How do you calibrate your LCD monitor?

[Thetech]

I noticed that my LCD monitor needs to be calibrated but I don't know what would be the easiest (and preferably free) way to do so. I remember a few years ago there used to be a program out called Colorific/3Deep. I suppose something like that would work but preferably something that doesn't need to load every time windows starts. My video Card is an ATI Mobility Radeon x600. I appreciate any advice.

Thank you.

 

[Bateluer]

I haven't owned an LCD yet that needed to be calibrated. Typically, its just adjusting the brightness to comfortable levels.

 

[Thetech]

Originally posted by: Bateluer
I haven't owned an LCD yet that needed to be calibrated. Typically, its just adjusting the brightness to comfortable levels.

I'm having a hell of a time getting my colors just right, usually the color hue of the screen has more of a bluish tinge to it.

 

[Thetech]

*Bump*

 

[zylander]

Originally posted by: Bateluer
I haven't owned an LCD yet that needed to be calibrated. Typically, its just adjusting the brightness to comfortable levels.

Same here. Ive owned four LCDs and other than adjusting the brightness, I have never had to calibrate the colors.


What monitor do you have?

 

[Viper GTS]

All displays can benefit from calibration and profiling. You guys just think they haven't needed it.

There are lots of options for calibration, I've used:

Spyder2Pro
ColorEyes Display Pro w/Spyder2 Sensor
ColorEyes Display Pro w/X-Rite DTP-94

Invest the money in a colorimeter, it's worth it.

Viper GTS

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: Bateluer
Typically, its just adjusting the brightness to comfortable levels.

I concur!

For instance, I messed about with this monitor for a week before realizing all I needed to do is turn the brightness down to 13% - everything else @ default settings - dittos for your video card settings!

A couple of things...

Don't do any 'calibrating' until your monitor has been on for at least 20 minutes. The backlight on these things takes a while to 'warm up' to full brightness. Otherwise, you'll drive yourself crazy!

And, run it at the factory recommended resolution - such as 1280x1024 60Hz. On this monitor everything else looks like garbage!!!

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
All displays can benefit from calibration and profiling. You guys just think they haven't needed it.

I somewhat concur with that...

I suppose it all depends!

I remember seeing a lot of tutorials on (digital) photography sites on calibrating LCD monitors, but these guys are in a league of their own!

Those might be better places for the OP to seek advice...

 

[xtknight]

Brightness is a very small variable of the calibration equation.

LCDs need gamma correction more than anything else. The gamma curves of LCDs tend to have a tendency to get lousy. Here's your run-of-the-mill 19" TN monitor (BenQ FP93GX): http://www.xbitlabs.com/articl...isplay/19inch-7_6.html

As you can see, the colors don't coincide correctly (and that's besides the fact that they are all offset from the reference 2.2 gamma line by at least 10/255 at one point or another). An offset causes darkness or brightness, depending on the direction in which the offset occurs. Ideally, it would match the black reference line shown on the graph.

X-Bit's page has more info on this here: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articl...stmethods_2.html#sect2

Some LCDs, such as the NEC 20WMGX2 (S-IPS), have fairly tight gamma curves by default (although from experience, calibration still vastly improves the white to look more natural): http://www.xbitlabs.com/articl...ay/20-21inch-2_15.html

How much can a colorimeter fix?

Well, in an 8-bit system you have 256 shades of gray. Gray is made of 3 components. That means you have 256x3, or 768, independent levels of adjustment you can make. Ideally you'd have 16.7M points of adjustment but they don't make the ICM profiles that way yet since it's kind of pointless (are you going to sit there while the colorimeter measures every single possible color?) Obviously, they can't measure every single one of those, but after a calibration that goes through some 20 tones you can get the curve pretty tight. The disadvantage is that you lose a few tones since you have to adjust a lot of them. I'm not really sure how to get a straight number for this.

After calibration I've been able to drastically improve the quality of text and webpages reproduction on many of my LCDs. With the blue-on-gray AnandTech theme, for example, the blue looks a lot darker and is much easier to read, not pale or off-color. Additionally, it brings out the darker details in your pictures and wallpapers. I love it and I definitely thought it was worth what I paid (~$225 Eye One Display 2).

With truer and more vibrant colors (particularly midtones), you will be able to lower the brightness of your display, easing strain both on the LCD itself (lowering the possibility of burn-in), and your eyes. You also get a deeper black level that way, and still a natural bright white with a 120 nits profile. (Most CRTs are 80-100 nits.)

I use the basICColor software myself.

 

[pcslookout]

$225 wow! Thats as much or more than some LCD monitors. About half of the NEC 20WMGX2 if you got it on sale.

 

[xtknight]

There are some decent $150 ones too. If I remember correctly, Mem, a member on this board, used one of the more affordable ones to calibrate a few of his AU Optronics-based (whose older panels were generally plagued with washout issues) LCDs. I can't remember the name of it off the top of my head. I know the Pantone Huey is a cheaper one also but with a few of the cheaper ones they barely calibrate anything so YMMV.

Well, what do you know. For the first time in centuries, search worked.

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...y=y&keyword1=calibrate

Here's a good review of 0-100 Euro colorimeters: http://www.behardware.com/arti...tion-for-0-to-100.html

Hm yeah they do seem a little rough so it's debatable if the higher end LaCie or Gretag-Macbeth colorimeters are worth it. I just decided to go all out, but I'm crazy too. It may also depend on your software and calibration settings.

 

[Thetech]

I have a Toshiba m40 Laptop. I tried using the information at http://www.normankoren.com/ and quickgamma but that didn't work out very well. I checked the gamma on a CRT monitor and the gray area ran all the way through on the gamma chart, But on the laptop the center of the grey area is discolored it's usually got a slight yellow or dark tint to it.
I also tried using the Monitor Calibration wizard software but that didn't make much of a difference. I've noticed that at default settings my screen has a blue hue to it.

The main problem I have with adjusting my screen is the fact that I have to adjust it from the video cards software, since this is a laptop and I can't adjust contrast etc. directly from the monitor.

EDIT: I without a doubt would buy a calibration tool, but alas I can not afford one at the moment. By the way can you use those to calibrate monitors and TVs?

That's why I'm trying to use free software and adjust it by eye.

 

[Thetech]

*bump*

 

[Thetech]

*Any solutions?

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: Thetech
*Any solutions?

I use an old proggie called Monitors Matter CheckScreen 1.2

I've setup zillions of monitors using this utility!

You can download it here about half way down the page.

That might help you out...