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HazeOver: Distraction Dimmer — Focus on one app by dimming all the background windows
Too many windows open to manage? Big display? Or sometimes getting lost in multiple monitors? This app is for you!
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Josh Puetz
This is fantastic, well done @pointum!
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I'm using this in minutes. I love it. Along with Better Snap Tool it's perfect for getting focused.
I didn't know I needed this til I downloaded it!
HazeOver runs in the background and adds a translucent dark screen behind a window you’re using at the moment. When you switch to a different window, HazeOver automatically fades the previously used window. You can select between instant switch or a smooth animation. The application is energy-efficient and unobtrusive.
Well done @pointum!
@bramk ditto! I would never have thought that this would be useful until I tried it. Wow it's fantastic. The only question is how long until Apple co-opts this feature?
@arlogilbert @bramk agree with the "I didn't know I needed this til I downloaded it!" Just can't leave without this app.
Looks really great! One problem I've noticed is that in a multi-monitor setup, HazeOver no longer works if 1 of 2 screens has a full-screen app (on either screen, obviously it shouldn't do anything to the full-screen app itself).
@goldfirestudios Actually, that seems to be an issue when using it with Duet Display. With a real monitor it doesn't do that. However, if I have 2 full-screen apps open on each monitor, it would be nice to have a setting to allow disabling automatically in that case (I like to have code on one screen and the browser preview on the other screen).
@goldfirestudios more options for multi-monitor setup is one of the most requested features. I'm looking for a way to let HazeOver highlight each display separately.
@jfeldstein I'm curious if you use SizeUp or a different app to make fullscreen / window management easier.
@jfeldstein personally I prefer to maximize windows instead of full screen. I have Dock to the left, always at hand that way. I feel uncomfortable when I don't see the Dock. I wonder if there's a name for that.
@jfeldstein I had the same thought. I use full screen as well. But there is always room for options - different people like different things.
@jfeldstein I used to. But with the Retina MBP, I'm able to run a bigger desktop (1920x1200 on my 15") which makes running full-screen app a waste of space.
@_benmerrill I know blur would be cool and tried to implement it. Alas it did not work out in terms of performance and overall experience.
@_benmerrill there's "vibrancy" blur effect in Yosemite, but Apple encourages using it sparingly. Constantly using it full screen would drain battery like crazy. I've specifically profiled HazeOver to use less CPU/GPU.
@pointum @_benmerrill yes, we implemented blur in Look Up and it's a memory hog, had to build an option into the new update to disable it. Older Macs have an especially hard time with it. Good choice keeping it out.
"Vibrancy" isn't quite as bad as doing gaussian blur I think in terms of memory, but it's very heavy handed and hard to get a light blur with it that doesn't just obscure everything behind it.
I generally full-screen apps but I use HazeOver as a visual cue as to which monitor I'm focusing on. Really great app!
@paul_s_kemp thank you. It took a dozen takes to make this video as close to being in sync with the music as I could.
Looks like an idea that's been around for a while... nice to see it updated.
There are several free competitors: Doodim, Hocus Focus, Backdrop, and Isolator.
@chrismessina Yup. HazeOver is definitely not a lone warrior in the noble battle with distractions.
This might be a good place to tell a bit of the story behind HazeOver. Sit back. It was year 2007. I first got the idea for the app and the name back when I was developing apps for Windows. Here's the very first page of the Great Book of HazeOver story: http://web.archive.org/web/20070...
Eventually the idea got shelved and I switched to developing Mac software instead. Few years down the road, when I gained enough experience and free time, HazeOver for Mac was finally brought into this world in 2011. It had had it's 15 minutes of glory on LifeHacker.com only to be completely forgotten a few short months later for the lack of any promotion and incentive.
Fast forward to 2015. HazeOver is revived out of curiosity. And I'm happy it has pleased the product hunters.
looks nice: clean and simple. Now this is a problem I wasn't aware of having. So I don't think I really need this. I struggle way more with chrome tabs :)
Anyway, congratulations on a great execution!
@thibautdavoult thank you. Yeah, dealing with tabs is not as simple as covering them up with drapes.
This app is awesome! missed it when it got featured but just saw it in the free mac tools email :-)
There are several free competitors: Doodim, Hocus Focus, Backdrop, and Isolator, DeskCover.
Copypast - the author took the idea from Izolator or from other free alternatives that appeared earlier and implemented HazeOver
Pros:Simple
Cons:Not Free
Seriously? You copy my app elements and copy the text from my website and then come back to diss it? https://imgur.com/x94Mtuc
I'm pretty big on staying focused in general. Always very spartan on keeping my physical desk and the OS X Desktop tidy. I downloaded HazeOver today, and this is the best $2.99 I've spent this year. I also tried Hocus Focus, but it doesn't always hide the right window and for me it ended up being a pretty confusing UX. For example, I launched Calculator thru Alfred for a quick calculation, and all in sudden my Chrome window becomes hidden. I think HazeOver is less dramatic and worked out better for me. (I do change the Haze to almost the darkest setting.)
I also find it helpful to hide the Dock once I start using HazeOver.
One complaint: it doesn't work outside of the main screen. I usually leave my Macbook open on the side as a second screen, but HazeOver doesn't darken anything in that screen. But I guess the point is to stay focus so this isn't a deal breaker for me.
@jtlai thank you. There's an update coming that should fix that. Contact me through HazeOver.com if you'd like a beta.
HazeOver is my hobby project. I got the idea long before I got my first Mac. The idea comes from my Desktop (both computer and the real one) always getting messy. I wanted a way to cover all this mess up and go on with my business instead of spending time on window management.