It's a cool affect when the screen darkens or brightens based on your 'virtual eye' adjustment to light but it can be pretty annoying. I don't want to remove the affect I was just wondering if there's anyway to tone it down?

Unfortunately there isn't - not to my knowledge, anyways.

I'd like to remove it completely. I hate talking with people and having them almost in complete shadow while the HDR has adjusted for the background - it is by far my biggest complaint with this game.

It just seems a bit over done considering that with the proper shaders your real eyes will have the same affect. For example while using Himmelsrands Shade Suite mod you can actually get a very realistic snowblind affect while climbing the Throat. But to have your own eyes adjust and then the games lighting on top of that it can really make you blink or squint often which is very tiresome to the eyes.

This annoys me as well and I think one other thing that really makes this problem even worse is bethesda half assed it with alot of the lights in this one, if you really pay close attention most supposed sources of light aren't actually giving off any light at all and if you walk around them you can more often than not pinpoint where they stuck light nodes in random spots nowhere close to the light source, resulting in situations like this



(No light node here)
|
(Fire pit) - - - (Player)- -(Light node)
|
|
|
(Another light node)


I started noticing this when I'd stand next to something that should be giving off light, but the only light that would be shining on me would be coming from behind me and not from the faux light source in front.

Yep, the HDR is really overdone. Let's wait for the Creation Kit, odds are it will allow us to change it. IIRC in Oblivion the weather types have HDR settings.

Yeah, its quite annoying - when a Dragon is breathing Fire on you, it tends to blind you, which in effect is an unfair advantage npc's get over players.
You cannot blind an npc.

At night it can even happen with waterfalls, they're kinda bright so if you face a waterfall and then look away your eyes have to adjust. Blinded by waterfalls!

Yeah I noticed that too. It's actually quite upsetting considering that it should have simply been an option in the Graphic Settings. The same is true with Torches. Pay attention to when you're carrying one it doesn't always give off proper lighting. It's made worse for some reason when your character is in combat. The same is true as you said of fire pits. They don't give off then own actual lighting so if you adjust your shaders they can actually look pretty dark and unrealistic.

Give us the damned CK already.

I just keep shooting arrows at the red dot

I wouldn't mind if it wasn't so sensitive. For a fraction of a second, I glance at an illuminated door frame and BAM- my pupils instantly dilate.

Well I know for the most part a handful of people (including me) are using the mod that removes enemy indicators from the radar, so that isn't an option.

I can't complain about getting blasted by dragon fire in the face. That definitely means I'm too close. I'm searching the net looking for ways to turn this off or even tweak the lighting affects and can't find anything yet.

Bumping to continue search for a solution. IMO, the effect is too extreme and lasts too long. I think it's a cool concept to have the eye adjustment but I'd just like to tone it down dramatically.