The Benefits of Calibrating Your Monitor

Due to the rapid and ever growing development of digital technologies, the calibration of monitors is no longer the exclusive concern of professional editors and photographers. Nowadays, virtually everyone who owns a digital still or video camera has a vested interest in making sure his/her monitor is correctly calibrated. Many people do not realize that the color, shade, and hue of a digital image (moving or otherwise) can look completely different on a computer monitor than it does in a camera, or on a printed page.

How many times have you printed out an image only to find that it bears little resemblance to the photograph you took? Or perhaps a certain section of a photo, the portion you altered in Photoshop, has a different look than what you previously saw on the screen? These are very common, but no less annoying, problems for those who use their computers creatively—people for whom the correct shade, hue, and color of an image are all-important.

Apple offers a very easy approach to monitor calibration. To check it out, go to System Preferences>Display. From here you can adjust the brightness of the monitor to meet your needs. For those who are working with detailed images a bright screen may contribute to clearer viewing of the subject matter. For those who may be staring at the screen for long stretches a dimmer monitor might help to ease the strain on the eyes.

Both Apple and PC “System Preferences” allow computer users to change the resolution of their respective displays. Generally, for detailed and precision work, a higher resolution is recommended—the image being far clearer at a setting of, say, 1440 x 900, than it will be at, 640 x 480.

On Macs, color calibration can also be modified through Systems Preferences. After setting up your resolution click, “Color,” and select one of many options. Selecting a “Target Gamma,” will allow you to set the contrast levels for your monitor. Choose “1.8 Gamma” for a traditional monitor setting, or “2.2 Television Gamma” if you are planning to work with images for television.

Selecting a “Target White Point” will allow you to adjust the tint of the display. Here you have the option to go with a yellow, bluish or natural noonday base white for your monitor. There are other more advanced settings, which are commonly used for computer owners with higher grade, professional needs.

If you are like most people, you probably spend a good portion of your life sitting in front of a computer monitor. Don’t you owe it to yourself to make sure, what you’re looking at for all those hours is as perfect as it can possibly be?