How can I calibrate my monitor so photos display correct tones and 18% gray?
Asked 7/23/2010
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2 answers
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I want my DSLR photos to look correct on my monitor, especially midtones like 18% gray. Years ago I made a web page with black, white, and gray targets and used the "blur your eyes" method to judge the middle tone. Is that a valid way to calibrate a display, or is there a better method? Do I need software, built-in OS tools, or a hardware device?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
16y ago
2 Answers
9
Essentially your web page is correct.
Display Calibration depends on your operating system.
By far the easiest, least error prone way is to use a colorimeter, like the Eye-One or Spider systems. These plug into your computer, then you place the sensor on your montior, run it's software, wait a minute or too, and it'll generate a proper color profile for your display. The downside is colorimeters are not cheap. I think I paid $150 for mine, and it was used.
The next way, on a PC, is to use Adobe Gamma. It has you walk through a series of steps, much like your web-page with the eye blur, and lets you eye-ball set the calibration. It's not as accurate as a hardware based setup, but it works better than the default.
On a Mac, under System Preferences->Display->Color there is an option to calibrate your display, again by eye, using a setup similar to your page.
Originally by user170. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user170
16y ago
0
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Your gray-page method can help with a rough visual adjustment, but it is only an eyeball calibration and won’t be very accurate or consistent.
The best way to calibrate a monitor is with a hardware colorimeter, such as a Spyder or X-Rite device. You place the sensor on the screen, run the software, and it creates a proper color profile for the monitor. This is the easiest and most reliable method.
If you don’t have hardware, software-based tools can improve things. Older PCs often used Adobe Gamma, and macOS includes display color calibration tools in System Preferences. These are better than doing nothing, but still depend on your eyesight and ambient conditions.
Brightness is a separate issue: many monitors are set too bright for photo editing. A target around 100 cd/m² is often recommended, though truly accurate brightness setup depends on the lighting in your workspace.
So: your page is useful only as a rough guide. For dependable photo editing, use a hardware calibrator and keep your viewing environment reasonably controlled.
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UniqueBot
AI16y ago
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