After this recent talk about different views on different monitors I
decided it was time to actually profile this new Dell U2312HM which I
bought because it was very highly rated for the price
<http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&cs=19&sku=320-2807&baynote_bnrank=1&baynote_irrank=0&~ck=baynoteSearch>
Other than my laptop (which I affectionately call the Krappy Kolor
laptop) this is the first LCD screen I've had. Until recently I was
using my old Samsung SyncMaster CRT.
I dragged out the underutilized Monaco EZ-Color Suite and colorimeter
and started with part #1 which is to calibrate contrast, brightness and
white point before actually building a profile. Step #1 is reduce
contrast to 0... check. Step #2 is reduce brightness to a point where
the screen image is just barely visible... um, no check. Running the
brightness control to 0 looks like maybe I reduced the brightness by a
stop or two. The screen is looking like the only way to get to black
might be to turn the power off.
I try all sorts of things but can't make the screen dark. So I decide
to proceed to white point anyhow. The instructions say to play with the
RGB sliders until I can center the pointers in three bar graphs.
Nothing doing. Slippin' and slidin' this way and that the pointers
pretty much jump from one end to the other. Doesn't seem to be any in
between so white point is down the drain too. Funny though, white looks
pretty white. So I look at the monitors own internal controls and
select a custom color setting which allows me to set the color temp at
5700K (amongst others all higher than that). White still looks pretty
white. I decide to move on to building a profile regardless.
So I run the profiling software and all goes smooth as silk. The
profile is built, named and saved and becomes the new default. But now
I'm nervous. I couldn't make the screen dark with the brightness
control. Can I make black? I look at the icons on my screen which have
black bits and they look pretty black. I load up PhotoShop and create a
new canvas and paint it all black. Looks just like black ink. I paint
the canvas white and the white is really white.
So, how come? Has monitor software taken full control of brightness
away from me so I don't shoot myself in the foot? After all, if I did
manage to turn the screen black I wouldn't be able to see the on-screen
controls to turn the brightness back up.
Anyhow all seems to be well. I'm not sure the screen looks any
different than before I started. But, of course, I have no before and
after comparison. But some landscape photos look like they should.
What gives?
Chuck Norcutt
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