Washed out colors

Hello. I have a problem with colors on my Zorin 16. I have enabled my Nvidia drivers but I can’t really adjust colors there, the most important setting to me are digital vibrance because it helps me screen to be really colorful. Does anyone face this problem? Can I adjust colors in some way? I have to emphasize that I’m using a laptop with Intel HD graphic built-in and integrated Nvidia.

Hello @zorin-user12

It sounds like you’re trying to adjust the digital vibrance on your laptop with a hybrid Intel/Nvidia graphics setup in Zorin OS 16.

Firstly, Zorin OS 16 is based on Ubuntu, so many solutions for Ubuntu should also apply here. When you say you’ve enabled Nvidia drivers, I assume you’re using the proprietary ones (as opposed to the open-source Nouveau drivers).

Given your setup, you might be using Nvidia’s Optimus technology. With this technology, the Intel graphics are used for less demanding tasks to save power, and the Nvidia GPU kicks in for more demanding tasks. This switching is done via the Bumblebee project on Linux.

Here’s what you can try:

  1. Nvidia Settings:

    • Open Nvidia X Server Settings from your application menu.
    • If you’re on a hybrid graphics system, you might need to run it with optirun like this: optirun nvidia-settings
    • Under the ‘X Server Color Correction’ tab, there are options to adjust the brightness, contrast, and gamma.
    • However, note that the specific Digital Vibrance setting is not available in the Linux version of Nvidia Settings as it is on Windows. There might be other ways to achieve a similar effect, though.
  2. Adjusting Gamma:

    • Using the xgamma command, you can adjust gamma settings. For example, to increase gamma (which might simulate the vibrancy to a degree): xgamma -gamma 1.2. Default is 1.0. Play around with different values to see what suits you.
  3. ICC Profiles:

    • Another approach is using ICC (International Color Consortium) profiles. These are used to manage colors across different devices. You might be able to find or create an ICC profile that gives you the vibrancy you’re after. Tools like GNOME Color Manager can help you manage these profiles.
  4. Consider Other Software:

    • There’s a tool called vibrantLinux that was developed to adjust the digital vibrance for Nvidia and Intel graphics. It might be worth looking into if you can’t achieve the desired effects with the above methods.

Lastly, remember to be careful when making any system changes. Always back up any configuration files before editing them, and keep track of the changes you make so you can undo them if necessary.