---
name: "Vivid"
subtitle: "Unlocks the HDR-only headroom on MacBook Pro displays for everyday use"
date: 2026-05-05
link: "https://www.getvivid.app/"
linkText: "Visit getvivid.app"
source: "Reader suggestion"
topics:
  - macos-apps
tags: [macos, display, brightness, indie]
description: "One-time-purchase Mac app that lets the MacBook Pro and Pro Display XDR run their full 1,600-nit panel brightness for SDR content, not just HDR video."
---

Apple caps SDR brightness at 500 nits on the M-series MacBook Pros and Pro Display XDR, even though the panels can hit 1,600. Vivid pretends the whole desktop is HDR content so the display lets the extra headroom out — toggle it from the menu bar or with a hotkey, then drive it from the regular brightness keys. Outdoors on a sunny patio it's the difference between a usable laptop and a mirror; €20 one-time, no subscription.
