Bug 511836

Description

I’d like to propose a new accessibility feature for KWin (Wayland) that could analyze rendered frames in real time and automatically reduce potentially harmful visual patterns for users with photosensitive epilepsy or visual hypersensitivity.

The concept is for the compositor to detect and mitigate flashing, strobing, or high-contrast rapid changes before they are displayed, in a way that is subtle and imperceptible to most users.

Goal

Prevent harmful visual stimuli such as rapid flashes, flickers, or strobe-like effects (e.g. from videos, animations, or graphical transitions) that could provoke seizures or discomfort.

The system would:

Analyze the luminance and color changes per frame or per region (tile) to detect flickering frequencies (≈3–60 Hz, especially around 15–20 Hz).

Apply smoothing or local desaturation/blending to reduce the intensity of those effects.

Maintain minimal latency (a few milliseconds) so that the overall visual experience remains smooth.

Rationale

Current accessibility settings in KDE Plasma (high contrast, reduce motion, night color, etc.) already address several visual needs, but there is no system-level protection against photosensitive visual patterns.

A compositor-level “visual safety filter” could significantly improve accessibility and inclusiveness, providing real-time protection independent of individual applications.