Visual comfort is essential for prolonged computer use, especially for those who spend hours in front of a screen. macOS provides several built-in features that can help reduce eye strain and improve overall visual comfort. This article will guide you through these features and how to configure them to suit your needs.

Night Shift

Night Shift automatically adjusts the colors of your display to the warmer end of the spectrum after dark. This can help reduce eye strain and improve sleep quality.

How to Enable Night Shift:

1. Open System Preferences.
2. Click on Displays.
3. Go to the Night Shift tab.
4. You can schedule Night Shift to turn on automatically from sunset to sunrise or set a custom schedule. You can also manually enable it until the next day.

# Enable Night Shift via Terminal
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.CoreBrightness.plist CBBlueReductionStatus -int 1

True Tone

True Tone technology adjusts the color and intensity of your display to match the ambient light, making images appear more natural.

How to Enable True Tone:

1. Open System Preferences.
2. Click on Displays.
3. Check the box next to True Tone.

Dark Mode

Dark Mode changes the system interface to a darker color scheme, which can be easier on the eyes in low-light environments.

How to Enable Dark Mode:

1. Open System Preferences.
2. Click on General.
3. Under Appearance, select Dark.

# Enable Dark Mode via Terminal
osascript -e 'tell application "System Events" to tell appearance preferences to set dark mode to true'

Reduce Motion

The Reduce Motion feature minimizes the amount of movement and animation on the screen, which can help reduce eye strain.

How to Enable Reduce Motion:

1. Open System Preferences.
2. Click on Accessibility.
3. Select Display.
4. Check the box next to Reduce motion.

Increase Contrast

Increasing contrast can make text and interface elements stand out more, making them easier to see.

How to Increase Contrast:

1. Open System Preferences.
2. Click on Accessibility.
3. Select Display.
4. Check the box next to Increase contrast.

Examples

Example 1: Scheduling Night Shift via Terminal

You can schedule Night Shift to turn on and off at specific times using the defaults command in Terminal.

# Schedule Night Shift from 10 PM to 7 AM
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.CoreBrightness.plist CBBlueReductionSunsetSchedule -array 22 0 7 0

Example 2: Enabling Dark Mode via Terminal

You can toggle Dark Mode on and off using AppleScript in Terminal.

# Toggle Dark Mode
osascript -e 'tell application "System Events" to tell appearance preferences to set dark mode to not dark mode'

By following these steps, you can significantly enhance your visual comfort while using macOS. Whether you're working late into the night or just want to reduce eye strain, these features offer a range of options to suit your needs.