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Surface Tweak Tool for Surface Pro 2 - Release!

OP
G

GoodBytes

Well-Known Member
Hello everyone!

It has been a while!
I have updated Surface Tweak Tool for support for the latest Surface line Intel drivers (Windows 10.1 TH2 with the latest firmware of the system), to enable more colors, and disable the dynamic contrast ratio effect the Intel drivers does when on battery ('Display Power Saving Technology').

You can get the latest version, but hitting the Download button here:
Download: Surface Tweak Tool - Download

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(Direct link to downloads is not allowed on this forum. Sorry).
 

odessamarin

New Member
Hi,
thank you for this fantastic tool!
I use it with my Surface Pro 4 to disable intel autocontrast.. and it works fine!
Seems it support even last SP4!
Could you tell me, do i need to save some settings to be able to undo applied driver fix?
I mean, where program saved a original parameters?
Also is it possible to fix just the autocontrast, without color changes.. what is exactly is changed but this fix btw? Gamma? Intencity..?
Thank you
 
OP
G

GoodBytes

Well-Known Member
Hi,
thank you for this fantastic tool!
I use it with my Surface Pro 4 to disable intel autocontrast.. and it works fine!
Seems it support even last SP4!
Could you tell me, do i need to save some settings to be able to undo applied driver fix?
I mean, where program saved a original parameters?
Also is it possible to fix just the autocontrast, without color changes.. what is exactly is changed but this fix btw? Gamma? Intencity..?
Thank you
Oh awesome! Glad it works for the SP4! :D
Thank you very much for the feedback! It is what fuels me to continue!

To answer your questions:
You'll need to re-apply the fix anytime the Intel graphics drivers are updated or re-installed, or when there is a firmware update (which usually includes Intel latest drivers for its integrated graphics solution), just something to keep in mind.

The easiest way to undo the driver fix that my software does, is to uninstall the Intel's integrated graphics from Device Manager, restart your system, and let Windows Update re-download them and re-install them. You'll be back as it was before using Surface Tweak Tool.

Currently, the program doesn't do any backups of the drivers setting.

As for being able to disable autocontrast, without color changes. I am not sure I follow you. I do know that, at least on the Surface Pro 1 and 2, that the Intel drivers are miss configured, and limits the colors of the display. So it changes that to allow full colors being displayed, boosting the visuals.

Now, if Microsoft limited the colors of the display to color adjust them, it is clearly the wrong the way to do it from Microsoft part, as they should adjust the color of the panel (or get a better panel) and not use software color manipulation method to try and get more accurate colors, as software method always limits colors. Meaning your gradients aren't smooth. Some colors are shifted to the color next to it. That is the problem with software methods, you need to apply a hardware method. For example, if you buy a Dell monitor that has the panel manufactured color calibrated (done via profile, ready to be selected once you plug in the monitor), the calibration is done on the hardware level. So, you have full colors being displayed, and accurate.

I am not sure if I can split them, as I don't know what exact option causes the issue you are having.

The software being designed for the Surface Pro 1 and 2 (and many testers reports that the Pro 3 works great with it, minus the pen calibration due to technology changes, mostly due to the very similar hardware that it shares with the Surface Pro 2), the display was color limited, because drivers configuration were miss configured. So the goal was to solve this. The way I see it, is that the panel used in the Surface line are 6-bit panel per channel with FRC to emulate 8-bit colors per channel, which is what the graphics card output (8-bits per channel), and that is how 99% to 100% of the content most people sees is encoded as, and what software supports. So, if you plan to do color accurate work, get a true 8-bit panel monitor (IPS panel (or OLED if you have the funds)), get your color calibrator to calibrate the monitor, and do your color accurate work.

6-bit panels are commonly used due to the lower production cost. As it output a satisfactory image for most people, people tend to be fine with it.

Are the color really off on your Surface Pro 4? Do you do color accurate work on it? If the colors are wrong, in what way they are shifted to be wrong?
 

odessamarin

New Member
Thank you for detailed reply!
Yes, tool starts and shows all information without any problem on SP4! Complements for such forward compatibility!
Then i tried just intel driver fix. Bot sure if other options will work.
I was looking for tool to desable adaptive contrast. And it works!
What i ment is that this fix is named also to correct color problem.
So i was ask is it possible to apply just the adaptive contrast fix alone.
Or it is same things? Generally in normal intel driver panel i was disabling
Display Power Saving Technology... to get rid this adaptive brightness.
Anyway, thank you very much, i don't see any problem after fix applied.
 
OP
G

GoodBytes

Well-Known Member
Thank you for detailed reply!
Yes, tool starts and shows all information without any problem on SP4! Complements for such forward compatibility!
Then i tried just intel driver fix. Bot sure if other options will work.
I was looking for tool to desable adaptive contrast. And it works!
What i ment is that this fix is named also to correct color problem.
So i was ask is it possible to apply just the adaptive contrast fix alone.
Or it is same things? Generally in normal intel driver panel i was disabling
Display Power Saving Technology... to get rid this adaptive brightness.
Anyway, thank you very much, i don't see any problem after fix applied.
Ah ok, now I understand you better.

It's not the same thing, but you want to apply both in any case to display full colors (at least on the Surface Pro 1 and 2), if the Pro 4 doesn't have this problem, then the color changes should have no effect on this, as it would be changing the values to the same one.
 

GvySmily

New Member
Thank you SOOOO much for this tool. It's been majorly irritating having my screen brightness go up and down every time I switch between bright and dark applications. The Intel graphics fix worked perfectly on my Surface Book, and I'm even running the latest Win10 insider build (14279) and Intel driver (Beta_15.40.18.64.4380).

I hope more people find this page and are saved from the terrible auto contrast power saving garbage that our devices ship with.

Great work!
 

GvySmily

New Member
Interestingly, my Thinkpad W520 started doing the dynamic contrast thing, probably with a recent Windows/driver update. Despite the older (2011) graphics card (and being a TOTALLY different device), the Intel graphics tweak still worked on this laptop. No more annoying dynamic contrast!
 

GvySmily

New Member
6 months later, this app is still saving the day. I get windows insider builds on the fast ring, which means I get updates VERY frequently. For some reason, every time Windows 10 updates, it sets my nvidia card to the default gpu (old Optimus laptop), and I lose my intel graphics fix.

I know the nvidia control panel settings have nothing to do with surface tweak tool. But is there any way you can detect when the fix has been lost and re-apply it? I don't care if I have to have some .bat file in my startup folder if it means I don't have to manually apply the fix anymore.
 
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