Calibrating a laptop screen. Possible?

[blue-eye-boy]

Hey there, so I have my camera now, started shooting a bit, but nothing to show for now. So I love editing in photoshop, but I'm not always sure that my images' colour, contrast and brightness is on the spot when I'm finished.

So only have a laptop (fujitsusiemens) with a crystalview screen. Is it possible to calibrate or adjust my screen so that I do see the right colours and so on? I mean when I open or close my screen just a bit, the colour, brightness and contrast differ.

I know you get these fancy "Spyder" hardware to calibrate your monitor, but I dont see how it can work for someone with a laptop screen. And also how it will fit my pocket, I dont know. Any ideas?

 

[bwana]

I know you get these fancy "Spyder" hardware to calibrate your monitor, but I dont see how it can work for someone with a laptop screen. And also how it will fit my pocket, I dont know. Any ideas?

I got the Spyder2express for my laptop, PC, plasma, and LCD monitors and it works great.

I'm not sure why you would want to fit it in your pocket though.

 

[blue-eye-boy]

I got the Spyder2express for my laptop, PC, plasma, and LCD monitors and it works great.

I'm not sure why you would want to fit it in your pocket though.

Lol, no I meant it's a bit expensive. I know from what I've read that it's very good, but hell that price tag...

You say you also use it on a laptop. How do you know the the screen's angle is always right for the correct colour? Or doesn't it matter that much?

 

[dj_jyno]

How do you know the the screen's angle is always right for the correct colour? Or doesn't it matter that much?

Actually, the angle of the display makes a huge difference in the perceived colour on the display. I usually load a fullscreen greyscale image and tilt the display until the dark areas do not bleed into each other. This way I know that the angle is correct.

 

[blue-eye-boy]

Actually, the angle of the display makes a huge difference in the perceived colour on the display. I usually load a fullscreen greyscale image and tilt the display until the dark areas do not bleed into each other. This way I know that the angle is correct.

Ah okay, that makes sense.

Okay secondly, now that I know it can be done, isn't there a solution to calibrating, other than that spyder thing? I mean really, R2700? Not me, and not till I'm rich. Is it really just that hardware you can use to get it right?

 

[bwana]

Actually, the angle of the display makes a huge difference in the perceived colour on the display. I usually load a fullscreen greyscale image and tilt the display until the dark areas do not bleed into each other. This way I know that the angle is correct.

Neat trick - do you have a test image you feel like sharing?

Ah okay, that makes sense.

Okay secondly, now that I know it can be done, isn't there a solution to calibrating, other than that spyder thing? I mean really, R2700? Not me, and not till I'm rich. Is it really just that hardware you can use to get it right?

Not just that hardware but yeah - a colorimeter is the way.

 

[blue-eye-boy]

Neat trick - do you have a test image you feel like sharing?

Not just that hardware but yeah - a colorimeter is the way.

Yes, I was going to ask the same. Keen to share your image?
I just got off the phone with someone and he told me why dont use adobe gamma to get the colour right. Does it work?

 

[bwana]

Yes, I was going to ask the same. Keen to share your image?
I just got off the phone with someone and he told me why dont use adobe gamma to get the colour right. Does it work?

It's better than nothing but not nearly as accurate (and isnt that the whole point of the exercise) as using a colorimeter.

Dont forget you can always calibrate an external monitor attached to your laptop.

 

[blue-eye-boy]

It's better than nothing but not nearly as accurate (and isnt that the whole point of the exercise) as using a colorimeter.

Dont forget you can always calibrate an external monitor attached to your laptop.

Okay but isn't there a cheaper alternative? I saw one of the spyder range in the net on jump.co.za, for R1900 I think. But that still so high. Or maybe I must just wait till I can afford the real deal. I saw outdoorhoto rent them out for R200 a day.

 

[BigAl-sa]

1. The panels on laptops aren't very good for editing. You're never going to get the angle perfect because of the TN technology used in the panel.
2. Look for Spyder Express colorimeters. They are very much cheaper than the numbers you're talking about - should be around R1k.
3. Don't waste your time with eyeballing methods like Adobe Gamma.

[edit]
4. If you really want to see how bad your panel is try these tests
[/edit]

 

[blue-eye-boy]

1. The panels on laptops aren't very good for editing. You're never going to get the angle perfect because of the TN technology used in the panel.
2. Look for Spyder Express colorimeters. They are very much cheaper than the numbers you're talking about - should be around R1k.
3. Don't waste your time with eyeballing methods like Adobe Gamma.

[edit]
4. If you really want to see how bad your panel is try these tests
[/edit]

Well then it looks like I'm stuffed anyway. I new lcd would cost a whole bunch, add the spyder, and I'm bankrupt. Not a good way to start my hobby...

 

[Digilus]

add the spyder, and I'm bankrupt. Not a good way to start my hobby...

Someone once said "It isn't a proper hobby, until it has financially ruined you"

 

[blue-eye-boy]

Someone once said "It isn't a proper hobby, until it has financially ruined you"

Very true words that.

 

[Digilus]

Take heart Jacqvt - as long as the pic looks good to you, you really don't have to worry too much about your LCD panel. If you are doing proper publishing then yeah - it can become an issue. On the other hand, no matter how nicely calibrated your setup is, the way it comes out at the photo printing places will most certainly be slightly different in anycase


ps. one day when I grow up - I would dearly like a colormeter too (oh wait .. I mean one day when my bank balance grows up)

 

[stix]

Hey there, so I have my camera now, started shooting a bit, but nothing to show for now. So I love editing in photoshop, but I'm not always sure that my images' colour, contrast and brightness is on the spot when I'm finished.

So only have a laptop (fujitsusiemens) with a crystalview screen. Is it possible to calibrate or adjust my screen so that I do see the right colours and so on? I mean when I open or close my screen just a bit, the colour, brightness and contrast differ.

I know you get these fancy "Spyder" hardware to calibrate your monitor, but I dont see how it can work for someone with a laptop screen. And also how it will fit my pocket, I dont know. Any ideas?

No. You can't.

 

[blue-eye-boy]

Okay, got someone who has a spyder, and very nicely agreed to lend me his. Dont you think it's nice?

So if I grow up (and bank balance too), and want to get a lcd screen, what specs am I looking for, mainly for photography use. What size, make, and specs.

 

[PeterCH]

Most laptop displays (even led backlit) are TN panels with 6bit colour with dithering to
fool the eye into seeing 16.7 mil colours, although even with dithering the colour count is 16.2 million. Get a seperate LCD panel which has IPS/MVA/PVA technology and is 8bit.
10bit and 12bit displays are also available but are very expensive - R25K+.

Sadly most large LCDs sold right now are TN panels too. That sucks but that's what happens when manufacturer's cut costs and favour fast response over colour reproduction.

You should make sure the panel is at least a native 8 bit display. Backlight technology is secondary, LED backlight will be better,
but TN and LED or TN and wider gamut CCFL is still inferior compared to ordinary CCFL backlight and true 8bit colour LCD plate.

 

[BigAl-sa]

So if I grow up (and bank balance too), and want to get a lcd screen, what specs am I looking for, mainly for photography use. What size, make, and specs.

What you can do to prepare yourself, is to read this post, actually read the whole thread (just be aware that the threads run backwards on ODP). The guy that wrote it went to a huge amount of effort in his research. I added a couple more links to the thread in my post. If you want a decent panel, you looking for IPS technology (mainly manufactured by LG-Phillips, regardless of which monitor it's in) or if you can't get that, go for PVA technology (mainly made by Samsung). Unfortunately, the only companies importing monitors with those technologies into SA are HP and Apple. So be prepared to be frustrated.

 

[blue-eye-boy]

What you can do to prepare yourself, is to read this post, actually read the whole thread (just be aware that the threads run backwards on ODP). The guy that wrote it went to a huge amount of effort in his research. I added a couple more links to the thread in my post. If you want a decent panel, you looking for IPS technology (mainly manufactured by LG-Phillips, regardless of which monitor it's in) or if you can't get that, go for PVA technology (mainly made by Samsung). Unfortunately, the only companies importing monitors with those technologies into SA are HP and Apple. So be prepared to be frustrated.

Thanks for the info, appreciated. Will read tonight. As for the thread backwards, I think you must just adjust it in your options menu on outdoorphoto, for me it works like here.

 

[Albereth]

Surely you biggest concern would be making sure that your printer and your monitor were speaking the same colour? You can fiddle an on screen image until you are happy with it, but if it don't print like that...

Some time back I looked into the whole Fuji Frontier colour calibration lark. There is a site in the USA that would help set up a profile. What you'd do is get a profile image printed by your local photo shop. You then sent this printed image to the USA and they'd send back the profile the photo shop guy would need to adjust his Frontier. It was easier for me to buy an A3+ printer than mess around trying to convince a shop owner that his machine needed changing.