What do the different color temperatures mean?

[Chaotic42]

Like 6500K and whatnot. I'm trying to get my CRT (Viewsonic P95f) and LCD (Emachines E17T) to look the same (or close) and I keep running into these numbers. I'm also looking for a good monitor calibration page if you know of any.

 

[trmiv]

The higher the Kelvin number, the bluer it will be. So 5000K usually has a warm red/orange feel to it. 6500K is slightly bluer. 9300K (my monitor has that), is pretty blue looking. 6500K is my preference for monitors. It's roughly the color of daylight.

 

[Anubis]

run adobe gamma is you have it, its a pretty easy way to calibrate

use this page
http://pages.prodigy.net/ecmorris/tips/monitor.htm

and this one

http://trikuare.cx/art/tut/gamma/

 

[Wallydraigle]

Color temperature is the temperature that you would have a heat a theoretical "black body" in order for it to emit light of a given color temperature. Basically all you need to know to set up your monitors is that lower K = redder, and higher k = bluer. Daylight with no clouds or other variables that mess with light quality is ~6500K, give or take. Colors in photos will be more accurate at this color temperature, and that's the color temperature that most monitor calibration software works under, although I think that the newer ones work with other temps now. 6500K is a good temp to keep your monitors at.