Lunar Lite
Simple brightness sliders for all your screens
This is a cheaper alternative to Lunar, for people that only need simple brightness dimming.
It is a different app, using technologies borrowed from the full version of Lunar for better quality dimming, but stripped of features like DDC, XDR, adaptive brightness etc.
Because of App Store limitations, Lunar Lite can't implement DDC/CI control.
Lunar Pro vs Lunar Lite
| Feature | Lunar Pro | Lunar Lite |
|---|---|---|
| DDC support Real brightness control for all modern monitors | ||
| Brightness Dimming Software dimming using Gamma or Dark Overlay | ||
| Brightness and volume keys support Control monitors using the same keys used by macOS | ||
| Function keys support Control monitors using F1/F2 | ||
| Dim brightness below zero Use software dimming to go below the screen 0% brightness limit | ||
| Input switching Switch to HDMI/DisplayPort/USB-C port from the app | ||
| Sync brightness between displays Allows macOS adaptive brightness on external monitors | ||
| Built-in light sensor support Monitors adapt to ambient light even when the MacBook display is off | ||
| Turn off the MacBook display Automatically turn on/off the MacBook display when a monitor is connected | ||
| XDR brightness Go over the 500nits limit of the 2021 MacBook Pro | ||
| External light sensor support | ||
| Scheduled brightness presets | ||
| Command-line integration | ||
| Color calibration controls | ||
| Automatic App-based Presets | ||
| Use monitor as a light-panel in meetings | ||
| Sunrise/sunset based adaptive brightness | ||
| Pricing | Free for manual adjustments $23 for adaptive brightness | $3 |
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Monitors turned black?
Don't worry, Lunar Lite can't make permanent changes to your displays. Usually this can be fixed easily by reconnecting the monitors or restarting the computer.
The 2 most common causes for this issue are Color Profiles and other Gamma-altering apps.
1. Color Profiles
Because of a macOS bug in the Gamma API, your screen can go black and stay that way until you disconnect and reconnect the monitor.
There's no complete fix for this as it is a macOS bug, but you can lower the chances of it appearing using the following steps:
- Use a default color profile in System Preferences -> Displays
- Switch to Overlay mode to disable Gamma changes
Technical explanation
This usually happens when custom color profiles are used, but it was reported on some default monitor profiles as well.
The bug is usually triggered when Lunar tries to reset the gamma tables to their default values by calling the
CGDisplayRestoreColorSyncSettings()system method.
This should be a completely normal use case, and the call should simply do nothing if the gamma tables are already at their default values. But for unknown reasons, this API call will sometimes set all RGB Gamma tables to
0and all colors will show up as black.
2. Other apps that change Gamma
- f.lux
- Gamma Control
- etc.
If both Lunar Lite and one of these apps are used at the same time, the Gamma tables might be set to invalid values as the apps will try to override each other's changes.
If you want to keep using those apps, the best choice is to switch Lunar Lite to Overlay mode.
2. Dimming not working?
Some types of monitors don't have support for Gamma dimming (DisplayLink, Luna Display, Sidecar etc.).
To force using a Dark Overlay instead of Gamma, click on the Switch to Overlay mode button.
There are cases where not even the dark overlay works (some mirroring setups, virtual displays etc.).
In that case, please contact me here: Contact the developer
3. Can Lunar Lite control the real brightness of the monitor?
No.
To change the real brightness of the monitor, a macOS app needs to use Display Data Channel (DDC) which is not allowed on the App Store.
For that functionality, you'll need to use Lunar Pro which does support DDC and can only be downloaded outside the App Store.
Check the comparison table above to see what features Lunar Lite has compared to the full version of Lunar.
4. Can I get a refund?
Sure! The App Store provides refunds in the first 14 days after a purchase.
To get one, click on "Report a Problem" on the app page in the App Store and select "Request a refund".