Web User - UK (2019-05-29)

Weekend Project

Subscribe toWeb User atsubscribe.webuser.co.uk 29 May - 11 June 2019 59

you want to adjust. Click Next andstep
through the screens, adjusting the
settingsfor each one.The tool letsyou
use your monitor’s controlsto tweak the
Gamma (therelationship betweenred,
green and bluecolour values), thecolour
balance and the brightness andcontras t
(using thecontrols onyour monitor).
Ideally,you should adjust the brightness
based on the time of day (brighter during
daylight hours, darker in theevenings),
but it ’s a painto have to do this manually,
which is where programs likef.lux
(justgetflux.com) and SunsetScreen
(bit.ly/sunset4 76 ) can help.These free
tools automatically adjustyour display
settings (brightness and hue) depending
on the time of day, which should make
your screen morecomfortable on the
eyes. They also combat blue light, which

1

Launchf.lux and it will askyou

whereyou are so it can adjustto

your local timezone and light levels.

The program willattempttopullyour

location fromWindows^1 butyou can

enter a newtown or city into the box if

you prefer.^2 Click OK and it will goto

work, adapting the displaycolourto

suit the time of day.

2

Click the icon in the notification area

tocall up the Settings box. Use the

slider^1 toadjust the currentcolour, or

click the sunsymbol^2 (which turns into

a moonatnight-time)toset thecolours

bytime of day(daytime, sunset,

bedtime). Click the sun againtosee how

things will changeover a 24 -hour period.

3

The drop-down menu letsyou

switch fromRecommendedColours

toother options.^1 Click the menu

button^2 toadjust day and night

shadestogether, change the current

hue, accesseffects andextracolours,

or disablef.lux. Finally,you cantell the

program what timeyou wakeup^3

so it knowswhentostartworking.

20 inches fromyour face – and thetop of

the screen should beat or belowyour

eye le vel.

Fix mouse lag onWindows 10

If your mouse pointer isn’t moving

smoothly and speedily around the

screen, there are acouple of thingsyou

can doto fix it. Ifyour mouse uses

batteries, tryreplacing them – this can

make a huge difference. Avoid using

cheap batteries becauseyou’ll have to

change them moreregularly and they

could be the cause of the problem.

If that doesn’twork, make sure the

underside of the mouse is clean and

consider using a mouse mat, orreplacing

or cleaningyour existing one if it’s old

and dirty.

If your mouseconnectsto your

Windows 10’s Night Lightfeat ure is more basic thanf.lux
but it can help protect your eyes from blue light

The Windows DisplayColour Calibration tool helpsyou configure the

brightness,contrast andcolour ofyour screens

MINIWORKSHOP|Combat eyestrain usingf.lux

has been shownto disrupt sleepat

bedtime, andyou can adjust the settings

to suit the lighting of theroom. We show

you howto use f.lux in our Mini

Workshop, below. If you useyour

computerto carry outcolour-sensitive

work, such as photo editing,you’ll need

to te mporarily disable the program.

Windows 10 offers a similar but simpler

built-infeature called Night Light, which

you can access by typingnight light

into the search box and pressing Enter

when it’s highlighted. Click ‘Turn on now’

in the Settings window, optionally adjust

the night-timecolour temperature and

set a schedulefor it.

Whileyou’re playing around with the

screen, it’s wo rth making sure it’s

positionedcorrectly. It should be setat

a reasonable distance – ideally,at least

1

(^21)
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