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07/13/2003 07:58:28 PM · #1 |
Just wondering if anyone else has had similar comments left about their submission being too dark. I currently have a submission being voted on in "the night on the town" challenge and so far have received four comments. Two have been compliments and two have been that the image is too dark.
Before the challenge I made sure that my monitor had been calibrated correctly using Adobe gamma which was set to the windows standard of 2.2. I even double checked that I could see the grey scale properly (the one you see at the bottom of the photo you're about to vote on) by being able to distinguish all the squares, in particular the three on the far left and the three on the far right. Being a darker than usual shot (shot at night as opposed to a sunny beach shot) I opened it in Photoshop and ran the "Auto Levels" option to see what photoshop thought of the image. As expected it was adjusted fine (not too dark, not too bright). So I knew from this that my monitor had been calibrated correctly. I even made it a little brighter to accommodate for voters monitors that might not have been calibrated correctly.
So now I'm left wondering if my monitor is in fact calibrated correctly or if it's the users monitors that are leaving the "too dark" comments. Not meaning to sound biased but I'm leaning towards the fact that it's the other users monitors. Maybe a note on how to use the grey scale (similar to what's on the dpreview website) should be placed on the voting page, preferably at the top.
Something like:
"DPReview calibrate their monitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly well accepted) PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally A,B and C."
Sorry for ranting on but I spent some time making sure my monitor was calibrated correctly and then to have 2 out of the 4 comments left on my image that it was "too dark" has left me, to put it bluntly, a little ticked off.
Jaxson
Message edited by author 2003-07-13 19:59:07. |
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07/13/2003 08:01:43 PM · #2 |
The core of the matter is this: Images aren't only seen on their own merit, but compared to other photographs.
If your photograph seems darker than everyone else's, you are going to get lower votes, no matter how well your monitor is calibrated.
But to answer your question; Yes I have experienced the same thing. However, if you have worked as a web designer for a while, you will know that people don't only surf the web on colour calibrated Eizo's. People have cheap-ass 14" monitors set to horrid colour depths, and you have to design for that. Same goes for DPC.
 - haje
Message edited by author 2003-07-13 20:06:00. |
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07/13/2003 08:19:22 PM · #3 |
| It could be that your image is just too dark, I suppose. I happen to like dark photos, though I've discovered that most people like lighter photos. I prefer to get rich, saturated colors and the deep, dark shadows that accompany them rather than lighter, more washed colors and shadows filled with details. Though it certainly depends on the goals of the image in question, too. |
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07/14/2003 06:41:21 AM · #4 |
I have my monitor calibrated for games, so its pretty bright, and that is so that noone can hide in corners and snipe me as I run past. For DPC I like to get the colours and shadows correct for how it looks on my monitor. I don't remember ever having a 'too dark' comment, even tho most of my photos look very dark on my bright monitor. I remember looking at some of my photos from school and it was awful! I just hope people don't vote on monitors like that!
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07/14/2003 07:51:45 AM · #5 |
| Yeah I got comments like that on my speed photo (//www.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=27143) which was quite frustrating as i could see it clearly on both my home PC and my works PC. You just have to bare in mind that not every body will have there monitors calibrated the same if they are calibrated at all, it's just one of those things that will never change. |
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07/14/2003 02:29:57 PM · #6 |
| ??? Checked out your speed photo and I don't see any comments complaining about darkness. Am I missing something? |
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07/14/2003 03:13:18 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by ScottK:
??? Checked out your speed photo and I don't see any comments complaining about darkness. Am I missing something? |
I got a comment from somebody out side of DPC who said they thought it was too dark and "Too bad we don't see the tennis ball ...." which I took to be the same problem (although i could be wrong). |
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- haje
