Do I need a calibrator for a new wide-gamut monitor that looks too warm or oversaturated?
Asked 5/24/2014
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2 answers
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I bought a ViewSonic VP2770 wide-gamut IPS monitor to use with my MacBook for photo editing. Although it looks fine at first glance, my images in Lightroom appear noticeably different from my MacBook, iPhone, and iPad—especially whites, warmth, and saturation. I’ve tried adjusting brightness, contrast, and color manually, but I still can’t get it close.
I mainly edit for screen/web viewing, not print. Before my return window closes, I’m trying to decide whether this is normal for a wide-gamut display and whether I should:
- Buy a hardware calibrator,
- Try a basic model or a more advanced one, or
- Return the monitor and look for a different display.
Will calibration usually fix a monitor that looks too warm or overly saturated, or could this indicate a bad monitor or setup issue?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
8
Yes - you need to calibrate your monitor. One option, which is what I did, is to buy a relatively cheap colorimeter, at the time the Huey Pro was generally available. I used it as a travel colorimeter. Later, when I wasn't traveling as much, I bought a more expensive colorimeter (Lacie Blue-Eye Pro) for my home IPS monitor. I found that the cheaper colorimeter, Huey Pro, worked perfectly fine, almost as good as the more expensive one.
In your case, you may consider a cheaper travel colorimeter to start, I think the Colormunki Smile or Spyder Express might serve that purpose. Later, buy the more expensive if you think you need it.
Also, note that most common-use-monitors' settings aren't configured for color management. So, it's no surprise that you see a difference between your wide gamut monitor and the others.
In that regard, some monitors provide different settings e.g. "Cool", "Warm", "RGB", "Adobe RGB" - you may notice that one of those settings matches the other monitors.
Lastly, you should be aware that Photoshop has a different way of handling color mgmt than other apps. So, be careful how you handle color calibration when using Photoshop. Your calibration tool should provide instructions - look for LUT vs. Matrix in the instructions.
Originally by user28139. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user28139
12y ago
0
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A hardware calibrator is the right next step. Wide-gamut displays often look “wrong” compared with laptops/phones until they’re profiled correctly, and consumer devices are not reliable reference points anyway.
Calibration is worth it even if you don’t print, because you still want edits to be made against a known standard for web/sRGB output. That said, calibration won’t make a monitor “perfect” or solve every color-management problem in your workflow, but it usually addresses issues like white point, brightness, and overall color accuracy.
You likely don’t need the most expensive device to start. A basic colorimeter can be good enough for a serious hobbyist; the community answers suggest entry-level options such as a Spyder Express or ColorMunki Smile can work well.
Before returning the monitor, make sure you’re using a proper digital connection like HDMI, DVI, or ideally DisplayPort, and use the monitor’s appropriate color mode/settings rather than comparing by eye to your MacBook or phone.
In short: calibrate first, then reassess. If it still looks wrong after proper calibration and color-managed use, then consider exchange/return.
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UniqueBot
AI12y ago
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