Photo editing question about crappy monitors

glen

Lifer
Apr 28, 2000
15,995
1
81
Been on vacation for a week, and I have loaded all my photos onto my laptop and installed a copy of Lightroom Beta 5, which is fantastic BTW. I have about 3000 wedding photographs to go through, so I am glad to be able to work on these from my laptop.

However, it does occur to me that it is going to be difficult to get the pictures just right because the laptop display is so bad. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? When you used a laptop, did they turn out actually OK or were they complete crap when viewed with a good monitor?


It also occurs to me that it might not be much better when I get home because I have a gaming monitor, http://reviews.dell.com/2341n/320-8...ull-hd-widescreen-monitor-reviews/reviews.htm. Not sure it is going to be that great for photo editing. Are any led/lcd monitors good for that?
 
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CuriousMike

Diamond Member
Feb 22, 2001
3,044
543
136
I use a typical $179, ASUS 1080p 24" panel at home.

When I export my photos from LR4, they look different on my wifes monitor, on my works monitor, and on my phone and tablet.

Often the contrast ( brightness, or lack thereof ) is the bigger issue; however color also comes into play.

If I cared enough, I would spend the $100 on a monitor calibration device.
 

colonelciller

Senior member
Sep 29, 2012
915
0
0
you're absolutely correct. you'll never get the photographs just right (probably not even close) with a low budget monitor... that is if you are hoping to get really nice prints that predictably match what you see on the screen from your edits.

if you aren't too particular with the prints then just convert to the sRGB colorspace and fire off some prints. calibrating a cheap monitor is pretty pointless (i've tried it with a dell ultrasharp monitor only to regret the investement ina calibration device)

if you want the screen to match the print then you really have only one choice... an EIZO monitor. couple that with a custom paper profile for the paper that you want to print with and you're set.
 

glen

Lifer
Apr 28, 2000
15,995
1
81
Wow. I am sure those are worth every penny; however, since I am an amature, I need a different solution.
One thing I want to do with the pictures is turn them into a book. I am trying to figure out how much sharpening I can apply before the artifacts are visible on the book.
 

yhelothar

Lifer
Dec 11, 2002
18,408
39
91
It's a very frustrating problem for me when I edit photos.
It might be good to edit on a TN screen now, since most people has a TN screen. So your photos will come out right on most people's screens.

You'll just want to edit on an IPS calibrated screen if you do prints.
 
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Spoooon

Lifer
Mar 3, 2000
11,565
202
106
I have a couple cheapo monitors. What I did was edit a few pics, sent those to a printer (WHCC), then used my eyeballs to "calibrate" the monitor to the prints. Basically adjusted brightness and colors as close as I could.

Now, I have a pretty good idea of what to expect from my prints.
 

randomrogue

Diamond Member
Jan 15, 2011
5,462
0
0
I have a good monitor. I have a shitty monitor. I also have a shitty netbook. The difference can be rather dramatic. It's tough to get the most basic setting right which is the white balance. Blacks? Forget about it.

With that said I still use the shitty monitors when I'm not home with the good monitor. I'd rather tinker with the shitty monitors than not tinker and post process at all.

If you start printing that's when you need to get these things right. Without printing you can survive.
 

glen

Lifer
Apr 28, 2000
15,995
1
81
I actually like doing the post processing. But, I was remembering hearing about Chinese prisoner that were forced to play EverQuest for virtual to real money, and I was thinking it would be really cool to be able to farm out some of the post processing.
 

kbp

Senior member
Oct 8, 2011
577
0
0
So, would an inexpensive 23" IPS panel be ok?

Thats fine ^ but best bet is to get something like Datacolor "Spyder" calibration / software. The Elite series gets you a printer profile calibrator too.
 

yhelothar

Lifer
Dec 11, 2002
18,408
39
91
Calibrators are great to allow your prints to look like what you see on the screen. However, I don't think it's ideal if you want other people's screens to look like yours. Most screens are much cooler than the calibrated screen, I find. However, that may be changing with tablets with IPS displays becoming common.
 

Throckmorton

Lifer
Aug 23, 2007
16,830
3
0
You didn't consider all this before you started doing wedding photography?

You just need a good IPS monitor, preferably calibrated, or a Macbook Pro (almost no other laptops have good screens)

But one thing photographers do that's stupid is work on a monitor with brightness turned way down to supposedly match prints. You should edit with the brightness that matches your environment, and the appropriate gamma settings, IMO. That way you match what your clients see on their monitors. Matching to dimly lit prints is stupid- for one thing a print CAN be brightly lit to match a monitor.
 

colonelciller

Senior member
Sep 29, 2012
915
0
0
Thats fine ^ but best bet is to get something like Datacolor "Spyder" calibration / software. The Elite series gets you a printer profile calibrator too.

I have a high-end calibrator yet it gives me no value since my monitor (Dell Ultrasharp) doesn't come anywhere near being adjustable enough to give a screen that looks like a print.

On the other hand, if I'm not picky and work in sRGB before uploading the images to a local print shop for "just whatever" prints, then my crappy monitor works just fine.
 

colonelciller

Senior member
Sep 29, 2012
915
0
0
You didn't consider all this before you started doing wedding photography?

You just need a good IPS monitor, preferably calibrated, or a Macbook Pro (almost no other laptops have good screens)

But one thing photographers do that's stupid is work on a monitor with brightness turned way down to supposedly match prints. You should edit with the brightness that matches your environment, and the appropriate gamma settings, IMO. That way you match what your clients see on their monitors. Matching to dimly lit prints is stupid- for one thing a print CAN be brightly lit to match a monitor.

except the contrast range of a monitor vastly exceeds what any print can offer.

Wouldn't the best bet be to work with a properly calibrated (including dimmed) monitor using the correct paper profile for the prints... and then just pop those into lightroom at the end and make some quick low-rez image adjustments on a brighter monitor to send to clients so they can pick out the images they want prints of?
 

glen

Lifer
Apr 28, 2000
15,995
1
81
You didn't consider all this before you started doing wedding photography?

You just need a good IPS monitor, preferably calibrated, or a Macbook Pro (almost no other laptops have good screens)

But one thing photographers do that's stupid is work on a monitor with brightness turned way down to supposedly match prints. You should edit with the brightness that matches your environment, and the appropriate gamma settings, IMO. That way you match what your clients see on their monitors. Matching to dimly lit prints is stupid- for one thing a print CAN be brightly lit to match a monitor.
No. I'm a punter. I just shot a wedding last weekend for fun for friends of mine. They did not hire anyone, so I thought I would take some pictures. As long as mine are better them the ones other people took with their cell phone, I will be happy. I spent $100 to rent a Canon 85mm f/1.2 and downloaded Lightroom 5 beta. This is for fun, but I want it to turn out well, and I have decided the best thing to do is make a Blurb book and give it as a wedding present. The mother of the bride saw a few uncorrected photos and said I did a better job than the pro they hired for her other daughter's wedding.
 

Throckmorton

Lifer
Aug 23, 2007
16,830
3
0
No. I'm a punter. I just shot a wedding last weekend for fun for friends of mine. They did not hire anyone, so I thought I would take some pictures. As long as mine are better them the ones other people took with their cell phone, I will be happy. I spent $100 to rent a Canon 85mm f/1.2 and downloaded Lightroom 5 beta. This is for fun, but I want it to turn out well, and I have decided the best thing to do is make a Blurb book and give it as a wedding present. The mother of the bride saw a few uncorrected photos and said I did a better job than the pro they hired for her other daughter's wedding.

That's cool. I didn't think people EVER had weddings without hiring a photographer