Gamma Utils Guide: Controls, Keybinds, Gamma and Night Vision Toggles, and Config Menu

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Gamma Utils is a brightness utility mod that makes dark areas easier to see, and it is operated entirely through its config interface and hotkeys rather than through crafting or items. Everything below covers the basic controls, the toggling behaviour for Gamma and Night Vision, and an overview of what the config menu contains.

The mod's settings live in a single screen titled Gamma Utils Config. This is where every option described in this guide is found. Options are grouped into sections for Gamma, Night Vision, Dynamic Gamma, Dynamic Night Vision, and general behaviour.

Most actions in the mod are bound to hotkeys rather than clicked in the menu. Where a specific key is not fixed by the mod itself, assign your own binding for the corresponding hotkey in the controls menu.

Gamma Controls

Toggle Gamma — switches Gamma on and off. When off, the value used is the Default Gamma Percentage; when on, the Toggled Gamma Percentage is used.
Increase Gamma and Decrease Gamma — raise or lower the current Gamma value. Each press changes it by the amount set in Gamma Percentage Step.
Update Toggle Value — when enabled, the toggle remembers the last value you used that was not the default, so toggling returns you to that value instead of a fixed one.

Two related settings affect how toggling feels. Enable Smooth Transition makes the change gradual rather than instant, and its speed is measured as a percentage per second. A separate option resets the Gamma value back to default when Minecraft closes.

Show Status Effect displays an effect indicator when your Gamma percentage sits outside the normal range: "High Gamma" when above 100, and "Low Gamma" when below 0.

Night Vision Controls

Toggle Night Vision — turns Night Vision on or off.
Increase Night Vision and Decrease Night Vision — adjust the strength, changing by the amount set in Night Vision Percentage Step.
Toggled Night Vision Percentage — the strength applied while Night Vision is toggled on. A related option makes the toggle remember the last non-zero value you used.

Night Vision has its own equivalents of the Gamma extras: Brighten Fog Color makes fog brighten the way vanilla Night Vision does, an option shows the HUD and inventory icon like a normal status effect, another disables Night Vision when Minecraft closes, and Enable Smooth Transition makes toggling gradual. When Night Vision is off, the interface shows Night Vision: Disabled.

Dynamic Gamma and Dynamic Night Vision

Enable Dynamic Gamma makes Gamma adjust itself based on the light level around you. Minimum Gamma Strength applies at light level 15 and Maximum Gamma Strength at light level 0, with a transition speed controlling how fast it shifts. Averaging Light Level Range sets how many blocks around you are sampled. Sky Brightness Override lets you keep dynamic Gamma lower under skylight; the mod compares this setting against the real sky brightness and uses whichever is higher.

Enable Dynamic Night Vision works the same way, using Minimum Night Vision Strength and Maximum Night Vision Strength at the same light levels.

Both dynamic modes can be turned on or off with their own hotkeys. Note that some features report being incompatible while Dynamic Gamma or Dynamic Night Vision is active.

Dimension Preference and Limits

Enable Dimension Preference automatically applies a preferred strength whenever you change dimension, with separate preference values for the Overworld, the Nether, and the End. This exists for both Gamma and Night Vision.

Limit Check options enforce Minimum Gamma Limit and Maximum Gamma Limit, plus the Night Vision equivalents. Disabling the Gamma limit check may cause issues with Sodium, and if you use Sodium you should restart after changing the minimum or maximum Gamma limit.

Other Options

Show Gamma Change Message and its Night Vision counterpart display the new percentage whenever it changes.
Namespaced Commands adds a namespace to all Gamma Utils commands, which helps avoid conflicts with other mods or server commands.

Status messages confirm changes as they happen, such as Dynamic Gamma being enabled or disabled, status effects being turned on or off, and smooth transitions being turned on or off.