![]() How to Color Calibrate Your Monitor for Photo Editing. In Post-processing by Jim Harmer May 4, 2012 49 Comments. Computer monitors do their best to reproduce colors and brightnesses correctly, but each one is slightly different. If you use a mac, check out Dustin's instructions on the Pixels to Paper post. About the Author. Few topics generate more discussion than buying a new display for photo editing. Some people are happy with off-brand specials at bargain prices, while others must have the best of the very best. While most of us want the optimal combination of price and value, it’s hard to pin down the best balance of price, features and quality for each person’s needs. For some shoppers, new color standards being put in place will drive big changes for future display purchases. This blog post reviews how to shop for new displays from the standpoint of where we are and where we’re going, so you can choose your next display with confidence. The Current Offerings Today’s digital artist has more display options than ever; what’s best for your current and future needs? There are a few critical factors to consider when selecting a display. • Evenness of illumination across the whole screen • Range of color that can be displayed • Consistency of color from top to bottom (and side to side) As you’d expect, the better each of these factors is realized in a particular display, the higher the cost. Sticker shock can be a problem here! They cost HOW much?? A side note to these developments in display technology is that people are suddenly being surprised by the cost of a display. A friend who is directly involved in setting specifications for what to buy at a major university notes that “We are seeing people working in critical environments who are having to justify prices for displays that haven’t been seen in a long time.” A good reminder that quality actually costs money! Best music mixer for mac. How surprising! I’m going to poke a little fun at photographers here, because I am one, and I’ve been guilty of the same mistake. Photographers will make their children go without shoes for six months, in order to have the latest and greatest piece of glass to hang on the front of their lens. Like many of you, I know that my photographic images would improve dramatically if I were to buy the new (fill in the name of your current lens obsession), in my case the Nikon 200–400 mm ƒ/4 zoom, shown below. I’m sure the sales of my images would take a quantum leap upward with this lens! Unfortunately, at roughly $7,000, I’m unlikely to invest soon, but many photographers will buy a great lens and a poor display. Why would they do this? Well, once photographers acquire this expensive glass to look through for only fractions of a minute at a time, their children still have no shoes. So, photographers economize on the display that they’re going to look at for hours at a time while editing, too often purchasing something made out of recycled soda bottle glass. This is a BAD idea. Economizing on display quality is a recipe for eyestrain and editing disaster rolled into one, so it’s important to choose a model that will deliver adequate quality and comfort. ![]() Things to Analyze When Buying a Display Let’s look at how to pick the best display you can afford. First, and most important, realize you’re investing for your health and wellbeing, not just for a quick solution to finding a display. Thus, you’ll need to have a budget equal to the need. Gamuts and Technologies The range of color a display can show you is called its gamut. Gamut sizes range widely. You can see in the gamut maps shown below the difference between an inexpensive display with a small gamut, and a state of the art display with a significantly bigger gamut. How do you decide how much is enough? At a minimum, it’s good to have a display that can show you the full range of sRGB – a color gamut designed for consumer cameras, office printers and displays. I say at a minimum because many of the printers used to print images on Breathing Color substrates can print shades of color outside the gamut of sRGB, and given a choice, it would be better to have a display that can show you all the colors you’re going to be able to print.
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