screen too bright

[Amanda Voller]

Hi Damien,

I have followed all the instructions and my screen is too bright for my prints. It is set to 80 luminance which is the lowest it will go. How do I get around this.

Many thanks

Amanda

[Damien Symonds]

Hi Amanda, what type of screen is it?  And which calibrator do you have?

Most importantly, how's your light?  https://www.damiensymonds.net/2012/01/light-around-your-computer.html

[Amanda Voller]

the colormunki display on iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015) I think its LED my memory is poor

thank you. 

[Damien Symonds]

I mean, how bright is your room light?  It sounds like it must be much too dim.

[Amanda Voller]

oh blimey I didn't read that bit so, so sorry. I closed all the curtains and turned the lights off during calibration so it was dark

[Damien Symonds]

Yes, it's good to calibrate in the dark.  But that's not what I mean.

I want to know about the normal light. The light you edit in.  The light you're comparing the prints to the screen in.

[Amanda Voller]

My desk is next to a large window, the window is to the side of the screen, its  the only place in the house for me 

thank you for the support Damien

[Damien Symonds]

And do you do all your editing in the daytime?

[Amanda Voller]

I edit in the day and night time when ever I get the opportunity

[Damien Symonds]

Ok, let's start with the daytime.  Have you compared your screen to your prints in the daytime?

[Amanda Voller]

ah I think I'm going to need to re print and make a note of what time of day I edited because I can't remember what time of day I edited each one. I just picked 6 random ones

[Damien Symonds]

No no no no no no no no no no no!!!!!!!!!!!  It doesn't matter when you edited them, or even on which computer you edited them!  As long as the prints are from your usual pro lab, you can compare them.

What time of day is it there right now?

[Amanda Voller]

evening with the room lights on and the telly (which is how I usually edit)

[Damien Symonds]

Do you understand why I'm asking you all these questions?  Do you understand that your room light (at night) is much duller than the daylight which would be coming through your window if you were editing during the day?

And do you understand what a HUGE impact the surrounding light has on your screen-to-print comparison?  If you're holding your prints in dim room light, of course it will seem like you can't get your screen's brightness low enough to match them.

PLEASE tell me you understand.

[Amanda Voller]

I'm so sorry I think I understand. I calibrated the screen. When it had finished I opened the curtains and then compared. Should I have compared when the curtains were still closed. Honestly if you've had enough of me. I completely understand and am grateful for you support

[Damien Symonds]

Are you saying you calibrated during the daytime?

[Amanda Voller]

yes, with the curtains drawn and lights out, then when it had finished I opened the curtains and viewed the prints against the screen. Should I have compared when the curtains were still closed

[Damien Symonds]

No no, you did exactly right.  This is good news.

Now, a little more info needed ... you said the window is beside your computer.  Which side?

[Amanda Voller]

to the left,  a large window, runs from the computer and back behind me

[Damien Symonds]

Ok.

When you're comparing the print to the screen, you know that you must not hold the print close to the screen, yes?  You MUST hold it out to the side.  I'm sure you know this, it was in my calibration instructions.

So my question is, did you make sure you held the print to the right side, away from the window?  Holding it to the left side, so it was backlit by the window, would be catastrophic.

[Damien Symonds]

I want to say that it's possible you've done everything right, and you really do need to calibrate to a lower brightness.  And I'll tell you how to do that, don't worry.

But we need to eliminate all the more common possibilities first.