Calibrating one’s monitor
For those who are interested, here is an
interesting article from N.Y.Times re:
calibrating one’s monitor.
David Barzilay, Lord of the Rings
Q & A: Tweak Your Monitor for Accurate Colors
January 15, 2004 By J. D. BIERSDORFER
Q. What is the correct way to calibrate my monitor?
A. The best way to calibrate your monitor depends on how much
precision you need in the colors that you see on the screen.
Calibrating - adjusting the monitor’s settings for brightness,
contrast and color - can ensure that the image on your screen is
close to what you will see when you print a photo or color document.
Calibration techniques can be as simple as looking at images on a Web
page and adjusting the monitor’s controls to improve the picture on
the screen, or as complex as using special software and hardware
sensors that rigorously fine-tune the balance of colors and brightness
in the display to correspond with a precise color print. A tutorial
on monitor calibration is at
www.ltlimagery.com/monitor_calibration.html.
Your monitor, video card driver or operating system may include a
program to calibrate the color on your screen, so check your manuals
to see whether such software was included. Some monitor makers have
calibration tools for their own models available online, like
ViewSonic’s MonitorCalibration Instructions at
www.viewsonic.com/support/calibration .htm.
For a quick visual tuning, there are several calibration guides on
the Web - including those at www.risingphotography.com/calibration
/test_pattern.cfmand www .pacificnet.net/~johnr/bars.html - that
provide a test pattern of color and grayscale squares to look at while
you adjust controls on the front of your monitor.
You can also find inexpensive programs that put your monitor through
tests to improve its picture, like PassMark’s MonitorTest for Windows
: www.passmark.com/products /monitortest.htm).
Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company
David Barzilay
Lord of the Rings
607 S Hill St Ste 850
Los Angeles, CA 90014-1718
213-488-9157