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Author Topic: Calibrating for web work  (Read 2269 times)

smahn

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Calibrating for web work
« on: October 02, 2009, 04:41:48 pm »

I use ColorEyes with a DTP94 puck to calibrate my Dell 3007HC to a luminance of 140 cd/m2, which I know is already on the high side for many who calibrate.. I use this site to make sure my gamma and gradients fall in normal ranges: http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/, and for the most part they do.

However, I sense that my clients have their monitors set much brighter and in spite of all my careful efforts, my images, some of which can be on the tonally delicate side, appear weaker to them than to me. The other day it happened that a retoucher had his ACD setup next to my display and his was blazing compared to mine. I didn't think much of it at the time because in spite of the fact he hardware calibrates he was unaware of the term "luminance". However, he does work at an agency where he matches prints to GRACoL standards - so maybe something is just off in my system despite my best efforts.

I understand matching one's luminance to print viewing conditions, but what about for web work? How do I know I'm in the ballpark with the rest of the world? Or barring that, how do I have enough confidence that my system is right to tell my clients to match me?

And can anyone tell me the merits of ICC v2 vs v4 profiles, and LUT based vs Matrix?
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digitaldog

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Calibrating for web work
« Reply #1 on: October 03, 2009, 10:59:13 am »

Quote from: smahn
I understand matching one's luminance to print viewing conditions, but what about for web work? How do I know I'm in the ballpark with the rest of the world?

You can't, that's impossible. Consider that only two browsers are color managed and the vast majority of users don't profile their displays let alone use these browsers. Don't sweat it. Plus, unlike trying to calibrate a display luminance to match viewing conditions of a print for a match, you're not trying to do this. So if someone has a display at a fixed luminance for print, uses an ICC web browser etc, your images should look fine to them, they will adapt to luminance (which I doubt they'd alter for web viewing anyway). Everyone else is a big guessing game, their previews are all over the map (and apparently, they have no issue with that so its a moot point).
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Pat Herold

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Calibrating for web work
« Reply #2 on: October 05, 2009, 03:54:28 pm »

ICC v.4 profiles have a few more restrictions in how they are to be built and used.  But practically speaking, unless you are doing something strange or unusual, you won't find any difference when you choose either one.  Some details:
http://www.it-enquirer.com/main/ite/more/icc_profile_v4/

There's a good description of how and when to choose LUT vs. Matrix here:
http://www.colorwiki.com/wiki/Monitors_Par...._Lookup_Tables
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Jonathan Wienke

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Calibrating for web work
« Reply #3 on: October 05, 2009, 04:26:38 pm »

Quote from: smahn
I understand matching one's luminance to print viewing conditions, but what about for web work? How do I know I'm in the ballpark with the rest of the world?

Trying to match other people's uncalibrated monitors is impossible, and it's pointless and stupid to waste time bothering to try. The best you can do to get "in the ballpark" is to make sure your color management ducks are in a row, and convert your web images to sRGB. If you do that, then those with hardware-calibrated monitors will see the image the way it is supposed to look. Those without hardware-calibrated monitors aren't, no matter what you do. Imagine nailing peanut butter to a live shark, and you'll get a rough idea of the futility of the exercise.

Quote
Or barring that, how do I have enough confidence that my system is right to tell my clients to match me?

If your doing your color management stuff right and so is the client, then there won't be any problems. If the client isn't using color management, look at it as an opportunity to do some color management consulting work. Don't be afraid to be assertive if you know what you're doing.
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smahn

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Calibrating for web work
« Reply #4 on: October 06, 2009, 01:58:58 pm »

Thanks for the help guys.

I did uncover one problem just by updating my ColorEyes software.

My Mac OS had a rather obscure (to me) control panel affecting the contrast of my screen. In Universal Access, which is largely targeted to people with hearing and seeing disabilities, I had a contrast boost in play that I don't know when I set. It wasn't a huge amount, but enough that my images were looking that much richer to me than they actually were.

The recent version of ColorEyes alerted me this setting was in place, while the older one didn't, otherwise I'd have never known.

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