Question on Your Monitor Setup

[LinzRiverBalmer]

Would like to specifically know how you all have your monitors positioned.

My last computer was a laptop, large one with superior graphics, but I had to have the screen positioned perfectly upright straight, otherwise the top or bottom would lose or gain colors. Many edited photos would pull up on another computer and be too dark or too light on top or bottom.

Now the new computer is a 23 inch all in one, so I can position the screen at almost any angle.

I bought one with special graphics processor and made sure to get a backlit LCD and was assured I wouldn't have the issues, the screen should look the same even from the side.

I have it just shy of a 45 degree angle maybe 47 degrees leaning back a tiny tad.

It looks great, but last night I was deepening blacks on an image, go finished, go up to stand and from the top looking kind of down I saw halos shadows weird shapes in the black.

Sent pics to another computer, no problem, no problem on the Ipad.

So got me to wondering how you all have your monitors set up for viewing, what is your preferred angle if any.

Must say I'm loving the 23 inches and its at eye level which is great.

[LinzRiverBalmer]

woops, I meant to put in a 90 degree angle on top of my table..... sorry I was thinking about angles backwards from my table, desk wall set up.... too much on the brain.

my monitor sits probably just shyly behind of perfect 90 degrees.

[Diane Miller]

I don't know what an "all in one" is. An iMac??

You should be viewing the monitor so your line of sight is at 90 degrees, but more importantly, all monitors need to be calibrated and profiled, and you should be certain it is all working as it should. You should also be viewing things in a "dimroom."

[LinzRiverBalmer]

Hi Diane,

Its the equivalent of an IMac, no tower.

pretty close to 90 degrees, as close as I can get it and keep it stable, maybe a degree off and I usually judge things my moving around and looking at different angles.

it is calibrated...... what do you mean by profiled??

Also, I know about dimrooms say in LR or PS, how do you view the photos on a forum in a dimroom???

[Diane Miller]

A dimroom just means keep the room lights very low while doing any work on pictures. If the monitor is too bright for a low light environment, it's not properly calibrated.

I don't know anything about what sounds like an iMac clone, if there is such. But, as I just mentioned in another thread, a recent iMac has "special needs" re calibration. It requires the ColorEyes software to properly bring down the brightness / contrast (to be imprecise but brief). I don't know how your system would compare.

When you say it is calibrated: how? Calibration can be "run" on any system but may not necessarily be correct or effective on some. A lot depends on the video card and how the computer handles things. The details would need to be put forth by people who are more expert than I am.

[LinzRiverBalmer]

Thanks again Diane!

Gotcha on the dimroom, I'm always in a dim room since I have light sensitivity. Mom is always complaining its too dark, so we are good there.

What I meant by Imac equivalent is that its just an all in one computer, there is no tower, so it sits very similar to one of the newest Imac such as the 27"

The monitor calibration is in my control panel and it goes through you manually adjusting viewing and checking.... Gamma, white balance, contrast, brightness.

I did check my color profile and its set on sRGB IEC61966-2.1 which is what it should be by what I've read.

Here is a link to my computer, it does have a special graphics processor, so I will look up that software you mentioned, ColorEyes.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-pavil...specifications

[Diane Miller]

I replied a few minutes ago on my Phone, heading for morning coffee but looks like it didn't get posted. And I hadn't noticed the link to the computer.

Don't look at ColorEyes for this computer -- the Spyder or equivalent from a couple of other companies will be fine, and the least pricey version is just what you want. But check with their teach support and find out if it will work for this screen, which may be basically a laptop screen. A program like this with a colorimeter is what is needed -- the controls on the monitor just don't come close to what you need to do.

http://www.adorama.com/ICVS4X100.htm...Fatj7AodQxMAYA

But the effect once it's calibrated might not be that obvious in everyday use but it is very important.

[John Chardine]

I use the Datacolor Spyder system for calibration. It has a device which directly measures the screen output as it does the test. "Internal" calibrations like the one you describe Linz, and the one in Apple computers for example, do not work anywhere near as well.

Displays vary a lot in how they look off-angle so as mentioned, eyes parallel to the screen at the centre should work the best.

[LinzRiverBalmer]

thanks to both of you, really appreciate it. Looking at the Spyder and ColorMunki systems.... they are expensive, I'm surprised. They both seem to have good reviews and the Xrite ColorMunki is cheaper at under $100.

Know anything about the differences between the 2??

[John Chardine]

Linz- If I had my time over I would likely get the Color Munki because it allows calibration of printed output as well as display. The Spyder system I have only handles display calibration. Now that I am printing in-house, a system that allows creation of print profiles is attractive, although so far the profiles available from the printer or paper manufacturers have worked very well.

[LinzRiverBalmer]

Good deal thanks for the input and information on the abilities, they aren't super detailed on the website

[John Chardine]

Datacolor (Spyder) offer their own printer calibration system and they have a colour management solution from screen to print as well. Datacolor and xRite (Colormunki etc) are two leading brands in the field of colour-managed workflow.

[John Guastella]

the Color Munki because it allows calibration of printed output as well as display.

There are two different ColorMunki products: the ColorMunki Display and the ColorMunki Photo. The Display is moderately priced ($150 at Amazon), but it only allows calibration of monitors and projectors -- doesn't do printers. The ColorMunki Photo allows calibration of printers as well, but it is more than twice the price of the Display.

If you don't need printer calibration, the ColorMunki Display will do the job. I use one with my Dell U2212HM, and after calibration the prints I get (from WHCC) almost perfectly match what I see on the monitor.

John

[Diane Miller]

Printer calibration is only useful if you are doing very advanced printing, and have a top-notch monitor that is very well calibrated and profiled. And it's only useful if you want to print on papers for which the free downloadable profiles aren't good -- a rare case these days. And for the occasional case where you do need a profile, you can get excellent ones online done by professionals with high-end equipment. I just don't trust the quality of a do-it-yourself profile with the level of equipment and skill most people have.

It's not something for a beginner to worry about. I'd recommend the least expensive version of the Spyder or ClorMunki. The only thing the more expensive ones will get you is settings you don't want and projector and printer calibrations that you don't need.

And while calibration is really an important first step, if it's not in the budget at the time, and you're mostly just posting online and not getting a lot of critique about blacks being too dark or color casts or the like, it is something you can do a little later. There is a lot you can learn in the meantime.

[Jerry van Dijk]

Hi Linz, my local camera shop also rents the Spyder. You could have a look around your neighbourhood to see if some shop does the same if costs are an issue. once properly calibrated, you probably don't have to worry about recalibration for quite some time.
For your next monitor, try getting an IPS screen, they are much less sensitive to viewing angle. The iPad is equipped with An IPS screen for example.

[LinzRiverBalmer]

thank you all, I hadn't thought of asking a camera shop and we have a good one, I will call tomorrow and see if they rent them.

much appreciated

[Sandy Witvoet]

Good info here! Thanks for posing the questions, Linz!
Does anyone remember the "manual" color/tone calibration-test? I used to take this test once a year from our QA Dept (being in charge of photo-shoots for the company) ... it tests and grades how your eyes see color and tones/saturation. I just can't remember the name of it. Even tho monitors may be perfectly calibrated, our eyes are part of the equation too.

[LinzRiverBalmer]

Sandy I will ask my Father, sounds similar to what I grew up doing at their pre press business.

We had big palletes flip book things, like paint choice ones, that we would have tests on a light box, as they did 4 color seperations at first and old spinner type scanners. This was a huge source of entertainment for me as a kid, and I think allowed my 20/20 vision.

[Don Lacy]

Sandy is this what you are looking for http://www.xritephoto.com/ph_toolfra...action=coloriq

[Sandy Witvoet]

That's IT, Don! Thanks!

[LinzRiverBalmer]

yup that's pretty much what our version was like but were not on computer, same concept, will go do this one, looks very interesting.