Monitior Calibration - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

12/16/2008 09:45:53 AM · #1

I've searched the forums and i don't think i found a thread that fully answered my question. I got a new laptop last week and i need to calibrate it. I'm not looking for a calibrating software, i just want my pictures to be somewhat close. Right now i noticed that the photo on screen is alot brighter than the print option and making the screen less bright doesn't really help. I think i need to change the contrast. Anyone know how to do this??? I have a compaq presario 15.4" screen laptop.

Thank you,

Anthony

bobonacus

Canon EOS-7D

12/16/2008 09:52:24 AM · #2

I don't know about your specific laptop but try right clicking the desktop -> Properties -> Settings -> Advanced and check through the tabs as depending on graphics card sometimes there is a brightness option there .... otherwise you may well need a calibrator. Laptops can be a pain as they sometimes try to be clever and change the brightness of the screen, and are often different when running on batteries or power supply.

12/16/2008 09:54:18 AM · #3

Laptops are tricky...but i've learned that once you unplug the power cord, you have to put change the brightness back to the setting you were at when it the cord was in. My problem isn't the brightness though. It's the contrast. The contrast is slightly off, no matter the brightness.

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8

12/16/2008 12:23:43 PM · #4

you probably can adjust the power saving settings on the laptop. you've likely got it set to dim when the cord isn't plugged in... to save battery life. my bet wopuld be the default config is set up that way.

for an eye based calibration - i've found this to be pretty good.

//www.photofriday.com/calibrate.php

lunachicken

Nikon D90

12/16/2008 12:27:46 PM · #5

Originally posted by soup:

I like that one as well. I finally got my monitor at home close and now I look through my portfolio and cringe heh.

12/16/2008 01:52:36 PM · #6

well i have hardware calibration now. and would recommend that route, but free and close is cheaper than $100 and perfect...

and if my theory is right about the dimming of the screen, you'd run into the same issues with hardware calibration i would imagine...

12/16/2008 02:02:46 PM · #7

Thanks..I'll try photo friday out when i get home. Part of the problem is the Actualy physical know to adjust the contrast. I dont know where on the computer to find the contrast adjustment control...i know where the brightness is, not where the contrast is.

12/16/2008 06:59:22 PM · #8

you should be adjusting it on the monitor. through the monitors menu.

hmm. second thought. you don't have monitor buttons on a laptop.

you'll have to find your video card control panel. and go from there.
on my sony there is an Nvidia driver control panel in the windows control panel. adjusting that should save the settings so you don't have to adjust them constantly. periodically you should though.

Message edited by author 2008-12-16 19:08:15.

12/17/2008 10:58:36 AM · #9

Soup...that was exactly what I was looking for. I'm still having one slight problem...How a photo looks on my laptop looks nothing like how it looks on photoshop...for example...the greens on my laptop look greener on the desktop. My laptop of course looks bright and in some places slightly over exposed where they look perfect on my desktop...Any way to fix this?

12/17/2008 11:09:48 AM · #10

oh i misread your switch from laptop to desktop.... lemme think.,

i thought you meant the windows desktop - not a desktop computer :)

you could try the following, and be sure the settings are the same on both computers

in photoshop ( you might have to open any image ).

edit > color settings. set your working space to your preference ( sRGB to be safe i suppose ), and be sure the 'warn on color mistmatch' box is checked.

then go to view > and uncheck 'proof colors'

close the image you might have open, and open another. if you get a warning dialog - choose ' use embedded color profile' and click ok. the image should look like it does on the desktop.

w/o knowing what color space you shoot in ( are importing into PS ) - that's about all i can offer.

Message edited by author 2008-12-17 11:17:37.

12/17/2008 11:38:10 AM · #11

Yeah that didnt really work. I think its because my Laptop has an HD or LCD monitor which is a lot brighter than my desktop. So i'm assuming that's why the green looks a little more washed out. What i really need to do is worry about how it compares to the print. All my work is edited on my laptop anyways...so from my laptop to print is where the major concern is.

12/17/2008 12:44:19 PM · #12

to be honest - i would edit on the desktop computer.

what color space are you importing into photoshop ?

what printer do you print on ?

what i usually do. from digital file to print - from a RAW file.

open RAW file in lightroom and do whatever to it.

export to photoshop as a TIFF -w the ProPhoto RGB color space.

edit away in photoshop ( using the embedded ProPhoto RGB color profile ).

save a PSD file of the edits with the ProPhoto RGB colorspace embedded.

open the printer dialog, and then the printer preferences.

set the printer to use adobe photoshop to handle colors - turn print preview on

in the printer dialog - set the color space to sRGB ( a lesser space than ProPhoto RGB - but can be be handled by my printer - where ProPhoto RGB can't - essentially - i think - sending an srgb converted file spooled to the printer ). the preview should look pretty much just like your photoshop file, and the print should follow suit.

i just tried it, and the paper version looks 98% identicle to the image on my monitor.

edit - to change adobe RGB - to sRGB - my bad...

Message edited by author 2008-12-17 12:48:43.

12/17/2008 12:54:59 PM · #13

I can't edit photos on the desktop because..well the desktop is a work computer. The laptop is my personal computer and i can connect additional hardrives to it.

I found a document in the threads this morning on calibrating the color of my laptop. I just converted the monitor and photoshop color space ot proPhoto RGB. I also plan on editing all photos in raw as prophoto rgb so to create a steady color space through out the process. The next step is to print using the method you just did below (same was what the document i was ready suggested). So i'm hoping that has it looking the same as i print.

I guess my main concern was editing photos on my laptop and then when i give them to someone on a CD and they put it in their desktop...it won't look anything like the way i see it on my laptop. But i guess everyone is going to have their monitors calibrated differently so i can't expect it not to be different.