F.lux For Mac Download
With macOS 10.12.4, Apple added Night Shift, which warms the color of your screen after sunset and before sunrise. Unfortunately, it isn't available on older devices, including MacBooks older than early 2015.
F.lux for Mac is a really handy tool that allows you to adjust the colour temperature on your display. If you stare at a screen for too long, then the.
f.lux is an app that offers Night Shift-style brightness and hue adjustments depending on the time of day. It's been a great tool for years on the Mac — and might just have been the inspiration for Night Shift. It works with older Macs, and even Macs running older operating systems, like El Capitan and Yosemite.
If you're itching for a Night Shift-style option for your older Mac, you can download and customize f.lux right now! Here's how.
How to download and install f.lux on your Mac
Unfortunately, f.lux is not available in the Mac app store, so you'll have to perform a few additional steps to download it onto your Mac.
- Navigate to justgetflux and click the Download f.lux button. A .zip file will download to your computer.
Open your Downloads folder (or the folder you designate downloads to automatically direct to).
- Double-click Flux.zip to unzip it.
Double-click the Flux file to open it.
- Click Open when asked if you are sure you want to open 'Flux.'
Click Move to Applications Folder when prompted. This will automatically move the application to its appropriate location so you don't have to do so manually.
- Click Allow when f.lux requests to use your current location. This is necessary because the app changes brightness and color based on when the sun rises and sets in your area.
Note: You can manually enter a location instead of sharing your location with f.lux in the Preferences section.
How to adjust the color changes in f.lux on your Mac
f.lux has a default color range for Daytime, Sunset, and Bedtime. When you first start using f.lux, you may find the color changes at Sunset and Bedtime jarring. If the recommended colors don't work for you, you can customize the effect for each time of the day. You can also preset the effects for 'Working Late,' which will keep the screen bright for 14 hours and then skip right to the Bedtime settings.
- Click the f.lux icon in your Menu bar (in the upper right of your Mac's screen). It looks like a circle with a squiggly line through it.
Click Preferences.
- Click Custom colors.
- Click Daytime.
Drag the color effects slider to the left to change the brightness and hue of your screen.
You can reduce or increase the amount of the effect from the time you wake up until sunset.
Click Sunset.
Drag the color effects slider to the left or right to change the brightness and hue of your screen.
You can reduce or increase the amount of the effect from sunset until bedtime.
Click Bedtime.
Drag the color effects slider to the left or right to change the brightness and hue of your screen.
You can reduce or increase the amount of the effect from bedtime until you wake up the next morning.
'Classic f.lux' is a less pronounced default setting and works best on smaller screens, like the 13-inch MacBook.
How to customize how f.lux works on your Mac
f.lux has some useful features to help you get the most out of its effects. These options make it possible for you to customize your personal experience.
- Click the f.lux icon in your Menu bar (in the upper right of your Mac's screen). It looks like a circle with a squiggly line through it.
- Hover over Options to see what options you have.
Click an Option to enable it.
An explanation of what Options do from f.lux's website:
- Fast transitions: 20 second fade at sunrise and sunset. When unchecked, f.lux changes gradually over one hour.
- Sleep in on weekends: For people who want brighter light later on Friday and Saturday nights (and sleep in on Saturday and Sunday mornings)
- Extra hour of sleep (ages 13-18): Starts Bedtime one hour earlier for teens and other people who need a little more sleep
- Expanded daytime settings: Warmer daytime settings (to 1900K) for people who want to reduce eyestrain or match office lighting
- Backwards alarm clock: Calculates how many hours remain until your wake time and gives reminders every thirty minutes when it gets very late
- Dim on disable: Gentle fade on disable so it hurts less to check colors
You can also select Color Effects to enable one of three special effects.
An explanation of what Color Effects do from f.lux's website:
- Darkroom: Removes 100% of blue and green light and inverts colors. Darkroom mode also preserves night vision while using a screen.
- Movie mode: Lasts 2.5 hours. Preserves colors and shadow detail for watching movies with reduced alerting light.
- OS X Dark theme at sunset: Uses the normal theme during the day and switches to dark theme (dock and menu bar) each night at sunset. Disabling f.lux will also disable dark theme.
How to temporarily disable f.lux on your Mac
If you need your screen to be at its normal daylight brightness and hue, even after the sun goes down, you can temporarily disable f.lux.
- Click the f.lux icon in your Menu bar (in the upper right of your Mac's screen). It looks like a circle with a squiggly line through it.
- Hover over Disable.
- Click For an hour to disable f.lux for one hour. It will return to its scheduled setting after the hour is up.
- Click Until sunrise when you are working late every once in a while.
Click For current app to always disable f.lux when you open a specific app, like photo editing or graphic design apps. Minecraft alpha v1.2.6.
Any questions?
Do you have any questions regarding downloading, installing, or use f.lux for Night Shift effects on your Mac? Let me know in the comments and I'll help you out.
macOS Catalina
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Two photos of a screen affected by f.lux's default settings (on the right) and disabled (on the left), stitched together | |
Original author(s) | Michael Herf, Lorna Herf |
---|---|
Developer(s) | F.lux Software LLC |
Initial release | February 2009; 11 years ago |
Stable release | |
Operating system | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS |
Available in | English |
License | Freeware |
Website | justgetflux.com |
f.lux (pronounced 'flux') is a cross-platformcomputer program that adjusts a display'scolor temperature according to location and time of day, offering functional respite for the eyes. The program is designed to reduce eye strain during night-time use, helping to reduce disruption of sleep patterns.[2][3]
Functionality[edit]
Upon installation, the user can choose a location based on geographic coordinates, a ZIP code or the name of a location. The program then automatically calibrates the device display's color temperature to account for time of day, based on sunrise and sunset at the chosen location. At sunset, it will gradually change the color temperature to a warmer color and restore the original color at sunrise.[2][3]
f.lux offers a variety of color profiles and pre-defined temperature values, modifying program behaviour for specific programs or activities; including a mode for film watching, decreasing red tinge (for 2.5 hours), and a darkroom mode that does not affect night-adapted vision.[2][3] Times can be inverted on f.lux for PC to provide warm lighting during the daytime (for people who work at night).[4] The program can control Philips HueLED lighting, so that the color temperature of house lights follows f.lux's settings.[5]
Platforms[edit]
The program is available for Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux (except for Ubuntu 18.04 LTS). It is also available for iOS devices, although it requires the device to be jailbroken.[6]Apple has not allowed the application in its App Store due to its use of restricted developer tools.[7] The developer briefly hosted an Xcode project on GitHub, allowing iOS 9 users to sideload the application onto their devices, but retracted it at the request of Apple.[8] Following Apple's announcement of a similar function, called Night Shift, in iOS 9.3, the developer called upon Apple to provide developer tools and to allow their application into the App Store.[9] A preview version for Google's Android system is available.[10]
Efficacy[edit]
f.lux proponents hypothesise that altering the color temperature of a display to reduce the prominence of white–blue light at night will improve the effectiveness of sleep. Reducing exposure to blue light at night time has been linked to increased melatonin secretion.[11] Although the developer provides a list of relevant research on their website, the program itself has not been scientifically tested to determine its efficacy. In spite of this, f.lux has been widely and positively reviewed by technology journalists, bloggers, and users.[2][3][6]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^'f.lux for iOS'. f.lux. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- ^ abcdZukerman, Erez (October 31, 2013). 'Review: f.lux makes your computer usable at night'. PC World. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- ^ abcdTanous, Jim (October 15, 2014). 'Save Your Eyes and Improve Your Sleep with f.lux for OS X and Windows'. TekRevue. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- ^'f.lux: F.A.Q. - I work nights. How do I flip the day and night settings?'. justgetflux.com. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
- ^'f.lux has been updated to a new version'. justgetflux.com. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
- ^ abHoffman, Chris (October 23, 2014). 'Reduce Eye Strain and Get Better Sleep by Using f.lux on Your Computer'. How-To Geek. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- ^Hern, Alex (January 12, 2016). 'Apple promises a good night's sleep with new iPhone feature'. The Guardian. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ^Tepper, Fitz (November 12, 2015). 'F.uxd: Apple Says Screen Brightness App Violates Developer Agreement'. TechCrunch. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- ^Perez, Sarah (January 15, 2016). 'F.lux Asks Apple To Let Its Screen Color Adjustment App Back Into App Store'. TechCrunch. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ^'f.lux Home Page'. f.lux. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
- ^Takeshi, Morita; Hiromi, Tokura (1996). 'Effects of Lights of Different Colour Temperature on the Nocturnal Changes in Core Temperature and Melatonin in Humans'. Journal of Physiological Anthropology. 15 (5): 243–6. PMID8979406.
External links[edit]
- The Benefits of Avoiding Blue Light Before Bedtime: how filtering out blue light from screens improves sleep quality.