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I haven't seen it mentioned yet, so I'll say it. Be careful with installing tinted film on windows, as it will sometimes void the warranty on the windows themselves. And I have seen double-paned windows that cracked from the buildup of heat with darker films. Just saying...
I was going to mention the same thing, but didn't feel like arguing with the tint people....! Our last new home, the builder made us sign a statement that if we tinted, our warrantee was gone. The new windows I just installed in our current home, a disclaimer came with the windows saying no warrantee if tinted..
Another advantage to solar screen over tinting, when the weather cools down for the winder months, we can remove the solar screens and get sunlight. With tinting, it's dark and gloomy in the winter months, when what little sun you do get, doesn't get into the house...
I have both solar screens and window tinting. But, what I am the most pleased with is the five buck a window solar curtains I bought from the Walter Drake catalog. wdrake.com
I just slide them onto a tension rod and put them up. Simple. They do make the room VERY dark. I only keep them up durng the hottest months. But I have some west facing windows and when temps are up over 110 degrees they make a HUGE difference. I honestly think they do a better job than the screens or the film I have on other windows. I've been passing this hint to other desert-dwellers and have gotten nothing but thumbs-up from everyone.
We have tint on our older windows and solar shades on all the new windows (warranty issue). I like the tint better but both do the job. I don't like to look of solar screens. My son has them on his house and I think his (once) beautiful view is pretty much gone. You can't really see much outside his windows.
I live in Southern Arizona and the bay window in my master bedroom faces northeast. Even with the blinds drawn, the bedroom is filled with sunlight in the morning. That suits some people fine, but I'm not a native Arizonan and I'm usually not ready to get up at 6 a.m. Not to mention that in the summer, the bedroom is so hot, you feel like you're sleeping on a beach.
I went to Lowe's and purchased a solar and heat reducing film to apply to the glass from the inside. They had many different styles of film -- dark gray, medium gray, amber, practically clear which is designed only for heat reduction, and that doesn't count the decorative styles like mirror and rice paper.
I chose the amber. The chart they had at the store made it appear as if this product would be like looking outside through sunglasses. Not really true from my perspective. There is a definite reduction in the glare and the heat, but I notice only a minor difference in appearance looking out that window compared to my uncovered windows. So to me it's not like looking through sunglasses -- the sky is still blue, the tree is still green, the colors are just a little muted. So that might actually suit your purposes. Enough light gets through that I would never be able to think about going without my blinds, so it didn't really help my sleep situation except that the room is definitely cooler. In fact, the tax deduction available for energy saving projects did apply to this product when I purchased it two years ago, which to me backs up the idea that the product does, indeed, reduce heat.
My suggestion would be, do one window with the film, see how you like it and if you think it looks OK, then do other windows. You can always take it off if you don't like it -- there will be no damage to the window. And it's no use in investing in a lot of product until you test.
I will add one warning. The instructions make it sound as if this film is a piece of cake to apply. It is not. It is definitely a two-person job, and the two people better be exacting and very patient. That said, once it's up, it's up. Mine looks the same today as it looked the day I put it up. No curling, fraying, discoloration or anything. I ran out of the manufacturers sanctioned spray product halfway through the job and used plain water for the rest. You can't tell the difference, so you could save some money there. But don't stint on buying a good squeegy -- it will give you a better result.
We have bought some and will try it on a window. There is a good video online which we watched, so I think it will be OK. we also bought a good squeegee.
I wonder if the window tint is effective in reducing the electric bill if you already have window blinds...
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