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I have web application and have noticed that there exists a huge variation in users' monitor brightness settings.

The brighter a user's monitor, the more washed about my web applications colors look.

Is there a way to automatically detect the user's monitor brightness, without the user's involvement, so that I can programmatically adjust my web-application's colors based on the brightness?

Marcel Korpel
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JasonS
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    I don't believe it's possible to get the brightness settings off the actual monitor as I don't believe in the OS is aware of that setting. – Robert Sep 13 '10 at 13:50
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    You could ask to the user to turn off other light sources and take a picture of his monitor at night and send to your app for digital processing – Jader Dias Sep 13 '10 at 13:59

3 Answers3

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Short answer; "No".

Longer answer; "No, never"

Kristoffer Sall-Storgaard
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Even if it were possible (which it isn't), users have their reasons for using differing contrast/brightness levels and to try to circumvent these would be considered rude. It would be like a radio advertiser asking if it is possible to turn up the radio when their advert plays. Of course, you could use an approach similar to those used in audio advertising (where they limit the buggery out of the signal to get it as loud as possible) with your color scheme.

spender
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I don't think so. Monitor brightness is a hardware setting, and I don't think the computer is able to read that setting.

gen_Eric
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  • Possibly more to the point, it's a hardware setting on a peripheral. The OS can read some hardware settings, but unless the monitor sends its brightness setting back to the computer it can't possibly read it. – David Thornley Sep 13 '10 at 14:26