LCD screen calibration

[ajg31]

I have alot of pictures i would like to start editing and ultimately printing but i see little point in starting if my screen is "lying" to me.

Can anyone recommend anything to assist with calibrating my screens?

I have seen clip on sensors that monitor the screen and adjust to the correct settings to allow natural editing, but i don't know if they are accurate.

Thanks,

Adam

[RobDickinson]

The clip on sensors are quite accurate depending on make/model/price.

I've used a spyder 3 pro which was impressive and I will probably buy one at some point.

Currently have a factory calibrated IPS panel though which from prints (& the certificate from dell) looks fairly close.

First if your on win 7 theres a handy software calibration tool which is worth a run whils you wait a hardware solution.

There are some reviews of the hardware solutions out there.
http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/monitor_calibra...

Also depends on quality of monitor(s) and count and number of machines etc.

[covboy]

+1 for the Spyder

Used one for a while now - well worth the investment

[ajg31]

Thanks for the replies.

It would be only for setting up two screens that are not great quality i.e. tv screens. One is an older series 8 samsung which may be okay to try and calibrate, but the blacks will never be right.

Looks like the spider 2 has good reviews tho

I may have to buy something specific for the job in hand but a good CRT for photography seem very pricey

[RobDickinson]

Why CRT why not IPS LCD?

BTW check the version you buy can support two monitors on one computer if that is how your wiring them up.

[andy-xr]

When I researched screens a few years ago people were saying CRT's were more consistent in their rendition of colour. Problem being, they're not exactly easy to come by anymore in the PC market

Screen calibration is part of the process and should be linked to colour space as well as print space. I've managed to get my photos to look the same as how I see them on screen after a bit of effort with the workflow - typically I'll shoot in Adobe RGB and import into a RAW converter, out into PS in ProPhoto, edit, save for print and web as sRBG. The reason I use sRGB is that the printers I use want that colourspace for the print profile. I do have another printer that uses a custom profile, which is easy enough to work with. The screens (MBP or iMac) are profiled with a Spyder 3 Pro, and they need to be reprofiled every month)

The trick to making sure what comes out on paper is the same as what you see on screen is to reduce brightness and contrast in the first instance, as they're often set way too high. First step - try the Resources thread on the Photography page, in there is a brightness/contrast bar chart. Second step would be colour, and thats typically where you'd need something else to help, especially with Gamma. There's usually too much blue in a standard screen as well. Something like a Spyder 3 (other options are available) have the ability to profile the screen and printer to the best light and colour - run the scan in 'normal' conditions and turn off any effects on the screen such as Movie etc, you just want a base point

Edited by andy-xr on Monday 31st October 09:13

[tog]

ajg31 said:

Thanks for the replies.

It would be only for setting up two screens that are not great quality i.e. tv screens. One is an older series 8 samsung which may be okay to try and calibrate, but the blacks will never be right.

Looks like the spider 2 has good reviews tho

I may have to buy something specific for the job in hand but a good CRT for photography seem very pricey

If you want a CRT try eBay. Second hand CRT monitors are hard to give away these days so they go for very little. Look for a lacie or similar and it will be oneof the best crt screens ever made. They crop up on Freecycle too.

I use LCD now and am very happy with them. Calibrated with a spyder 3 which transformed how the pictures look in print.

[gingerpaul]

A proper calibration doohicky is the way to go but I found this site useful for setting up my screens to be in the right ball park. It's not perfect but it'll get you fairly close.

Edit - For some reason I forgot the link. Sorry about that!

http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/

Edited by gingerpaul on Monday 31st October 19:26

[RobDickinson]

CRT are a relics of the past. move on.