Monitors: Pre-Calibrated Or Not?

Monitor calibration is an important process for anyone who takes their screen colours seriously. While some modern monitors may come pre-calibrated, it is often necessary to

Calibration methods: hardware vs. built-in tools

Calibration is the process of fine-tuning your monitor so that colours and shading are displayed accurately and consistently. There are two main types of calibration methods: hardware calibration and software calibration.

Software Calibration

Software calibration is a relatively quick and simple process that is cost-effective and can be carried out by most users. It involves optimising the settings on the graphics card, which is connected to the display source. A look-up table (LUT) is used to make any adjustments to the colour display, and this is stored on the source itself (e.g. your computer). Software calibration is limited to fine-tuning the settings of the computer's graphics card and is therefore less precise than hardware calibration. It also relies on the user's colour perception, which may vary from person to person. Additionally, software calibration may not be easily adapted to different colour spaces, and it needs to be recalibrated if the monitor is connected to a different source.

Hardware Calibration

Hardware calibration is a more advanced and elaborate form of monitor calibration, often used by professionals in fields such as photography, graphic design, and online content creation. It involves adjusting the display characteristics inside the monitor itself, rather than relying on the graphics card. The LUT is stored on a chip within the monitor, removing the software processing layer. This allows for superior colour depth and flexibility, as the calibration settings will remain intact even if the monitor is connected to a different source. However, hardware calibration can only be performed on certain monitors, and the process may be too advanced for casual users.

Built-in Calibration Tools

Both Windows and macOS have built-in calibration tools that are free and easy to use. These tools guide users through the calibration process, allowing them to adjust settings such as gamma, brightness, contrast, and colour balance. While these built-in tools are convenient and accessible, they have limited functionality and rely on the user's colour perception.

Calibration settings: brightness, contrast, colour temperature, etc

Calibration is an important process to ensure your monitor displays images accurately. While some monitors may come with factory calibration, it is often necessary to calibrate your monitor to suit your specific needs and working environment. Here are the key calibration settings to consider:

Brightness:

The brightness setting on your monitor controls the black level and the number of different shades of dark grey displayed. If set too high, blacks will appear grey and the image will have less contrast. Conversely, if set too low, the blacks will be "crushed", causing multiple shades of dark grey to appear as pure black, resulting in a loss of detail. The ideal brightness setting should allow you to distinguish between different shades of grey while maintaining a deep black level.

Contrast:

The contrast setting affects the number of different shades of bright grey or near-white displayed by your monitor. A high contrast setting can cause brighter images to "clip", resulting in a loss of detail in highlights. On the other hand, a low contrast setting will darken the image and reduce overall contrast. The ideal contrast setting will provide a balance between bright highlights and shadow details, ensuring you can see the full range of shades in an image.

Colour Temperature:

The colour temperature setting adjusts the overall tone of the picture, with cooler temperatures giving a blue tint and warmer temperatures producing a yellow or orange tint. A recommended setting for most screens is 6500K, which is equivalent to midday light and provides a neutral starting point. However, some people may prefer a slightly warmer or cooler temperature depending on their personal preference and the lighting conditions of their workspace.

Gamma:

Gamma refers to how contrast changes at different levels of brightness. The ideal gamma setting will depend on the ambient light in the room. Too low of a gamma setting can make the image appear too dark, while too high of a setting can wash out details in bright areas. Adjusting the gamma setting in conjunction with brightness and contrast is crucial for achieving accurate image reproduction.

Sharpness:

Sharpness is a setting that affects the clarity and definition of an image. A low sharpness setting can result in a blurry image, while an excessively high setting can introduce strange artefacts and a moiré effect. The ideal sharpness setting will provide a clear and detailed image without any noticeable distortion or abnormalities.

White Balance:

White balance refers to the balance of colours across different shades of grey, ensuring that absolute white or grey is free from any colour tint. Accurately adjusting white balance typically requires specialised equipment, and it is recommended to leave these settings at their default values for most users.

Calibration frequency: how often should you calibrate your monitor?

Calibration frequency depends on the type of monitor you have, how it behaves over time, and the kind of colour accuracy your work demands.

Manufacturers' recommendations

Datacolor recommends users perform a monthly recalibration, while X-Rite suggests a range that goes from once or twice a month for hobbyists to weekly or even daily for professionals.

How often you should calibrate

Computer monitors are not perfectly stable devices, and colour accuracy varies with time as components age, especially the backlight that illuminates the LCD layer. The rate of change varies from monitor to monitor and depends on display quality. Older monitors with CCFL fluorescent lamp backlights drift much more than newer LED monitors. Higher-end displays are manufactured within stricter tolerances and often have better hardware mechanisms to compensate for drift over time.

If your work demands colour accuracy, it's a good idea to recalibrate more often. Calibrating weekly is a good starting point for these cases. For less demanding work, calibrating a modern good-quality IPS monitor twice a year is acceptable.

Monitor changes over time

Monitor changes over time can be supported by testing three different monitors. A 10-year-old Dell 3008WFP monitor with a CCLF backlight type showed an average variation of around 1 dE for all colour patches, which is a pretty good result. Delta E – also written dE or ∆E – is a measure of colour difference, and a result under 1 is excellent and virtually invisible to the human eye. There was no discernible difference between a one-month-old profile and a fresh one. The one-year-old profile showed a worst-case variance of 1.62 dE, which is still a good result. The biggest difference was in the whitepoint colour temperature, which shifted from 6500K to just over 6600K, which is hardly noticeable.

A 13-inch MacBook Pro Retina 2015 model showed an overall shift to 0.93 average dE across all patches after one year, while the worst result remained stable at 2.92 dE for the same problematic blue patch. The white point shifted about 250K down during that time, which is a noticeable difference in skin tones and portrait images.

A brand-new Philips 276E8VJSB 4K IPS 27" monitor showed a big shift in colour with an average dE of 2.2 and a maximum dE of 3.39 on a particular neutral patch after one month. This is a visible shift and enough to mess up your work.

Takeaways

• Modern LCD displays with IPS panels are pretty good. Even an inexpensive monitor can be calibrated for colour-accurate work. The main limitation is the smaller gamut on the cheaper panels.
• No two monitors are equal. There's no way around testing and tracking calibration results to draw your conclusions.
• Monitors shift more in the first years of their life. New displays take a while to stabilise and should be monitored and calibrated more closely during the beginning of their lifespan.
• Generally speaking, higher-quality monitors tend to change less over time than inexpensive ones.
• Even a big jump of dE 3 may not be so bad and is barely visible to most people. If your work doesn't require the utmost colour accuracy, you can probably get away with renting a colour calibrator once a year or splitting the cost of a SpyderX Pro or i1Display Studio between friends.

Calibration tools: what are the best tools for calibrating your monitor?

Calibration tools are essential for ensuring that your monitor displays colours accurately and that you get the best image quality. While basic monitor calibration can be done using test patterns, investing in a calibration tool can provide more accurate and consistent results. Here are some of the best calibration tools available:

• X-Rite i1Display Pro: This colourimeter is often recommended as a good balance between accuracy and affordability. It has a full-spectrum, seven-colour sensor and can accurately calibrate a range of standard and wide-gamut displays. The i1Display Pro is easy to use, with a simple three-step process of fastening it to your screen, plugging it into a USB port, and running the calibration software. While it may not offer the most advanced features, it provides good colour accuracy for those who don't require the highest level of precision.
• Datacolor SpyderX Series: Datacolor's SpyderX series includes the SpyderX Pro, SpyderX Elite, and SpyderX Studio. These calibration tools offer fast calibration times, taking less than two minutes to complete a full calibration. The SpyderX series features a new lens-based sensor system, improving accuracy, especially in the lightest and darkest image regions. The software is user-friendly and highly customisable, allowing you to calibrate to specific colour space standards. The SpyderX Elite and SpyderX Studio also offer advanced features such as projector profiling and printer calibration.
• Calibrite ColorChecker Studio: The Calibrite ColorChecker Studio is an all-in-one calibration solution that combines monitor and printer calibration into a single tool. It provides straightforward and accurate monitor calibration and includes a separate spectrocolorimeter for assessing printed output. The hardware is more cumbersome than separate devices, but it offers a comprehensive solution for those who need both monitor and printer calibration.
• X-Rite ColorMunki Smile: This colourimeter is another affordable option, priced at $99. It offers a full-spectrum, seven-colour sensor and can accurately calibrate standard and wide-gamut displays. It is user-friendly and provides a simple calibration process.
• DisplayMate and Spears and Munsil Software: If you're looking for a software-only solution, DisplayMate and Spears and Munsil offer packages with a large collection of test patterns and instructions to help you calibrate your monitor. These software packages are more affordable, starting at $59.94 for the Spears and Munsil UHD HDR Benchmark. However, they may not provide the same level of accuracy and customisation as hardware calibration tools.

When choosing a calibration tool, consider your specific needs and budget. If you require highly accurate colour calibration for professional work, investing in a higher-end colourimeter or calibration kit is recommended. For casual users or hobbyists, the built-in calibration tools in Windows and macOS, or affordable colourimeters like the X-Rite i1Display Pro or X-Rite ColorMunki Smile, may be sufficient.

Calibration and display type: do all monitors need calibrating?

Calibration is essential for producing a neutral white with no colour shift and ensuring other colours are as accurate as possible under the ambient light conditions you're working under. It is especially important for photographers who want to get the most out of each image.

All monitors need to be calibrated, even Apple monitors. However, calibration is not always necessary. If you upload your images directly to Instagram or Facebook from your capture device and then move on, you don't need to calibrate your monitor.

There are four tiers of calibration. The first, which everyone should do, is to set brightness, contrast, and gamma. Windows and macOS both offer built-in features for this minimal calibration.

Before calibrating, there are three preliminary steps to take:

• Consider the light in the room where you're working. The level and colour temperature of the ambient light can change throughout the day, affecting the colours on your screen and the best settings for brightness, contrast, and other options.
• Look through the menu options for your computer monitor to familiarise yourself with the settings. Even the least expensive models will offer brightness and contrast controls.
• Make sure Windows is set to the monitor's native resolution, which will give you the sharpest detail.

Calibration can be done for free using built-in Windows and Mac tools, or online tools. However, these rely on your specific colour perception, so for greater accuracy, it is recommended to purchase a calibrating device.

Frequently asked questions