Got the Dell Ultrasharp U2711. What settings are the best for photo viewing?

[slicksilver]

I got the monitor from my bro who left abroad for his studies. The monitor has many presets but I'm not sure which one is the best. Right now I'm using the standard one. This monitor is a huge upgrade from my same size Acer monitor. Colors are very rich. Brightness is very good.

I use the computer to surf the internet, see DSLR quality pics and rarely a movie. My comp has Intel on-board graphics.

 

[SKORPI0]

http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=31492058&postcount=14

 

[slicksilver]

Hardware calibration is a must for many wide gamut monitors.

Brightness: 22
Contrast: 50
RGB: Manually
• R: 88
• G: 84
• B: 89

Thank you. I changed the values on the monitor to the ones you posted. Do I further need to do anything or is it done? Do I need to download an icc file and then select it in color management also? Colors aren't as bright and vivid as the default settings though but I'm concerned about seeing them the right way more than what pleases my eye.

 

[bob32768]

You really need a proper calibrator to get decent values for your screen. That brightness setting seems awfully low, so it might be calibrated for 100-120 nits, while I prefer 180-200 nits on my PC displays (otherwise it just seems too dim given my room lighting). The colors can vary dramatically per panel as well.

You can try the sRGB mode and see if that works, but if the panel is wide-gamut then maybe it's best to leave it at the standard settings and set the brightness to whatever seems good to you.

 

[EliteRetard]

http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/
http://www.eizo.com/global/library/basics/difference_in_image_quality/index.html

Some basic test images. Should be enough to get you 90% by eye (if your monitor is capable of passing each test 100%). If you want accurate color you need to be able to adjust the brightness contrast and gamma of each color separately. There should be no odds shades of color/hue to your whites or blacks, and nothing should look "washed out".

Id start out with everything at 100%, except the global brightness and contrast each set at around 50% or where it seems most comfortable (you want to start with them at a very similar number). Then adjust the individual color attributes for accuracy. If you notice you need to make large adjustments in contrast or brightness go back and change the global settings first.

Oh and it may seem odd, but think of brightness as controlling black level and contrast controlling white level.

 

[snoylekim]

if you're using the monitor as you stated , would recommend setting to sRGB. The high gamut capabilities of this and other high gamut monitors are primarily for being able to 'proof' photos and graphics that will be reproduced on a printer or other medium with broader color reproduction capabilities. Unless the software one is using supports good color management, online content on the web via a browser, most photographs, etc could take a more 'neon' or overly saturated color cast . Most Videos are an even narrower RGB ..

 

[slicksilver]

Thank you all