Correct monitor color calibration. Monitor calibration or

To obtain images in the best natural and beautiful view The monitor must be properly calibrated. This is very important for photographers and graphic design professionals. Choosing the ideal color scheme V manual mode can be quite tedious and impractical. The monitor must be properly calibrated only once with the result visible.

Performing monitor settings

Step 1.

Light levels are adjusted to determine whether the operating screen is clean and should not be exposed to strong direct light. In this case, the room should be dim, which does not allow diffuse light to interfere with the image. If there are visible images, it must be thoroughly cleaned before calibration begins.

Step 2.

Permission check in progress computer screen. When using an LCD monitor, refer to the manual to determine the required resolution. For other types of monitors used, the most affordable and high resolution, with the help of which you can comfortably read text and view the resulting images.

Step 3.

The maximum number of required colors is adjusted. Color depth is the number of bits used for precise definition colors of working pixels along with their components. The maximum permissible color depth is limited by the monitor, the current video card and the operating system. IN at the moment The highest value is 32 bits.

To adjust the depth and number of required colors, perform the following steps:

In Windows: Click on your computer desktop and select Properties. In Windows 7, go to the “Adapter” item, and then “List of operating modes”.

On MacOS: open " System settings performed", select " Display" Some Mac systems in use do not have these options, but operate at 24-bit color depth.

Note: Before starting calibration, you must ensure that the monitor has been running for at least half an hour. This will guarantee that it reaches the required operating temperature, which affects color rendition.

Performing calibration

Step 1.

On a work computer with Windows system: Press the button Start", Then " Control Panel" In the search line of the working toolbar there is the item “ Performing display calibration».

On MacOS: open " System Settings ", select " Display» → « Color» → « Performing calibration" In the absence of this clause in search bar is entered " Calibration».

Step 2.

For graphic design and working with photographs, it is recommended to purchase modern professional programs, allowing you to calibrate the display. At the moment, such a program is “ Atrise lutcurve» with advanced functionality and a pleasant, competent step-by-step interface.

Step 3.

The brightness and contrast levels are adjusted. Operating buttons for making adjustments are located at the bottom or on the side of the monitor panel. Sometimes they are located directly on the calibration progress screen. The current application will show the user two or three gray scales for better orientation. You must follow the instructions that appear on the screen exactly.

Note: Many of today's laptops do not have contrast level settings.

Step 4.

Gamma is set. Some operating parameters for performing calibration are controlled by a slider, but two types of operating settings are more commonly used:

Gamma 2.2. The most common standard for monitors. allowing you to see the resulting images in brightness ranges.

Gamma 1.8. Display the resulting image as if it were printed. With a similar gamma, faint shadows present are more easily noticed when editing the resulting images.

Note: The user should be aware that the resulting image editors used often adjust the gamma to this value.

Step 5.

Sets the white balance, often called color balance. operating temperature. The most popular standard for modern monitors the slightly bluish tint obtained is recognized (D65 or 6500). Many graphic professionals prefer a neutral or slightly yellowish tint (D50 or 5000), which works best to imitate printed materials as well as lighting.

Note: Some monitors are known to have built-in dedicated automatic calibration buttons, but the results obtained are subject to self-verification.

If you have multiple calibration programs, you must ensure that only one of them is running to prevent conflict.

Majority computer users Never adjusted the monitor. But not every monitor is perfect when it comes to color, brightness, blur, etc. Having done a few simple settings you can get a very high-quality picture and “get the most out of” your monitor.

Calibration is a subjective process because our eyes may not perceive the image correctly due to color blindness or other reasons. Even a professional calibrator can make mistakes. Therefore, the monitor calibration process is purely individual and I recommend that you do it yourself.

Updating drivers for the video card

The first thing you need to do is update the drivers for your video card. The manufacturer is not important, the main thing is that you find them on the official website, download them to your computer, delete the old ones and install more updated version.

Why is this necessary? Not many settings can be made using conventional means operating system. Therefore, for better calibration, you need to use the parameters that can be configured in the “driver software” (I know it’s a bad expression, but I couldn’t find a better one).

Screen resolution

Set the native screen resolution on your monitor and wait 20-30 minutes after installation.

This can be done like this: right-click on the Desktop and select the option " Screen resolution».

On Screen Display Settings

Each monitor has buttons that bring up its menu. In this menu you can find parameters for brightness, contrast, image sharpness, etc. try to experiment with them and set values ​​that are comfortable for your eye.
Unfortunately, this option is not available on laptops. But don't despair. Let's return to the very first point that I described - drivers. Go to the driver settings and look for similar functionality.

Screen color calibration

This function is already a standard tool from Windows developers. To call it you need to open Control Panel\Appearance and Personalization\Display. Next in side menu look for " Screen color calibration" and click on this option.

ClearType

Color management

Also very useful tool, which is available in both Windows 7 and Windows 8. You can open it by going to “ Screen resolution" and then clicking " Additional options ».

QuickGamma

Light source

A secondary but important parameter that needs to be taken care of before starting calibration. You need to make sure that no light is pointed at the monitor.

Lamps should illuminate your desk, not your monitor screen. When light hits the screen, the picture loses its real color, and accordingly its quality drops.

That's probably all. Yes, I know that I didn’t describe any special recommendations to you. But I have pointed you in the direction you need to go in order to calibrate your monitor. Let me remind you that this process is exclusively individual, and therefore I did not impose myself on you.

All people want to sit and work at a monitor that displays well, especially if it accurately conveys all the color shades and details of the image, both in light and in shadow. It is in order to configure the monitor in this state that special calibrators are needed - hardware programs that use certain metric sensors and software. They are recommended for use when professional work with color shades.

Program for calibrating monitors from Samsung and other manufacturers

However, calibrators are not cheap, and only computer specialists can use them. For ordinary users Special programs have been created that help configure the display using a natural indicator - the human eye. Such a monitor calibration program uses certain test images and parameters and functions of the video card, transferring to the operator the task of monitoring the accuracy and correctness of the adjustment.

The most commonly adjusted functions are brightness, contrast, and gamma settings. The last parameter is responsible for the screen’s response to the set values ​​for image color and its intensity. For the most part, the standard gamma coefficient adopted for the Windows system is 2.2.

Where does calibration of a laptop and PC monitor begin?

Setting up the display begins with arranging the workplace. Its external lighting should be constant and directional. The main thing is that the light does not shine into the operator’s eyes and does not create glare on the display.

Great importance is paid to the color of lighting. Most experts recommend ordinary lamps or fluorescent lamps. Even such a detail as the behind-the-screen background should be equipped with calm tones to ensure uniform illumination and color neutrality that does not irritate the eyes.

In addition, laptop monitor calibration should take place on a warm monitor, which allows the backlight parameters to stabilize. To do this, according to some research data, it needs to be kept on for 0.5-1.5 hours. In this case, all various modifiers, especially those responsible for brightness and contrast, all image quality enhancers, must be turned off.

Many experts advise paying close attention to the displays of laptops and monitors that support the TN + Film matrix, since the picture quality on these screens depends on the angle of inclination.

When calibrating such a monitor, the display angle must be constant, otherwise all the adjustment work will be in vain. After all, even a small change in the viewing angle of the image greatly changes the test picture.

Setup process

Monitor calibration at home is done using special programs, which are based on changing the image settings by the capabilities of the monitor and software equipment, while simultaneously monitoring the result of changes according to appearance test pictures. Such patterns have a mesh or lattice appearance. The user, by making changes to the brightness, contrast and gamma settings, tries to achieve complete merging of image areas with the background.

However, it is worth keeping in mind that calibrating a monitor at home is a labor-intensive process for human vision, especially when using color substrates. For high-quality and accurate adjustments, you will need to spend a lot of time in front of the computer display. At this time, the eyes may get a “defocus” effect, so it is strictly recommended to periodically give the eyes a rest during the calibration process. But still, vision can only give a subjective assessment, which means the result of the adjustment will also be subjective.

As practical research has shown, thoughtless and ignorant actions to set up a video system, during which a program is used to calibrate a laptop monitor or personal computer, often only lead to a deterioration in the quality of the depicted picture. It is necessary to have a full understanding of exactly what, how and why changes in the settings will be made. If there is no such understanding, then it is better to leave all the factory settings, especially for displays that already have a decent amount of work experience.

Now we will look at popular and famous programs, helping to carry out high-quality work on changing display parameters.

Atrise Software LUTCurve App

Most experts agree that this utility is best program to calibrate the monitor. It has a wide range of functions for customizing screens. True, in order to make the most of its capabilities, you need to carefully study the instructions, which are written in English. For example, in the program description, owners of laptops and TN-matrix monitors are strongly recommended to maintain a constant viewing angle on the display.

On the first page of the program are written basic parameters arrange the workplace before setting up the display and find the rules for setting the system profile and colors. The application supports sRGB color space. and gamma are set at 6500 K. The utility can work in a multi-monitor configuration, producing fine tuning any device.

The Atrise Software LUTCurve monitor calibration program is based on the maximum sensitivity of the human eye to gray. That’s why all test pictures are made in neutral colors.

But the program also has its drawback - it lacks a hardware sensor. Its settings are based on the factory brightness settings that are set by the manufacturer in the display settings. But very often this method gives negative results, especially on old or used monitors that have already lost these settings. The advantage of this utility is the ability to adjust the gamma by three elements at all 256 points. However, setting parameters using this data is a task for a patient person who has a lot of time at his disposal, and this method leaves a lot of subjective perception.

Eberhard Werle QuickGamma utility

This program is for calibrating monitor colors and adjusting gamma to 2.2. The set of functions and instructions are minimal. More full information settings can be found in the “Help” menu. There are also links to the applications necessary for the program to work.

The test picture is made in the form of horizontal columns. Calibration occurs on the principle of orienting the degree of their fusion with background. This is hard on the eyes, especially if the picture takes on the color component from RGB substrates.

Program TFT Test 1.52

This application has a set of 12 pictures for adjustments and comparisons of displays. The utility contains sample data to check screen resolution, accuracy and geometry. Calibration program TFT monitor Test 1.52 with its gray and color, linear and circular smooth saturation gradients allows you to compare the quality of brightness and contrast calibration and the quality of halftone reproduction. To monitor performance, the program has two built-in tests for the response speed of display elements.

PassMark Software MonitorTest

This monitor calibration program contains 13 test images that are designed for adjusting plain and LCD displays. These test pictures allow the professional, using the monitor's tools, to adjust the gamma parameters so that the displayed picture detail appears correctly over a wide range of brightness.

The only drawback of the application is that it does not have tools; all changes are made only through the monitor’s “menu”.

It must be recalled that testing the performance of LCD screen and electronic display components involves a number of contrasting objects that simultaneously move with at different speeds. But, according to experts, the frequency of movement is designed for old models of monitors, for new ones modern models this frequency is no longer sufficient for testing.

Bottom line

There are many programs for setting up monitors, but each of them requires the user to have the ability and knowledge to use it. As already mentioned in the article, if a person does not know how to use the tools of calibration utilities, then it is better to leave the factory settings alone. Well, if you still need to make color corrections, especially on old, worn-out monitors, and you don’t have enough knowledge on how to do this, then it’s better to contact specialists who will carry out the calibration safely and harmlessly. All of the programs described above and those that were not included in the review of this article are intended to work at a professional level. Not every user can customize their display using these applications.

In this article I will tell you what proper viewing of photographs is: how to look and what to look at. I’ll also tell you about the terminology to make it easier to understand what is what in the world of photography =)
But first, 2 small axioms that will then be discussed in this article. If you want to see the real color of the photographs as originally intended by the photographer/designer/artist:

1) View photos in electronic form should only be on IPS monitors / LED TVs(they must be calibrated)
2) The natural color of the printed photograph will appear only in daylight (street) light. Indoors, the photograph will turn yellow (if there are ordinary lamps) and blue(if energy saving lamps).

I have been doing color correction for a long time and during this time I have managed to thoroughly understand all aspects of the perception of color by the human eye.

Let's start with the fact that men and women see colors slightly differently. Women are more sensitive to the perception of different color shades than men. I became convinced of this while designing websites and logos for companies. When I first started working, I didn’t see much difference between the shades of colors. I think this picture fits this topic very well:

I also didn’t understand why artists needed so many “identical” shades in the palette. However, the longer I worked with color, the more clear the picture became of how different color shades are from each other. The most important thing is that the ability to see more shades develops in the same way as hearing and voice.

So, we figured out the peculiarities of human color perception, but what if the monitor plasma panel The tablet and even glossy paper on which we look at photographs do not show us the color shades that were originally intended? First of all, this is a disappointment for the creator, who tried to show the mood with color.
In 2011, I spoke at a conference dedicated to wedding photography. The topic of the presentation was creative photo processing. The material was carefully prepared and photographs were printed. My presentation began, the projectors turned on and... the colors that the projector showed were so different from the original that the whole essence of my topic at the conference had to be explained using handouts. Due to the uncalibrated projector, it was impossible to explain to people why I used this or that color, because... colors and shades were greatly distorted..

Since then, at any of my performances, the main condition is a calibrated monitor/projector

But how do you know what color it really should be? First, it is necessary that the material be viewed on a calibrated monitor. In addition to this, you also need to understand if the photographer processed the photo on a designer monitor with IPS matrix, That color spectrum initially much richer ( more colors) than the same standard TFT / LED monitors. What does this affect? Colors located next to each other will merge, and will not look like several shades of the same color, but as one color. Imagine, using the same picture, that all these 3 out of 4 colors can be absolutely identical, although on a more or less calibrated monitor these are completely different 4 shades of yellow.

Visually, this may not be so noticeable, but upon closer examination, the entire photograph will look with such a range as much less deep and with less drawn details.

How to test your monitor at home?

There are 3 tests:

1. Checking for the display of blacks and shadows in a photograph
http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/black.php
(If you see all the squares from 1 to 255 squares, your monitor is perfectly calibrated for black color and you see all the shadow transitions in the photo. From 3 to 255 squares is also allowed. If you see, starting from the 4th, 5th square, it means The monitor is not calibrated for this parameter.)

2. Check for the display of white color in the photo and highlights.
http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/white.php
(If you see all squares from 200 to 254, then your monitor is ideally calibrated for white. Squares from 200 to 253 are also allowed. If you see only up to 250-252, then the monitor is not calibrated for this parameter.)

Checking for color gradient shifts and color confusion -

(There are vertical rectangles in front of you on the left and right sides. If on your left side it is divided into 2 lines, and on the right side into 3 with different colors, it means that the monitor is NOT color calibrated. For example, blue for you it will probably be lilac, and the orange will turn into brown. It all depends on how clearly these lines are separated in color. The smaller the difference, the better. Ideally, only visible on the calibrated monitor. gray without division into 2 lines. And on the right there is only gray color without division into 3 lines.)

This is what should happen ideally:

However, if you get a result with colored stripes, then in this case your monitor is not calibrated and it is not showing the colors correctly:

In most cases the result is disappointing.

You may think that your monitor is to blame, but don't rush. In any computer, the video card transmits the image to the monitor. And it's all about her. The monitor only shows the image that comes from the video card. If you come to a computer store and take 2 absolutely identical laptops, then with a 90% probability the displays will show different colors. Most likely, you have heard the phrase that it is best to look at photographs on products Apple(iMac, iPad, etc.). This is indeed true, and the reason for this is only the fact that, unlike laptops and PC computers, which are assembled from various parts, video cards and monitors, Apple computers are a candy bar that already combines a monitor and a video card. It is logical that such a monoblock can be calibrated during assembly, which cannot be said about PC computers. After all, the store employees do not know what monitor you will buy and what video card it will be combined with.

Buying Apple products to view photos “correctly” is not the only solution. There are special calibrators: separately for monitors and for printers. I use DataColor. There is a calibrator for both the monitor (in my case it is Spyder 3 Elite) and the calibrator for the Spyder 3 Print SR printer.

The monitor calibration process is quite simple. You will need to place a sensor on the display, it in turn will run through all the colors and make adjustments for color shades. This information(color profile) is written to the video card. Monitor calibration takes on average 10-15 minutes. Calibrating the printer by printing special targets on a specific type of paper will take on average up to 2 hours. You only need to calibrate your monitor in sRGB mode! If your monitor does not support this mode, consult your monitor manufacturer about calibration. Because Although calibration in other modes will improve the situation at the moment - the 1st and 2nd tests, which we passed, the 3rd test may be failed due to the fact that the monitor may not support the color gamut range that we need needed.

An example of what the picture looks like on all the displays I have and my color correctors:

If it is not possible to use a calibrator?

In this case, I advise you to look this video- and use the program Atrise Lutcurve, which can be found in any search engine.

You just need to clearly understand The point of calibration with Atrise is not to set the absolute correct color values, as with a calibrator, but to eliminate the drift from neutral to shades. After all, when we tune a guitar on the first string by ear without a tuning fork, it is not accurate. But by tuning the remaining strings according to the first string, the guitar will begin to sound correctly, not out of tune.

1) Never watch photos on a plasma TV. On plasma there are tens of times fewer color shades than in monitors, due to which a photograph viewed on TV will have huge contrast and terrible differences in color. If you watch it, then only on LED/OLED TVs or with an IPS matrix.
2) Choose only high-quality photo printing centers. For example, when I give weddings, I give the newlyweds printed color targets on a calibrated printer. Thus, you can compare the resulting target with the one on the monitor, and also use it in the future for test printing in the darkroom. Pictures can only be compared in natural light - preferably in the morning or afternoon, but not at night, because... there should be no additional source of lighting.

Test target (click to enlarge) full screen, and also print in the future.):

In May 2015, my colleagues and I conducted an inspection different photos salons - in total there were 3 salons in Zelenograd and 12 in Moscow and Moscow Region.
Out of 15 “professional” photo salons, only 2 showed their best side. The check was carried out according to 3 criteria on 5 different photographs:
- Paper quality (its density)
- Ink quality and equipment calibration (printer calibration relative to a calibrated monitor)
- Qualification of working personnel to know what they are doing.

If with the 1st point everything was fine in 11 photo salons out of 15, then on the 2nd and 3rd points there were terrible mistakes..
Only 4 photo salons had calibrated equipment! For everyone else, the B/W photographs turned pink for some, green for others. It’s generally sad to talk about color photographs - blue flowers some turned lilac, others turned greenish. For some, the dress became overexposed, while for others, the groom's jacket merged into a single color and had no shadows. In terms of brightness and contrast, many also large spaces.
As for the qualifications of the staff, some “specialists” could not answer the question - what is the thickness of the paper. Someone was cutting photographs - with the cheapest document cutter, which left traces of a white edge.

According to the results, as it turned out, nothing at all can be printed in Zelenograd. But in Moscow we have identified the 2 best centers:
PhotoLab, PhotoPro
I am not familiar with any of the owners of these studios and these tests were independent. It is not known what the quality will be in six months or a year, I hope it will remain good. But at least these tests showed that only ~1 in 10 photo centers actually operate as professional photo laboratories.

An example of one of the checks. Both photos were scanned. On the left is printing in a darkroom with calibrated equipment, on the right is printing in a darkroom that did not care about the print quality and equipment calibration.

3) The color and brightness of the printed photograph strictly depends on the conditions under which it is viewed this photo. The natural color will appear only if this photo is viewed on the street with natural light. If you look at the same photograph in an apartment, its color depends on color temperature lamps If the lamps are ~2700 Kelvin, the photo will take on a more yellow-red hue. If the lamps are ~6400 kelvins or more, the photo will take on a bluer and colder tint.

4) Every photo viewer - ACDsee, Picasa, etc. have their own built-in color profiles. Thus, they can display the colors of the same photo differently. The same sometimes applies to some browsers. Therefore, be careful.

But even with all this, do not forget that each person has his own preferences in color, and what may seem like an ideal color for you, for another it will not be so, and vice versa =) That is why there is still no single rule/pattern the color you should strive for in paintings, photography, cinema, etc. because All people are different and everyone has their own vision =)

In order for photos to appear exactly as they do in real life on your computer monitor, your screen must be accurately calibrated. Otherwise, the bride’s snow-white dress will turn blue or yellow, the rich autumn colors will fade, and black objects will merge against each other. Calibrate your monitor following the instructions and compare the results.

Monitor Calibration Tool

Any computer on the Windows axis has its own calibration device, which does its job perfectly. Find it by going to:

• Start – Control Panel.

• A window will open in front of you in which you need to find the “Personalization” field and click on it,

• then select “Screen”,

For the next step, you need to have administrator rights. Make sure you are not on guest account account, otherwise you won’t be able to calibrate the screen.

• Select “Color Calibration” from the list on the left.

Monitor calibration process

Everything will go faster if your monitor has adjustment buttons. If you have a laptop or monitor without these buttons, the process will take a little longer, and one step will be inaccessible to you.

• double click on the “next” button to start;

• Examples of bad, good and too strong gamma will appear in front of you; it is important to remember that in a good gamma there should not be any visible dots in the middle of the circles. Click “Next” and use the slider or buttons on the monitor to adjust the gamma until the dots disappear,

• go to the next point, click “Next” again,
• you will see an example with brightness setting. The cross on a black background and the jacket should not merge.

Please note that if you have missing buttons, then this step is not available to you.

• After calibrating the brightness, use the same type of contrast adjustment using the example of a white shirt. Laptop users again skip this step,
• one of the most important steps– white balance adjustment. It is performed so that the screen does not appear blue, yellow or green. White should remain white, not beige or blue,

• you need to drag the color sliders smoothly. If white seems, for example, greenish, then drag back the slider on green or add on blue and red,
• Once the colors turn gray, click the “next” button.

Calibration is complete, the setup wizard will prompt you to improve the font and view the “Before” and “After” calibration for comparison. Decide which option is better and keep the more precise calibration.