By calibrating your monitor, you're assuring your settings are correct to what the manufacturer is aiming for. If your monitor is uncalibrated, the photos will look significantly cooler in color temperature to your clients, which may make the photo less appealing. So your monitor may be 5300K (cooler color cast), and your clients may be 6750K (warmer color cast). However, due to making manufacturing as efficient and cheap as possible, they often miss the mark slightly. The general idea is that all monitors try to get 6500K temperature and about 100 cd/m² (brightness) for their default settings. The reason is simple, because it will result in better photos on both your screen, theirs, and look great in print if you choose to do so. Aside from that, you're more than likely adjusting the brightness of your phone/tablet screen multiple times during that day, so how will you know what the correct brightness setting is for your monitor? Why Bother Calibrating If I Don't Print/My Clients Don't Calibrate However, more often than not, your phone actually has more color inconsistency than the average computer monitor. Many people foolishly believe that a smartphone or tablet will have correct color temperature readings, and suggest that when in doubt, to calibrate to your phone's screen. With this said, color temperatures and brightness will still shift on IPS monitors over time, so calibration is still very necessary. For an exceptional breakdown of monitor types, check out Pye Jirsa's article over at our friends from SLRLounge. This just means more accurate color readings, even if you're a little off axis with the monitor. ![]() Most IPS monitors get their name for the ability to view them at wide angles without any color or contrast shifts, like you might see in an LED or LCD monitor. The most important part of an IPS monitor is actually it's viewing angle. However, they still need color calibration on the regular. IPS monitors are exceptional, and most preferred for graphic design and photography. So while the screen may be calibrated at 6500K white balance upon purchasing, it may be at 6300K after just a few weeks, resulting in incorrect color temperatures. This is because color temperature and screen brightness will gradually change over time. Most calibration software suggest that you calibrate your monitor(s) every 2-6 weeks to insure that everything is accurate. While Apple (and many other brands) do calibrate all of their monitors in factory, this does not mean that stay calibrated, or are calibrated correctly. Misconceptions About Calibration Apple Monitors Don't Need Calibrated So while a photo might look great on your monitor, it could be much cooler or warmer in tone to those with a calibrated monitor. In terms of your white balance, monitors aim for 6500K, but often miss the mark by up to 200K in each direction for their default settings. This means your images are going to appear much darker to those with a calibrated monitor, and in print. With the default settings on your monitor, you're likely over exposed by about 1/2 to a full stop of light. For the sake of making this simpler, lets instead think of them as white balance and exposure. So whether you're working in a cave-like room like I do, or in front of some ceiling to floor windows with sun shining through, you can be confident that your monitor is accurately displaying brightness and colors.Īnd color and brightness are the bread and butter to these machines. Essentially, these systems also have a sensor built into the front of the unit, and will adjust your monitor's brightness depending on your environment. However, another incredible and important feature among these systems is the ambient light readout. What you're left with is accurate colors and brightness to insure your prints look just like your monitor output. This will read the output from your monitor based on color and brightness, and adjust them when needed. The general use of these systems is to attach them to your monitor, and run a series of diagnostic software. While both of these system do virtually the same thing, I've never had experience with the ColorMunki personally. There are two main brands of screen calibration software - The Datacolor Spyder system and the X-Rite ColorMunki. ![]() Suddenly all of my photos that I thought were beautiful turned out to be really dark, and really orange in color. It wasn't until I finally borrowed a screen calibration system that I learned how important the tool really was. I wasn't printing my work, so I had really no idea how my photos looked to others. For the first 3 years of my photography career, I was working on an uncalibrated monitor. First, I stand on the "It's exceptionally important" side of the coin.
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