Monitor Calibration

[Rayt]

Can anyone please recommend a website or book on monitor calibration and what tools I need? I only have a Macbook Pro no external monitor. Now two years into digital photography I should learn the darkroom side of the art. So far I only do cursory Lr processing to post and need to do it right before starting to print. Thanks.

 

[Erik van Straten]

I have a "Color Checker Plus" from a firm called "Calibritedisplay", but the thing comes without an instruction manual. Where on the web you have to look for a manual for it doesn't become clear (to me), so it is quite useless.

On YouTube are some examples of how the thing works, but again, I do not understand those at all.

Erik.

 

[Rayt]

A friend 10 years ago recommended one of the Spyder models. I do 95% black and white from Monochrom cameras I don’t know if it makes any difference from color calibration.

 

[x-ray]

Do you have a calibration system? If not I’d look at B&H and select a system that fits your budget. Most any are good now and will do what you need.

As to a book I don’t think I’ve ever seen one. When I got into digital there wasn’t much in the way of hardware and software. Calibration was done by a module in Photoshop that was terrible.

You might call B&H and ask their customer service person if they have a book on color management. I’m sure there are ones out there and probably some good info on YouTube but the problem there is finding good info. Unfortunately the internet is flooded with bad information.

 

[Rayt]

Thanks. I am pretty old school with instruction manuals and all. I suppose there will be YouTube videos on the subject.

 

[x-ray]

Whether B&W or color a calibration system is essential. Calibration systems have improved a lot in the last few years.

Not only calibration but using the correct profile for your printer, ink set and paper make a huge difference. I also create custom profiles for my cameras. Correct camera profiles are important as well. Camera makers provide good profiles but your own custom profiles can make a pretty dramatic difference.

Understanding color space, gamut, profiles and general color management make a world of difference whether color or B&W. You’ll save a lot of time, money and produce better images in the end.

 

[x-ray]

Thanks. I am pretty old school with instruction manuals and all. I suppose there will be YouTube videos on the subject.

I’m pretty old school too and in my mid 70’s but I find this interesting and spend the time to learn it and do it correctly. It’s a broad topic but very important.

 

[Erik van Straten]

It seems that Vince Lupo too has problems with the calibration of his computers, but because he "ignores" messages from me, I don't know the details. That's a pity, because together we can find solutions much easier I guess.

It seems too that Flickr is much more stable than this Rangefinderforum, so when you want to protect your files, put them on Flickr.

Erik.

 

[Rayt]

It seems that Vince Lupo too has problems with the calibration of his computers, but because he "ignores" messages from me, I don't know the details. That's a pity, because together we can find solutions much easier I guess.

It seems too that Flickr is much more stable than this Rangefinderforum, so when you want to protect your files, put them on Flickr.

Erik.

Yes. I can delete my Flickr account and my photos are gone I assume. I should do that and link to them.

 

[Erik van Straten]

Yes. I can delete my Flickr account and my photos are gone I assume. I should do that and link to them.

Do what you like.

Erik.

 

[GMOG]

I do 95% black and white from Monochrom cameras I don’t know if it makes any difference from color calibration.

Yes, calibration makes a difference when editing B/W images, as x-ray mentions above. Calibrating the monitor sets white and black points while taking into account the brightness level of your monitor. This impacts how you see the range of tones in B/W images. Some calibration tools measure ambient light and will suggest a monitor brightness level that you should use. Other tools don't do that, so the user is asked to choose a brightness level that's comfortable and then the tool will work with that.

 

[p.giannakis]

This is my constant problem- I scan and edit pictures on my laptop and then when I look at them on my phone they look way too dark (mobile adjusts brightness automatically).

I add a white frame around my pictures and try to adjust the brightness until it looks white. This helps in my case.

 

[Bob Michaels]

Whether B&W or color a calibration system is essential.

Absolutely, no other way to put it.

Not only calibration but using the correct profile for your printer, ink set and paper make a huge difference

Understanding color space, gamut, profiles and general color management make a world of difference whether color or B&W. You’ll save a lot of time, money and produce better images in the end.

When you learn that your first print out of the printer is also your final because you adjusted your image in your photo editor and knew exactly what it was going to look like.

 

[Bill Blackwell]

I've found monitor calibration to be a bit of a PITA. But it's not rocket science.

Try this one. There are simple to follow instructions. And you do need to periodically recalibrate (about 60-90 days).

 

[brusby]

Can anyone please recommend a website or book on monitor calibration and what tools I need? I only have a Macbook Pro no external monitor. Now two years into digital photography I should learn the darkroom side of the art. So far I only do cursory Lr processing to post and need to do it right before starting to print. Thanks.

Monitor calibration is very important whether you print or just view your own work on a computer screen, so you can know that what you're seeing is what everyone sees on their monitors - at least everyone who also calibrates their monitors. It seems more complicated than it really is. Once you've done it it's very simple but it can be intimidating at first cause it's so new.

There used to be two main competitors who made the most popular calibration hardware/software that I was aware of -- Color Checker and Spyder. Although I think recently the names may have changed due to mergers and acquisitions.

I use "Color Checker". But both systems work the same basic way. You plug a sensor into your computer's USB port and place that sensor or "puck" on your monitor. Then you run the software which displays a wide variety of colors at various intensities on your screen. It can take about 5 to 15 minutes depending on whether you choose the simple tests (fewer colors) or the more involved tests (many more colors). These colors are read by the sensor and the software then makes adjustments to your monitor's colors so that they all display properly (including black and white) and within proper limits for color and intensity.

The Color Checker software has both a simplified interface with very few options and a much more involved interface for the more demanding user. The simple interface would be just fine to start with and would be much better than no calibration at all. You can pick which to use from the opening screen of the software if memory serves.

I'll try to find a recent YouTube video and will report back. In the interim I'd suggest downloading the current software from the manufacturer of whichever device you choose -- Color Checker or Spyder and try running it in simplified mode.

 

[brusby]

I didn't have a ton of time to review a bunch of videos but I did look briefly at this one and he seems to explain the basic workings ok. One weakness of all of these software packages is they don't offer much explanation for several of the options you are given when setting up the first time -- things like the gamma you want for your system. This reviewer breezes through the choices without much explanation, but I think it's the same with most reviewers. At least you can get up and running by adopting his settings and possibly refining later.

 

[x-ray]

Most monitors are high gloss now. Companies like Apple pushers these high gloss high saturation screens that, in my opinion, make accurate editing difficult. The problem is you’re not really seeing what your image actually looks like. The monitor is enhancing contrast and color to make your image look better than it really is. I work on a matte screen and see more what my image really looks like then what’s displayed on a high gloss enhanced monitor looks great.

Where the high gloss over enhanced monitor will get you is printing especially litho printing as in CMYK offset printing. Over enhanced monitor equals under saturated and dark files that will print that way. It’ll do the same printing from an inkjet printer too.

I work on a LaCie, without looking it’s a 724 I think, that I’ve had for a long time. It still calibrates in spec so why change. When I was working the files i output printed the way I saw them without having to readjust them. That’s what we’re all aiming for, right.

 

[Erik van Straten]

I returned to my old matte screen too (Samsung SyncMaster 943) and my problems with editing are gone ... or so it seems. No problem with colors for me as I work only in b+w.

Thank you x-ray for this comment.

Erik.

 

[x-ray]

A matte screen is only part way there. You still must calibrate it.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Laptops just plain don't have good screens for photo work. The color rendering is less accurate and they often look radically different when viewed from different angles.

That sad, you need a colorimeter. I recommend the Colorchecker Display Pro. It comes with the software it needs to calibrate the screen.

The software will ask you questions about how you want it calibrated. You want it set to a whitepoint of D65, leave the black point and contrast at default. The brightness setting will depend on how bright the ambient light is where you work. For normal indoor home lighting, I recommend a brightness of 100. In bright office light, try 120. After you calibrate, do not change the screen's brightness, it'll throw off the calibration.