IMAC screen and photo editing

[cmoore]

I have a new IMAC. Is there any way I can adjust the screen so that my photos look like what I photographed and like what I print. Right now it is too bright and shiny.

 

[Dysfunction]

Yes, get a calibration device. Calibrate and profile your monitor. Regularly. If you're printing at home, calibrate your printer. Too bright is a VERY common issue for monitors when dealing with color-managed workflows.

 

[cmoore]

Preferences

Thanks for the response. Yes, I intend to calibrate the monitor. Is there any particular settings I should use in preferences to reduce the artificially bright quality the screen is set at? My previous IMAC had a matte screen and worked wonderfully well. Now a matte screen is available only on the Macbook Pro. What I .would like is for the screen to have a matte quality

 

[Dysfunction]

To be honest, it'll depend on the calibration tool you use. Mine automatically adjusts for screen brightness (and color) based on room brightness. On my current panel, gamma was reduced from the stock 2.4 to 2.1(ish).

I find it very hard to accurately calibrate any panel using the 'calibration' tool in the System Settings, Monitor panel

 

[chas_m]

I do a fair number of print projects every year (posters for promotional events, flyers, brochures, that sort of thing) and have always hand-calibrated -- by eye, if you will -- and relied on ColorSync. That has worked well for me with both glossy and matte screens (in fact I use a combo at my workdesk) but I have not yet bought a machine that uses an LED screen so I can't speak to that.

I have a long history in the print business which helps my "graphic eye," though I don't doubt I could get even better results with a good calibrator (but a good one costs quite a bit of money!). So far, I've had very little trouble from printers.

 

[Sawday]

In addition to the above, turn down the brightness. By default the brightness is set to 'Buy Me' mode that looks great in shops but what you see on screen is transmitted light. On paper you see reflected light which will always be dimmer.

 

[Dysfunction]

I do a fair number of print projects every year (posters for promotional events, flyers, brochures, that sort of thing) and have always hand-calibrated -- by eye, if you will -- and relied on ColorSync. That has worked well for me with both glossy and matte screens (in fact I use a combo at my workdesk) but I have not yet bought a machine that uses an LED screen so I can't speak to that.

I have a long history in the print business which helps my "graphic eye," though I don't doubt I could get even better results with a good calibrator (but a good one costs quite a bit of money!). So far, I've had very little trouble from printers.

Yea, I did manual calibration for quite some time. My problem was that I tend to shoot a lot of black and white. So getting my images all nice and set on the screen, then sending out to print (using the labs ICC profiles for their printers) only to lose zone II or IX. As odd as it would sound, this was far more of an issue in B&W than color (in general) for me.

I will say though, that these days a decent calibration tool is a heck of a lot cheaper than they used to be

 

[Chris....]

I'm using this on my imac.

Shades | Software | Charcoal Design

 

[Doug b]

I'm using this on my imac.

Shades | Software | Charcoal Design

LOL!

Ambient lighting, otherwise known as your working environment lighting, is a critical component of your color management setup. To a large degree it will influence your choice of monitor white point and monitor brightness, the two most important variables for monitor calibration. A reasonably dim unchanging ambient light level is recommended. Avoid working in conditions where strong sunlight streams in as it will be too bright and will change continually throughout the day and from day to day.

Calibrating one's monitor is half of the equation. You must also have a properly calibrated printer in order to get truly accurate results. Make sure your drivers are up to date, first of all. XRite ColorMunki, profiles both the monitor and printer, so if you can afford it, I'd recommend it. In the U.S., Mpix.com sells a calibration kit for $3. It's an image on cd and the same image on an 8x10 print. After the monitor is profiled, open the image on the display and compare it to the print. For printer profiles simply compare prints.

If you can't afford the XRite system, the Spyder3 system is also very good, but takes a bit longer to get the job done because it usually requires a couple calibration passes.

Also remember that calibration usually needs to be done fairly often, depending upon the actual monitor. With time, the frequencies of a monitor will fluctuate and cause color inconsistencies, even if you don't see them right away. Most professionals calibrate a few times a week, depending upon the jobs they're doing.

Doug

 

[Chris....]

LOL!

What's so funny? After I calibrate with an xrite iOne the monitor is still too bright, it's a known issue on imacs. At work I have a NEC that calibrates fine with just the xrite ione. We have Kodak Matchprint virtual online proofing and a Matchprint press virtual proofing system.

 

[Doug b]

What's so funny? After I calibrate with an xrite iOne the monitor is still too bright, it's a known issue on imacs. At work I have a NEC that calibrates fine with just the xrite ione. We have Kodak Matchprint virtual online proofing and a Matchprint press virtual proofing system.

I know it's an issue, and why I'll likely not use an iMac for editing. However, if the brightness and ambient luminance is consistent, it's not a total loss, as you can still work with it.

And sorry but.. it IS funny.

Doug

 

[Doug b]

sorry, double post. Delete please mods!

D

 

[chappers]

If you go to Sys Prefs under displays, you'll find a slider that allows you to turn down the iMac display brightness. Put it to about 50%, and this should give your 1-One a chance to get the brightness to a workable level. Using this method I have the brightness on mine set to 130cd/m2 and calibrates well. I don't use the X-Rite software, preferring Coloreyes Display Pro. The iMac calibrates to an average delta variation of 0.4 with a max of 0.6 which isn't bad. I use L* rather than gamma2.2, but can't see much difference between the two.

Coloreyes Display Pro will automatically turn the brightness down within it's software, however I prefer to give it a fighting chance but starting at a lower level from the start.