Darken apps in the background with Doodim

For those times when you need complete, uninterrupted concentration on a particular app you're working in, there is Doodim: a simple menubar utility that creates an Exposé-like dimming effect on the desktop and all background app windows. Doodim's product site offers a simple animated screenshot demo to help you see what really goes on, and users can even take the dimming effect all the way to black, so no nothing else is visible, save for the app you're working in. It's a slick idea and is done well, and toggling the dimming effect is simply handled from the menubar (the menubar, if you're wondering, is not dimmed). The site lists one known catch so far, which I personally haven't run into while playing with this: apparently, the dim effect can fail sometimes while switching between apps. Bouncing from Firefox to Mail, Adium, NetNewsWire, Safari and iTunes hasn't produced any issues for me yet though.

Doodim is provided free from La Chose Interactive, and I'm not sure if it's 10.4-only or not.

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Source: http://www.lachoseinteractive.net/en/products/doodim/

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Software Productivity

For those times when you need complete, uninterrupted concentration on a particular app you're working in, there is Doodim: a simple...

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scryber

Well I tried this out and have to say I prefer FocusLayer, for the sole reason that with FocusLayer you can switch between apps using a normal click, not an option-click. Using FocusLayer is practically transparent (no pun intended), whereas with Doodim your interaction with the UI has to change. Boo.

If only FocusLayer worked with 10.4. Hopefully if the source of Doodim is released there can be some more development to refine the experience.

August 02 2006 at 11:17 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

ghostshadow

Here is a video of Doodim in action! Pass it around
http://www.ghostknox.com/im2/hackimg/files/vid/doodim/doodim.html

August 02 2006 at 3:45 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

jeremy

Is it just me, or does the dimming only function on a single screen? My second monitor app windows do not seem to get the effect.

July 31 2006 at 3:08 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

exilio

This would be great if it could be more customizable and updated. Nice app!

July 31 2006 at 3:02 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

MrVx

I like it. It may be old and not polished, it really helps me concentrate (for the 5 minutes I've been using it... photoshopping).

Could a keyboard shortcut be easily added? I'm not too good at AppleScripting... unless I can copy/paste! :-)

July 31 2006 at 2:05 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

scryber

I have been using a similar app, FocusLayer, on my G4 mini. It works really well with 10.3, but has big problems on macs running 10.4. Good to see there is another option out there. This is a usability feature that I wish would be baked into Leopard. I've grown so used to this that when it's not running, the "app clutter" just drives me to distraction.

July 31 2006 at 1:52 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Esmirald

I really like this app, the only downside is that the diming is not in realtime, but rather slow.

July 31 2006 at 1:16 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Dominique PERETTI

For the story, Doodim is indeed an old application that was written as an experiment.
It was "Dugg" recently, bringing a lot of attention to it.
Now, it looks like we will have to make it Universal and release the source code !

July 31 2006 at 12:42 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

andy

i love the fact i can see my open apps / windows, in my mind its half the point of osx with its drag and drop properties and multi app usability. very handy, if im not using an app much ill minimize it or close the window.

July 31 2006 at 12:13 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Alexi

Excellent!

This is much like Zazen, which I happened to stumble upon the other day, but free!

Zazen link: http://www.popcopy.net/Zazen/Zazen.html

TUAW saves you money. :)

-Alexi

July 31 2006 at 12:04 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply