New imac color management

RobertP · Jan 8, 2009

Ok, I'm about to purchase a new imac. Would love to have the 24" but the budget says 20". I've been reading on the net about people having problems calibrating the displays, using spyder or any other color management calibration device. Have any here had any problems with color management of the new imac screens and if so what solutions have you found? Thanks, Robert

RobertP · Jan 8, 2009

Well in talking with the guys at OWC. Apparently they can pack 4GB into a mac mini. It may be a better option for me to go with the mini and find a good display to run with it. I currently have an old mini and it has served well even though it is only 1GB and not enough to run large files and or CS3. I'm going to have to give this some thought.

donbga · Jan 9, 2009

RobertP said:
Ok, I'm about to purchase a new imac. Would love to have the 24" but the budget says 20". I've been reading on the net about people having problems calibrating the displays, using spyder or any other color management calibration device. Have any here had any problems with color management of the new imac screens and if so what solutions have you found? Thanks, Robert

Robert the problems are with the displays themselves not with the pucks and software. Specifically, I'm not suggesting there is anything wrong with the displays you are considering but there are potentially problems with LCD displays in general.

The manner in which manufacturers allow the end users to take direct control of the hardware during the calibration phase has a great determination about how easily a monitor/LCD can be cal'ed.

Long story short expect to pay some serious money for a good monitor/LCD for photographic editing. Just becasue it has the Apple label on it doesn't make it a wiz bang piece of hardware. Check out the NEC, HP, EIZO units. Get a less expensive second monitor for docking tool bars etc. and keep your image on the high end screen.

Just what you wanted to hear, right?

Don Bryant

donbga · Jan 9, 2009

RobertP said:
Well in talking with the guys at OWC. Apparently they can pack 4GB into a mac mini. It may be a better option for me to go with the mini and find a good display to run with it. I currently have an old mini and it has served well even though it is only 1GB and not enough to run large files and or CS3. I'm going to have to give this some thought.

Don't even consider IGB. Go with the maximum amount of memory you can get in your box. Granted PS CS3 will only address about 4GB max but every bit really helps. And memory is really cheap these days, if you are talking about DDR.

Don Bryant

donbga · Jan 9, 2009

RobertP said:
Ok, I'm about to purchase a new imac. Would love to have the 24" but the budget says 20". I've been reading on the net about people having problems calibrating the displays, using spyder or any other color management calibration device. Have any here had any problems with color management of the new imac screens and if so what solutions have you found? Thanks, Robert

You can watch these online videos about color management:

http://www.msjphotography.com/index.php/2008/09/video-tutorial-color-management-1-of-4/

Don Bryant

RobertP · Jan 9, 2009

Don Bryant said:
You can watch these online videos about color management:

http://www.msjphotography.com/index.php/2008/09/video-tutorial-color-management-1-of-4/

Don Bryant

Thanks Don. I've been reading about monitors 'til I'm cross-eyed. What I seem to find is that the LCD that I should buy is one with a s-ips panel. I guess it works much better than the TN panels. Of course LG, who made them for Apple and just about everyone else has dropped all but their high end s-ips panels. But ebay is an option.

donbga · Jan 10, 2009

RobertP said:
Thanks Don. I've been reading about monitors 'til I'm cross-eyed. What I seem to find is that the LCD that I should buy is one with a s-ips panel. I guess it works much better than the TN panels. Of course LG, who made them for Apple and just about everyone else has dropped all but their high end s-ips panels. But ebay is an option.

This is what I'm saving my money for or something comparable in size and price:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...IBKSV_MultiSync_2690WUXi_25_5_Widescreen.html

Don

RobertP · Jan 10, 2009

I had a look at them. That will work exceptionally well. Even the 24" model is nice. If I'm not mistaken they can even pivot from landscape to portrait configuration. That's a neat little feature. Robert

donbga · Jan 11, 2009

RobertP said:
I had a look at them. That will work exceptionally well. Even the 24" model is nice. If I'm not mistaken they can even pivot from landscape to portrait configuration. That's a neat little feature. Robert

Take a look at some of the Dell UltraSharp monitors. These could be a bargain. No calibration device or software but the monitors do have USB ports and very good specs, I suspect these are really NEC or HP monitors.

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Displays/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&cs=04&sku=2208WA5

Don

RobertP · Jan 11, 2009

Don, Yeah I've been looking at the UltraSharp 2007FP. It has the LG s-ips panel in it. But you have to be careful and watch the serial number because some are not s-ips panels. The ones with "L" in the serial number are the right ones. Another indication is the 178 degree viewing angle also.

livemoa · Jan 14, 2009

I have one of the Dell Ultra Sharp monitors and I can second it as a very good monitor. It's not an Ezio but it does what I want it to do. Colours are good and I have managed to calibrate it well with the lightjet the lab I use has such that it comes so close that any difference is imperceptible. Your mileage may vary ......

wfe · Jan 16, 2009

I'm a huge Apple fan and recently purchased an iMAC 24" and had to return it due to display problems. The white balance was inconsistent across the screen. Some Googling after the fact informed me that this is a problem with the new iMACs. I returned it and purchased a MAC PRO with two 20" Apple Cinema Displays and it's now a great set up.

RobertP · Jan 17, 2009

Well as I start to build a system I went ahead and sprung for a refubished Dell Ultra Sharp 2007FP. (150.00). This is a very nice screen and I would have probably bought 2 of them had I known but next comes the computer. I would love to have a new Mac Pro but they are way out of my price range. Now I'm looking at an older G5 with dual 2.7 processors 6GB ram 250GB hardrives plus its already loaded with PS CS3. This can be had for around a little over 1000.00. Is anyone else using an older G5 tower? Robert

donbga · Jan 17, 2009

RobertP said:
Well as I start to build a system I went ahead and sprung for a refubished Dell Ultra Sharp 2007FP. (150.00). This is a very nice screen and I would have probably bought 2 of them had I known but next comes the computer. I would love to have a new Mac Pro but they are way out of my price range. Now I'm looking at an older G5 with dual 2.7 processors 6GB ram 250GB hardrives plus its already loaded with PS CS3. This can be had for around a little over 1000.00. Is anyone else using an older G5 tower? Robert

Interesting news about the refurbed Dell, I'll have to keep an eye on those.

I'm not a Mac person but the specs on the G5 sound like they would serve you well. I do know that there are several Mac dealers around the country that have good deals on Mac hardware if you need to increase the size of your drives (which you will want to eventually). However, 0.5 and 1.0 GIG drives are getting very inexpensive and unless you can get used drives for practically nothing I would purchase new when and if you plan to upgrade.

Unfortunatelly the really fast drives are still pricecy but maybe worth it since you are getting a decent price for the G5.

All in all though sounds like you are getting a deal. Make sure you get the original CS3 media so you can uninstall it and re-install it with your personal data. I do think the EULA is transferrable but check with Adobe to make sure. That way you can upgrade when CS4 becomes stable.

Sounds like you are on the right track.

Don Bryant

P C Headland · Jan 19, 2009

If you've got the external monitor, then why not get the 20" iMac - not the lowest spec one, but the next model up (better processor and video card). Load it with 4GB RAM. Then hook up the external monitor to that. You can calibrate both the built-in and external monitor, but use the external one for your critical image editing.

I think this (Intel iMac) would provide you with a better long term solution than a s/h G5. You can always get a refurb 20".

For larger drives, get an external drive in a FW800 enclosure.

RobertP · Jan 19, 2009

Do you think the imac would be a better system than dual 2.7 GHz processors with 8 GB ram and 1.5 TB hard drive in the G5? I also have a smaller 17" LG monitor that I could run apps on. So I could have a dual monitor setup with the G5 also. Is the imac processor that much more powerful than the dual 2.7's? or what would be the advantages of the new imac over the older G5? I've been talking to the techs at OWC. Now granted their business is to sell upgrades for these older computers but after watching a couple of their " how to" videos it seems very easy to upgrade these towers with ram and drives. The installs are just a matter of plugging things in and you're good to go. Thanks, Robert

Ben Altman · Jan 19, 2009

My very limited understanding is that CS3 is written in code that works better on Intel chips, so you will get a speed boost by going to an Intel Mac over a Power PC Mac. Not sure how much difference that makes in practice, compared to lots of RAM, for instance. Beyond that, I can't comment on the comparison of machines.

RobertP · Jan 19, 2009

A PowerMac 2.5 GHz quad may be an even better option if the price is right. There is sure a lot to learn about these systems before buying.

donbga · Jan 20, 2009

RobertP said:
A PowerMac 2.5 GHz quad may be an even better option if the price is right. There is sure a lot to learn about these systems before buying.

Hi Robert,

I just thought I would mention I picked up a NIB NEC Multisync LCD2090XUi LCD monitor yesterday for $250 through a local Craig's List contact yesterday. This was totally unexpected. This monitor is awesome!

Don Bryant

RobertP · Jan 20, 2009

Good deal! I'm finding there are deals and options out there for building a very capable system without having to buy the latest and newest apple technology. A new mac pro would be nice with apple cinema displays but its way out of my league. The new imac is nice with the intel processor but at the same price you can build a larger system with the older powermacs. I'm still debating maxing out a new Imac with an external drive for storage or going with an older G5.

Ben Altman · Jan 20, 2009

Robert,

Check out this thread on Hybrid: http://www.hybridphoto.com/forums/showthread.php?t=377&highlight=raid

May give you some ideas. There are other good threads on RAID, too.

Ben

PVia · Jan 20, 2009

RobertP said:
Good deal! I'm finding there are deals and options out there for building a very capable system without having to buy the latest and newest apple technology. A new mac pro would be nice with apple cinema displays but its way out of my league. The new imac is nice with the intel processor but at the same price you can build a larger system with the older powermacs. I'm still debating maxing out a new Imac with an external drive for storage or going with an older G5.

You absolutely DO NOT have to buy the latest offerings touted by manufacturers in order to serve you more than well when working with your photography. I use a very old Viewsonic (now, don't laugh) 15" monitor and calibrate with a (again, don't laugh) Monaco Optix XR. The difference between monitor and prints from the Epson 3800 is negligible if it even exists.

Believe me, you will be ecstatic with your Dell Ultrasharp!

toyotadesigner · Jan 24, 2009

Almost 2 months ago I invested into an iMac 24" and never ever had any problems. The display is absolutely fantastic, not one pixel error or color distortion, nada.

I had been afraid that the glossy surface would cause problems, but it doesn't if place accordingly (no bright window behind me). The built in profiler is excellent. I managed to adjust the color profile to 99% of the values a Spider suggested, which I had borrowed from a friend.

Do I miss the non glare display of my ex windows machine? Definitely not. Would I purchase another iMac? Definitely yes, because the Mac gives you room to work and doesn't force you to tweak or reboot. Uptime now is 51 days because of a OS update in December.

I even consider to get another iMac to get rid of my TV, because the iMac does have everything you need for entertainment - even a remote control.

Oh, some people warned me that printed images from a Mac will appear darker compared to images 'developed' on a Windows machine. This is not true if you set your gamma to 2.2 like on the bad OS machine

RalphLambrecht · May 25, 2013

RobertP said:
Ok, I'm about to purchase a new imac. Would love to have the 24" but the budget says 20". I've been reading on the net about people having problems calibrating the displays, using spyder or any other color management calibration device. Have any here had any problems with color management of the new imac screens and if so what solutions have you found? Thanks, Robert

in my experience, the factory settings of the new imac was all ha's needed; no calibration required!

New imac color management

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