Contrast and Brightness Annoyance

[RP McIntosh]

I have something happening that fits in the category of a minor annoyance, but it seems to me I should be able to fix it, but can't seem to figure out how. My graphics card is a Nvidia card, and there is an Nvidia Control Panel. It includes a section labeled Adjust Desktop Color Settings. That section includes a section titled How Color is Set. It has two options: Other Applications Control Color Settings, and Use Nvidia Settings. Because I could not seem to get a good balance of contrast and brightness in the Display portion of Settings, I tried changing that to the Use Nvidia Settings. That makes available slide bars for Brightness and Contrast. There, I was able to get the balance I was looking for. All well and good. However, something odd happens. When I boot the system, it comes up initially looking right--but while the boot is still finishing, I can see the screen get lighter, with less contrast. At that point, if I go back into the Nvidia Control Panel, the settings I chose are still indicated. However, if I switch to the Other Applications Control Color Settings, then BACK to the Use Nvidia Settings, then click the APPLY button, it puts the screen back the way I want it. It stays there until I shut down and reboot. Perhaps significantly (perhaps not), doing a Restart instead of a shutdown does NOT change the brightness and contrast--only when I do a cold boot. Anyone have any idea what is happening, or (more importantly) how to make the settings stick without having to open the Nvidia Control Panel after ever cold boot?

 

[Trouble]

Instead of fiddling around with those settings....
Set it back to the default "Other applications control color settings" and "Apply"
THEN
Go down one notch to section "3" and bump up the setting for "Digital vibrance" from "50" to ""75" and "Apply"

See if using that method gives you a more dependable and reliable outcome

 

[RP McIntosh]

Instead of fiddling around with those settings....
Set it back to the default "Other applications control color settings" and "Apply"
THEN
Go down one notch to section "3" and bump up the setting for "Digital vibrance" from "50" to ""75" and "Apply"

See if using that method gives you a more dependable and reliable outcome

Trouble, Thanks for the suggestion. Tried it, and can't really say if it "sticks" better, but it made the whole thing a way to bright for my taste. Oddly, in the last couple of days, it hasn't changed. Maybe there was a update that caused the change or something (I've noticed with Windows 10 that update sometimes change things I don't particularly want changed). By the way, thanks also for your comment in support of the Armed Forces, from one who spent 25 years in the US Air Force, before retiring.

 

[Trouble]

Thank you for your service.
I myself enlisted (U.S. Army) in 68 and ETS'd 3 years later in 1971.
A true honor and privilege

 

[davehc]

Not mentioned, but I guess you have tried to use only the native Windows 10 settings, and ignore the Nvidia choices?
Settings - system.

 

[Trouble]

it made the whole thing a way to bright for my taste

Perhaps my suggestion of increasing the setting a full 25% might have been overzealous.
You can always experiment with incremental increases and see if any of those might be more satisfactory.

The way I understood that particular setting to work was to increase the overall color sharpness and make everything more "vivid" I didn't realize that brightness might also be involved.

 

[RP McIntosh]

Not mentioned, but I guess you have tried to use only the native Windows 10 settings, and ignore the Nvidia choices?
Settings - system.

Dave, Thanks. I did try that first. But for some reason, the settings in Windows made only very minor changes in brightness and contrast. The whole thing appeared, for want of a better term, "washed out." I also have tried in vain to get rid of the gray (versus black) text that Win 10 uses. Wish we still had the customization options that earlier versions of Windows had.

 

[RP McIntosh]

Perhaps my suggestion of increasing the setting a full 25% might have been overzealous.
You can always experiment with incremental increases and see if any of those might be more satisfactory.

The way I understood that particular setting to work was to increase the overall color sharpness and make everything more "vivid" I didn't realize that brightness might also be involved.

Trouble, I'll play around with it a bit more. However, when I tried to move the slider, it would only go in 20% jumps. It went from 50% to 70%, then to 90%. So the fine turning may be hard to do.

 

[Trouble]

Click select the slider and then use your left and or right arrow keys on your keyboard to move it one percent at a time.

 

[RP McIntosh]

Click select the slider and then use your left and or right arrow keys on your keyboard to move it one percent at a time.

Trouble, Aha. Thanks. That did help. It does make things sharper at about 60%, but it also increases the brightness. Maybe I can combine the effect there with the brightness settings in Windows itself, and reach a happy medium. I'll fiddle with it a bit and let you know how I do. Thank again for your help and generosity, and for your service to the nation.

 

[davehc]

Dave, Thanks. I did try that first. But for some reason, the settings in Windows made only very minor changes in brightness and contrast. The whole thing appeared, for want of a better term, "washed out." I also have tried in vain to get rid of the gray (versus black) text that Win 10 uses. Wish we still had the customization options that earlier versions of Windows had.

You are aware that the "clear Type" adjustment still exists, for the text?
I need it quickly after a reinstall.

Settings -Personalisation - Fonts. Scroll down to the bottom and you will see the option.

You could also have a look at the Colour filters, under the Ease of Access item. But be careful there. My last adventure there, I had to return to the defaults settings as I screwed up so badly!!

Definitely something a little haywire with your system, though. The "brightness control on all the mcomputers, to which I have access, is more than enough - One extreme to another in most cases.

 

[RP McIntosh]

You are aware that the "clear Type" adjustment still exists, for the text?
I need it quickly after a reinstall.

Settings -Personalisation - Fonts. Scroll down to the bottom and you will see the option.

You could also have a look at the Colour filters, under the Ease of Access item. But be careful there. My last adventure there, I had to return to the defaults settings as I screwed up so badly!!

Definitely something a little haywire with your system, though. The "brightness control on all the mcomputers, to which I have access, is more than enough - One extreme to another in most cases.

Dave-- Thanks. Now, I can't even FIND the brightness control, though I swear I found it before. All the articles say it is in System->Display->Brightness and Color. But my System->Display-> has no Brightness, just Color, and the only thing there are Night Light settings, HD Color, Scale and Layout, and Multiple Monitors.

 

[davehc]

OMG! What is going on with your computer!

 

[Trouble]

I can't find that particular setting on my desktop either.
It is present on my laptop.
Maybe because laptops have additional power saving options not always present on desktops.

 

[davehc]

The picture was from a laptop. Sorry. A little misdirection here. Long time since I worked with a desktop!!

Anyway. I was a little intrigued by this difference. A little googling founf this. It might help?


https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...sktop-pc/8b01ea17-fc39-4cf8-a2fa-a364df3b6d77

 

[RP McIntosh]

OMG! What is going on with your computer!


View attachment 9743

Dave--

Well, here is what mine looks like:

 

[RP McIntosh]

I can't find that particular setting on my desktop either.
It is present on my laptop.
Maybe because laptops have additional power saving options not always present on desktops.

Trouble--

I think you've broken the code. Guess I'll use the Nvidia Contol Panel. It does have both a brightness and a contrast slider, and they both work. No idea why it periodically reverts to something else. Can't seem to find a pattern to that behavior. But it's not often enough to be a real pain. And all I have to do to get it back is to reapply the settings in the Nvidia Control Panel. I'm trying to remain open minded about Windows 10. But some of the features they have removed just mystify me. Guess they figured they were expending too much manpower in keeping options functional.

 

[RP McIntosh]

The picture was from a laptop. Sorry. A little misdirection here. Long time since I worked with a desktop!!

Anyway. I was a little intrigued by this difference. A little googling founf this. It might help?


https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...sktop-pc/8b01ea17-fc39-4cf8-a2fa-a364df3b6d77

Dave--

Sorry. Didn't see your second reply until after I posted a response to the first one. Think you and Trouble have hit on the answer. Different options on desktops and laptops (heaven only knows why, on something like brightness). And the fun just keeps coming. Checked out your link, and then tried to check the power settings that it mentioned, and my Power settings don't have the options described either. Probably another laptop versus desktop thing. At least, in Power settings, I can see some logic to it. By the way, now I recall where I adjusted the brightness before, and didn't see all that much difference. It was in the manual controls for the monitor, not a setting in Windows at all. So guess I'll just use the Nvidia Control Panel, and chalk up the fact that it periodically reverts to a different setting as an unsolved mystery. Thanks for your input.

 

[davehc]

Sorry we were only able to come up with a possible reasonfor the symptom, and not a definitive answer. I am still of the opinion that you could have a one-off problem with your computer hardware - or in the original install. But I am totally out of ideas!

 

[RP McIntosh]

Sorry we were only able to come up with a possible reasonfor the symptom, and not a definitive answer. I am still of the opinion that you could have a one-off problem with your computer hardware - or in the original install. But I am totally out of ideas!

Dave--

Please don't apologize. I very much appreciate the time you and Trouble have given to working on this, and your generosity in sharing your expertise. Not all questions have easy answers, and if I've learned nothing else in working with computers, it is that some mysteries are never solved. I'll no doubt be back with other questions as I continue to try to get comfortable with Windows 10. Thanks again for your help.