Linux redscreen trick

Hi guys, it struck me earlier that having to buy a red filter for the laptop screen seems a bit redundant given the configurability of Xorg. I've tested this on Debian and it works grand. Obviously you need to have xcalib installed.


xcalib -green .1 0 1 -alter
xcalib -blue .1 0 1 -alter

will make the screen red. To return it to default simply invoke

xcalib -clear


Instant red screen.

Hope this is of some use to someone.

That is such a handy tip!

Hope I'm not being a pest by bumping this thread with more info, I'd forgotten to post my bash script for automating this.

Simply paste the code into a text document (mine's called redscreen.sh) and set the file permissions to make it executable.
You may need to verify where the bash executable is and amend the first line to reflect this as it can vary in linux distros.

Or you could use Compiz with Invert Plugin (turns white to black).

Agreed, I would suggest that the xcalib solution may be preferable, particularly where the system does not already have compiz installed. Installing compiz to do this rings of cracking a nut with a sledgehammer.

As with everything in Linux there are quite a few methods of acheiving the same result.

Or put a sheet or red celophane or plastic that you can get in an art supplies shop over your screen.

Simple solution works well for Mac, Windows and Linux