Using Adobe Gamma with LCD

[jimmy_m.]

I'm having a problem calibrating my Dell LCD monitor using Adobe

Gamma. At the beginning, it says to turn to contrast ALL THE WAY UP.

(First of all, is it okay to keep your monitor at this high

setting?). When i do turn it all the way up, the detail in the fonts

on my address bar and other places get blown out to the point where

i can barely read what they say. This can't be right. Also, when

adjusting the slider to disappear, the box never gets to a point

where it disappears. What's going on? I know Adobe Gamma isn't the

best way to calibrate a monitor but i've had pretty good results

with it before when i had a CRT monitor. Is there anything i can do?

Are you supposed to leave the contrast slider at its maximum setting?

[jwink3101]

not that this helps you but you should look into buying a hardware system. I like photocal. It seems to work well.

[raymond of rish]

First off, unless you've spent thousands and thousand of dollars on your LCD, you will not get as good results as CRT. You wont get brights as bright, or darks as dark, or colors as vivid. My $300 CRT outperforms my $3000 LCD hands down.

 

That said, Adobe Gamma is an aid in getting you the best picture from your monitor. It is subjective, and you should take it as no more than just an aid. If your monitor looks better with a lower contrast setting, go ahead and turn it down.

 

You could invest hundreds (thousands) of dollars on calibration equipment that supposedly yield "ideal" results (ha!), or you can just eyeball it. Good luck finding the difference.

[steve_unsworth1]

Jimmy

<p>

I had exactly the same problem with my Samsung LCD monitor. After a lot of frustration I gave up and downloaded a grey scale from the internet and manually adjusted the brightness and contrast on the monitor until I had something that looked ok.

</p> <p>

LCD monitors are great for text etc., but I've also reached the conclusion that a CRT is much better for photos.</p>

[beauh44]

Hi Jimmy, It's true that most LCD monitors aren't the equal of CRT's but you can use them as long as you calibrate the monitor - and I wouldn't use Adobe Gamma. I tried that and cussed and cussed until I sprang for a monitor calibration system. For example, I used Adobe Gamma and followed intructions closely. It just didn't work right. What I was seeing was not what I was getting in print. When I finally broke down and bought a calibration system, I was surprised to see the different conclusions it came to regarding what was "right". In order for me to even get close, my monitor's brightness had to be turned down *completely*!! LCD's (when viewed straight on) are a bit brighter. Adobe Gamma did not catch this. Mine was a Dell monitor too!! You can try cutting the brightness of your Dell monitor all the way down, even tho' Adobe Gamma probably will not lead you to this, but a decent calibration system will. Once I calibrated with something other than Adobe Gamma, I quit cussing and saved on Rolaids!! Best wishes . . .

[charles_miller]

I always emphasize the value of hardware calibration methods for CRT (cathode ray tube) monitors. But a simpler eyeball method could, in theory, do better for LCDs than it does for CRTs. "Gamma" was the term chosen in the early days of black and white television to refer to the non-linear nature of CRT brightness. But Gamma has *expletive* nothing to do with LCD technology because there is no electron beam in an LCD. So unless a "gamma" software tool has been specifically updated to work with a non-gamma device like an LCD, you are really shooting yourself in the foot to use it for calibrating an LCD display.