MaggieMay1978 Loc: Calgary Alberta

I have a brand new screen, but whatever I do to calibrate doesn't show colours efficiently. What Monitor do I purchase?

Pictxterowner 3 D sbs

I suggest a 42 inch TV with VGA computer input, Mat screen not glossy, best brand you can afford.
Then don't play with the color at all just leave it alone.:thumbup:

Always hook the sound to the TV first from the computer than from the TV to the home entertainment system. this will illuminate any echo effect.
And allows the control of the TV volume with the mouse.

Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA

MaggieMay1978,

What do you mean, your monitor doesn't show colors efficiently?
We need more definitive information about what your problem presents to you.

Michael G

MaggieMay1978 Loc: Calgary Alberta

Whatever I do to calibrate, to make sure the screen matches my prints doesn't work. It's a cheap dell screen. Thinking there might be better screens out there.

anotherview Loc: California

Your text suggests you use a color calibration device. If so, then it should, if used properly, true the monitor colors.

I use the Sypder3 device, and it trues colors nicely. Only please note that you may have to adjust manually both the brightness and contrast.

Non-intuitively, if a print looks too dark, then you have to lower the monitor's brightness. Consider that if the monitor brightness lowers, then you'll have to brighten the onscreen image. This brightened image will then print brighter.

Note that you'll have to do one or more test prints to match the print's brightness to the monitor's brightness. The monitor should have a separate control for adjusting its brightness. Adjust the brightness incrementally until a print looks similar in brightness to the image onscreen.

At the same time, please bear in mind the monitor uses back-lighting to illuminate a monitor image. A machine under control of an algorithm presents the image within a color space used for monitors. Hence, a kind of trueness of color results.

Differently, a print uses reflective lighting to illuminate it for our eyes. This fact means the reflected light quality will depend on its source. For example, if your studio walls have a yellow coloration, then the light reflecting from this source will carry a yellow colorcast that will fall on your print. Light picks up the color from the surface it strikes and carries this color as the light reflects off the surface. The light reflecting off the print will have the contaminating yellow colorcast in it, thus affecting how your eyes record this light reflected off the print.

But our perception will adjust itself within two or three seconds to render the print coloration in our consciousness close to what our experience believes the coloration should look like in order for it to appear with true coloration. The same process happens when our eyes record color in a room lit by tungsten light which has a Kelvin around 3600. Tungsten lighting has an orange color to it. Our perception filters this orange light to use whites in the scene to bring the other colors into a trueness that our consciousness expects.

As a result, you should have a studio with wall surfaces painted a neutral white. Lights illuminating the studio should fall in the Kelvin range for mid-day light -- between 5000 and 5500 Kelvin. These conditions provide a known reference. You can buy CFL lights with this Kelvin temperature for controlled lighting conditions.

This is a big subject, and so I’ve not covered it all. Consider, though, that experienced photographers who show their printed images will print them for the lighting conditions where the prints will hang. A knowledge person associated with the place that shows your prints can give you the Kelvin temperature of the light sources used there.

Good luck.

Pictxterowner 3 D sbs

I agree sometimes bright and contrast may need adjusting due to room lighting and printing purposes but this kind of backs up what I said about "don't play with the colors" :thumbup:

Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA

MaggieMay,

There may be better monitors available, but they will cost as much as your Dell computer. Personally I use HP 20 inch LCD monitors and they perform well.

You still have not described what you mean by the difference between your monitor and printer.

If what you are seeing is a difference in brightness/contrast on the printer, and more color intensity on the prints you may have a problem in what we call Color Space Profile.

Check to make sure everything in your photo processing tasks is set to the exact same color space profile. There are two commonly used color space profiles used in digital processing; AdobeRGB, and sRGB. If you interchange these two you can get the above print problems.

If you are using the standard Microsoft Windows PC, and all your equipment is set for Windows, I suggest you try the sRGB profile for all printing. Once you have a standard set for all editing tasks you will be able to troubleshoot any printing problems easier.

Michael G

MaggieMay1978 Loc: Calgary Alberta

With the colours and the darkness of the prints compared to the screen. Also I tend to edit backdrops in photoshop, colour the black backdrops, on my screen that I edit on, it looks flawless, then on the laptop/phone screen I can see places where I have missed it looks so obvious.... But when I view on my editing screen, it shows up perfect ...I have tried brightness on the screen etc...

EstherP

How large a room do you need for a set-up like that?
With a computer in an 8-foot den, you'd have to cut a hole in the wall to sit far enough back....
Naw, that's digging in the pocketbook too deep: TV plus den reno, I'll stick with my 21" monitor!
EstherP

Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA

This does not sound like a computer to printer problem, it sounds like an editing to viewing problem.

Open one of your saved images with this problem, save this image as another file name, and work on this new file.

With the new file open, use whatever tool will allow you to magnify the on screen image. Run the magnification up to well over 100% in the exact same area the print shows the flaws.

If you see a flaw here you may be seeing a "Selection" error in your editing program, and when you paste a black layer over the existing background the selection error is excluding the black "Paint Bucket" color.

rebride

The other day I did a print, brought it over to compare to the screen and it was dead nut on. I was so tickled pink I even jumped up and told my wife. I should have noted the time of day. My room environment is certainly not set up for ultimate viewing.
Than another image, when changing paper, the blue sky changed changed hue and a bit darker. Dang. Time to buy print profiling hardware.
Anyhow, I use Dell Ultrasharps. Older U2211H (florescent backlight) and current U2713-HM (LED). Calibrated really close to print color (and each other). Did have to tweak brightness and contrast down. Have not had to recalibrate.
The Dell UltraSharp PremierColor U2713H might be real nice, but I have heard can be a bear to calibrate unless you are fluent in Adobe RGB color or a graphic designer, but if you have a X-rite i1DisplayPro you can get into the LUT.
The new Dell lower end IPS S series I would steer away from.
The Ultrasharps might still be the best back for buck but . . .
Eizo now have a somewhat budget line (for them) of monitors around $900.00 that might be interesting. I think they have some sort of built in calibration software. Part of the ColorEdge group. Their high end could be wonderful if you have the money.
There is a whole bunch of IPS monitors out there now. Depends on budget. Read a lot of reviews. There are some real good reviews sites.
A better monitor will calibrate easier. Video card also has a good bit to do with it all.
Good luck.

Pictxterowner 3 D sbs

The original purpose was to view the screen without my reading glasses.
This not only worked very well but also allowed me to back off from a desk and relax in my recliner with a wireless mouse and keyboard. Now the Computer itself is completely hidden from view.
I commented before and another user said the same thing about using TV his brother was skeptical till he seen it in action then replaced his own monitor with a large screen TV.
Today's TV's are giant monitors and capable of much more then the today's computer resolution and intensity can provide.
The technology required to make them work at full capacity has not been produced yet.
Plus if it looks to big you can minimize the screen. This is also useful for opening two browsers side by side and still read both without my glasses. :thumbup:

Today's computers are programmed detect your TV monitor and to set your computer resolution to the particular television you connect it to.

anotherview Loc: California

Right. A color calibration device adjusts for the monitor colors.

Perhaps for a television display screen, one might adjust brightness to suit viewing conditions.

But not so with a computer monitor with which a user does photo editing.

Instead, a user will want the brightness of the monitor and the print to match. A user will adjust the monitor brightness to achieve that match.

SpeedyWilson Loc: Upstate South Carolina

Maggie ... You've had these calibration problems before, and received a lot of solutions on previous threads.

No matter what monitor you buy, how do you know you won't have more color calibration problems? I'm very happy with my Dell monitor, but other people hate Dell and swear HP, or some other manufacturer is the best. If money is no object, just buy an expensive monitor and hope for the best ... as no one can rightfully say which monitor is best.

Here are some beginning at $160 and going up to $1499.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2402101,00.asp

anotherview Loc: California

Maggie: Yes, your cheap Dell monitor may give rise to your color calibration difficulties. If serious about your photography, then you will want a monitor that reproduces the image colors properly.

Searched using this wording: monitors for photography.

These two and others came up:

The 5 Best Monitors for Photography

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2402114,00.asp

Best Under $500 Budget Photo and Video Editing Monitor 2013

http://toptengamer.hubpages.com/hub/Under-500-Photo-Video-Editing-Monitor

You will want to do some research to find a monitor to suit you.

Good luck.