Calibrating Your Monitor: The Paparte Way

Calibrating your monitor is important to ensure that colours and black levels are as accurate as possible. This is especially important for those working in graphic design or other forms of imaging. While the default settings on modern laptop displays have improved since the 1980s, they are often not optimal. Calibrating your monitor will ensure that it is displaying the most balanced and colour-accurate image possible.

Why is colour calibration important?

Colour calibration is important to ensure that colours are displayed accurately and consistently across different devices and output methods. Without calibration, colours may appear different on another person's screen or device, or when printed out. This is because each display has a unique colour output, and colours can be affected by factors such as ambient lighting conditions, the age of the device, and the type of paper used for printing.

The aim of colour calibration is to measure and adjust the colour response of a device to a known state, or to a standard colour space. This is particularly important for professionals in fields such as photography, video production, graphic design, medicine, and chemistry, where colour accuracy is essential. For example, a photographer or videographer needs to ensure that their work is displayed with the correct colours and mood, and that skin tones look natural. In medicine, accurate colour is necessary for remote diagnoses, while in chemistry, it is important for identifying new compounds and their properties.

Colour calibration can be achieved through hardware or software methods. Hardware calibration uses a colourimeter or spectrophotometer, which attaches to the screen and works with calibration software to optimise the display colour for the specific screen and lighting conditions. Software calibration is built into operating systems like Windows and macOS and can help reduce colour shifts, but it is not as accurate as hardware calibration.

In addition to calibrating monitors, it is also important to calibrate other devices in the workflow, such as printers, scanners, and cameras. This ensures that colours are consistent across the entire workflow, from capture to display to print. By using ICC (International Color Consortium) profiles, each device can create colours based on its own colour spaces, reducing the impact of individual device idiosyncrasies.

What kind of monitor do you have?

There are a few different types of monitors available on the market, each with its own unique specifications. Here is a list of the most common types of monitors:

LCD Monitors

Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) monitors are one of the most common types of monitors and have been around for a while. They consist of two panes of glass with liquid in between and thousands of rows of pixels to organize the liquid. LCD monitors tend to be bulkier and have hazardous liquid within the device, making disposal difficult. They rarely go past 1080p resolution and are a cheap alternative to LED monitors.

LED Monitors

Light-Emitting Diode (LED) monitors are technically a type of LCD monitor but differ in how they create images. LED monitors are brighter and have a longer lifespan than LCD monitors. They can produce more brilliant colours and have a smaller form factor. However, they are susceptible to image burn if left on the same image for too long.

IPS Monitors

In-Plane Switching (IPS) monitors are designed for content creators and visual artists. They offer wider viewing angles and deliver exceptional picture quality even when not sitting directly in front of the screen. IPS monitors display crisp, realistic colours and are ideal for professional photographers and graphic designers. However, they often have lower refresh rates and resolutions than other types of monitors.

TN Monitors

Twisted-Nematic (TN) monitors are the most common type of LCD panel technology and are known for their responsiveness and affordable price. They have fast refresh rates, making them a popular choice for gamers. However, TN monitors have limitations in contrast and colour performance, which can be unattractive to some users.

VA Monitors

Vertical Alignment (VA) monitors offer excellent picture quality with high contrast and image depth. They are ideal for users who want a monitor for light workload tasks such as office work or home use. VA monitors have decent refresh rates, but their viewing angles are more limited compared to other types of monitors.

OLED Monitors

Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) monitors are the newest and most cutting-edge technology in the market. OLED monitors do not require a backlight to produce colours or moving images, resulting in stunning image quality and cheaper production costs compared to LCDs. However, they are hard to find and marked up in price.

In addition to the different types of monitors, there are also variations in specifications such as resolution, refresh rate, response time, and viewing angle. When choosing a monitor, it is important to consider your intended use and select a monitor with the appropriate specifications to ensure the best experience.

Visual vs hardware calibration

Calibration is the process of aligning your screen's colours with the standards set by the RGB (red, green, blue) colour model. This is important because it ensures that the colours displayed on your monitor during the editing process are accurate and true to the creator's intention.

There are two main types of calibration: visual (or software) calibration and hardware calibration.

Visual Calibration

Visual calibration is a simple and cost-effective way to calibrate your monitor. It is done using the built-in calibration features of your operating system or third-party software. Visual calibration is widely accessible and easy to carry out, making it a good option for casual users or those who don't require extremely accurate colour representation. However, it may not be suitable for colour-critical work as it can be labour-intensive and may not produce consistent results. Additionally, the calibration may not "stick" if the computer is rebooted.

Hardware Calibration

Hardware calibration is a more advanced and precise form of monitor calibration. It utilizes a colourimeter or other calibration device to adjust the display parameters of the monitor itself. This method provides superior and longer-lasting results, with greater colour depth and consistency. Hardware calibration is the preferred option for professionals in fields such as photography, graphic design, print media, or online content creation. However, it can be more expensive and may not be necessary for those with casual needs. Additionally, hardware calibration can only be performed on certain monitors.

In summary, visual calibration is a quick and easy way to improve the accuracy of your monitor's colours, while hardware calibration provides more precise and consistent results but is more complex and expensive. The best method for you will depend on your specific needs and requirements.

How to calibrate your monitor

Calibrating your monitor is a crucial step to ensure that the colours you see on your screen are an accurate representation of what will be printed. Monitors use light and emit colour, while printers use ink to create colours on paper, so the same image can look different on different monitors. Calibration is the process of aligning your screen's colours with the standards set by the RGB (red, green, blue) colour model.

There are several tools you can use to calibrate your monitor, including the SpyderX and X-Rite i1Display Pro, which are colourimeters—small calibration devices that fasten to your screen and work with calibration software to optimise display colour for your particular screen and your room's lighting conditions. These tools come with software that guides you through the calibration process step-by-step.

• Set your monitor to its native resolution.
• Use a colourimeter or spectrophotometer to measure the colours on your screen.
• Adjust the brightness, contrast, and colour temperature settings of your monitor until the colours match the standard.
• Avoid shining direct light on your monitor, and ensure consistent ambient light conditions.
• Ensure your monitor has warmed up for about 20 to 30 minutes before calibrating.
• Set your monitor's resolution to its native ppi, which is usually the highest setting.

Both Mac and Windows computers also have built-in calibration tools. For Windows, simply search your computer for "Calibrate display colour" to access the built-in calibration in the Control Panel. The Windows Colour Calibration tool will then walk you through each step.

For Mac, go to System Preferences, select Displays, and click the Colour Profile dropdown menu. From here, you can either switch between existing industry-standard profiles or calibrate your monitor for your particular environment by clicking "Customise" and following the steps in the Display Calibrator Assistant tool.

Calibration hardware

To perform hardware calibration, you will need a monitor with a built-in LUT (Look-Up Table) that allows direct access to adjust the gamma, contrast, saturation, luminance, and hue of the displayed colours. This process ensures that the monitor accurately reproduces colours by adjusting its internal parameters.

There are several hardware calibration tools or devices available in the market, such as the Datacolor Spyder X and the X-Rite ColorMunki. These devices physically fasten to your screen and work in conjunction with calibration software. They measure the ambient light conditions and recommend optimal calibration settings for your specific screen and lighting environment.

It is important to note that hardware calibration usually requires a dedicated chip inside the display to store the adjustments. This chip ensures that the monitor can apply the necessary corrections independently from the source, maintaining colour accuracy across different input devices.

In addition to the calibration device, you may also need colour management software to develop custom ICC (International Color Consortium) profiles for your monitor. These profiles ensure consistent colour reproduction across different devices and are an essential component of a comprehensive colour management system.

Overall, hardware calibration provides a more reliable and accurate solution for professionals who require precise colour reproduction and consistency in their work.

Frequently asked questions