Monitor Calibration - When are you satisfied?

homerun_homer

This is something that's been irking me the last while. I have 2 computers, a new iMac and a Dell laptop. I've always used PS CS3 on the Dell and usually happy with the results. The display on the Mac is darker and when a photo looks good it loses some of it's edge when viewed on other PCs - the laptop, work or parents PC.
I've calibrated the Mac monitor and it's as it should be according to it's process but the issue is still the same.
No one wants to work on a photo, get to a point where you're happy and then feel it isn't working when looking at online or on another computer.

Does anyone else have problems like this and what makes for good monitor calibration in your eyes?

oshead

I try not to think about this too much. You can only control how your workstations look. All bets are off for everyone else's. In an effort to gauge how many other monitors out there were being calibrated, I created this poll thread "Is your Monitor Calibrated?". Turns out it's a little more than 50/50. I thought there would be more calibrated monitors among the photographer community. I'd say it is far less for the general public at large. So in effect, monitor calibration is not meant for viewing pictures on the internet. There are so many different monitor types out there at the moment, you'd never be able to produce an image that looks good an all of them. With that in mind, I try and stick to a middle ground for internet pics. IE, not too bright or dark, saturated or dull, contrasty or soft.

To sum up. If you were doing a lot of printing then i'd say calibrate, otherwise, why bother?

Dara Robinson

Hye homerun_homer,

Few questions,
When you say "I've calibrated the Mac monitor and it's as it should be according to it's process but the issue is still the same." what did you do to calibrate your monitor?
What calibration tool do you have?
Are you printing these prints or simply looking at them on screen?
If they are for print, will you be printing your own?

stcstc

the other thing to be aware of on the mac, is there is a little tick box saying automatically adjust the brightness. make sure this is TURNED OFF

the other thing when looking using a browser make sure your either using srgb images or that the browser is profile aware, and that the site your using doesnt strip the profile from the image, some do

Freddie59

stcstc wrote: »

the other thing to be aware of on the mac, is there is a little tick box saying automatically adjust the brightness. make sure this is TURNED OFF

the other thing when looking using a browser make sure your either using srgb images or that the browser is profile aware, and that the site your using doesnt strip the profile from the image, some do

I'm about to purchase Spyder Express 3 to calibrate the monitor. Anyone any opinions on this?

stcstc

if you can afford, but the middle one, i think its called the spyer pro, i have the elite an its fine

Hugh_C

homerun_homer wrote: »

The display on the Mac is darker

may be because if the gamma setting in your calibration ...

Dara Robinson

Freddie59 wrote: »

I'm about to purchase Spyder Express 3 to calibrate the monitor. Anyone any opinions on this?

http://spyder.datacolor.com/pdfs/CI-303%20Calibrating-S.pdf
This review should help as the ColorMunki is the main rival there. If you are printing your photos calibration is always required for consistent and true results, regardless if you are printing at home or in a print shop.

Hope the review helps

stcstc

sounds like hugh is onto something

the whole worl bsically uses 2.2 gamma, but the mac defaults to 1.8. but you can change it,