, and blue video components individually and in real time.
- Small screen mode hides advanced controls, minimizing the use of valuable screen real estate. The Main Window may also be hidden entirely.
- Select a preset by typing the first few letters of its name.
- Export and import gamma presets to and from disk files. Many sample presets files are included with the download.
- Full AppleScript support (on Mac OS), including a sample AppleScript with the Mac OS download.
- “Gamma Toggle” keys offer a quick return to full brightness. Modifier keys are full assignable.
- Switching to gamma presets is performed via smooth fades, never abrupt shifts in screen color or brightness.
- Gamma fade duration is user-configurable (from instantaneous to two seconds), and slider controls may be set to update in real time during the fade.
- Control console “remembers” its position on your screen.
- Saved gamma preset is restored when DarkAdapted is launched, and reset when DarkAdapted quits.
- Manual refresh preference can override gamma adjustments made by screen savers or other software.
- Automatic or manual checking for updates via the Internet.
- Useful display features show gamma changes’ effects on selected text, as well as text on different backgrounds.
- Useful numeric and graphical readouts of gamma values.
- Includes the same powerful night vision technology as ScopeDriver, a full featured telescope control program.
- And many other time savers and productivity enhancers.
DarkAdapted Pro Features (Mac only)
DarkAdapted Pro is available only to Macintosh users. For a small registration fee ($10 US), the following capabilities are enabled:
- Control displays independently, using separate control windows, or in unison.
- Schedule unlimited gamma fades by time of day or relative to sunrise or sunset.
- Change presets via mouse scroll wheel.
- Move gamma sliders in unison, preserving or discarding relative gamma values, using the mouse scroll wheel.
- Employ expanded Applescript support.
WHAT'S NEW
Version 2.3.5: New in DarkAdapted 2.3.5:
- Pro Feature: Added Load Shared Preferences... and Save Shared Preferences... menu entries to Special menu. This allows you to share settings between multiple users on a single computer. When loading shared preferences, all settings are immediately updated. Non-administrative users may now also write to the shared preference file. This replaces the shared preference control in the Preferences window.
- Pro Feature: Changing visibility of Dock icon now also works on non-administrative accounts.
- About window now displays name/organization and serial number. For copies registered before Build 218, the name will appear as “DarkAdapted Pro User.”
- Chime and AppleScript Scheduling window: Selecting an event now displays the next event execution time below and to the right of the Events listing. Hold down a modifier key while clicking an event to display the next execution time with dates.
- Updated documentation with section explaining how to use DarkAdapted with display calibration software.
Performance Enhancements:
- Build framework has been completely rewritten.
- Minor tweaks for Mac OS 10.5.7.
- New version of compiler used.
- Changed layout of Registration Window. Paste Serial Number button now operates much more rapidly when large amounts of text have been copied.
- Standard permissions on installed and created files are now read/write/execute for owner and group, and read/execute for other users.
Internet Update Improvements:
- Improvements made to performance and reliability of Internet Update Checks.
- Internet Update now yields time back to time display updates (and the rest of DarkAdapted) as it checks for updates.
- Internet Update now downloads updates to the user's Downloads folder, unless that folder cannot be found, in which case it reverts to downloading to the desktop.
- Internet Update continues to preserve existing download files with the same name, but now automatically renames duplicate files, instead of presenting a Save As dialog.
- Internet Update may now be forced to check in asynchronous mode by holding down the [control] and [shift] keys when beginning an update check.
- Internet Update should now automatically complete installation, instead of sometimes stopping after the downloaded disk image mounts. Note that this will only occur when performing an in-application upgrade using version 2.3.5b1 or later.
Mac OS X Installer Improvements:
- Changed installer methodology. Instead of creating a new DarkAdapted Folder and renaming the old folder, the installer now leaves the DarkAdapted folder in place. Only new or changed files are copied, and existing duplicate files are placed in a "Moved by Installer" folder inside the DarkAdapted Folder. If an existing DarkAdapted application is found, it is placed in a compressed (.zip) archive in the "Moved by Installer" folder, so that the correct copy of DarkAdapted always opens.
- Installer now works in non-administrator accounts. If you encounter problems installing, try holding down the [option] and [shift] keys when you click the "Install" button, and please report the issue, along with any error messages you receive.
- Installer now performs its last action ("Finishing Installation...") much more rapidly.
- Installer no longer resets modification dates of installed files to the release date of the application.
- Installer now can install to a non-default location, and will upgrade from within the application to the same non-default location. Note that the in-application updating will work when updating 2.3.5b1 or later; for earlier versions, a dialog will appear asking you to specify the install location.
- Installer now lets you define the actual folder where DarkAdapted and its files will be installed. Previously, you could select the parent folder, but the custom install location’s folder would always be named "DarkAdapted Folder".
- Installer performs additional error checking and retries failed operations before reporting an error.
- Installer now logs more of its progress to the Console.
Bug Fixes:
- Fixed bug where fixed-size windows could open at an incorrect size when opened by a different version of DarkAdapted.
- Fixed issue where some scroll wheel drivers could affect non-front windows.
- Fixed bug in sunrise and sunset calculation where longitude could be reset to 90 degrees if a longitude greater than 90 degrees was used.
- Chime and AppleScript Scheduling Window: Sorting events by “Time” now correctly sorts numerically instead of alphabetically, and also takes into account the time of sunrise and sunset events.
- Fixed display of Gamma Toggle Keys on Windows Vista.
REQUIREMENTS
Mac OS X 10.2 or later.
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| DarkAdapted X User Reviews (31 posts) | Write A Review |
 | Dec 22 2008 |
SPARTAN Still the best tool of its kind, and it works very well in Leopard.
(Version 2.3.4) | |
| [ Reply ] | |
| Feb 17 2008 |
BADGERB. This is a fantastic review and I use it daily because my cinema display is too bright at its lowest settings. I've got 3 wishes, though. Wish 1: "Total system integration", where the standard brightness sliders and keyshortcuts would allow me to seamlessly dim down from full power (monitor brightness at 100%, DarkAdapted off) down to - say - 0.05% (monitor brightness at minimum, DarkAdapted at 5%). Wish 2: some apps reset the gamma (like games playing at full-screen) and I would wish DA to prevent this. Wish 3: DarkAdapted contstantly takes away about 1% of my cpu without doing anything. I would love if it could go down to 0%.
(Version 2.3.1) | |
| [ 1 Reply - Reply ] | |
Replies:
 | Feb 28 2008 |
Regarding #1, I have been trying for quite some time to control the backlight from within DarkAdapted, and have been unable to locate any system calls to do that. If anyone knows how, I'd like to know! :) Of course you can dim the *gamma* down to 0.00%, but I'm pretty sure that's not what you were asking. On #2, you can keep other programs from hijacking the gamma by setting DarkAdapted's preference to refresh the gamma setting every so often. This works for screen savers, too. About #3, DarkAdapted should remain at 0% CPU usage when it's in the background, and when it has not been set to periodically refresh the gamma values. If DarkAdapted is above 0% when in the background (and not refreshing the gamma), something unusual is going on. DarkAdapted isn't doing anything at idle time. | |
 | Nov 1 2007 |
SANDYC I run DarkAdapted on a two monitor system and love it. Had a small glitch when I updated to Leopard and I contacted the developer...I have to say I've never had a faster response from a developer. Thumbs up!
(Version 2.3.1) | |
| [ Reply ] | |
| Jun 4 2007 |
REALMAC17 Does the job as advertised very well - I even paid for the Pro version (only $10). Now I won't burn my eyes out since my iMac is still very bright on the lowest brightness level.
(Version 2.2) | |
| [ Reply ] | |
| May 4 2007 |
SKYNITE From the Developer: DarkAdapted is not coded in Xcode because I also wanted to make it available to Windows users (albeit not the Pro version, which is Mac-only). The non-Universal Binary version checks in at about 4 MB; if you want an Intel- or PPC-only build, let me know. | |
| [ Reply ] | |
| May 4 2007 |
TOMIS The software certainly does its job. And in conjunction with the grayscale option in the "Universal Access" System Preference it is truly invaluable. I just wish the developer had used Apple's developer tools to make this wonderful program. There's no reason it should be a bloated 8MB download. Hopefully they will take the time to learn xCode and make a native program.
(Version 2.2b4) | |
| [ 1 Reply - Reply ] | |
Replies:
| May 5 2007 |
EASER Believe me, this developer will work with you. He's top-notch. Take advantage of his offer. He's been unbelievably responsive to some software needs I've had. His work is exemplary.
(Version 2.2b4) | |
| Jan 16 2007 |
EASER This is a really nice, configurable, and stable program. And the developer has been simply outstanding in responsiveness. I use the program primarily as a brightness controller, and it works really well. You guys should check this out.
(Version 2.1b2) | |
| [ Reply ] | |
| Dec 24 2006 |
DarkAdapted Pro *does* control separate displays independently. Once it is registered ($10), you can type command-D and have different windows open for each display. The Pro features also include scheduling, scroll wheel support, etc. | |
| [ Reply ] | |
| Dec 24 2006 |
JETFIREDX Cool! Any chance for supporting separate controls for multiple monitors? (I might be able to finally get matching colors between my MacBook screen and my 20in LCD...)
(Version 2.0) | |
| [ 1 Reply - Reply ] | |
Replies:
| Dec 24 2006 |
DarkAdapted Pro *does* control separate displays independently. Once it is registered, you can type command-D and have different windows open for each display. | |
| Dec 23 2006 |
MBHOCKEY I'd be willing to pay $50 for this implementation
(Version 2.0) | |
| [ 1 Reply - Reply ] | |
Replies:
| Dec 23 2006 |
E-mail me directly (there's a link on the DarkAdapted site at www.darkadapted.com), and we'll talk about implementation details. | |
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| View all 31 posts >> |
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