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Calibration/profiling of LCD monitors

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Doug Kerr

Guest
I have used the Colorvision Spyder system (with the OptiCal software package) for my CRT monitor. I recently converted to a ViewSonic VX2035wm LCD monitor, and went to calibrate/profile it.

In reviewing the User Guide. I see it said that the PreCal function and the Precision mode of calibration are not applicable to an LCD display. (Funny that when I set the software control panel to "LCD", it doesn't disable those things!)

Operating with the Standard calibration mode, the on-screen instructions say to set the monitor's Contrast and Brightness controls to the factory defaults. Just for kicks, I did that. (Lost various housekeeping settings that way, but oh, well!)

With the Standard mode of the OptiCal software, I had no chance to set a target value of white luminance.

The calibration/profiling process went smoothly. When everything was done, the software reported that I had a white luminance of about 190 cd/m^2.

I understand that the optimum white luminance for reviewing images varies with the luminous envronment, but that something in the range of 80-120 cd/m^2 is probably reasonable for "general" use.

After this experience, I left the software set to "LCD" but in fact used the Precision mode, set the target white luminance to 120 cd/m^2, and went through the process again. Everything seemed to go well. (I couldn't get the black luminance up to the value initially recommended by the software - 0.36 cd/m^2.)

How should I react to this chain of events? What do I need to know about these curious things?

Thanks.
 

John_Nevill

New member
Doug, Interesting this one,

Having just cleaned my laptop and started afresh, I thought it be worthwhile recalibrating the Eizo s2100 and laptop.

I've been calibrating both LCDs using native white point for more than year now, having read many debates about whether to use 6500K / 5000K etc.

However, I use Basicolor with an eyeone display 2, so getting back to the luminance issue.

Although Imatch (Gretag) recommends 140 cd/m^2 for LCDs, basicolor uses 160 cd/m^2.

The Eizo will scorch your eyebrows if you let it, but I've settled on 160 cd/m^2 using basicolor, the laptop will only achieve a max of 90 cd/m^2, so there a quite a bit of difference betwen the two. Obviously I use the Eizo for colour crtical work and wysiwig printing.

On a slightly different note, I find that basicolor calibration achieves the black point 1,1,1 test at drycreekphoto whereas imatch does not.
 

Nill Toulme

New member
"Correct" luminance depends largely on the ambient lighting in your work environment. The typical starting point for LCDs is 120cd/². 160cd/m² might be right for the typical very bright office environment. I work in a fairly dim room and until recently have been using 100cd/m² but last week recalibrated to 95.

If you find that your prints are coming out looking dim/dark compared to your screen, you're probably set too bright. Of course, then there's also the variable of what lighting you're viewing your prints under...

Nill
~~
www.toulme.net
 

Ray West

New member
I tend to think the best you can do, is the best you can do. crt/lcd's/plasma whatever transmit light, ink/paper reflect light - differently. It is not only colour temperature of the light, but also the surroundings, of course, else print matting/framing would not be of use. There are plenty of optical illusion type examples that can demonstrate that effect. I think you have to allow your eyes to make the final adjustments. Lcd's black is only dark grey, and you are expecting three colours on an lcd to represent maybe a dozen on a printer.

In the same way of my early Hi-fi audio days, fiddle for ever with the balance/equalisation, but finally decided, I'll let my ears do the adjustment.

Best wishes,

Ray
 

Mike Bailey

pro member
First experience with LCD vs CRT

I sort of ended up having the same experience with profiling an LCD monitor as Doug, and probably others. Up until this past week, I have resisted in a dinosaurian mindset going from CRT to LCD monitors. I had been using two cheap Samsung DF997 monitors, which profiled well and accurately, and matched up just right with output from my 2200s and 7600 (using extremely good printer profiles done by Andrew Rodney). One of those monitors began acting up, so it was time to head into the LCD camp, like it or not, since useable CRT monitors are hard to find.

After buying and returning a couple LCD monitors mostly due to bad vertical viewing angles (too narrow), I settled on a couple of Acer X241W monitors, which seem to profile nicely once I got the contrast/brightness issues sorted out - or so I thought. I began by listening to the recommendations of the Optix XR I use, and ended up with extraordinarly bright settings, so manually backed off on contrast/brightness until I started getting readings of 133 cd/m^2 and 0.26 cd/m^2 or so for a fairly dim room. It looks more as if Nill's target of even lower settings for the white luminance might be even more accurate. More experimentation, but it's getting there.

At any rate, I wanted to add a bit of my experience to this thread and at the same time express appreciation for OPF's having this and many other very useful, to-the-point threads such as this. It was just the kind of information I was looking for.

Mike
 

Ray West

New member
Hi Kombizz,

There are some, if you use google or other search engine. I am not able to recommend them, since I've never used them. I expect they are for calibration, not profiling.

Best wishes,

Ray
 
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