Monitor calibration

Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight Processing Deep Sky Help Needed
3 replies•143 views
drblevy13 avatar
drblevy13 avatar
Hi Folks,

I recently processed several pictures and am concerned that how I am seeing the end result on my computer monitor is not how everyone else sees them after I post.  Reason I mention is that when I pulled up the pictures on my laptop and phone, they appear much darker than I intended with far too much contrast to the point that the background almost appears clipped.  It doesn't look that way on my primary computer monitor, but I have a triple monitor display: I noticed that the center monitor where I do all my PixInsight work displays things as I want, but if I drag the window to either of my side monitors, the image appears much darker and too contrasted (like my phone and laptop shows).

I've never even thought about calibrating a monitor, but any advice on this and have others run into similar scenarios?

Thanks,
Ben
Florian Hahn avatar
Florian Hahn avatar
Hi Ben,

I am by no means an expert, but have some tips to have a decent result for you. In general a monitor which covers at least 100% of the sRGB color space is a must for photography if you are a little serious about it. That color space should be totally enough if you do not go into print. First I recommend you check your monitor models and choose the one with the best sRGB color space coverage. That one should be the one on which you should process your images. All images which you present on the web will be shown in sRGB on any device.

In case you are looking for a new monitor, have a look at this recent thread. It has some great recommendations for monitors in the lower price range but which are serious for photography.
https://www.astrobin.com/forum/c/astrophotography/equipment/monitor-for-astrophotography-processing/

But even a good monitor will not perform well if it is not calibrated well. The models talked about in the thread all come factory calibrated. But to do the same at home or calibrate your own monitors, I recommend a monitor calibration tool such as from Datacolor or Portrait. Maybe you know somebody who owns such a device and calibrates your monitor for you. Otherwise this is a one-time-invest which helps you to keep your monitor calibrated.

Personally I currently use a simple business monitor with good sRGB coverage since 3 years now. Since several months I own a calibration device from Datacolor now. I wouldn't call it a drastic change, but after calibration of the monitor I have much better color representation, especially in the red channel. I am happy with the result and can recommend it if you want to be certain others see your pictures like you do.

CS, Florian
drblevy13 avatar
drblevy13 avatar
Florian,

Thank you so much for the advice and for pointing me to that thread!  I was doing some homework in the meantime, and I stumbled across the Datacolor Spyder.  Looks like a good starting point, and will definitely check out the monitors you mentioned as well.

Clear skies!
Ben
Jim Raskett avatar
Jim Raskett avatar
I’ve used a Datacolor Spyder X Pro for several years with great results.
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