Color Management

[tourerjim]

Just found this thought it may be useful, www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/

My apologies if it's already been shown 

[Chris]

Thanks for sharing tourjim. Actually for those who do not have a hardware device to calibrate their monitor, the Lagom test images are the next best thing. Some may find the single page version more practical.

Single page version
www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/all_tests.php

Another useful took is the quick gamma programe.
quickgamma.de/indexen.html

One of the Lagom test images is for gamma adjustment. Using the quick gamma tool you can adjust gamma to the recommended specification. (Tip when adjusting gamma, eye level should be at right angles to the middle of the screen and not at an angle)



Kind regards
Chris

[tourerjim]

Chris your second links broken.

Also if your running NVIDIA Right Click Desktop and click on NVIDIA Control Panel and check the NVIDIA bullet and then using Chris link www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/all_tests.php is an easy way to test

[tonyw]

Nov 20, 2020 22:13:54 GMT tourerjim said:

Chris your second links broken.

Also if your running NVIDIA Right Click Desktop and click on NVIDIA Control Panel and check the NVIDIA bullet and then using Chris link www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/all_tests.php is an easy way to test

That sounds good as I do have NVIDIA graphics but I'm not quite sure how you use that link to test.  I have an old Spyder 4 but it's not supported any more so starting to wonder how good my color management is - especially as I have two screens and they don't quite match.


Tony  

[pontiac1940]

Thanks tourerjim  
I've solved calibration by ignoring it.   Once upon a time, I had a device called a Huey or something. I checked the monitor every few months and made minor tweaks. But for years I've done nothing. My prints look like they should.   
So I went though the process at lagom <.> nl and at first made small changes to the brightness and contrast, but it all went off the rails at gamma. 

Look at the image below, and take a few steps back from your monitor such that you don't see the individual pixels or squint your eyes. In each of the vertical color bars, the lighter and darker bands should blend in at the height labeled "2.2", which is the gamma setting.

Ugh, I could not achieved what is bolded. Nope. There was some blending well below 2 for some color bands. To improve the blending, the gamma setting was off the rails and nothing looked good and even then the "bands should blend" were still nowhere near 2.2. 

My monitor is an ASUS VZ279H .. just bought it 3 or 4 months ago. Quite happy with it. 

So right now, it is back at default as show in you NVIDIA screen shot. 

Will see if I can connect to Chris's "quickgamma" site. EDIT: I found it and started to download the exe program, but since it seems to be in German, I aborted. 

Clive

[Chris]

Thanks tourerjim. I have fixed the broken link for the quickgamma page. Yes its true that most graphics card software like Nvidea also has a gamma adjustment.

This link should be good
Quickgamma (English and German pages available)
quickgamma.de/indexen.html

I used to use the English version of quickgamma and the Lagom test images some years ago when I was running win 7. Then I switched to a Spyder 2 and later to a Spyder 4. I have recently ordered a Spyder X

Tonyw, I am using a Spyder4 on Windows 10 without any problems. You can download the latest version of the software here:
support.datacolor.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/List/Index/105/legacy-products
Or: goto.datacolor.com/downloads/Spyder4Pro

Pontiac1940, apart from the screen to print match issue, the advantage of calibrating is that you will see what everyone else should see when editing.

Kind regards
Chris

[tourerjim]

Nov 20, 2020 22:31:04 GMT tonyw said:

Nov 20, 2020 22:13:54 GMT tourerjim said:

Chris your second links broken.

Also if your running NVIDIA Right Click Desktop and click on NVIDIA Control Panel and check the NVIDIA bullet and then using Chris link www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/all_tests.php is an easy way to test

That sounds good as I do have NVIDIA graphics but I'm not quite sure how you use that link to test.  I have an old Spyder 4 but it's not supported any more so starting to wonder how good my color management is - especially as I have two screens and they don't quite match.


Tony  

I have a 17inch laptop with my own specs built into it and could never get the screen calibrated to my liking and some time a go friend of mine said to do screen calibration but skip through the contrast and adjust contrast in NVDIA, he also gave me the Lagon link at the time but said for best results use a picture from your camera that has lots of colours.
I also remember he mentioned we all look at colour screens in different ways ether sitting angles or maybe you wear glasses which was the reason he said it's best using you own pictures.

  

[Chris]

Tourerjim, older screens and laptops in general vary a lot according to viewing angle. Newer IPS monitors have a much wider acceptable viewing angle. Do the tests as you would normally view the monitor. Preferably looking on at right angles to the centre of the screen. Personally, I find the screen calibration test pages to be better for adjusting a monitor. Pictures can be useful though when testing printer output. If you Google "Printer test images" you will find lots of hits.

If you choose to adjust contrast, brightness and gamma with the Nvidia panel then I would suggest the monitor is set to its factory default settings for brightness and contrast etc. Gamma can be tricky to adjust.

As Pontiac1940 previously quoted for gamma test images like the one from Lagom:
Look at the image below, and take a few steps back from your monitor such that you don't see the individual pixels or squint your eyes. In each of the vertical color bars, the lighter and darker bands should blend in at the height labeled "2.2", which is the gamma setting.

If you find the Lagom gamma test difficult to use you can try this different test image:
www.hellotech.com/guide/for/how-to-calibrate-monitor-windows-10

Download image here:
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Gamma_correction_test_picture.png

You need to adjust gamma until the images blend in.

Kind regards
Chris

[tourerjim]

Nov 21, 2020 11:05:28 GMT Chris said:

Tourerjim, older screens and laptops in general vary a lot according to viewing angle. Newer IPS monitors have a much wider acceptable viewing angle. Do the tests as you would normally view the monitor. Preferably looking on at right angles to the centre of the screen. Personally, I find the screen calibration test pages to be better for adjusting a monitor. Pictures can be useful though when testing printer output. If you Google "Printer test images" you will find lots of hits.

If you choose to adjust contrast, brightness and gamma with the Nvidia panel then I would suggest the monitor is set to its factory default settings for brightness and contrast etc. Gamma can be tricky to adjust.

As Pontiac1940 previously quoted for gamma test images like the one from Lagom:
Look at the image below, and take a few steps back from your monitor such that you don't see the individual pixels or squint your eyes. In each of the vertical color bars, the lighter and darker bands should blend in at the height labeled "2.2", which is the gamma setting.

If you find the Lagom gamma test difficult to use you can try this different test image:
www.hellotech.com/guide/for/how-to-calibrate-monitor-windows-10

Download image here:
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Gamma_correction_test_picture.png

You need to adjust gamma until the images blend in.

Kind regards
Chris

Thanks Chris it was an old email I found from my old mate from when I first got my laptop and I was never that clued up at the time I found his instructions seem to work well but that's an interesting one to try out Chris thanks

[tourerjim]

Nov 21, 2020 3:20:06 GMT pontiac1940 said:

Thanks tourerjim  
I've solved calibration by ignoring it.   Once upon a time, I had a device called a Huey or something. I checked the monitor every few months and made minor tweaks. But for years I've done nothing. My prints look like they should.   
So I went though the process at lagom <.> nl and at first made small changes to the brightness and contrast, but it all went off the rails at gamma. 

Look at the image below, and take a few steps back from your monitor such that you don't see the individual pixels or squint your eyes. In each of the vertical color bars, the lighter and darker bands should blend in at the height labeled "2.2", which is the gamma setting.

Ugh, I could not achieved what is bolded. Nope. There was some blending well below 2 for some color bands. To improve the blending, the gamma setting was off the rails and nothing looked good and even then the "bands should blend" were still nowhere near 2.2. 

My monitor is an ASUS VZ279H .. just bought it 3 or 4 months ago. Quite happy with it. 

So right now, it is back at default as show in you NVIDIA screen shot. 

Will see if I can connect to Chris's "quickgamma" site. EDIT: I found it and started to download the exe program, but since it seems to be in German, I aborted. 

Clive

Hi Tony would you let us know how you get on with the quickgamma 

[tourerjim]

How do you adjust the contrast when you go through the windows default screen calibration, no matter how many times I go through the test just cant get rid of the screens haze, if I do it through NVIDIA I can get the screen test spot on with the link Chris shows,
This was the problem I had when I first got the laptop, even my picture look hazy.

[Chris]

Tourerjim, if you are calibrating a laptop running Windows 7 you might need to start and set the brightness to the default value. That might be 90% of full brightness. Then using the Nvidea control panel you can adjust contrast and maybe brightness so that the you can distinctly see see the difference of all the colour patches of the first Lagon test image.

www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/contrast.php

Then after contrast has been set you can use the Nvidea control panel to adjust gamma using the second test image here.
www.hellotech.com/guide/for/how-to-calibrate-monitor-windows-10
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Gamma_correction_test_picture.png

If you are experiencing difficulties then Windows 7 and 10 have their own built in feature to calibrate monitors.

Windows 7
www.onecomputerguy.com/windows7/windows7_calibrate_color-htm

Windows 10
www.hellotech.com/guide/for/how-to-calibrate-monitor-windows-10


I am not sure exactly what is the "hazy" look of your screen. It might not look sharp if you cannot see pure black and pure white.

Please let us know how you get on.

Kind regards
Chris

* PS for general use you might wish to reduce the brightness using your keyboard. But for editing photos you will need to set it at the same brightness you had when you calibrated your screen.

[tourerjim]

Windows 10 Chris, had a reply from my mate just telling me to keep with NVIDIA Color Management.