RWeisz wrote:
To continue this thought... what monitor are most of you using? My 27” NEC Multisync is getting pretty old. As is my Mac quad core tower. I may upgrade to a new, expandable, Mac mini and pick a non Apple monitor... just thinking. I am a professional graphic designer and need the color to be very accurate.
The most important things you can do are to:
> Match the capability of your graphics processor to the monitor you buy. If the graphics processor cannot handle 4K, buy a Full HD monitor (1920x1080). If the graphics processor or card can't handle your new 4K monitor, well... It's either time for a new card, if you can swap them, or it's time for a new computer, if you can't.
> Buy a monitor with as wide a color gamut as is possible, given your budget and the size you need. You need at least 100% of sRGB and 80% of Adobe RGB (1998) (99% of Adobe RGB is better...)
> For photo editing, don't buy a gaming monitor. Gaming quality graphics processors are great, but gaming monitors are too bright and too contrasty for photography and video.
> Calibrate the monitor ONLY with a hardware device
> Make a custom ICC profile of the monitor with the software that came with the calibration device
> For photo editing, be sure the monitor brightness is NOT over 120 cd/m^2. After years of working in a photo lab and implementing color management there, I know enough that my prints — even from a cheap Epson all-in-one — match my iMac monitor very closely. Here are the aims I use:
Black Point = 0.5 cd/m^2 (That's candelas per square meter)
White Point = 105 cd/m^2
Color Temperature = 5800K
Gamma = 2.2
> I calibrate monthly with a Datacolor Spyder5Pro. I have used X-Rite i1 Display and ColorMunki, too. All will get the job done. If you buy a 10-bit monitor, you may need the i1 Display.
> Keep the environment rather dim and neutral gray. Any bright colors in your visual field can cause you to see color falsely due to biochemical fatigue. (Think I'm crazy? Stare at a bright green light for 30 seconds. Turn it off and close your eyes. You will see magenta... Your eyes are auto-white balancing! View any saturated color long enough, and your eyes try to see less of it. Look away and the color's opposite appears. Now stare at a gray card or middle gray wall for 30 seconds. Close your eyes and you will see gray... no color shift.)
> Set your computer desktop to a neutral dark gray... for the reasons just stated. In Mac OS Mojave, use Dark Mode.
Know that the editing suites in film production studios and photo labs are almost always dark places with no windows, plus very subdued, indirect lighting, and relatively dim monitors.