User:Emma/Misc Tips

On this page I'll put miscellaneous hints and tips, relating to computers in some way, that I think are very useful.

Screen Brightness
Do you ever get frustrated when you're trying to read a website and it is either too dark or too bright to easily read? Do you find editing images is difficult because you can't tell what is what. Do you feel that the brightness and contrast options built into your monitor are inadequate or too difficult to use?

The answer to all these problems is a little program called "Gamma Panel". Here are the steps to downloading, installing, and setting up Gamma Panel:


 * 1) First, go here, and download Gamma Panel.
 * 2) The program is in a ZIP file. Most operating systems today are fully capable of extracting it. You could also extract it with 7-Zip. Whichever method you use, extract it to an easy to remember location.
 * 3) Go to my computer. Make sure that the option "Hide extensions for known file filetypes" is disabled. It should be under Tools → Folder Options → View. Windows Vista location needed.
 * 4) In the directory with the program in it, create a file named "Gapa.ini". This file will record your settings.
 * 5) Right click on the file "Gapa.exe" and choose to create a new shortcut.
 * 6) Drag this new shortcut to the Startup folder in your start menu. This will make the program load whenever your computer starts up. You can copy the link anywhere else you want it, such as the desktop.
 * 7) Open up the file "Gapa.exe". You can now set your screen brightness. Change it to something and save that setting by using the "Save as" option. You can set a hot-key, the "F-function" keys are convenient here, by selecting the "Hot-key" box and then pressing the key(s) for that color profile. You then have to save the profile for the hot-key to work.
 * 8) You turn the file extensions option back on if you would like.

You can use this program to make editing images a lot easier. Just experiment with the program and you'll soon grow to love it.