What is monitor calibration?

What is commonly known as "calibration" is actually two consecutive processes: calibration and profiling. This distinction is important. The calibration part happens first - it's the part where you physically adjust (with the device's guide) your monitor settings as needed. The amount of control available varies widely between monitors, so in some cases the calibration part of the process is negligible.

Next, the profiling part occurs, where the device reads a series of colors displayed on the screen and records a description of its characteristics. This description is called a “monitor profile”.

Also color-managed programs (such as Photoshop and Lightroom, among others) refer to that profile when displaying colors, in order to achieve color accuracy.

Of these two processes, the "profiling" part is more important; and it is the one that cannot be reached by the human eye. It may be possible to calibrate the monitor just by looking at it, but profiling it requires color sensitivity that we simply don't have.

Calibration is the process of adjusting the monitor to the desired neutral output. Includes luminance, white point, and gamma adjustments. Once it has been neutralized and the monitor controls allow it, it is time to measure the color and help refine it with the software.

What is a monitor calibrator?

It is a small hardware device that is placed on the screen to perform the calibration process. These devices vary in size and shape between brands, but generally speaking they are the size of a mouse. They are powered by USB and come with software to control the process. They work equally well on both Mac and PC.

Profiling a monitor

Profiling is the process of measuring imperfections on the monitor and creating a filter that compensates for those imperfections. Using the parameters configured in the calibration step, profiling requires the use of a hardware device (colorimeter or spectrophotometer), which hangs on the monitor screen and reads various sets of red, green, blue and gray patches generated by the software profiling.

Color patches are measured by hardware as shown. The differences between the colors displayed by the monitor in its native state and the true colors of the patches are used to create a monitor profile that will cause the monitor to display true colors more closely than in its native state.

Brief history of monitor calibration

Until not many years ago, a rudimentary closed-loop color management system was used. In other words, we awkwardly adjusted our screens in a vague attempt to match them to the printer.

But if you switched to a new job, or if you bought a new printer, then you had to do more printing tests, and start adjusting everything again. It goes without saying that this was a futile and frustrating process. Surprisingly, some people still persevere with this.

The modern system is infinitely better. Now, we all adhere to a central standard, as mentioned before. We don't pair our display with the photo lab, we just pair it with the core standard, and we expect the lab to do the same.

Before calibrating the monitor

To calibrate the monitor, you will need:

A device, commonly known as a "spyder, " that is used for calibration. The technical term for this device is a photocolorimeter, a monitor that has a wide range of colors. Today, even not-so-expensive mid-range monitors have good color reproduction. An external display is almost always better than a laptop screen when it comes to color rendering. Calibration is not going to help you much if you are using a cheap monitor or a laptop that does not have a good screen. Uniform lighting. Your digital darkroom, unlike the name, should not be dark. But it shouldn't be too bright either. The lighting around the monitor should not be overcharged. You should work in a dimly lit environment. If possible, pay attention to the color temperature of the light. The light color should not be too warm (orange) or too cold (blue). Ideally, the ambient light around the monitor should be 4700K. Turn off auto brightness on notebooks. Laptops generally have an auto - brightness feature that interferes with the calibration process. This also means that the ideal would be to use the laptop in the same lighting conditions as the place where you are going to calibrate it. Since that defeats the purpose of owning a laptop because it imposes a restriction on mobility, it is better to use an external monitor for further treatment.

Monitor calibration methods

Basically there are two methods to calibrate the monitor:

Visual or software calibration

This method involves adjusting the brightness and contrast settings of the monitor using visual aids. Alternatively, you can use a software utility like QuickGamma (which also depends on your vision). These methods are not very effective.

Calibration using a photographic colorimeter (or spyder)

This method uses an external device that connects to the computer or laptop via USB. The photographic colorimeter is placed on the monitor during calibration. The photographic colorimeter's sensors read the color, brightness, and contrast output of the screen through software. The software uses this information to create a suitable ICC profile for your screen. The operating system makes use of this ICC profile to obtain the color, contrast and tone as accurately as possible.

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Since the use of a photographic colorimeter is more accurate than visual methods, it is the method used by professionals.

Common calibration myths

Now that we've seen the steps necessary to calibrate a monitor, let's take a look at some common myths:

Myth: You must use the ICC profile created by your calibration software as an operational color space in Photoshop.

Reality: You just have to check that Photoshop knows the ICC profile you have created. This will happen automatically if you have placed the ICC profile in the correct folder of your operating system. The color space in Photoshop must remain sRGB, ECI-RGB V2, or Prophoto RGB.

The ICC profile that you created as part of the calibration process records the “defects” of the display device. By reading the ICC profile of a monitor, Photoshop knows how to set colors to display correctly.

Myth: Calibrating the monitor will give you accurate colors in block letters.

Reality: Before printing, you must make your photos software-proof for accurate colors. Monitor calibration is only the first step of softproofing. Ideally you should also use a monitor that benefits from calibration. Not all monitors are created equal.

Myth: You can share ICC profiles with others who have the same brand of monitor.

Reality: An ICC profile is monitor specific and therefore there is no benefit to sharing it. A monitor's ability to display colors deteriorates as it ages, making each monitor unique.

Myth: You can use the sRGB ICC profile for your monitor. Reality: sRGB is a generic profile that is attached to images. Cannot be used for monitor Myth: You can achieve 100% color accuracy on your prints after calibration.

Reality: Even after calibrating your monitor and testing images before printing, you may not be able to achieve 100% color accuracy. A good printer can achieve close to 90% accuracy. This is due to deficiencies in the devices. Your monitor must have a very large color gamut to reproduce colors accurately. Your printer must also be of a very high quality. Inkjet printers produce colors by mixing cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink. Expensive printers have more shades of black for a higher degree of precision.

Unfortunately, commercial print labs tend to use a different technology called Laser Chromogenic (Digital RA-4) or Dye Sub, which is prone to color errors. These devices are cost effective but not of very high quality. Some printers use non-OEM ink in the printer, which also reduces color accuracy.

Unfortunately, most photo labs change colors manually on a monitor that fits exclusively with their printer. This method is error prone and person dependent.

Print accuracy after calibration

Accuracy is not the only result of calibration. It is certainly a very important step towards printing accuracy, but there are other factors involved as well.

But if the monitor is not calibrated, there is little hope for print accuracy.

Calibrated screens in photography

Consider heart surgery for a moment. The most important facet of heart surgery is without a doubt the surgeon himself: his enormous intellect, his steady hand, his dedication. The surgical tools used are also very important. But if a dirty scalpel causes an infection, the surgeon's good job is ruined.

When it comes to photography, the photographer's vision, execution and creativity is the most important facet. Your camera, lenses, lights and software are also important. But if you work on a screen not optimized or unprepared for your work, the result will be poor.

All monitors can be calibrated

All monitors are capable of being adjusted by a calibration device, at least to some degree, and with some degree of improvement.

Some displays (eg, laptops) have fewer physical controls than others, making the process heavier to profile than calibrate; but laptops certainly can and should be calibrated.

Of course, not all screens are really suitable for photo editing. Cheap displays, with narrow viewing angles, are a nightmare to edit, for example. So make your next monitor purchase with this in mind.

Calibration frequency on monitors

Monthly, it is the usual advice. Some high-end retouchers are recalibrated every morning, but that's unnecessary for most of us.

In the past, color on CRT monitors constantly flowed, especially as the years went by, so weekly calibration was a must. But modern LCD screens are much more stable, as a general rule.

Therefore, calibrating the monitor once a month is more than enough.

Calibration complexity level

It cannot be denied that some people have problems with this for one reason or another. There seems to be a universal flaw among calibrator manufacturers that don't include enough instructions in the hardware box.

But generally speaking, yes, the process is quick and easy. It will take the longest time when you first do it, of course, but subsequent monthly calibrations should be a matter of a few minutes.

Changes after calibration

What you see differences after calibration will depend entirely on your screen. Some displays (especially Macs) are quite good, so the difference will be negligible. Other screens (particularly the cheap ones) are quite blue in their uncalibrated state, so you'll notice a considerable difference.

Actually, when you do the calibration the first time, you may not like it. If you've gotten used to your very blue / bright screen, it may seem too warm and opaque at first. But it would be nice if you gave him a chance. Even after 24-48 hours, you will probably be used to your new screen, and wonder how you have tolerated so long without calibration.

Color accuracy in all software

Not all programs benefit from a calibration, only color ones. Programs like Photoshop, Bridge and Lightroom automatically detect and use a monitor profile so you don't have to worry about a thing. But other programs need you to manually direct them to the profile in order to be correctly managed by color.

Other programs are simply not color managed. That is, they would be unable to recognize a monitor profile. Among these are simple image viewers like Microsoft Picture Viewer.

Web browsers vary. Firefox and Safari are color managed, but Internet Explorer is not.

Therefore, if you are sufficiently dedicated to photography or want the highest color fidelity in games, you should definitely be browsing Firefox or Safari, at least until Microsoft considers it appropriate to manage the color of your product.

Because of this, you are likely to see a difference between images in Photoshop and Internet Explorer, for example. You can be sure that Photoshop displays accurate colors (assuming you haven't altered their color settings).

Monitor and internet calibration

Monitor calibration means everything, and nothing, when it comes to the web. Let's face it, 99.9% of people who surf the internet do so on uncalibrated screens. So you can't expect many people to see the exact color in your images that you would like them to see. Don't lose sleep over it, there is nothing you can do. There are people who don't know anything about color, and who just like looking at photos.

Does this mean that monitor calibration is meaningless when preparing web images? Of course not. It is still vitally important that you edit your images on a precise screen and publish them to the web in the sRGB color space. sRGB is the standard that most monitor manufacturers adhere to freely, giving your images the best acceptable playability.

Once again, it cannot be guaranteed that calibration will give perfect results in the global network, but it can be guaranteed that non-calibration will give worse results.

Technical aspects of calibration

Generally speaking, there are three facets of the calibration / profiling process:

Brightness (Luminance)

This is a physical adjustment you make before or during calibration (and on some monitors, it is the only physical adjustment that can be made). Brightness is important - it plays a bigger role in editing than you think. Many people have had the experience of receiving prints that were too dark because their screen was too bright. Of course, the ambient light you work on also plays a role. It is very important to choose a suitable brightness setting.

Gamma

This can be considered as the brightness of the screen's midtone. This is not a physical fit, but a profile fit. The standard gamma is 2.2, and there is no need to deviate from that.

Color temperature

This is the color of the white of your screen, and it can vary from warm to cold (yellowish to bluish). This can be a physical setting or a profile setting, depending on your settings. 6500K is considered the standard white temperature for calibration, but some displays do not respond well when forced to this setting. For those screens, it is better to leave the white temperature unchanged.

Calibrate the monitor with software only

This is something that cannot be done. There are several programs that claim to calibrate your monitor and they are all inaccurate. They all depend on your eye to function, and the human eye is too weak for this. Calibration must be done with a hardware device.

Final words and conclusion

The monitor is your window to the world. If you've ever been in a TV store and seen a row of TVs playing the same show, you may have noticed that the appearance of color can vary widely (or wildly) from one TV to another.

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If you don't calibrate and sharpen your monitor, the appearance of the image can vary greatly from what it would look like on other monitors and can be misleading about the actual colors in the image. To solve this problem, monitors can be calibrated and profiled. This process makes the device display an image as accurate as possible.