Dual 27" display brightness control

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Dual 27" display brightness control

I have a 27" iMac and a 27" cinema display. I love it.

I don't like automatic brightness control and I adjust the brightness several times each day. I would like to be able to adjust both screens at the same time. The brightness controls on the keyboard only control the iMac's brightness and not the 2nd display. Is there a way to adjust the brightness on both monitors at the same time?

27" iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.4), 27" iMac + 27" cinema display

Posted on Sep 29, 2010 10:42 AM

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Answer 1

Oct 3, 2010 10:01 PM in response to gnagy

I have the same set up, still looking for the answer for that same deal. I want to be able to lower the brightness of both the screens together. As well I want to be able to turn one off and leave the other on...

I love apple but I feel like they did not plan to hard on its users looking at the 27" Imac and pairing it with a 27" Cinema Display...

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Answer 2

raps100

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Nov 22, 2010 12:05 AM in response to Nathon Sims

hey guys.. seriously considering getting a 27" display to go with my 27" imac..
wanted to know your thoughts on it, possibly post up some photos for me? else email me some.. would be awesome.
basically want to know if its worth it to get it.
thanks
ryan

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Answer 3

gnagy Author

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Nov 22, 2010 3:07 PM in response to raps100

In my opinion, it's worth it. I really like the dual 27" screens. I'd email you a photo, but I don't know your e-mail address.

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Answer 4

raps100

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Nov 25, 2010 4:38 AM in response to gnagy

i am nervous to put my email address up on here, but i guess it is an apple forum.. ryanrapaport@gmail.com
a couple pics would be great:)
thank you so much:)

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Answer 5

raps100

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Nov 29, 2010 12:29 AM in response to gnagy

hey gnagy,
dont mean to bug you just wanted to know if you could still email those photos?
thanks, ryanrapaport@gmail.com
would be great:) thanks:)

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Answer 6

Jan 6, 2011 6:27 PM in response to gnagy

Anyone figure this out yet? Now that I have had my set up for a few months I still love it. I will never go back to not have 2 monitors...and not have two monitors this large and crisp.

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Answer 7

Jan 23, 2011 7:54 PM in response to gnagy

I have dual 24"s with a mac pro. So ******, because in bootcamp the brightness is synced between both monitors. In Mac you can only control one at a time. Aggrr...

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Answer 8

swisink

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Feb 9, 2011 12:07 PM in response to gnagy

Yeah, I dont think there is a solution but I have learned to live with it. This is my set up.

http://vimeo.com/19736767

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Answer 9

Mar 20, 2011 12:39 AM in response to gnagy

I'm running a 27" iMac with a 24" Cinema display, been looking for a way to do this same thing, and this is what I just found:

http://www.charcoaldesign.co.uk/shades

It's a third-party preference panel that can put both brightness settings under the same button pair (I selected the blank F5 and F6 buttons). I'm pretty sure it works by "fading in" another color on top of the displayed image, but it's worked pretty well for me. The developer's page warns that it doesn't play well with color-calibration apps.

Also, through this quest, I found an app called "MulitScape" that splits hyper-wide wallpapers across multiple displays.

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Answer 10

Oct 20, 2013 6:36 AM in response to Dick Lanman

I have the same issue... Love the dual setup, I'm in love but I also change brightness all the time and I need 1 slider for both, there needs to be an option or a utility out there that doesn't mask the issue but addresses it directly. I like the shades idea but I don't necessarily like the way it works.

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Answer 11

Jun 13, 2014 6:26 PM in response to dancamera

I have two TB monitors, and I love them both. But, I adjust the brightness on my screens several times a day. Presently, I'm able to adjust the primary monitor's brightness using the brightness buttons on the keyboard. But I have to adjust the 2nd monitor's brightness using System Preferences and the mouse. It's a bit inconvenient for me.

If anyone knows of a way to have Mac OS adjust both monitors' brightness with the buttons on the keyboard, it would be very helpful to me!

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Answer 12

turbostar

Level 4

2,941 points

Jun 14, 2014 4:24 AM in response to Mad-Fragger

if using an apple kb

main monitor - brightness button on kb

2nd monitor - control + brightness button on kb

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Answer 13

Sep 13, 2014 8:18 PM in response to turbostar

Thank you, that is very helpful.

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Answer 14

Oct 5, 2015 1:52 PM in response to Mad-Fragger

Control-Brightness Up or Down will adjust the other monitor.

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Answer 15

Jan 29, 2016 3:21 PM in response to visualoutlaw

What if I am using 2 Thunderbolt displays and my MacBook Pro's screen. Ctrl + Brightness Up/Down only does my secondary display but not the third one.

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