The Darlow Report
by Andrew Darlow
9/01/08
Hi folks!
For this installment, I have a few quick monitor adjustment tips for Mac users.
There are a few ways to calibrate and profile a monitor. I
highly recommend a hardware calibration device such as the X-Rite i1 Display 2, the ColorVision Spyder3, or the ColorMunki Photo. Many people don't realize that Mac laptops, Intel-based iMacs and Cinema Displays all have a Contrast adjustment in addition to a Brightness adjustment.
Where is it, you ask? Not where you'd expect it to be. You can find
it under System Preferences>Universal Access. Then look under the
"Seeing" Tab, and then under "Display." Next, adjust the "Enhance
Contrast" slider if necessary. In most cases, I've found that it
should be set all the way to the left (Normal), but depending upon
your monitor, you may find that adjusting it a bit to the right makes
the screen look better.
While calibrating and profiling a client's Intel Core 2 Duo iMac 24"
monitor recently, the bar under System Preferences>Universal Access
was set to about the halfway mark (resulting in a screen that was too
contrasty). At that setting it was impossible for the hardware device
to calibrate and profile.
After adjusting the contrast bar to a point nearly all the way to the
left, and then calibrating and profiling, the iMac's screen was still
too bright (even at minimum brightness), so I installed a freeware
application by Charcoal Design named Shades. Just a small adjustment did
the trick. I recommend turning on Shades (you'll find it in System
Preferences after installing) after doing a hardware calibration (not
before).
As was the case with my tip in the last issue of Red Dog News, I recommend using a
standard image that contains a range of color images, plus a neutral gray step wedge
to determine how well your monitor is displaying images. You can find one that I
assembled at www.andrewdarlow.com/calib.html. If your screen is well calibrated
and profiled, you should be able to distinguish individual tones in all of the 21 boxes
of the step wedge.
Another interesting option in the Universal Access dialog box under
"Display" is the checkmark box for "Use grayscale." It is a good way
to quickly view images anywhere on your screen in black and white. Of
course, you are not actually adjusting the images, just viewing them
as grayscale.
If you'd like to share any thoughts about my thoughts, feel free to contact me through the
contact form here. Also, I'm conducting a number of printing-related workshops and seminars
in the NY/NJ area in the upcoming months, including a seminar at the PhotoPlus Expo in
October. For more info, visit this link. Hope to see some Red Dog News readers there!
About Andrew:
Andrew Darlow is a photographer, author, and digital imaging
consultant based in the New York City area. He is editor of The
Imaging Buffet, an online resource with news, reviews and interviews
covering the subjects of digital photography and printing. His new
book, "301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques: An Essential Printing Resource
for Photographers" (Course Technology, PTR), covers tips and
techniques for prepping, printing and displaying prints made using
inkjet printers. For more information, and free chapter downloads,
visit www.inkjettips.com. (ed note: this one is worth buying!)
