Computer Monitor/Display Calibration Tool

[Detail Man]

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Attached (in-line below, as well as as a separate TXT file attachment) are my instructions for adjusting the "Brightness" and "Contrast" settings of a particular stand-alone monitor/display - or a laptop computer display where those adjustments will likely exist somewhere in the OEM OS display adjustment tools (or, in the case of a Mac, whatever they must surely have for that purpose).


HOW TO CALIBRATE YOUR DISPLAY

Display the "Display Calibration Test Pattern.jpg" image on your computer's
display screen. Scale the displayed size of the image so that (at least) the
middle (widest) four rows are clearly visible on your computer display screen.

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Look at the individual areas appearing near the left (brightest) and the right
(dimmest) ends of the four widest rows (located in the middle area of the image).
From top to bottom, the rows are luminance (gray-scale), red, green, and blue.
IF you are NOT able to see the differences in brightness beween the individual
areas located nearest to the left (brightest) and the right (dimmest) extremes:

[1] First, reduce your computer display's CONTRAST adjustment control
to it's lowest (minimum) possible value (0% does not really mean zero);

[2] Next, adjust your computer display's BRIGHTNESS adjustment control to a
value where you are still able to see (some) small differences in brightness
beween the individual areas located near (both) the left-most (brightest) as
well as the right-most (dimmest) ends of the top luminance (gray-scale) row;

[3] Gradually increase your computer display's CONTRAST adjustment control
upwards from it's lowest (minimum) possible value to a point where the small
differences in brightness beween the individual areas located near the left-
most (brightest) as well as the right-most (dimmest) extremes still remain.
A high CONTRAST setting can obscure these differences, reducing your display's
ability to resolve the Highlight (brightest) and Shadow (dimmest) details.

If desired, iterate back through Step [2] and Step [3] to adjust the overall
screen intensity. NOTES: There will be a maximum BRIGHTNESS setting that will
allow you to retain low-level details. Further increases upwards in BRIGHTNESS
from that point will obscure both low-level and high-level details, and there is
a maximum CONTRAST setting that will retain both low-level and high-level details.

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You may well find that the overall light intensity of your computer display
appears to be less than it was when using your previous adjustment settings.
It is very common for the BRIGHTNESS and CONTRAST controls to be adjusted
to levels so high that the differences near both the left-most (brightest)
areas and the right-most (dimmest) become indistinguishable from each other.

A calibrated computer display (though it may have a lower overall intensity)
makes it possible to be able to resolve the highlight (brightest) as well as
the shadow (dimmest) details in the photographs that you view with your display.
This is particularly important where it comes to the Shadow (low-level) detail,
where high quality images will often contain a great deal of detail information.

 

[tommy]

My problem with calibrated monitors (or rather, with most web page designers out there) is so many web pages have bright-white background, i.e., the absolutely brightest form of light the monitor can produce, the very same color one desperately tries to avoid in digital photos because it usually means a clipped highlight. Bright-white background may have been a good thing once, when monitors generally had low contrast, but on todays monitors dark-black text on bright-white background contrary has too high contrast, and is painful for the eyes to read (if the monitor is properly calibrated).

If I keep my head in the right angle I can see all the different colors on the calibration image at the same time. But on my laptop screen I have to tilt my head to see either the bright or the dark colors, and I can not see them all at the same time. LCD screens are funny, I hope the LED technique will be better.

 

[rui fernandes]

Thanks Detail Man!

It seems that my LCD is calibrated. I generaly use the scale I placed on my Flickr profile to check any monitor I might use:
http://www.flickr.com/people/ruinog/

But this one you posted is excelent. What's the source? Do you think I can use it on my profile too?

 

[Detail Man]

My problem with calibrated monitors (or rather, with most web page designers out there) is so many web pages have bright-white background, ... and is painful for the eyes to read (if the monitor is properly calibrated).

Since I know now that we have the same model (Samsung SyncMaster 204B) - I would say this (from my own experience). In my case, when my display is calibrated (as best I can) to the "test pattern", I do not find the brightness of (maximum white) to be too bright for my eyes behind black text. For me, it is a black background with white text that I find bothersome ...

Using both my old and new computer systems with the display - I have had to reduce to the (on-board) Brightness and Contrast controls on the 204B to Zero (out of a scale of 100) to even get close to "calibration". (Of course), when their scale says "zero" the Brightness and Contrast are not really zero ...

On my older system and it's video card, I had to (further) install their tag-along software utility, and adjust the "Brightness" in that program to 81% (out of 100%) to achieve "calibration".

On my newer system, and it's ASUS video card, I tried installing their video-card "bloat-ware", which was so useless and stuffed with things I don't need that I removed it. Fortunately for me, with the 204B's "Brightness" and "Contrast" controls (again) both set to Zero, the video-card (without it's "bloat-ware) comes very close to "calibration" without further adjustments. The "brightness" is just a tad higher than that which would most fully resolve the differences between the bottom two (darkest) gray-levels.

However, I have always found "calibration" to be a bit on the "dim" side for all-around use (for things other than viewing images), so I live with the small variation form "calibration" as it is. Also, I know that many people who view my images (unlike, perhaps, many of the folks on this forum) are likely to have their monitor/display's Brightness and Contrast controls turned way, way up. Though my philosophy is to process my images for an (essentially) "calibrated" monitor/display (and not try to anticipate what others will choose with their own monitors/display), I figure that erring (just slightly) in that (brighter) direction is OK from that standpoint, as well - since it makes me just slightly less likely to be producing images that will end up looking even brighter to those other viewers.

If I keep my head in the right angle I can see all the different colors on the calibration image at the same time. But on my laptop screen I have to tilt my head to see either the bright or the dark colors, and I can not see them all at the same time. LCD screens are funny, I hope the LED technique will be better.

(In the case of your viewing your 204B display screen), that sounds like it may the "magic angle effect" (that I described on the other reply post that I made to you on the "The Transporter Bridge" thread) affecting your ability to view the screen! I have personally found that I (always) have to tilt the screen as far forward as it can be physically adjusted (when it is in it's lowest - non raised - position) in order to be able to see a fairly uniform luminous intensity across the entire screen. If you have not tried doing this, I highly recommend that you try that. I (personally) could not function (especially with things like "test patterns" and viewing full-screen images) without performing the above-described physical adjustment ...

 

[tommy]

(Samsung SyncMaster 204B) [...] In my case, when my display is calibrated (as best I can) to the "test pattern", I do not find the brightness of (maximum white) to be too bright for my eyes behind black text.

That is very interesting, and a strong indication that my monitor is not at its optimum setting. This I will have to investigate. The only change I have ever made to the default settings is to switch the color temperature from Normal to Warm.

If I keep my head in the right angle I can see all the different colors on the calibration image at the same time. [...]

(In the case of your viewing your 204B display screen), that sounds like it may the "magic angle effect" (that I described on the other reply post that I made to you on the "The Transporter Bridge" thread) affecting your ability to view the screen! I have personally found that I (always) have to tilt the screen as far forward as it can be physically adjusted (when it is in it's lowest - non raised - position) in order to be able to see a fairly uniform luminous intensity across the entire screen.

Yes, I was more than a bit disappointed when I discovered this magic angle effect after purchasing the monitor. I use a small bar table and a bar stool for my computer, and am alternating standing and sitting in front of the computer, which means very different viewing angles, so I find it easier to adjust my head when I really want to scrutinize a picture.