[Digikam-users] UNS: Re: [OT] Monitor Calibration with whacky White Point

[Daniel Bauer]

On Monday 17 November 2008 18.35:31, Dennis Meulensteen wrote:
> Op Monday 17 November 2008, schreef Paul Waldo:
> > While these results would appear promising, I'm not sure I believe that
> > the changes have done much for me. Now anything that is supposed to be
> > white on screen has a definite blue color cast that won't go away no
> > matter how long I stare at the monitor.
>
> No sage advice, but a blue color cast on a properly calibrated monitor
> could suggest your ambient lighting is much too warm. This would prevent
> full adjustment to the monitor's color temp. Maybe you could look into
> that.

Hello,

(Monitor) calibration is - as you now experienced - a very, very complicated 
and tricky thing... To make it short: 

I would first put the monitor on a "usual" gamma setting (like 1.2) in 
kcontrol, put on the surrounding light in your office "as usual" and then 
adjust the monitor itself (hardware sliders...) so that you can distinguish 
the darkest black from the second darkest and the brightest white from the 
second brightest.

Then (still on the hardware) switch around the different color modes that the 
monitor offers (like "warm", "cold", whatever it has...) until you find what 
you think looks like gray.

Finally I'd take some photos, some b/w's, some color ones that you have in a 
paper version you like and in a quality scan (or digital image) and adjust 
the contrast/brightness sliders on the monitor until it somehow fits.

I think you cannot really do much more...

If you want to have a "really" calibrated monitor first have a look at your 
bank account... then buy a monitor that you can calibrate - think about some 
2 or 3 thousand Euros - if you find a cheap one. Also buy a calibraton tool 
(densitometer), that is something looking like a mouse that will mesure the 
light emission from your monitor and tell you in which direction you have to 
apply changes. Then you need a hood on the monitor that eliminates lieght 
from the top and the sides. You'd also better have a standardized light in 
the room where your monitor is (no more looking out of the window in the sun, 
sorry).

Finally you shoud also buy a printer you can calibrate, but then it's getting 
really tricky and you should first book a course in color management...

If you have that much money, I'd suggest, you send a part of it to me, save 
the rest and just be happy with the simple, but not perfect solution I 
mentioned first.

Conclusion: don't think too much about calibration unless you really have to 
deliver color-proof work all the time. 

regards

Daniel

-- 
Daniel Bauer photographer Basel Barcelona
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