Another suggestion:
The slider control can also be just for the variable light, with a checkbox for "Auto"
When "Auto" is checked, the slider is disabled and greyed out.
I, too, would like to see the lights adjust more slowly. Ideally, I would like for them to adjust so slowly as you would not notice it happening if you were working at the desk with the monitor in your peripheral vision (so as not to be a distracting "event")
Since we're piling on features and ignoring core functionality...
How about if the light settings were to adjust to the time of day?