Dual Monitor Calibration

[GIBS]

Hi, I seem to be having an issue with a dual monitor calibration.

I haven't seen this before but I have just noticed that there appears a difference ( to me at least :-) ) in the displays after calibration. The colours, I would guess the saturation, are different.

I have the latest osx & i1 display 2 program so am at a bit of a loss to why they appear different.

I have tried swapping of the main display in osx and looking at the images again in lightroom, in case I had done something odd.

Any ideas ? Is this likely to some bug somewhere ? I'm expecting some difference in the brightness of the 2 monitors, which are both cinema displays, just not the colours.

Thanks

[Pat Herold]

Brightness is the key first ingredient when trying to get two displays to match. Are both your monitors actually putting out the same brightness?  At the end of the profiling procedure, i1Match shows you the results of your calibration.  Look under Luminance: Current and see how your two screens compare.  You may need to boost the brightness of one display just a bit in order to meet the brightness of the other. And then reprofile again at the new level.  Everything else, like saturation and color, is scaled to luminance so this is important.

[wenkoff]

do you need two video cards to calibrate 2 monitors properly? I simply switched which was my main monitor in the preferences, calibrated, then switched back. does this work?

Brightness is the key first ingredient when trying to get two displays to match. Are both your monitors actually putting out the same brightness?  At the end of the profiling procedure, i1Match shows you the results of your calibration.  Look under Luminance: Current and see how your two screens compare.  You may need to boost the brightness of one display just a bit in order to meet the brightness of the other. And then reprofile again at the new level.  Everything else, like saturation and color, is scaled to luminance so this is important.

[philllie1]

Hi

I am new to monitor calibration, maybe someone can help me  a bit.

I have to quite different monitor types, the hp lp2475w (wide gamut) and a dell 2005fpw. I calibrated both of them with spyder 3. After profiling the images on the hp monitor look more vibrant/saturated and less contrasty then on the hp - the difference is quite obvious and bigger than I expected.
therefore my questions:

- is this normal`?
- if yes: a) which monitor should I "trust" regarding color/contrast
            b) could a new-generation product lik 1t display pro improve the results
- if no: what could be wrong (I have win 7 and both profiles are loaded correctly)

thanks       

[Steve Weldon]

What system and video card are you using?  You need a video card which supports two LUT's (look up table) and you need one LUT per monitor.

[philllie1]

What system and video card are you using?  You need a video card which supports two LUT's (look up table) and you need one LUT per monitor.

Hi
I am on the road now, so I will have to look up the exact video card tomorrow. But it is a new ATI card and I can load different profiles into the LUT. This seems to work fine.

[Steve Weldon]

Hi
I am on the road now, so I will have to look up the exact video card tomorrow. But it is a new ATI card and I can load different profiles into the LUT. This seems to work fine.

Yes, the newer ATI cards can handle 3 LUT's providing the software is setup and used correctly.  Assuming it is, it sounds like your monitors are very different.  It's hard enough to match two monitors of the same type, next would be two different model monitors which support the same gamut, and at the bottom is what you have.  Two different models which support different gamuts.

If I was going to attempt this I'd ask myself why.  I've used dual monitors for over a decade, two of the exact same monitors side by side on a dual display stand and I love them.  Currently I'm using two NEC LCD2690uxi2's.. and using Lightroom or C1 with a dedicated 2nd display monitor is pure luxury.  Love it.  But with two different monitors I'd ask myself can I set them side by side, do they line up, are they usable as such.. if just for tools and palettes I wouldn't bother profiling the monitor used for tools and palettes. 

But if I did.. I'd profile to a gamut which both monitors can handle, which in your case sounds like Srgb.  Once I ran through the profiling as close as I could get, then I'd hand/eye tune the white point to get the two as close as possible.  And I'd do it realizing they'll never been spot on and it's basically an exercise in futility.. go in not expecting perfection, be pleased if you get something usable.

[philllie1]

Hi Steve

thanks for your helpful infos. 
Since the second monitor is indeed only for convenience, I could really live with the the monitors not beeing exactly them same. The problem of course is to find out, which of my two ones is the reasonable one to go with regarding contrast and saturation for retouching... I suppose, it is not the wide gamut one !?

[Steve Weldon]

Hi Steve

thanks for your helpful infos. 
Since the second monitor is indeed only for convenience, I could really live with the the monitors not beeing exactly them same. The problem of course is to find out, which of my two ones is the reasonable one to go with regarding contrast and saturation for retouching... I suppose, it is not the wide gamut one !?

The monitor which more closely matches your desired final output would be the one to use.  Do you need a wide gamut output?