recommended monitor?

I’ve been editing some of my photos rather laboriously on my 15" or really 14" monitor….Garbage….Now I’ve gone into various shops for input into choice monitors for this type of editing. I’m new and don’t know much yet but I know when the salesman knows less and is simply pushing a sale. What should I look for in a monitor and yes size is a consideration? I mostly edit family photos and such. In the end the fiscal position will decide however I would a start at what to look for. Also what about video cards

are

there specifics, I’m not working on very big files 20mb…and everything loads fast enough?

Thanks,
Pete

Bigger is better (obviously), so long as you don’t sacrifice quality. Trinitron tube flat screens are decent. Most manufacturers have different product lines at different price levels. That is: just because it’s a "insert manufacturer name" doesn’t make it good. You could be looking at their low end line. Pick 2 or 3 manufacturers & check their web sites. Once you’ve narrowed your choice you can shop for the best price. A good Photoshop use video card doesn’t require the same level as a good gamers card, 3D not being an issue, and so is less expensive. Matrox is highly rated, but many will suffice.

Peter wrote:

I’ve been editing some of my photos rather laboriously on my 15" or really 14" monitor….Garbage….Now I’ve gone into various shops for input into choice monitors for this type of editing. I’m new and don’t know much yet but I know when the salesman knows less and is simply pushing a sale. What should I look for in a monitor and yes size is a consideration? I mostly edit family photos and such. In the end the fiscal position will decide however I would a start at what to look for. Also what about video cards are there specifics, I’m not working on very big files 20mb…and everything loads fast enough?

Thanks,
Pete

Depends on what you are happy with and what you will use it for, at least a 17" monitor is recommended but if you can afford a larger one then go for it.

Stuart

On Thu, 20 May 2004 15:02:46 -0400, "Peter" wrote:

I’ve been editing some of my photos rather laboriously on my 15" or really 14" monitor….Garbage….Now I’ve gone into various shops for input into choice monitors for this type of editing. I’m new and don’t know much yet but I know when the salesman knows less and is simply pushing a sale. What should I look for in a monitor and yes size is a consideration? I mostly edit family photos and such. In the end the fiscal position will decide however I would a start at what to look for. Also what about video cards are there specifics, I’m not working on very big files 20mb…and everything loads fast enough?

If you are going to buy a CRT monitor targeting for home use, check image linearity (does a box of 200×200 pixels measure the same in each corner and in the center of the screen, ignore comments about you using a ruler on the monitor), options for setting color temperature and monitor gamma should be available in the OSD. Checking colors in a store is almost imossible due to lighting and environment colors, so you should be able to adjust the device later.

For a LCD device get a pure white screen and reduce brightness to medium values. Then look at the monitor from a few steps distance to see if the white is evenly distributed (backlight quality). Color correction for consumer type LCDs is usually very limited.

If you don’t play high speed 3D games, any graphics adapter will do. 1280x1024x32bit will be available on anything that has 8 MB or more and you shouldn’t use a higher resolution on a 17" CRT. For perfect image quality on a CRT (analog connection) I recommend Matrox.

Michael

On Fri, 21 May 2004 09:02:00 GMT, (Xalinai)
wrote:

On Thu, 20 May 2004 15:02:46 -0400, "Peter" wrote:

I’ve been editing some of my photos rather laboriously on my 15" or really 14" monitor….Garbage….Now I’ve gone into various shops for input into choice monitors for this type of editing. I’m new and don’t know much yet but I know when the salesman knows less and is simply pushing a sale. What should I look for in a monitor and yes size is a consideration? I mostly edit family photos and such. In the end the fiscal position will decide however I would a start at what to look for. Also what about video cards are there specifics, I’m not working on very big files 20mb…and everything loads fast enough?

If you are going to buy a CRT monitor targeting for home use, check image linearity (does a box of 200×200 pixels measure the same in each corner and in the center of the screen, ignore comments about you using a ruler on the monitor), options for setting color temperature and monitor gamma should be available in the OSD. Checking colors in a store is almost imossible due to lighting and environment colors, so you should be able to adjust the device later.

For a LCD device get a pure white screen and reduce brightness to medium values. Then look at the monitor from a few steps distance to see if the white is evenly distributed (backlight quality). Color correction for consumer type LCDs is usually very limited.
If you don’t play high speed 3D games, any graphics adapter will do. 1280x1024x32bit will be available on anything that has 8 MB or more and you shouldn’t use a higher resolution on a 17" CRT. For perfect image quality on a CRT (analog connection) I recommend Matrox.
Michael

Forgot to mention: Take the monitor you have seen and tested. Don’t take a different, boxed device without unpacking and testing.

Michael

I’d go with a Viewsonic, P (professional) or G (graphics) series. These are designed for use by graphic and CAD professionals and are very different from the ones you see at CompUSA or BestBuy.
The best deal is to get a refurbished one direct from Viewsonic. I’ve bought two of these and have had no problems with them.
They’ve got a good deal on a G monitor.
http://store.viewsonic.com/html/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?section =11744&item=1884 Check refresh rates. The higher the refresh rate at the resolution you use, the better.
Hook it up to a Matrox video card, a P650 for under $175 or a P750. You may be able to save some money by buying refurbed from Matrox.
If you’ve got room, save the old monitor and run a dual setup.

http://www.madmousergraphics.com
web design, print design, photography

Do these Viewsonic monitors support adjusting the rgb channels separately? My experience is that monitors that do not can’t be calibrated with devices such as Colorvision Spyders.

LauraK wrote:

I’d go with a Viewsonic, P (professional) or G (graphics) series. These are designed for use by graphic and CAD professionals and are very different from the ones you see at CompUSA or BestBuy.
The best deal is to get a refurbished one direct from Viewsonic. I’ve bought two of these and have had no problems with them.
They’ve got a good deal on a G monitor.
http://store.viewsonic.com/html/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?section =11744&item=1884 Check refresh rates. The higher the refresh rate at the resolution you use, the better.
Hook it up to a Matrox video card, a P650 for under $175 or a P750. You may be able to save some money by buying refurbed from Matrox.
If you’ve got room, save the old monitor and run a dual setup.

http://www.madmousergraphics.com
web design, print design, photography

wrote:

Do these Viewsonic monitors support adjusting the rgb channels separately?

My VP201s does.

My experience is that monitors that do not can’t be calibrated with devices such as Colorvision Spyders.

I have a Monitor Spyder from Colorvision with PreCAL and OptiCAL but PreCAL isn’t compatible with TFT monitors. That’s why I only use OptiCAL on my TFT and it’s easy to see, that it neutralizes the colors when the profile is loaded during Windows startup, so my TFT is set to it’s factory setting and OptiCAL takes care of the rest.

As far as I know, OptiCAL builds the needed correction into the profile which is loaded into the LUT of the graphic card during startup. If the profile is made correctly, it should give you neutral colors when it’s loaded.

—
Regards
Madsen

"Thomas G. Madsen" wrote:

wrote:

Do these Viewsonic monitors support adjusting the rgb channels separately?

My VP201s does.

My experience is that monitors that do not can’t be calibrated with devices such as Colorvision Spyders.

I have a Monitor Spyder from Colorvision with PreCAL and OptiCAL but PreCAL isn’t compatible with TFT monitors. That’s why I only use OptiCAL on my TFT and it’s easy to see, that it neutralizes the colors when the profile is loaded during Windows startup, so my TFT is set to it’s factory setting and OptiCAL takes care of the rest.

As far as I know, OptiCAL builds the needed correction into the profile which is loaded into the LUT of the graphic card during startup. If the profile is made correctly, it should give you neutral colors when it’s loaded.

What does TFT stand for? When using OptiCAL, I was under the impression that PreCAL can only be used on monitors with individual rgb gain controls, which my monitor does not support. Should I use PreCAL in this case?

wrote:

What does TFT stand for?

Thin Film Transistor.
< http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci214176,00 .html>. <http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/L/LCD.html>

When using OptiCAL, I was under the impression that PreCAL can only be used on monitors with individual rgb gain controls, which my monitor does not support. Should I use PreCAL in this case?

Not if you CRT monitor doesn’t have individual RGB gain control.

From the OptiCAL User Guide:
| Note: PreCAL should only be used with CRT monitors that | support individual RGB gain gun control. PreCAL should not be | utilized on LCD monitors because it has not been modified to | work with LCD screens

—
Regards
Madsen

wrote:

What does TFT stand for?

Thin Film Transistor.
< http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci214176,00 .html>. <http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/L/LCD.html>.

When using OptiCAL, I was under the impression that PreCAL can only be used on monitors with individual rgb gain controls, which my monitor does not support. Should I use PreCAL in this case?

Not if your CRT monitor doesn’t have individual RGB gain control.

From the OptiCAL User Guide:
| Note: PreCAL should only be used with CRT monitors that | support individual RGB gain gun control. PreCAL should not be | utilized on LCD monitors because it has not been modified to | work with LCD screens

—
Regards
Madsen

Dell has good monitor.

Tony G. Smith
Vizros – Realistic 3D page curl plug-ins and more
Demo at http://www.vizros.com/gallery.html

(Xalinai) wrote in message news:…

On Thu, 20 May 2004 15:02:46 -0400, "Peter" wrote:

I’ve been editing some of my photos rather laboriously on my 15" or really 14" monitor….Garbage….Now I’ve gone into various shops for input into choice monitors for this type of editing. I’m new and don’t know much yet but I know when the salesman knows less and is simply pushing a sale. What should I look for in a monitor and yes size is a consideration? I mostly edit family photos and such. In the end the fiscal position will decide however I would a start at what to look for. Also what about video cards are there specifics, I’m not working on very big files 20mb…and everything loads fast enough?

If you are going to buy a CRT monitor targeting for home use, check image linearity (does a box of 200×200 pixels measure the same in each corner and in the center of the screen, ignore comments about you using a ruler on the monitor), options for setting color temperature and monitor gamma should be available in the OSD. Checking colors in a store is almost imossible due to lighting and environment colors, so you should be able to adjust the device later.

For a LCD device get a pure white screen and reduce brightness to medium values. Then look at the monitor from a few steps distance to see if the white is evenly distributed (backlight quality). Color correction for consumer type LCDs is usually very limited.
If you don’t play high speed 3D games, any graphics adapter will do. 1280x1024x32bit will be available on anything that has 8 MB or more and you shouldn’t use a higher resolution on a 17" CRT. For perfect image quality on a CRT (analog connection) I recommend Matrox.
Michael

On Tue, 25 May 2004 12:42:42 GMT, wrote:

What does TFT stand for?

Thin Film Transistor

—

Hecate

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