Which monitor picture mode should I use for photo and video editing on a BenQ PD2500Q?
Asked 12/31/2021
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2 answers
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I’m new to editing and recently bought a BenQ PD2500Q. It offers picture modes such as Standard, sRGB, and Rec.709, and the monitor is advertised as factory calibrated with 100% sRGB/Rec.709 coverage.
What confuses me is which mode I should actually use for different tasks:
- photo editing
- video editing
- general/casual use
What I’m seeing:
- sRGB: lighter shadows and more visible detail in dark areas
- Standard: more vibrant color than sRGB, but darker shadows
- Rec.709: darkest shadows, some dark detail appears crushed to black, but I like it most for watching movies
Questions:
- Should I use sRGB for photo editing and Rec.709 for video editing?
- Are these preset modes all factory calibrated, or only some of them?
- If I create my own User mode, does factory calibration still apply?
- Do I need matching ICC/display profiles on the computer for each mode?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
4y ago
2 Answers
2
Colour profiling is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. A quagmire waiting for you as you climb out of the crocodile-infested river…
All those pretty pictures the display offers you are great - but not if the computer doesn't know what the display is set to.
If your display came with a set of profiles, one for each standard, then that would be a start. Set the computer's display profile to the same option as you set the screen to.
If it doesn't, then all you have are half a dozen different ways of not knowing whether the colours are accurate or not.
As it claims to be 'factory calibrated' then they should have given you an individual profile for that calibration, otherwise it was just 'advertising speak', not worth the paper it wasn't printed on.
[...More, after we know what profiles we have to work from…]
. . . probably followed by a brief lecture on hardware calibration. . . ;)
After comments - you'll be best to set it to sRGB full-time. Rec709 is similar to sRGB but designed for video & has a different gamma curve. I don't edit much video, but when I do, I keep my calibration the same. if I play back from my TV, it looks as it should. However, all my hardware, including the TV, is hardware calibrated, so I expect the picture to be the same on all displays in the building.
Set to sRGB basically you have a 'best guess'. As the manufacturer provides no profiles, that's as close as you can get by using presets alone.
If you were to invest in a hardware colorimeter, then you could get closer to accurate, but this is an investment. On Windows, I think the cheap Huey Pro still works [it won't run on Mac any more]. Better would be an X-Rite ColorMunki, or i1 Display Pro or a Spyder 5. The downside is those last two will cost about the same as your display - but it's a buy once, use forever product. All the screens in the house & even iPhones & TVs if you have the right software.
Originally by user57929. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user57929
4y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Use the mode that matches your working color standard, and make sure your computer’s display profile matches the monitor mode.
For still-photo editing, sRGB is usually the safest choice because it is the most common standard for photos and web use. For video, Rec.709 is the matching standard for HD video work. A “Standard” mode may look pleasing, but without a matching profile you can’t trust it to be accurate.
The key point from the answers: monitor presets alone are not enough. If the monitor has factory calibration, there should also be a corresponding ICC/display profile so the computer knows how that mode behaves. If you switch the monitor to sRGB or Rec.709, your OS/app should use the matching profile. Otherwise you may just be seeing different-looking but unverified color.
If your monitor did not come with profiles for those modes, then accuracy is uncertain despite the factory-calibrated claim. A custom User mode may look similar, but unless it is profiled/calibrated, it’s not reliable for color-critical work.
So: use sRGB for photo editing, Rec.709 for video only if your workflow is color-managed for it, and use whichever you like for casual viewing.
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AI4y ago
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