Calibrate monitor to get the best out of your photos?

[limvo05]

Hi All,

A colleauge of mine told me that I need to calibrate my computer monitor in order to view the photos accurately. I have an old iMac with max resolution is 2560 x 1440. All of my photos are taken in raw LARGE size format. The one thing I noticed is that it take forever to import files generated by the 5Ds.

Can this be true that I need to calibrate the monitor otherwise I would not be able to fully appreciate the clarify and sharpness generated by the 5Ds? A clarification. the photos looks fine when zoom out, however at 100%, it kinda blurry. I am ware of the high resolution generated by the 5Ds demands special care. During the few tests I've conducted, in controlled environment, i.e. indoor and no wind, subject is pretty much static.

Thank you,

LV

[kvbarkley]

Calibrating the monitor is only required if you want accurate colors, for example, if you want prints (whether by you or others) to have the exact same colors as what you see on the monitor. It will not help sharpness.

[Waddizzle]

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@limvo05 wrote:

Hi All,

A colleauge of mine told me that I need to calibrate my computer monitor in order to view the photos accurately. I have an old iMac with max resolution is 2560 x 1440. All of my photos are taken in raw LARGE size format. The one thing I noticed is that it take forever to import files generated by the 5Ds.

Can this be true that I need to calibrate the monitor otherwise I would not be able to fully appreciate the clarify and sharpness generated by the 5Ds? A clarification. the photos looks fine when zoom out, however at 100%, it kinda blurry. I am ware of the high resolution generated by the 5Ds demands special care. During the few tests I've conducted, in controlled environment, i.e. indoor and no wind, subject is pretty much static.

Thank you,

LV

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I think your friend may have been referring to viewing the colors in your images most accurately.  A calibrated monitor means the color reproduction has been calibrated.

I suggest that you immerse yourself in a self-study crash course about the basics of photography.  Learn about the “ Exposure Triangle “ and “ Depth Of Field “.  One good resource is the Canon Digital Learning Center.

http://learn.usa.canon.com/resources/videos/tutorials/eos101_cll/yt_eos101_overview.shtml

That is a link to series of videos.  Use them as a foundation on what you need to learn.

[ebiggs1]

Setting or calibrating your monitor is a good idea.  But it is really simple to do.  You really only need get three things correct.

You must get the gray-scale very close.  You need to get the brightness very close and you need the contrast very close.

Most people set their monitors too bright.  This is especially true if you home print you photos.  One big problem I hear all the time is my prints are too dark.  That usually means the monitor is set too bright giving a false perception of what is going to the printer.  It is doing exactly what it was told to do because the monitor is too bright.

Since all colors effect each other it isn't possible to get all colors perfect.  I try for perfect skin tones since that is what people generally look at first.  That is what i shoot mostly.

[ebiggs1]

"The one thing I noticed is that it take forever to import files generated by the 5Ds."

That is becaause the files the 5Ds makes are huge. Has nothing to do with your monitor.

[TCampbell · Accepted solution]

You wont get the color accuracy if you don't have a calibrated display.  "sharpness" is a different topic entirely and has nothing to do with monitor calibration.

Poor color accuracy was a major problem with both CRT based monitors (which nobody has anymore) and display that use florescent back lights.  If you didn't regularly re-check those displays, it could drift noticeably in a short period of time (florescent lighting even varies while the bulbs warm up... a display recently switched on would look different from a display that had been operating for 30 minutes).  

LED lighting is more consistent due to the way they work.  While these displays still need to be calibrated, you could go months before re-calibrating and possibly not notice a difference (or if there was a difference, it would likely be extremely small).

If you want a properly calibrated display, I do suggest you use a tool -- don't try to do this by eye-balling it.