DisplayTuneMonitor brightness and contrast: how to set them
Brightness and contrast are the first buttons in the monitor menu, and most people set them by eye in the store. The right values depend on your room lighting.
Brightness — to match the room
Monitor brightness controls the backlight. The main rule: a white page on screen should not be brighter than a real sheet of paper on your desk. By a window in daytime brightness goes up; under a lamp in the evening it goes noticeably down.
| Lighting | Monitor brightness | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Bright room, daytime | 60–100% | White not paler than paper |
| Normal office light | 35–60% | ≈120 cd/m² |
| Evening, desk lamp | 20–40% | White does not glare |
| Darkness | 10–25% | Better to turn on a room light |
Contrast — not the maximum
Monitor contrast controls how light tones are stretched. Crank it to 100 and light details merge into a white blob. Factory values of 50–75 are usually close to right — check with a white level test: all light squares should be distinguishable.
Monitor brightness vs software brightness
The monitor buttons change the backlight. The brightness slider in the driver or DisplayTune changes the signal — black gets lighter. So pick the backlight level with the monitor buttons and use software brightness for game profiles.
Quick check
- Open a white page (an empty document) — it should not glare.
- Open a dark movie or game — black should be black, not grey.
- Run the black level and white level tests in our online monitor test; more in calibration without a calibrator.
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Frequently asked questions
What monitor brightness should I use at night?
About 20–40%: white should not glare or be brighter than a sheet of paper under your lighting.
What contrast should my monitor be set to?
Usually the factory 50–75. Check with a white level test: all light squares should be distinguishable.
Is high brightness in the dark bad?
It tires your eyes and makes the picture worse: black gets lighter and contrast drops. Lower brightness or turn on a room light.