Calibrate Monitors or Not?

[ACEkin]

I enjoy seeing the work of members from different parts of the world with diverse interests. I noticed that some present their images that render consistently darker on my calibrated screens, and some lighter. I am curious, do you calibrate your monitor screens for color and brightness using calibration hardware/software or eyeball it? Brightness adjustment as well as color accuracy, positioning of the monitor, and room lighting all contribute to our perception of the image on the screen, and apply adjustments accordingly. I have a few articles on calibration and the work environment on my Web site, here is a link to one some may find useful.

Display profile has to consider brightness and color

Display brightness is important, screen calibration is not only for "correct" colors. Monitor brightness must match the print under standard viewing light.

www.keptlight.com

 

[PhotoJim58]

Thanks, this has been a issue for me as well.

 

[PKM-UK]

Hi Cemal,

A good subject to raise!

MkI Eyeball. I have an Asus ProArt monitor (driven by my MacBook Pro). I prefer my work environment to be on the dim side.


My father-in-law, who does use a calibrated monitor, says he finds my images are sometimes a little too dark for his tastes.

(Me and Karen both think they look fine - so we share a similar ‘personal calibration’!).


I'm interested to hear how you (and others) find my images on your calibrated monitor - any feedback would be welcome...

(I should add your images look absolutely fine on our gear here).

Phil

(Note: I am an enthusiastic hobbyist and my inquisitive side sometimes takes our images off in creative directions).

 

[ACEkin]

Hi Cemal,

A good subject to raise!

MkI Eyeball. I have an Asus ProArt monitor (driven by my MacBook Pro). I prefer my work environment to be on the dim side.


My father-in-law, who does use a calibrated monitor, says he finds my images are sometimes a little too dark for his tastes.

(Me and Karen both think they look fine - so we share a similar ‘personal calibration’!).


I'm interested to hear how you (and others) find my images on your calibrated monitor - any feedback would be welcome...

(I should add your images look absolutely fine on our gear here).

Phil

(Note: I am an enthusiastic hobbyist and my inquisitive side sometimes takes our images off in creative directions).

Phil, your interior photographs appear to convey the mood. It is hard to tell whether they are darker than they need to be. However, many of your exterior, outdoor, and nature images are a tad on the dark side for my eyes. I would like to see the bird more clearly, or the castle shouldn't be that dark with that sky, and so on. That would explain your father-in-law's finding your monitor too bright. If that is the case, you will darken your images to look right on that screen.

If you print your own, you can better gauge by comparing the properly illuminated print to the screen. They will never be identical as their rendering models are different, but you will see if your print comes out lighter or darker than expected based on what you see on the screen. I have an empirical evaluation of brightness in one of the articles. It is not precise but will give an idea.

 

[MikeZ]

Like Phil, I use the old Mk1 Eyeball. I've been meaning to acquire a Spyder or some such calibration device, but seem to forget until I start processing images. Maybe it's time to start my research again (but follow through this time).

 

[ACEkin]

Like Phil, I use the old Mk1 Eyeball. I've been meaning to acquire a Spyder or some such calibration device, but seem to forget until I start processing images. Maybe it's time to start my research again (but follow through this time).

There are really good options for this. Spyder and X-Rite offer models that can do screen and even printer calibrations depending on the needs. I use an i1DisplayPro by XRite and my NEC-specific software supports it. Its own software is excellent too. The newer versions are even better I am sure. Some environmental considerations are also useful, like not placing the monitor in front of a window with a great view! Calibration is not something anyone regrets! Or, I have not heard it yet.

 

[Dean Wilson]

Spyder Pro-X every 30 days. I can really see the difference in colors on my monitor, but more so on my laptop screen.

 

[MikeZ]

Cemal and Dean, thanks for the advice and suggestions. I just need to pick one and get my monitor calibrated - it looks like the X-Rite is no longer being made.

 

[ACEkin]

Mike, X-Rite seems to have split their product lines. Look for the CaliBrite brand which includes profiling gear that used to be marketed under the X-Rite brand. Their website is:

Welcome to Calibrite

We are dedicated to providing the very best solutions for photographers, filmmakers, designers and content creators.

calibrite.com

 

[PKM-UK]

Phil, your interior photographs appear to convey the mood. It is hard to tell whether they are darker than they need to be. However, many of your exterior, outdoor, and nature images are a tad on the dark side for my eyes. I would like to see the bird more clearly, or the castle shouldn't be that dark with that sky, and so on. That would explain your father-in-law's finding your monitor too bright. If that is the case, you will darken your images to look right on that screen.

If you print your own, you can better gauge by comparing the properly illuminated print to the screen. They will never be identical as their rendering models are different, but you will see if your print comes out lighter or darker than expected based on what you see on the screen. I have an empirical evaluation of brightness in one of the articles. It is not precise but will give an idea.

Hi Cemal,

Thank you for taking the time to provide detailed feedback - very much appreciated!

I‘ve taken this matter very seriously and escalated it to the boss (Karen) and we have a Calibrite device arriving today.

I’m looking forward to seeing what it reveals and whether it can help me to produce better results.

Phil

 

[Only RF]

iMac and Macbook. I used X-rite I1 Disable Pro and recently it became CaliBrite. The puck still works. Yes the calibrators do make the screen darker to match the print. Source of light vs reflected light. I notch it up by one after because for web it is a little dark for me.

I worked in print media. In the days and when we still used the Gutenberg Press we had that problem when everything started going computer. Customers would compare the printed product to the monitors which made things difficult. They started to tone down the monitors brightness most likely by calibrating them. I was not in prepress so I can't say for sure how the did it. The were always X-Rite products in the prepress and pressroom. I think a licences for PS was somewhere between $75,000 and $150,000 when it first came out.

 

[RedCobra]

Everyone's photos look fine on my Calibrated (Spyder Pro Calibrator) Dell monitor. I recalibrate when the software advises me to, although it doesn't seem to change much. I always recalibrate after a trip where I am bringing back thousands of images.

 

[Jake Shoots Birds]

Just tossing this out there (I calibrate). I was involved in a site that had team photography competitions/challenges and I was on a team with a bunch of great people of all levels who were willing to both take and give honest criticism. One of them was a retiree who traveled extensively and specialized in landscapes. He shot Leica and had an amazing computer system that he kept calibrated. Every shot he submitted to the team looked dark. It didn't look dark to him as he processed it and he told me it must be my monitor. I opened his shot in Photoshop, added a Levels adjustment layer, and grabbed a screen shot showing that the light information was non-existent above around 215-230 depending on the shot (brights maximize at 255). Sure, there are conditions where you'd want that, but not in the examples submitted. He added a levels check to the end of his processing flow just in case (and maybe to appease me LOL).

I say this to point out that calibration is only a part of the solution. Understanding how limiting light information in the file can impact other viewers is critical as well, and looking at a levels adjustment is probably one of the easiest ways to understand and communicate if something is "dark" or just "darkly toned" (midpoint too far right).

 

[ACEkin]

Just tossing this out there (I calibrate). I was involved in a site that had team photography competitions/challenges and I was on a team with a bunch of great people of all levels who were willing to both take and give honest criticism. One of them was a retiree who traveled extensively and specialized in landscapes. He shot Leica and had an amazing computer system that he kept calibrated. Every shot he submitted to the team looked dark. It didn't look dark to him as he processed it and he told me it must be my monitor. I opened his shot in Photoshop, added a Levels adjustment layer, and grabbed a screen shot showing that the light information was non-existent above around 215-230 depending on the shot (brights maximize at 255). Sure, there are conditions where you'd want that, but not in the examples submitted. He added a levels check to the end of his processing flow just in case (and maybe to appease me LOL).

I say this to point out that calibration is only a part of the solution. Understanding how limiting light information in the file can impact other viewers is critical as well, and looking at a levels adjustment is probably one of the easiest ways to understand and communicate if something is "dark" or just "darkly toned" (midpoint too far right).

Very true! Calibration software generally uses a set luminance level. It may be right or not, depending on the work environment. That's one reason why I suggest running simple empirical tests to evaluate the screen brightness. For example, calibrating my main screen, a 27" NEC, I set the luminance level to 100, down from its suggested 125 I believe. It may take more than one calibration session at the beginning, so I advise patience.

 

[chipman]

With my macular degeneration everything looks dark. At first it was just shots in one eye. At times I could blink my eyes back and forth and see a one stop difference in lighting. Now both eyes are getting shots, with new medicine these are every 12 weeks.
If you are over 50 I strongly suggest you get tested. The sooner they catch it the less it will mess up your photography.

 

[ACEkin]

With my macular degeneration everything looks dark. At first it was just shots in one eye. At times I could blink my eyes back and forth and see a one stop difference in lighting. Now both eyes are getting shots, with new medicine these are every 12 weeks.
If you are over 50 I strongly suggest you get tested. The sooner they catch it the less it will mess up your photography.

I remember you mentioned it in passing when I wrote I could see the blue flowers when I look away from them. Sorry to hear about your vision issues, I can relate to that as my wife is legally blind with minimal visual field. Glad to hear that the shots seem to help.

 

[PKM-UK]

Well there you go, calibration carried out (Calibrite Display Pro HL) and I‘ve looked on here at some of the images we posted recently and re-edited/ compared a couple of files with Karen. Our preliminary conclusion? My original edits look too dark…



Cemal (and Karen’s dad!) good point, well made. Thank you. I think that moving forward my edits should now be improved.

Further evaluation and comparison tests to follow, but the first look seems pretty conclusive and it’s been money well spent.

Phil

 

[MikeZ]

I now need to decide between CaliBrite and Spyder. Though they seem the same on first blush, I'm sure that there are differences (some significant) in operation. I'm using a Dell U2415 UltraSharp monitor to which Dell "offers" their Dell UltaSharp Color Calibration System software. I've yet to confirm, but I think that application is compatible to the CaliBrite device. Now whether that makes any difference is currently beyond me. If anyone has any insights or suggestions, I am completely open and listening.

​

 

[ACEkin]

Well there you go, calibration carried out (Calibrite Display Pro HL) and I‘ve looked on here at some of the images we posted recently and re-edited/ compared a couple of files with Karen. Our preliminary conclusion? My original edits look too dark…



Cemal (and Karen’s dad!) good point, well made. Thank you. I think that moving forward my edits should now be improved.

Further evaluation and comparison tests to follow, but the first look seems pretty conclusive and it’s been money well spent.

Phil

You will not regret your decision, Phil and Karen. Please carry out the steps to confirm the level of brightness even if you have to have a sample image printed by a friend in case you do not do any printing. The sample images should not be adjusted, just printed and compared to the screen image under proper lighting.

 

[ACEkin]

I now need to decide between CaliBrite and Spyder. Though they seem the same on first blush, I'm sure that there are differences (some significant) in operation. I'm using a Dell U2415 UltraSharp monitor to which Dell "offers" their Dell UltaSharp Color Calibration System software. I've yet to confirm, but I think that application is compatible to the CaliBrite device. Now whether that makes any difference is currently beyond me. If anyone has any insights or suggestions, I am completely open and listening.

​

I have been using devices either made and sold by X-Rite or later purchased by X-Rite like Monaco Optix. None has failed or disappointed me. I have no experience with the Spyder products.

 

[PKM-UK]

You will not regret your decision, Phil and Karen. Please carry out the steps to confirm the level of brightness even if you have to have a sample image printed by a friend in case you do not do any printing. The sample images should not be adjusted, just printed and compared to the screen image under proper lighting.

Hi Cemal,

The analogy we used is that it’s like we’ve only just bought a tuner for our expensive guitars and thought - ‘ahhh… so that’s what an A actually sounds like’.

We will definitely aim to complete the entire process (we need to tune the other 5 strings!). Slow, but steady, from here. The calibration device turned up quite late, so we only had time for a quick look - and we have a bunch of ‘life stuff’ to sort out over the next few days - but we have access to printers and there will be plenty of re-editing and reviewing in the days ahead.

Hopefully the benefits will become apparent as the new edits start to get posted. I may post a comparison before/ after too.

Once again, thank you for giving us the (gentle) guidance and push we needed.

P&K