I'm looking for a way to dim my screen more than the minimum brightness settings allow on Linux. I'm aware that in Windows, there's a program called Dimmer that overlays a screen to make it appear darker than the monitor's lowest brightness setting. I've tried using xrandr and the brightness settings in Fedora's KDE, but it's still too bright for my eyes when I'm in low-light conditions. Is there a similar tool or workaround for Linux that can help?
4 Answers
You might want to check out a tool called Nightlight for KDE. It can help adjust the screen tint and may dim the display further. You can find information about it here: https://linuxvox.com/blog/nightlight-linux-kde/.
If you want a darker screen, you could consider creating a virtual screen overlay. It’s not complicated! I did it on my PC in the bedroom using a dark slide script, which dims the screen to almost nothing but allows you to keep the display on. Depending on the desktop environment and window manager you're using, it might be straightforward or require a bit of extra setup.
Have you tried using brightnessctl? You can set it to absolute minimum using a command like 'brightnessctl s 1'. However, note that the perceived brightness might still be similar to what you're experiencing with xrandr and KDE settings.
Actually, creating a maximized black window that stays on top but is inactive might be a good solution. This way, you can have your desktop under it without interference. Just adjust the opacity to let some light through if needed, which can reduce glare significantly. It’s an easy trick to achieve a dimming effect!
Thanks for the suggestion! I tried that, but it seems like the results are the same as with xrandr or the KDE brightness settings.