Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?ForumID=12379&Form.ShowMessage=949098

I've been slowly setting up another computer and got the ethernet wired to it now. So decided to check out Michelle's wonderful B&W factory posts. On the new computer monitor, (which has not been calibrated yet!!!), they looked like s___. Washed out. No detail in the highlights. Returning to my usual monitor, (which has been calibrated), the images look wonderful! Sparkling highlights. Sharp detail everywhere. Rich blacks. [What we have come to expect from 'Chelle :-) ] In general, stuff does not look STRANGE on an uncalibrated monitor, just not as good. I'm sure if I was an average consumer I would not even imagine things like calibration. But it makes an incredible difference. Had I been an average consumer, with a factory-set monitor, I would have missed enjoying Michelle's images. So the question is: since many of us use the web and computer screens as our primary means of displaying our work, we can adjust our monitors, but what can we do about everyone else's? I think I remember reading somewhere about embedding ICC profiles in jpegs. I think the intent here was to address this situation. But I don't quite understand how it is supposed to work. It seems that everything eventually comes down to how the end viewer has twiddled the knobs on their own particular machine?

Yikes! I would hate to think that people are looking at my work and seeing sh__! It's an important issue Misha, and one that most people don't think about I'm sure. It's also a pain in the butt to deal with...I always have a hell of a time when I calibrate, cause I'm never sure what others are seeing on their end. It's also important if you print images to have your monitor and printer calibrated as closely as possible as well. This way what you see on the monitor is what you will get in print too. Not sure about embedding ICC profiles...it would seem to me that you would have to download the image and open it in Photoshop or some other program in order for that to work? I don't see how it would work if you were simply going to be viewing them online. I know I have opened images that have embedded Nikon ICC profiles and PS always asks me if that is the color profile I want to use when viewing them.

Calibrating one's monitor is something anyone working in photography and/or digital imaging should do. There are a number of ways to accomplish this, and to be honest is way beyond what I am going to say for now. In fact there are several books written on this subject and a true calibration system incorporates the entire system from input to output.

For now, the image attached is a good starting point, so that images viewed on the web should appear decent regardless of the other variables involved in calibrating a complete system.

The image is comprised of 17 neutral gray patches on a 50% gray background. If the chart doesn't look gray on your monitor, something is wrong. Off color whites or blacks or an overall color cast, if not extreme, can sometimes be corrected by user hardware controls built into the monitor, or possibly software adjustments. It is also possible to have service adjustments inside the monitor by a qualified technician. Note do not attempt to open your monitor yourself to make internal adjustments. There is a high risk of injury involved in working inside a monitor, and any service of this nature should not be done by anyone without the proper tools or knowledge.

If individual sections of the step gradient exhibit a color cast not shared by their surrounding sections you most likely have a low quality or damaged video card. This is probably not a monitor problem, and can be corrected with a new video card of good quality. If your monitor is old (three or more years) you may have a CRT that displays three color errors. For example, you may see a bluish white, greenish grays, and a reddish black. If this is the situation, there is no cure and it is time for a new monitor.

Assuming that there are no color casts on your grays you can use the center bar to set the brightness of your monitor, so that you should be able to view most images properly. This bar is comprised of alternating vertical bands of black and approximately 10% gray.

Start by adjusting the contrast control on your monitor to its maximum setting. Now lower the brightness control until the bar appears fully black. Slowly increase the brightness until the variation between the black and gray bars becomes just visible. You should now be able to see all 17 steps of the gradient clearly.

One last note. Any monitor calibrations should be done in an environment that provides consistent lighting regardless of the time of day or external factors such as ambient room light. If you are doing critical work, it is important to keep the environmental light as neutral as possible and at the same level all the time.

Hope this helps.
Alpha

Oh thank you so much....this is very helpful!

i thought michelle's pictures had a complete lack of solid blacks... i just didnt say anything cuz i thought I was alone, but my rosity background ois black, so that's what i was comparing it against...

Thanks, Alpha. Looks good on my old monitor. I'll use it to calibrate the new one. [I do notice something really strange: If I scroll the screen so only one bar appears, (and the text filling the rest of the screen). And read the text, with the bars at the edge of vision, the bars flicker in brightness. The text remains solid white on black. The only explanation I can come up with that makes any sense at all is that the size of the pupil is changing slightly as I scan different words in the text. Wierd, and completely off topic.]

So am I the only one who seems to have a slight green tint in the greys and whites? Odd normally my moniter is a tad bit dark. BUT I've never noticed a green tint before. Hmmmm. Bsteph

Hi guys, calibration is als important when printing, so the quick cheet for printers, is to print a copy of he grey scale that Alpha has posted, and when you go to calibrate the monitor, you also keep it consistant to the print. My screen is a but off from all of yours because it is set to my printer, but over time I have learned to know the diferance. -gabe-

Thanks Alpha, that's really helpful.

Looking at the image and reading through the posts, I'm glad to find out my poor old monitor is a-ok. :-) Thanks, Alpha! :-) (*

OK. All calibrated. And Michelle's pictures are back to looking wonderful! Still makes me wonder: I suspect most folks do not have calibrated monitors. I guess if we all do, at least we'll be able to appreciate each others work.

Arghhh....well just playing around with my calibration using Adobe's Gamma, and now my images look shi__y to me. They looked fine to me before.....

Whew, much better now! This is why I hate calibrating, I always break out in a cold sweat from this stuff.

LOL @ Michelle A. There was a discussion of this somewhere about 5 or 6 months ago. I think the Poser forum. It's a problem when people who tend to be serious about their gamma and monitor calibrate and post pics generated on their PC only to discover it sucks when viewed on (some) other monitors. I work in the IT section and I also do a lot of graphic work for various offices (not that I am good...just that the others are that bad!). Lots of times, my pics or website will come up in a conversation when I am at the workstation of a customer...and naturally we "go" to take a look at some of my stuff. I'm amazed at how varied the shades and colors look from what I "tuned" on my monitor. So, face it, while lots of people here may want to make sure their monitor is calibrated, there will be lots more who don't care and that barely perceptible image in dark shade or that near-white image on a white background will just disappear. It's just the nature of the beasst (beast = monitors in this case).

for some reason my montior has just discarded all my nicely set colour calibration thingys, and now what is blue to me is purple to everyone else. GRRRRR, how i hate windows :(