xpropc-03

[Damien Symonds]

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Part 1: Screen setup

Warm up

Make sure your screen has been turned on for at least fifteen minutes before starting this process.

Light

Make sure you’re in good light. Viewing prints in dim light is a futile exercise. It needs to be bright enough, and white enough. Read this if you haven’t already done so.

Reset to factory defaults (first time only)

When you’re getting ready to calibrate for the very first time, you need to search the screen’s menu to find the setting that puts everything back to its starting point. Every screen is different, so I can’t tell you exactly where to find this function, but trust me, it’ll be there somewhere. It might be called “Reset Screen Defaults” or “Restore Factory Settings”, or something like that. You get the idea.

(When you’re doing subsequent monthly calibrations, this reset step shouldn’t be necessary. But never say never – some screens may need that “kick in the pants” each time, if they won’t recalibrate easily.)

Move the OSD

On some screens, the OSD (on-screen display, ie the menu) is right in the middle by default. That’s no good, of course, because that’s where the calibration needs to take place.

Somewhere in the menus will be the controls for the OSD’s position. Find them, and move it over to the left side of your screen if possible.

Adjust brightness to match prints

Compare your prints to your screen, and adjust the screen’s brightness to get an acceptable match. Remember, don’t hold the print close to the screen – it must be out to the side, so you have to turn your head to compare.

Please don’t agonise over this brightness step. Near enough is good enough.

If you’ve never adjusted the brightness of your screen before, it’s likely to seem horribly dim to you at first. Don’t worry, you’ll be used to it in no time at all, and you’ll wonder how you ever tolerated it so bright before.

Choose best colour setting

With your prints still in hand, it’s now time to find the best colour setting that your monitor offers. All monitors will have at least two or three colour presets – they’ll be called “Warm”, “Normal” & “Cool”, or “6500K”, “7500K” & “9300K”, or something like that. Most will also have a “Custom” or “User RGB” setting, but ignore that one for now.

Pick the setting which matches your prints the best. If you’re in the lucky minority, you might find one that gives a really good match. But most of us simply have to accept the closest available setting, even if it doesn’t look perfect. Don’t worry, the calibration process will do the rest.

Install software >>

[PhilAJ]

Hi Damien

Have had some images printed by a lab - and now comparing before calibration.

On a BENQ GL278 monitor - I can turn the brightness down to zero - but it's still brighter than my prints. How do I handle this?

The monitor is about 6ft away from my light source, which is a center ceiling LED light, (5,000K 1100lm), with no shade (I have window blinds down on a wall at side of monitor).

I have also compared with the light OFF and the screen still seems brighter than the prints.

I'm comparing in Photoshop

Phil

 

UPDATE TO THIS QUESTION:

I have found that the monitor has an option called Eye Care. Within this a 'Low Blue Light' option has 5 settings - and the default is Multimedia. There are others of Web Surfing; Office; Reading and ePaper - which go progressively darker as each is selected.  A Bright Intelligence option is set OFF. A further option  of Color Weakness is set to Red Filter (other option would be Green Filter).

Hope this helps

 

 

[Damien Symonds]

3 hours ago, PhilAJ said:

On a BENQ GL278 monitor - I can turn the brightness down to zero - but it's still brighter than my prints. How do I handle this?

https://www.damiensymonds.net/desktop-monitor-brightness/

3 hours ago, PhilAJ said:

I have found that the monitor has an option called Eye Care.

Leave this nonsense turned off.

[PhilAJ]

Thanks for link, I'll try that.

As for the Eye Care options, can't be turned off, one of the options have to be chosen. 

[Damien Symonds]

According to my reading of the manual, you have to turn off each sub-setting individually?

[PhilAJ]

Will have another look thanks

[PhilAJ]

Sorry to be a pain here Damien; The manual seems to cover many different versions of the monitor, mine definitely doesn't let you turn off the eye care option, have to select one - so selected the one that gives the lowest brightness, which is 'Office'.

Also did as the article suggests and lowered the RGB levels to make it darker.

I'm beginning to wonder if the Prints I have are correct - as they are still a lot darker than the screen. I did use a very respectable lab in the UK, DSCL Ltd.

[Damien Symonds]

Have you compared during the day with the blinds open?

[PhilAJ]

Have tried comparing in all ways and get get close. I've another HP monitor so will try with that tomorrow. I'm UK so time difference. Thanks for your patience

[Damien Symonds]

Oh yeah, good point.  Trying another screen is a good idea.

[PhilAJ]

Well I eventually got around to starting the whole process again on both screens. On reading the BENQ should have been a Wide LED and does have RGB adjustments, as does the HP. Anyway - I've now fully calibrated both following your instructions. BUT - the prints still look dark - so I'm going to email the printer and ask for their comments. Also - If I load an image in photoshop and move the window from one monitor to the other - there is a noticeable difference in brightness - should this be the case? Both were adjusted to within .5 of the target values when calibrating. 

 

 

[Damien Symonds]

It definitely shouldn't be the case, no.  That's very mysterious.

[Janice Smith]

Me, again. I'm adjusting my brightness. Do I need to make contrast match the brightness? 

[Damien Symonds]

No.

Contrast should remain at the factory default setting.