Gamma Control: FAQ
Answers to frequently asked questions about Gamma Control. If your question is not answered here or you experience problems, please get in touch by email.
- How do I use the calibration patterns?
- How do I create a color profile?
- Is there a difference between the Mac App Store version and the direct version?
- I have a license for an older version of Gamma Control. Must I pay again?
- I get an alert about too many instances on the network. What is this?
How do I use the calibration patterns?
Adjust the sliders in the Middle tab so the color in four square color targets is mostly uniform. The white point should be adjusted to produce the correct tint for white, generally set to match the color produced by ambiant lighting on white objects. Black point rarely needs adjusting, but you might want to increase its luminance slightly if you can’t see the steps in the dark part of the gray scale below the color targets.
Some screens can’t be made to look right unless you decrease the luminance of the white point a bit. So if you find yourself unable to adjust color targets without everything looking wrong, you should try dimming the white point using the luminance slider under the White tab.
Note that if your screen is using a scaled (non-native) resolution the color patterns become unreliable. The MacBook Pros since 2016 are using scaling by default. You might need to choose the native resolution in System Preferences so the color patterns are reliable.
How do I create a color profile?
Choose Export Color Profile from the Gamma menu. This will prompt you to save a file.
By default, it’ll save the file at the standard location for profiles in your user account. Saving the file at this location will make it appear in the list of profiles the next time you open System Preferences and go to the Screens panel.
You can also choose to save the file elsewhere and use it with other computers.
Note: that creating a color profile is not available during the free trial period. You need to purchase the app to use this feature.
Is there a difference between the Mac App Store version and the direct version?
The direct version has two advantages:
- The direct version offers a 30-day free trial.
- Remote configuration (via Gamma Board) is limited to one device per network with the Mac App Store version.
I have a license for an older version of Gamma Control. Must I pay again?
If you purchased Gamma Control 5 from this website:
- on March 1st 2017 or later, you can get a free license for version 6.
- on an earlier date: you can get a license at a discounted price (30%).
Use the Upgrade checkbox on the buy page to test for eligibility.
If you purchased version 5 from the Mac App Store, you will need to pay full price to get the new version. It is not possible to offer a special price for upgrades for licences purchased through Apple.
I get an alert about too many instances on the network. What is this?
When you enable remote configuration in the preferences, Gamma Control announces itself on the local network. If it detects that the number of running Gamma Control instances using the same license reaches the number of copies allowed by the license, remote configuration will be disabled.
You can reenable remote configuration from the preferences after quitting the excess copies that were running elsewhere on the network. Or if you need all these copies running at the same time, please purchase a license for number of copies you need.
Note that for the Mac App Store version of Gamma Control only one instance can enable remote configuration on the local network at a time. You will need the direct version to allow remote configuration on more Macs on the same network.