Feature Request: Smart Dimming with Dynamic LED Distribution

[unterdrueckt]

Feature Request: Smart Dimming with Dynamic LED Distribution

Description

Currently, WLED does not support dynamic dimming where only a subset of LEDs are lit at low brightness levels. At 1% brightness, all LEDs remain on, which can result in excessive brightness. A more efficient approach would be to selectively light a fraction of the LEDs at low brightness settings, improving both aesthetics and energy efficiency.

Proposed Solution

1. Low Brightness Control:

   • At low brightness levels (e.g., 1%-10%), only a subset of LEDs should be lit (e.g., every 5th LED).

2. Dynamic LED Distribution:

   • At higher brightness levels (e.g., 60%-100%), all LEDs should be fully lit, as they currently are.
   • At mid-range brightness levels (e.g., 30%-50%), a mix of fully lit and selectively dimmed LEDs should be used to balance brightness and ensure smooth transitions.

3. Improved Low-Light Dynamic Range:

   • This would allow for better light and color control at low brightness levels.

Additional Considerations

• This feature should be optional and configurable via the WLED settings, allowing users to control how many LEDs are grouped for dimming.
• The transition between LED states should be smooth to avoid flickering or abrupt brightness changes.

Thank you for considering this feature!

[willmmiles]

I, for one, can relate to dynamic range issues at low brightness levels - for several of my projects I've been wishing for dimmer LEDs!

Spatial brightness distribution could potentially be implemented as an option at the segment level when grouping > 1. Probably we'd want some kind of LED performance model to decide how to map energy to pixels.

[DedeHai]

This would be quite easy to do as an FX. There then are even sliders to control the min/max point to enable this "dithering". You can then overlay it using overlapping segements.

[DedeHai]

@unterdrueckt if I were to make this into an FX: since I have no setup to test this I need some hints. Here is what I am thinking:

• create an FX that has a slider setting, if brightness goes below the threshold, leds will be turned to black -> how? which ones? in what pattern(s)? (could make different patterns and have them selectable with another slider)
• default would be just like the "solid" FX but with added feature
• if "overlay" checkmark is set, it will not draw anything but just set certain LEDs to black, so it can be used as overlay segment to any other FX