Auto contrast - is this a new thing in Sierra?

[Toutou]

A few days after I had upgraded to Sierra I noticed my rMBP's screen looks a little washed out when dimmed. I've always kept it on lower brightness when possible, as my eyes can get a little sensitive, so I'm pretty sure this is a new thing.
When the display is dimmed, the OS seems to be trying to counter that by lowering the contrast, so the darkest parts don't get too dark. After you quickly turn the brighness all the way up, the contrast gradually returns to normal, over five or six seconds.
Also, this behavior goes away with automatic brightness disabled.

So, is this a new thing? If not, how long has it been there?

 

[SuperHamster]

... So, is this a new thing? If not, how long has it been there?

I noticed the same thing since the Sierra upgrade, was wondering if it was time to get a new eye examination.

 

[Toutou]

I don't get it. How am I supposed to do any color sensitive work if they're ****ing with my contrast without even telling a word?

 

[Eduardboon]

Having the same issue on a 2016 Macbook Pro. It's incredibly annoying. In El Capitan you could turn this off by toggling "Ambient Light Compensation" but on Sierra there is no such option, it is coupled with automatic brightness. It sucks and makes things incredibly dull and gray, especially on lower brightness settings.

I tend to work on photographs and this really messes with everything. When I create a "perfect" image it looks way too dark on a normal screen because my mac found it necessary to wash out the colors. Especially noticeable with the colourful touchbar right underneath the gray screen.

 

[Toutou]

I just disabled automatic brightness. No regrets btw, I don't miss it at all.

 

[Reality4711]

I just disabled automatic brightness. No regrets btw, I don't miss it at all.

Thank you for that. It has been gently bugging me without me realising it.