When flying towards brightness the VC dash can get very dim.  Prior to resuming use of NV DLSS FG I used GFE filters which did a nice job of selective brightening of the VC, but that's gone for me now.  Any way around that you know of?  It's particularly bad w/ the Longitude I'm in at the moment.  Any way to eliminate that effect entirely if not modulate it?

In VR with a Pimax Crystal Light, there are brightness, contrast controls. And also for each color red, blue, green. (I reduce blue and increase red in order to create a "blue light" filter. (Easier than using accessory blue light filter lenses). 

In 2D there are similar controls in Nvidia Control Panel | Adjust Desktop Color Settings. There used to be a way to save the slider positions to a profile that could be instantly chosen, in windows versions a long time ago. 

Now, if I want to fly in 2D, I have to go move the 4 sliders, Brightness, Contrast, Gama, Vibrance. Because the windows desktop needs other slider positions. 

But since I mainly fly in VR, the settings I need are already done in Pimax Play . I can always see the panel clear enough in any lighting. I'm not going to be using Windows Desktop apps in VR.

My first thing when this happens is Nv control panel color settings and set gamma slider more to the right.

I'm sure you're aware of most things Noel, but one thing that has helped me, is by using Rex Atmos. Although I use it for softening the clouds and reducing the overly dark clouds that sometimes are present, I have noticed with the latter settings, that it also brightens the VC. Have you tried the Nvidia app? It has a filter section which allows you to tweak the image. There are numerous settings including gamma, brightness, contrast etc.  As a matter of interest, I asked ChatGPT about the issue:

When I use MSFS2020 I notice that the virtual cockpits of my planes are quite dark. Can you tell me if there is a way I can affect the brightness of just the cockpits of the planes rather than a filter or monitor settings that will affect everything?

ChatGPT said:

That’s an excellent question, Howard — and a very familiar frustration for many MSFS2020 pilots. The cockpit interiors can indeed appear overly dark, especially when your eyes (or rather, your monitor) adjust to the bright scenery outside. Fortunately, there are a few ways you can brighten just the cockpit without washing out the outside world or fiddling with your monitor’s global settings. Let me walk you through the best options:

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🧭 1. Use the In-Sim Camera Exposure Controls

MSFS automatically adjusts cockpit exposure depending on where your virtual “eyes” are pointed — bright outside → dark cockpit, and vice versa.
You can, however, take a little control of this balance.

• Go to: Options → General Options → Camera

• Look for Cockpit Camera → Manual Exposure

  • If you turn Auto Exposure off, you can manually tweak brightness.

  • Then adjust the Exposure Compensation slider to raise brightness just in the cockpit.

👉 Tip: Try small increments (+0.20 or so). It’s surprising how much difference that makes without blowing out the windows.

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💡 2. Adjust the In-Cockpit Lighting

Many aircraft — particularly the PMDG 737, A320, and other high-fidelity models — have several internal light sources:

• Panel / Flood / Dome lights — These are your friends.

  • Use them even in daylight: a touch of flood light or instrument backlight brings life to the panel.

  • In the PMDG 737, for example:

    • The OVHD PANEL flood light knob and DOME LIGHT switch can warm up the interior nicely.

If you’re flying GA aircraft (like your Britten Norman or a Cessna), check for a panel lighting knob — usually on the lower instrument panel or near the light switches.

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⚙️ 3. Use a Custom Post-Processing Preset (Without Affecting the Whole Scene)

If you use NVIDIA Freestyle (since you’ve got an RTX 3090), you can create a cockpit-only preset by toggling it on and off quickly:

• Press Alt + F3 in-game.

• Add a filter such as:

  • Brightness/Contrast (+10 or so),

  • Exposure, or

  • Colour Filter (to lift shadows a bit).

• Save it as “Cockpit Bright” and toggle it with Alt + F3 when inside the cockpit.
  Then switch back to normal for external views.

This isn’t strictly cockpit-only, but the quick toggle makes it practical.

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🧰 4. For the Technically Inclined — Edit the Aircraft’s Panel Configuration

Each aircraft has a “panel.cfg” file that can include tone-mapping parameters, though this is advanced territory. You can adjust ambient lighting values — but only if you’re comfortable with file edits.
(If you ever want to try that route, I can guide you through it safely.)

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✈️ In Summary

For a simple and effective fix:

1. Manual exposure control in the sim — best starting point.

2. Use your aircraft’s internal light controls even in daytime.

3. Freestyle preset toggle for fine-tuning.

Edited October 24, 2025Oct 24 by Rocky_53