Give every Mac display its own CRT emulation or crisp scanline overlay—without blocking clicks or stealing focus.
Bring back the texture of old displays while keeping the desktop underneath fully usable. Screen Effects adds a cosmetic, click-through layer to each connected monitor and lets you tune every screen independently.
Give every display its own character.
The screen is still yours
Screen Effects changes how your desktop looks, not how it works. Its overlays never accept clicks, never take keyboard focus, and stay out of the way while you use the apps beneath them.
Classic
Add sharp, pixel-aligned scanlines with an optional subpixel colour grille.
CRT
Rebuild the live desktop with phosphor masks, beam scanlines, bloom, curvature, vignette, and exposure recovery.
One setup, different screens
A multi-monitor desk should not force every panel into the same look. Give one display a restrained scanline texture, turn another into an arcade tube, and leave a third untouched.
Each monitor keeps its own:
Effect mode
Classic and CRT controls
Animation setting
Saved look
Connect or disconnect a display while Screen Effects is running and the overlays follow. Change a monitor’s resolution, scale, or position and its effect is rebuilt for the new layout. Reconnect a known monitor and its saved settings return to that physical screen.
Classic scanlines
Add texture without capturing the screen. Classic mode draws directly over the desktop and needs no Screen Recording permission.
Control:
Scanline thickness and darkness
Overlay opacity
Scroll speed and direction
Optional animated scrolling
Optional aperture, slot, or shadow-style colour grille
Static lines snap to whole device pixels for a crisp pattern at the display’s current scale. Animated lines move at subpixel positions for smooth scrolling.
CRT emulation
Go beyond a flat overlay. CRT mode captures the selected display, processes each frame with Metal, and draws the result back as a live tube emulation.
Tune:
Aperture, slot, or shadow phosphor mask
Mask and scanline strength
Bloom and glow
Barrel curvature and vignette
Exposure recovery
Emulated pixel size
Optional flicker and scanline roll
Start from Trinitron, Arcade, or Broadcast presets, then adjust the dials while viewing the result live.
Built to stay out of the way
Click-through by design
Work, play, and move between apps normally. The overlay does not intercept the mouse and cannot become the active window.
Visible across your desktop
The effect stays on its assigned display, including over full-screen apps, without appearing on the wrong monitor.
Settings that persist
Screen Effects identifies each physical monitor and stores its complete look on your Mac. Your CRT and Classic settings remain available even when you switch modes or unplug a display.
Motion when you want it
Classic scrolling and CRT flicker are controlled per display. Both respect macOS Reduce Motion.
Fast monitor identification
Use Identify Monitors to flash a large number on every connected screen, then select the matching display in Settings.
How it works
Open Screen Effects and choose a monitor in Settings.
Select Off, Classic, or CRT.
Adjust the controls and watch that display update live.
A fresh setup starts with Classic on the main display and Off on additional displays. Every monitor can be changed independently afterward.
Privacy
Screen Effects does not collect, store, or transmit personal data. It has no accounts, analytics, or network connections. Per-display settings stay in your Mac’s local preferences.
CRT mode requires macOS Screen Recording permission because it needs the current display image to render the emulation. Frames are processed on the Mac, drawn back to the same display, and discarded. They are never written to disk or sent to the developer or a third party.
Classic modes do not use Screen Recording.
Requirements
macOS 14 or later
Screen Recording permission for CRT mode only
Running CRT emulation on more than one monitor increases GPU load, heat, and battery use. Classic mode uses a lighter overlay path when full CRT processing is unnecessary.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep using the apps under the effect?
Yes. Every overlay is click-through and non-focusing, so mouse and keyboard input continues to reach the app underneath.
Does CRT mode record my screen?
CRT mode reads the live display image to render the effect, but it does not save or transmit the image. Processing happens locally and each frame is discarded after use.
Does Classic mode need Screen Recording permission?
No. Classic mode draws scanlines and the optional colour grille without reading the desktop beneath it.
Can each monitor use different settings?
Yes. Mode, dials, and animation are stored and applied per physical display.
What happens when I unplug a monitor?
Its overlay is removed while the monitor is disconnected. Its settings stay on the Mac and return when that display reconnects.
Does it work with full-screen apps?
Yes. The overlay remains visible over full-screen apps while staying pinned to its assigned display.
Can I disable the effect on one display?
Yes. Choose Off for that monitor. Other displays keep their own active effects.
Give every display its own character
Choose clean scanlines, a full CRT tube, or no effect at all—independently for every monitor on your Mac.
© 2026 Gergely Mancz. All rights reserved.