Monitor calibration, the basics ?????

S
Posted By
Saggy
Oct 27, 2005
Views
296
Replies
4
Status
Closed
I am trying to understand monitor calibration so I can calibrate my monitor. I’ve visited a number of website… checked old threads….and I still ain’t quite with it (I’m an ex-engineer, presumbbly computer literate)….

I’ve run Adobe Gamma and created an ICC profile which was stored on the disc. (Correct me if I’m wrong)…..The default name is "Adobe Monitor Profile" It says the name will appear on application pop-ups, but I haven’t seen it.

How does it get loaded?

I ran msconfig and looked at the startup menu and both ‘Adobe Gamma Loader’ and ‘Adobe Gamma Loader.exe’ are checked. Overkill? Do these load a profile on startup? What profile do they load?

Do all programs use the profile loaded by Adobe Gamma Loader?

Am I getting warm??

S.
Related Tags
calibrate monitor

How to Improve Photoshop Performance

Learn how to optimize Photoshop for maximum speed, troubleshoot common issues, and keep your projects organized so that you can work faster than ever before!

R
Roy
Oct 27, 2005
"Saggy" wrote in message
I am trying to understand monitor calibration so I can calibrate my monitor. I’ve visited a number of website… checked old threads….and I still ain’t quite with it (I’m an ex-engineer, presumbbly computer literate)….

I’ve run Adobe Gamma and created an ICC profile which was stored on the disc. (Correct me if I’m wrong)…..The default name is "Adobe Monitor Profile" It says the name will appear on application pop-ups, but I haven’t seen it.

How does it get loaded?

I ran msconfig and looked at the startup menu and both ‘Adobe Gamma Loader’ and ‘Adobe Gamma Loader.exe’ are checked. Overkill? Do these load a profile on startup? What profile do they load?

Do all programs use the profile loaded by Adobe Gamma Loader?
Am I getting warm??

S.
Hi there.

If you are running Win XP all profiles are in the folder C > Windows > System 32 > Spool > Drivers > Colour.

Look for your Monitor Profile there. All these Profiles have 2 names, the external one and an internal one. The internal one is probably the same as the internal name of the Profile you loaded in when you started Adobe Gamma. Check by Right clicking and reading the tabs in Properties.

Photoshop uses the Internal names in its various dialogues. So if these are the same for 2 different profiles, it is worth while moving the original, (non adjusted), to somewhere else on your system.

To get the system to use your Monitor Profile. Go to "Display Properties" > "Settings" > "Advanced" > "Colour Management" > "Add"
Choose your newly named Monitor Profile, and set as "Default"

Go to the Windows Folder where The Profiles are, select your newly named Monitor Profile, and Right Click on it. Choose "Properties" > "Associated Device" and check that your Monitor Model is now shown shown. If not then "ADD" it and set as "Default".

You should only need to do this once, unless you change the name of your Monitor Profile. If you just Re-Calibrate it in Adobe Gamma, the System will use the new settings.

For some more info have a a look at my Camera Club site. www.ayrphoto.co.uk go to "Notices and Info" then to "How to Print for Accurate Colour"

Hope this helps,

Roy G
S
Saggy
Oct 27, 2005
EXCELLENT…………….all this info was new to me….. thanks………

I checked this and that, and the ‘Adobe Monitor Settings’ … is already being used as my default color profile….. (note: I only saw one name though, don’t know what you mean by ‘two names’)

Now for my next 2 questions……………

I noticed that in the Advanced Display Properties were sliders for setting color gammas…. and the option of loading the corrections on startup…… I suppose these are ‘on top of’ the default color profile?

There is a website EasyRGB that has a calibration procedure…. which I run…. and then they have before/after color
patches…………….and I like their calibration better (the default colors seem washed out compared to the EasyRGB colors) than the Adobe…but I can’t use it, when you exit the site their calibration is gone…….. What’s up with that ?????

Thanks again, the info you provided was (a large part of) what was missing in my understanding…

S.
R
Roy
Oct 28, 2005
"Saggy" wrote in message
EXCELLENT…………….all this info was new to me….. thanks………

I checked this and that, and the ‘Adobe Monitor Settings’ … is already being used as my default color profile….. (note: I only saw one name though, don’t know what you mean by ‘two names’)
Now for my next 2 questions……………

I noticed that in the Advanced Display Properties were sliders for setting color gammas…. and the option of loading the corrections on startup…… I suppose these are ‘on top of’ the default color profile?

There is a website EasyRGB that has a calibration procedure…. which I run…. and then they have before/after color
patches…………….and I like their calibration better (the default colors seem washed out compared to the EasyRGB colors) than the Adobe…but I can’t use it, when you exit the site their calibration is gone…….. What’s up with that ?????

Thanks again, the info you provided was (a large part of) what was missing in my understanding…

S.

Sorry, I don’t know anything about the Easy RGB site.

The sliders you mention are part of your Video Card controls and will act in addition to the Adobe Gamma corrections.

I don’t quite know what you mean when you say the Adobe Gamma default colours seem washed out. Perhaps the colours on the image you are viewing are washed out.

It is certainly true that when you first start using your Monitor at 6500K (Daylight), it will appear duller than when it was running at its native 9300K. You will soon get used to viewing at these settings.

The purpose of calibrating your monitor is to allow a Colour Managed Program like P’shop to display the correct colours on the screen for the number values of R, G & B which your image file contains.

Have a look at http://www.computer-darkroom.com/ for a much fuller discussion of C. Management.

Also you could look at
http://members.toast.net/cbminfo/all_sites/colorblind.html which shows colour patches, and allows you to see if your Calibration is correct.

Roy G
S
Saggy
Nov 1, 2005
Final result…. I was able to get my monitor to look ‘ok’ to me….. I’ll worry about picture color later…. but now I’m using it as a word processor ….and the screen was too brite and I couldn’t seem to get it right using the brightness and contrast controls…………..

What finally worked running the Adobe calibration…. but that didn’t do it…. I then reduced the gamma using the control panel… slider…now the colors seem more saturated…and white screens are not objectionably bright.

Thanks for you help, it made a big difference.

S.

Master Retouching Hair

Learn how to rescue details, remove flyaways, add volume, and enhance the definition of hair in any photo. We break down every tool and technique in Photoshop to get picture-perfect hair, every time.

Related Discussion Topics

Nice and short text about related topics in discussion sections