Monitor correction charts

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

I don't know whether this question belongs on a computer group or a
digital photography group, but here goes.

Having recently bought a digital camera, I'll admit to taking the
(ahem) occasional (cough cough) not-quite-perfect picture that needs
some touching-up. I'm starting to play around with GIMP, and getting
half-decent at fixing up under-exposed shots. I can make it look good
on *MY* computer monitor.

This raises the question of whether there is a "test pattern" for
monitors like http/www.high-techproductions.com/colorbars.htm for TV.
You'd need a paper printout and a digital file. Getting the paper
printout right might be a bit expensive.

Talking about computer monitors in general, is it just me, or has
anyone else noticed that LCD displays seem to default to being *DAMN*
bright? When I got one at work, the first thing I did was to crank the
brightness way down.

--
Walter Dnes; my email address is *ALMOST* like wzaltdnes@waltdnes.org
Delete the "z" to get my real address. If that gets blocked, follow
the instructions at the end of the 550 message.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

On Sun, 07 Aug 2005 14:31:27 +0000, Walter Dnes (delete the 'z' to get my
real address) wrote:

> I don't know whether this question belongs on a computer group or a
> digital photography group, but here goes.
>
> Having recently bought a digital camera, I'll admit to taking the
> (ahem) occasional (cough cough) not-quite-perfect picture that needs some
> touching-up. I'm starting to play around with GIMP, and getting
> half-decent at fixing up under-exposed shots. I can make it look good on
> *MY* computer monitor.
>
> This raises the question of whether there is a "test pattern" for
> monitors like http/www.high-techproductions.com/colorbars.htm for TV.
> You'd need a paper printout and a digital file. Getting the paper
> printout right might be a bit expensive.
>
> Talking about computer monitors in general, is it just me, or has
> anyone else noticed that LCD displays seem to default to being *DAMN*
> bright? When I got one at work, the first thing I did was to crank the
> brightness way down.

Go here

http/www.dpreview.com/reviews/kodakz740/

All the way to the bottom of the page, there is a greyscale step wedge.
Adjust your monitor brightness and contrast until you can discern each
wedge. Some of the differences will be slight, particularly between A, B,
and C, and X, Y, and Z.

This isn't a perfect, calibrated brightness/contrast monitor adjustment,
but it will get you into the ballpark. The infield, actually. ;-)

Also, make sure the ambient light where your monitor is, more or less, the
same level, day or night.

Do a Yahoo or Google search for "monitor calibration techniques" or
something similar. You might find a site or two that have JPEG calibration
color charts and greyscales with instructions. I downloaded a couple, but
I no longer have the URLs to the sites.

Stefan

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

"Walter Dnes (delete the 'z' to get my real address)" <wzaltdnes@waltdnes.org> writes:

> I don't know whether this question belongs on a computer group or a
> digital photography group, but here goes.
>
> Having recently bought a digital camera, I'll admit to taking the
> (ahem) occasional (cough cough) not-quite-perfect picture that needs
> some touching-up. I'm starting to play around with GIMP, and getting
> half-decent at fixing up under-exposed shots. I can make it look good
> on *MY* computer monitor.
>
> This raises the question of whether there is a "test pattern" for
> monitors like http/www.high-techproductions.com/colorbars.htm for TV.
> You'd need a paper printout and a digital file. Getting the paper
> printout right might be a bit expensive.

The top solution, more expensive, is a "monitor calibration" package,
which includes a sensor that reads the monitor and plugs into the
computer, and software to drive it. Like the ColorVision Spyder
packages, say.
--
David Dyer-Bennet, <mailto:dd-b@dd-b.net>, <http/www.dd-b.net/dd-b/>
RKBA: <http/noguns-nomoney.com/> <http/www.dd-b.net/carry/>
Pics: <http/dd-b.lighthunters.net/> <http/www.dd-b.net/dd-b/SnapshotAlbum/>
Dragaera/Steven Brust: <http/dragaera.info/> Much of which is still down

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Get *any* digital photo printed in a decent lab. Make sure it has good
range of colors (darks and highlights), no auto-level adjustment will
mess up the picture like that. That gives you a good reference for
setting brightness, it is a reference with full range of darks and
highlights if you selected such a photo. Contrast is often best near
maxinum for most cases.

Adjust gamma with suitable software for color accuracy (rough) with
programs like Wiziwyg or Adobe gamma if your a photo-shop user. Very
difficult to do with laptops though.

LCDs are bright because they have very poor black. A very bright white
makes the poor black look darker.
--
harri

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Google up Norman Koren. He has a page (several) that leads you through
a monitor calibration scheme as good as any I have seen (short of a
mechanical device doing the work for you).

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

On Sun, 07 Aug 2005 15:54:55 -0700, stefan patric, <not@thisaddress.com> wrote:

> Go here
>
> http/www.dpreview.com/reviews/kodakz740/
>
> All the way to the bottom of the page, there is a greyscale step wedge.
> Adjust your monitor brightness and contrast until you can discern each
> wedge. Some of the differences will be slight, particularly between A, B,
> and C, and X, Y, and Z.

I've got it working, thanks... but now I need sunglasses. Or maybe I
was just used to a darker setting. I always find other people's
monitors too bright for my taste.

--
Walter Dnes; my email address is *ALMOST* like wzaltdnes@waltdnes.org
Delete the "z" to get my real address. If that gets blocked, follow
the instructions at the end of the 550 message.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

On 09 Aug 2005 00:40:14 GMT, "Walter Dnes (delete the 'z' to get
my real address)" <wzaltdnes@waltdnes.org> wrote:

> I've got it working, thanks... but now I need sunglasses. Or maybe I
>was just used to a darker setting. I always find other people's
>monitors too bright for my taste.

Walter,

reduce brightness and also reduce contrast. It should be
possible to get the full range at a lower brightness. If not,
get a properly working monitor, because yours is defective.

Hans-Georg

--
No mail, please.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

On Wed, 10 Aug 2005 15:41:20 +0200, Hans-Georg Michna, <hans-georgNoEmailPlease@michna.com> wrote:
> On 09 Aug 2005 00:40:14 GMT, "Walter Dnes (delete the 'z' to get
> my real address)" <wzaltdnes@waltdnes.org> wrote:
>
> > I've got it working, thanks... but now I need sunglasses. Or maybe I
> >was just used to a darker setting. I always find other people's
> >monitors too bright for my taste.
>
> Walter,
>
> reduce brightness and also reduce contrast. It should be
> possible to get the full range at a lower brightness. If not,
> get a properly working monitor, because yours is defective.

Actually, it's probably my eyes. Whenever I get a new monitor at
work, I *ALWAYS* crank down the brightness for personal comfort. I
always prefered true text-mode. This post is being composed with vim on
an 80x48 (YES, forty-eight) text screen. I use the same video mode as
gives 80x60 text mode with 8-pixel high fonts. The textmode is 640
across by 480 scanlines. 480/8 gives 60 rows, but is murder on the
eyes. 480/10 gives 48 rows and is a lot nicer than the "VGA mode" 400
scanlines with 8-pixel high font that gives 50 rows. I flip to GUI only
for stuff that requires GUI. Setting the monitor to properly display
the test bar in the URL causes it to show a lot of detail in my pics
that I never saw before.

I wonder about some other settings. One has 4 values "RGB". "6500",
"7500", and "9300". Any recommendations there?

--
Walter Dnes; my email address is *ALMOST* like wzaltdnes@waltdnes.org
Delete the "z" to get my real address. If that gets blocked, follow
the instructions at the end of the 550 message.