Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. Features

This app can double the brightness of your MacBook Pro

Alan Truly
By

The MacBook Pro‘s screen brightness is a hardware control with a well-defined maximum setting, yet there is an app that can unlock tons of display intensity that would otherwise never be seen.

The Mac app is called Vivid and while it sounds too good to be true, it really works to double brightness system-wide. The way it can achieve this is by tricking MacOS into seeing everything as high dynamic range content.

The Vivid app has a free split-screen mode that demonstrates double-brightness on half the screen of a 2021 MacBook Pro.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Since the key to this technique is to use HDR, no visible change will be seen unless using a Mac that supports greater than normal brightness for HDR content. That narrows its usefulness down to the 2021 MacBook Pro 14-inch or 16-inch models which feature XDR mini-LED backlit displays with an incredible, sustained maximum brightness level of 1,000 nits. That’s more than twice the standard 500-nit intensity level. Apple’s Pro Display XDR is a high-end monitor that can also reach 1,000 nits of brightness when displaying HDR content.

Related

To try it out for free, simply visit Vivid’s website to download and drag the app to the Applications folder. The app can be used in split-screen mode for free or purchased for 20 Euros, which is a little over $20. While it can be installed on any Mac, the app only brightens XDR screens.

Recommended Videos

After opening the app, tapping the brightness key (F2) when display intensity is already at maximum reveals a secondary brightness bar below the system bar that represents the extended brightness available with the Vivid app, providing 10 more degrees of brightness that push into XDR levels.

Vivid app adds a second brightness bar to a 2021 MacBook Pro.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

This is equivalent to watching an HDR movie or editing an HDR video on a MacBook Pro all day long, meaning the battery level will drop more quickly with extended brightness enabled.

The developer indicates the app doesn’t force a MacBook Pro to do anything it wasn’t designed to do, however, it might increase display temperature by 5% to 10%. Combined with a high ambient temperature, a MacBook Pro XDR display could reach a temperature that would cause brightness to be limited. That means the XDR display should automatically protect itself from any heat damage.

Some apps might show inaccurate colors when using Vivid to increase display brightness beyond the normal levels but having the ability to turn up brightness beyond maximum is a nice treat when trying to use a MacBook Pro outside. Overcoming glare and reflections can be quite difficult and Vivid is a clever solution that really works.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Alan Truly
Alan Truly
Computing Writer
Alan is a Computing Writer living in Nova Scotia, Canada. A tech-enthusiast since his youth, Alan stays current on what is…
Want an M3 Max MacBook Pro? There’s a lengthy wait ahead
An Apple MacBook Pro 14 sits open on a table.

If you’ve been holding out for a super-powered MacBook Pro with a high-end M3 Pro or M3 Max chip, you could have a lengthy wait on your hands. That’s because, despite Apple’s plans to launch new Macs later this year, several are reportedly going to miss the cut.

That’s according to journalist Mark Gurman, who claims in a new report that Apple’s flagship 16-inch and 14-inch MacBook Pro models are unlikely to launch until the middle of 2024. Worse, the M3 Mac mini might not see the light of day until late 2024 at the earliest.

Read more
Should you buy the M2 MacBook Pro or wait for the M3?
The MacBook Pro on a wooden table.

It's been over a year since the M2 was announced, with the chip first appearing in the 13-inch MacBook Pro and 13-inch MacBook Air. With the M3 chip on the horizon, you might wondering if you're better off waiting or just buying one of the current MacBook Pros?

While nothing about the M3 MacBook Pro is official yet, there's been a lot of reporting about what we can expect from these next-gen laptops.
The M2 MacBook Pro of today

Read more
Report: Apple’s 2024 MacBooks may face some serious shortages
Apple's John Ternus stands next to an image of the 15-inch MacBook Air at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2023.

Looking forward to getting a new MacBook in the next year or so? You might have to wait longer than expected, as Apple chip supplier TSMC is reportedly struggling to get enough skilled workers for its forthcoming Arizona factory. That could mean we see serious shortages of Apple laptops and a struggle to get hold of stock.

The bad news comes from The Wall Street Journal. According to the outlet, TSMC has said that “people with expertise erecting semiconductor facilities were in short supply in the U.S.” As a result, the Arizona factory “would miss its target of starting mass production next year.”

Read more