Monitor Screen Calibration

Alex Hawley

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• May 15, 2006

• #1

Anyone know of website where you can calibrate a computer monitor screen to some recognized standard. I posted this image and have gotten several notices that it looks washed out with soft contrast: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

I've noticed this on my computer at work too, but who knows what that one is calibrated to.

Thanks in advance,
alex

 

Lee L

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• May 15, 2006

• #2

Here's a good place to start: http://www.normankoren.com/color_management.html

Lee

 

MattKing

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• May 16, 2006

• #3

I don't know whether this is the case with other programs, like Photoshop, but the Corel Paint Shop Pro X I use has a relatively simple calibration routine built into it. Before I used it, images on my home computer would look markedly different than when the same images were viewed at the office. Now, after using the calibration utility on both computers, the images look quite similar.

The calibration affects images viewed with any program on the computer - not just Paint Shop Pro X. You calibrate the image by adjusting the monitor's controls.

The license for Paint Shop Pro X is good too - as long as the software isn't being used on both machines at the same time, you can install one copy, on both machines.

 

reellis67

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• May 16, 2006

• #4

Second the Norman Koren site. Here is what I use from his site - the price is right and it does what is supposed to do.

http://www.normankoren.com/makingfineprints1A.html#QuickGamma

- Randy

 

John_Brewer

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• May 16, 2006

• #5

Here's another http://www.aim-dtp.net/aim/index.htm

 

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Alex Hawley

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• May 16, 2006

• #6

Thanks for the help everyone. This is driving me nuts. Can someone who knows their monitor is calibrated please take a look at this? I made some minor adjustments which resulted in a darker image than before, but not a drastic change.

 

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Donald Miller

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• May 17, 2006

• #7

Alex this is much improved...Better overall and local contrast. It may not seem like a major change on your end but I assure you that it made a lot of difference.

 

donbga

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• May 17, 2006

• #8

Alex Hawley said:

Anyone know of website where you can calibrate a computer monitor screen to some recognized standard. I posted this image and have gotten several notices that it looks washed out with soft contrast: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

I've noticed this on my computer at work too, but who knows what that one is calibrated to.

Thanks in advance,
alex

Click to expand...

Proper monitor calibration and profiling needs to be done with a colorimeter and software thats supports the calibration device. Unfortunately many CRTs are inadequate or marginal and are very difficult to calibrate even with a colorimeter so as they say YMMV.

 

Ted Harris

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• May 17, 2006

• #9

donbga said:

Proper monitor calibration and profiling needs to be done with a colorimeter and software thats supports the calibration device. Unfortunately many CRTs are inadequate or marginal and are very difficult to calibrate even with a colorimeter so as they say YMMV.

Click to expand...

Alex your second post looks fine but then so did your first on my calibrated and profiled monitors ... I looked on both my 23" Cinema Display (my usual monitor) and a smaller Eizo that I happened to have sitting here as I have just profiled it and a mate before shipping them off to be used in a Workshop in two weeks.

All that a preface to an elaboration on calibration. You can get a variety of different 'pucks' to use to calibrate your monitor. One of the simplest and least expensive is the Monaco OPTIX xr. Right now Midwest Photo is running a special on them for $159 which is way cheaper than I have seen them anywhere else. At that price I consider it a 'must have' investment if your monitor plays any role in your workflow or image viewing.

Some folks put a note on their website warning viewers to calibrate their monitors or noting at what color temperature the images are best viewed ...

 

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Alex Hawley

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• May 17, 2006

• #10

Thanks Ted. That info on the image before and after the changes was what I needed to know.

 

Peter De Smidt

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• May 17, 2006

• #11

The blacks in both images look weak on my calibrated monitor. I highly recommend getting one of the puck/profiling packages. I have the original PhotoEye, and it worked wonders. It's especially important...no, I better not mention that. There's Silveristas in the bushes!