Mac display utilities: what they do and what to look for

The main categories

• Brightness and dimming: tools that change how bright the screen is, or soften sudden changes. Phosphor for Mac has Flashbang Protection, which softens the brightness jump when you switch to a bright window, then eases back to normal. Flashlight dims your surroundings, or brightens the area around your pointer.
• Color: tools that adjust or read color. Color Grading adjusts color temperature, contrast and gamma, with saved presets. Color Picker reads the hex and RGB values of any pixel, plus an estimated brightness in nits.
• Capture: tools that grab what is on screen. Screenshots copies the full display under your cursor to the clipboard. The Pro privacy sweep blurs faces and text that looks like an email address, a phone number or a password, and it can miss some.
• Presentation: tools for calls, demos and recording. Laser Pointer, Drawing, Flashlight, Keystroke Display and Invisible Notes are the Studio Features, switched on together with Studio Mode.
• Focus and display management: Focus Spotlight dims everything outside a region you draw. Display Presets switches resolution and refresh rate with a shortcut. Display Schedule puts your displays to sleep and wakes them at times you set. Display Health shows screen time, brightness history and estimated battery draw.

Permissions at a glance

Here is what each Phosphor for Mac tool needs from macOS, for the tools where the answer is known. Each name links to its page.

What to look for

• Permissions. Display tools often need Screen Recording, Accessibility or Input Monitoring. Check which ones an app asks for and what each is used for.
• Privacy. Check whether the app sends anything off your Mac, and whether it says so plainly. Phosphor for Mac states that nothing about your screen or your usage leaves your Mac.
• Mac version. Check that the app supports the macOS version you run. Phosphor for Mac requires macOS 13 or later.
• Price. Check whether it is free, a one-time purchase or a subscription. Phosphor for Mac is free to download, and Pro is a one-time purchase of $19.99.
• Native software. Check whether the app is built for macOS rather than wrapped from something else. Phosphor for Mac is built natively in Swift.

How Phosphor for Mac fits

Phosphor for Mac puts the categories above into one menu bar app: eight free tools, with Pro on top for Flashbang Protection and the Studio Features. Read the details on the features page, or start with the free tools and add Pro later.