I don't know why, but this is probably the only game where i kinda have brightness problems, or maybe not. I'll explain.


Brightness is incredibly important in games like this, but for some reason i can't get it to look right. Xbox 360 version on a plasma screen:

Outside in the game during daytime, it looks too dark, the environment is definitely too dark and my character as well, some things are hard to see, while they shouldn't. So i crank up the game's brightness until it's fine. However, when i enter a dungeon, it's simply way too bright, i can see pretty much everything in a dungeon that is supposed to be dark. And i don't believe its supposed to be that way. I can turn the brightness down, until it looks absolutely fine, but then when i go outside, it's all way too dark again. The game has a brightness slider, just like Oblivion but what svcks is that they didn't put a thing in it to check if the brightness has been set correctly, you know how alot of games have that? Where it says, turn the brightness down/up until you barely see the logo.

In the 360 display settings > reference levels, i have it set to standard, cause apparently that's the best for plasma and that way you dont crush black levels. But i changed it to expanded to see if it would help, but its basically the same problem. Long story short....are dungeons(caves,mines,etc) suppposed to be very dark or should you be able to see everything?

Basically i just wanna know if anyone else has this. Maybe it's just me.

im on PC and even during day, when i stand in front of NPCs, their faces are almost completelly black, had to turn brightness up two notches, but still the faces are obscured unless they stand beside a fire or facing the sun (eg. i have the sun in my back)

I have an LCD, but have the same issue...had to turn the slider about three clicks near the end. Kind of kills the cool lighting effects cast from fires and torches.

Huh, I've had no such problems.

Hmmmm..ok so i'm not the only one with this. I'm also probably gonna put the 360's reference level back to standard then.

The game is supposed to be dark in general. Dungeons can be very dark, to the point that you can't really make things out. This is when you either spam "Flame" spell or equip a torch to be able to see. Or there is a ball of light spell that I guess is like a torch, but I haven't got it yet so can't comment.

When you're outside, most of the time it will still be sort of bleak/greyish, but not exactly "dark", just overcast. I've had a few days (played maybe 20 hours so far) where the sun actually comes out, skies are clear and blue and everything is really nice and bright. It looks wonderful.

If NPC's are backlit, their faces might be hard to see (silhouette), but this is accurate and only from strong light source.

The lighting in Skyrim is amazing, I love it.

I'm playing on a PC, with graphics settings on high/ultra.

Kinda hard to comment without seeing pics, but yes dungeons are supposed to be dark.

Same issue with Fallout it's either to dark or to bright

It may be the expanded video console setting does not work will with Skyrim

I think I'll try the Intermediate video console setting maybe that will help?

Standard is a no go to bright & cloudy

calibrate yur tvs!!!!

I think the game is to bright... I mean, when its in the middle of the night and the guards are running around with torches, I should need something light to see where I am going, but the game is that bright I can see almost everthing really good, and I put my brightness slider totally down...
Don't know if its just me, but I think I don't even need my night-eye to see perfect at dark...

The game's contrast is out of whack. The lights and darks are too separated. Turn brightness down and darks are black. Turn it up and lights are washed out.

The game appears to use post processing, so fixing this will be easy.

It has to do with either my plasma or HDMI, or simply both. I've tried Skyrim out on my 17 inch HP monitor, a very simple PC monitor. It looks absolutely 100% right. Dark dungeons and outside it looks fine, not too dark, not too bright, exactly right. I'm gonna put it back on my plasma again now and try out some Xbox 360 display settings. Standard can indeed be a bit too bright, but it doesn't crush black levels. Expanded definitely does, and that way you will miss out on details..which i absolutely don't want.

Im gonna look up some more youtube videos of the 360 version, see what kind of brightness people in general use.