Screen Contrast For A Laptop

[Bigaldoc]

I write this here because my new laptop in question is an HP and the HP Help clearly says that there is no setting on the laptop for CONTRAST.

The machine came with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. The 17" display is wonderful except that the color (my opinion) is kinda "washed out" and text looks too dim because of that fact.

I've tried to find a place in Win7 where one can change the contrast setting but all I can find is brightness and that only tends to make the whole screen darker and doesn't help to solve the problem. I tried to make a screen clip as an example but when you view that screen clip elsewhere outside of the laptop, it looks fine.

Does anyone know if it IS possible to change the contrast in Windows 7, please?

[StuartR]

I think that this can only be done from the graphics card, and that you should post this question in the hardware forum with the model number of your laptop. I don't want to move the thread in case someone who knows Windows better than I do has an inspired suggestion.

[Bigaldoc]

OK Stuart, I'll post it in Hardware later today after I come back from my visit with my son and his family. I posted this from my XP and the desktop, so I'll have to fire up the laptop to get the specs. I just realized I suppose I should install Belarc (or something) on there to make that chore easier and more identifiable.

Thanks...

[Bigaldoc]

I should have mentioned that, after posting earlier, I came upon this one which suggests that changing Windows Theme might help, so I'll also look at that later today:

Adjusting the Display Contrast in Windows 7 » Vision » 4All » Tech Ease

[StuartR]

Changing the theme to one of the high contrast themes won't actually change the contrast of the display, it will just use very contrasting colors for your windows.

[Roderunner]

Al,
When I had Vista, I learned how to set things to how I wanted them to look. Then I got Win7 H Prem. everything was all light coloured, it took me a few days to move the goalposts, now I'm happy as a kid in a candy store.

[BobArch2]

I write this here because my new laptop in question is an HP and the HP Help clearly says that there is no setting on the laptop for CONTRAST.

The machine came with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. The 17" display is wonderful except that the color (my opinion) is kinda "washed out" and text looks too dim because of that fact.

Try right clicking on a blank area of the display and select Screen Resolution. Select Make text and other items larger or smaller. Then try each of the menu items shown on the left side. I have used Calibrate color, and Adjust Clear Type text to eliminate the washed out effect.

Screen.gif

[agibsonsw]

A perhaps not-advisable option might be to temporarily disable ClearType, but more and more apps - particularly Office - seem to assume, or rely, on this.

I noticed at one point on my Compaq laptop the term 'ambient brightness' (or ambient light?) but I've no idea where the settings for this are, or whether it can be adjusted or disabled(?).

Andy.

[HansV]

You can adjust the ambient brightness by opening/closing the curtains and by turning the lights on or off.

[agibsonsw]

You can adjust the ambient brightness by opening/closing the curtains and by turning the lights on or off.

So my computer is immutable, but the universe needs to be calibrated? Sounds more like a Microsoft product

[Bigaldoc]

Try right clicking on a blank area of the display and select Screen Resolution. Select Make text and other items larger or smaller. Then try each of the menu items shown on the left side. I have used Calibrate color, and Adjust Clear Type text to eliminate the washed out effect.

I WILL try that tomorrow, Bob and I appreciate the tip.

Right now, after a day of belly-filling with my son and his family, my body's battery is running a bit low and I imagine in an hour or so I'll be ready for some Z's...

On The Morrow then...

[ChrisGreaves]

You can adjust the ambient brightness by opening/closing the curtains and by turning the lights on or off.

So my computer is immutable, but the universe needs to be calibrated? Sounds more like a Microsoft product

To both Andy & Hans:

[Bigaldoc]

Try right clicking on a blank area of the display and select Screen Resolution. Select Make text and other items larger or smaller. Then try each of the menu items shown on the left side. I have used Calibrate color, and Adjust Clear Type text to eliminate the washed out effect.

The messing with Clear Type has helped a little. Calibrate color seems to "assume" your monitor has controls on it, which the HP laptop clearly does not. So, only one of the screens gave me any opportunity to adjust anything and I think it made it slightly darker rather than changing the contrast.

I'll keep looking but not sure it'll yield anything. Of course, I am a rank amateur at this kind of stuff, so I've a lot to learn here.

Thanks again, Bob...

[agibsonsw]

If I right-click my (Compaq) desktop I can open the AMD VISION Control Centre (or similar) and advanced settings leads me to the attached screenshot, with Contrast option, etc..

I've also temporarily switched to the Windows Basic Theme, which you may find clearer/cleaner - but it depends whether you like/love Aero.

Andy.

[Bigaldoc]

Early in this thread Stuart suggested this could possibly be a hardware question rather than Windows 7. I'm inclined now to agree with him since I think I've exhausted as many OS avenues as is reasonable. Would Stuart or one of the other Admins kindly move this whole thread to hardware to keep me from repeating and referencing posts here, please?

As suggested by Stuart, just for your reference, my HP laptop is a Pavilion g7 Notebook PC 0593110000204610000620100. Belarc says the graphics is: Intel HD Graphics [Display adapter] Generic PnP Monitor (17.6"vis, January 2009).

I did find, included with the laptop an Intel graphics control panel (see attached) which allowed me to make very slight adjustments to contrast and gamma that have made my view a bit more tolerable. Those things, combined with the Clear Type text adjustments I made earlier have improved the look. Thanks everyone for the advice and support!

Edited: I forgot to say thanks Andy for I think you posted while I was composing. I suppose yours is similar to my Intel version.

[HansV]

This thread has been moved from the Windows 7 forum where it was originally posted to the Hardware forum at the request of Big Al.

[Bigaldoc]

Thanks Hans!

This stuff is VERY sensitive to the touch. In that Intel adjustment program, I adjusted the contrast and gamma EVER SO SLIGHTLY and it was looking a little better.

But then I tested a streaming replay of our university's basketball game from a couple of days ago. Yuck, not so good. The black players were SO black I couldn't make out their faces! I backed off on the settings I chose just a tiny bit and it was better.

The trouble with the Intel screen is that the measurements are in "tenths" and with a slider only it's very difficult to move the darn thing from .8 to .9 but such is life. I've never had to do these kinds of refinements on my desktop so I don't know what makes a laptop so different. Keeps my old juices going anyway...