Editorial standards

WhiteScreen.tv is a small site with a simple job: free screen tools that work in any browser, and articles that explain how to use them well. This page explains how we build and check the tools, how we write and source articles, how expert review works, and how we fix mistakes.

How we build and check the tools

• Every tool runs in your browser. Nothing is installed, and the color screens, pranks and screensavers are drawn by the page itself.
• Colors are exact values. The white screen is pure #FFFFFF, and the images you download are generated at the size you choose.
• Brightness controls on our pages can only dim what the page draws. They cannot make a display brighter than its own maximum, and we say so wherever brightness matters.
• The site is built from version-controlled content. Before each release, automated checks look for broken links, missing translations, ad placement on tool pages, offline caching and page structure, and we try changed pages on desktop and phone sizes.
• Effects that move are checked for flashing against the common guideline of no more than three flashes per second. When one of our effects went over it, we changed the effect. Our article on prank screens and photosensitive epilepsy lists what we found.
• Star ratings on tool and screensaver pages come from real visitors. We do not invent or buy ratings.

How we write and source articles

• We write about what people actually use the site for: lighting, displays, sleep, safety and fun. We aim to be specific and practical, and to say plainly when the evidence is weak or when a screen is the wrong tool for the job.
• Every claim that needs a source links to one. We prefer primary sources: peer-reviewed studies, clinical guidelines, standards bodies and official documentation. Each source is opened and checked against the sentence it supports before we publish, and the full list appears at the end of the article.
• When we calculate something ourselves, such as how much light a screen puts on your face, we say that it is our calculation and explain the method and its assumptions.
• Articles about health explain research. They are not medical advice, and they say so. We do not tell readers to start or stop a treatment, and we point to a clinician when that is the right next step.
• We use AI tools to help with research and drafting. A person checks every page against its sources before it is published, and named experts review pages before their names appear.
• Articles are written by the WhiteScreen.tv team and are published in English.

How expert review works

Some articles benefit from a specialist's eye: an optometrist or vision scientist for eye comfort and flicker, a sleep or circadian-light researcher for light at night, a display engineer for screen technology. When an expert reviews an article, the article shows their name, credentials, affiliation and the review date, and links to a public profile.

• A reviewer is named only after they have reviewed the article and agreed in writing to be named. We never list someone as a reviewer for an article they have not checked.
• Reviewers are paid a fixed fee for their time. The fee does not depend on what they conclude, and they can ask for changes or decline to be named.
• Reviewers check accuracy. They have no say over advertising, and advertisers have no say over our articles.
• If we later change a reviewed article in a way that affects its substance, we ask the reviewer to check it again or remove the review label.

Articles without a "Reviewed by" line have not had an expert review yet.

Advertising

Ads pay for the site. They appear on some pages, never inside a full-screen color or effect, and they do not influence what we write or recommend. See the privacy policy for how advertising partners use cookies.

Corrections

If you find a mistake, please tell us. We check every report against the sources. When we correct an article, we fix the text and add a dated note at the end saying what changed. Small fixes such as typos are corrected without a note. Changes to the tools are listed in the changelog.

Contact

Email [email protected] with corrections, questions or review offers. Please include the page address and, for a correction, a source if you have one. More about the site is on the About page.