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DPChallenge Forums >> Individual Photograph Discussion >> Too Dark??? - Calibration Questions.
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AuthorThread
 07/03/2006 09:41:51 AM · #1
I have a SpyderII calibrated LCD screen on my laptop and have normally been very happy with the light vs dark balance that I have been getting in most of my work, but recently started looking at my images on the LCDs at work and have gotten a few comments on my Single Light Source entry, that make me think that my LCD is actually much 'lighter' balanced than I previously thought.

On my home screen, the picture below has a good amount of light in the water, so that there is an excellent definition (no straining to make out what's there) to the post in the front center of the image, the right of the picture is not considered 'dark or shadowed,' and the boats in the background are easily seen.



If you have a calibrated CRT/LCD, would you mind commenting on the light vs dark of this image? Thanx!!!

JD
 07/03/2006 10:05:24 AM · #2
On a calibrated Electron Blue 22 inch CRT monitor I have no trouble making out the details you have mentioned, although the dark areas are perhaps a tad murkier-appearing than I'd like them to be; half a stop maybe?

Robt.
 07/03/2006 10:19:04 AM · #3
Nah, seems correct to me, my screen is also calibrated and while this shot is fairly dark, I can see the dark portions pretty well and make out the boats and houses and stuff.
07/03/2006 11:22:26 AM · #4
Looks OK to me.
My monitor is 2 month old calibrated 19" CRT.

I replaced it because the old one was too dark - CRT tubes darken with age and use, so 'experts' say 2-3 years is all the accurate life they have. My old 19" CRT was 5 years old and I had noticed it was darkening about a year ago, so perhaps the experts are right!
 07/03/2006 04:44:28 PM · #5
Thanx all, the 'murkier' comment from Bear gives me indication to think I at least need to put workflow end macro to up bright by 3-5. Good to hear most calibrated are seeing close to what I see on the home LCD...course, now I want badly to calibrate these LCDS at work!

Anyone with uncalibrated see simply a mostly dark water area with the faintest hint of the center pilon?
 07/03/2006 04:47:54 PM · #6
I'm on an uncalibrated screen right now and it looks fine to me. I see all the detail in the shadows that has been mentioned here.
07/03/2006 04:50:50 PM · #7
Looks totaly fine to me on my (spyder calibrated) sony vaio laptop! Nice shot!
 07/03/2006 05:45:03 PM · #8
Dang, hard to explain this, - Thanx again for comments btw!

You see, on my LCD screen, you can't just see the details of the water on the right side area, it actually appears fairly 'undark!'

best anaolgy I could make is the final image on my screen looks stormy, but still nowhere really near night/dark. You could read a book with small print if you were on a boat on that side, without having a lamp with you.

On the work screens, and from some commentary (Yanko, Bear), I get the feeling that others are seeing an image that is at the very end of sunset, very close to headlights and straining to see the label of your beer, let alone trying to read a book with even large print...
 07/03/2006 06:28:42 PM · #9
I dropped this image in PS and based on what you are describing, I did the following: made a cntrl-alt-tilde, cntrl-shift-i contrast mask for the dark areas and set the layer to screen at 40% opacity, and produced the following, which seems to me, on my monitor, to look like what you have described. It's not aq huge difference, but it makes a substantial improvement on my monitor...



I also couldn't resist doing one other thing; can you tell what it is? :-)

Robt.

Message edited by author 2006-07-05 13:59:36.
 07/03/2006 09:21:13 PM · #10
Monitor Calibration

Here's the place I use to calibrate my monitor.

-Hideo
 07/05/2006 09:35:54 AM · #11
Bear, thanx for posing the rework...this looks far closer to what my LCD at home looks like when viewing from work. I'm expecting that I really have been fooled by the calibration and that my images are being viewed 'from the dark side'

I resisted rotation on the line of the bridge to maintain horizontal on the background, but the perspective skew you seemed to have used works very well.

Thank you again for taking the time work with me on this one. I think the knowledge will help me to improve the shadow areas to bring out better detail for the majority and to get a better quality print as well.
 07/05/2006 01:58:29 PM · #12
Originally posted by Arcanist:
Bear, thanx for posing the rework...this looks far closer to what my LCD at home looks like when viewing from work. I'm expecting that I really have been fooled by the calibration and that my images are being viewed 'from the dark side'

I resisted rotation on the line of the bridge to maintain horizontal on the background, but the perspective skew you seemed to have used works very well.

Thank you again for taking the time work with me on this one. I think the knowledge will help me to improve the shadow areas to bring out better detail for the majority and to get a better quality print as well.


You're very welcome. And yes, the skew tool is a terrific little device :-)

R.
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