Monitor Brightness Level

[Mike Sellers]

When I look at Andrew Darlow`s test image the whites are too hot. I need to reduce the brightness levels by 10-15% to get the highlights right. My question is should I reduce the luminance of my monitor until the whites are right on the test image?
Mike

[shewhorn]

The first thing you should do is make sure the ambient light in your room is controlled. This means windows need light blocking shades and ambient light in your room shouldn't be falling directly on your monitor (so no overhead lights and no direct lighting from behind).

Luminance wise I recommend a starting point of around 110 cd/m^2 for general editing in Photoshop and Lightroom. Ideally you want to be able to see as many steps as possible between black and white. Ethan Hansen has a nice section on his site with a quick visual reference that will let you know how well your monitor is performing.

http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/Calibration/monitor_sensitivity.html

For a screen-to-print match a luminance of 110 cd/m^2 may be too low. It will depend on your viewing booth and environment.

Anyhow, Dry Creek is a good resource.

http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/monitor_calibration.htm

Cheers, Joe