Monitor calibration...

I have the MacBookPro with the matte screen. I have it set for the default Color LCD profile but it doesn't look right. Everything seems a little too contrasty. I've tried some of the other profiles but they all look way off (too blue too washed out and under contrasted).

I can really tell when opening my old FCP project and the video ilooks very different (mainly the contrast thing). Also when I use Photoshop, the files look different on other monitors that I feel are better calibrated (on the iMac G5 for instance).

What's the best way to calibrate my monitor to the turest form for video and photo purposes.

> What's the best way to calibrate my monitor to the turest form for video and photo purposes.

You're not supposed to judge colour and contrast on any computer screen. Use an external broadcast monitor.


www.derekmok.com

I had previously colo corrected my footage using an external video monitor. But I have moved and no longer have the access to the monitor. However, all the footage fromt he project I color corrected using the monitor now looks dark and muddy on this screen, but fine when I lay off to miniDv or DVD. I'd just like to have a monitor that closely reflects what I'll be outputting.

The best way to calibrate your screen is with a calibrator like 'eye one' from macbeth, you can hire these very cheaply. And of course you should use an external but it is nice to have your computer screen looking something like it should.
Saying that the screens on laptops are never very good.

p.s. Cover whole laptop with black cloth while calibrating this avoids stray light.

Derek

<<<Use an external broadcast monitor.>>>

It may be a little more complicated than that. I got stuck with this problem while color correcting a vanity page for a web site.

I couldn't do it. Everything looked fine on my LCD screen, but it sucked greatly on many other monitors and browsers. I went into the garage and dug out an older glass monitor and color corrected on that. Poof. All the problems vanished.

I put all this down to the LCD screens can't show you seventeen million (millions) colors even if they're set to do that. Can't be done. They don't have the range.

We had a similar problem in the early days with Sony monitors. They always looked just grand. The actual video was terrible, but they refused to show the terribleness so we could correct it.

You may not be able to get there from here to quote an old joke. He's right. You may not be able to produce color correct work without an external monitor.

Koz

I faced a similar problem when I first switched to LCD. It's a hair-puller.

One trick I used was to record some color bars and spit those out to mini_DV. I played that from my camcorder on a TV that I "calibrated" using the bars. Then I set my monitor along side the TV and adjusted my LCD until the result was close to the TV.

And close was the best I could get. Still sucked, but at least it sucked less until I could get a proper monitor back into the set up.

bob rice
frameworx media