Monitor Brightness-iMAC

[David Eichler]

I have one of the Intel iMacs that does not have full control over monitor brightness (damn Apple). That is, I can't set the monitor brightness below about 190 cd/m3, and ideally I would like it in the 90 to 120 cd/m3 range. There was a software called Shades, which allowed lower brightness, but I think it caused some problems with color calibration or something. Is there some newer software that would work well for my purpose? As a last resort, I suppose I could shell out for an outboard monitor with its own brightness control, or put an ND filter over the monitor when I need to judge brightness for printing.

[digitaldog]

Shades is a hack. It really invalidates the profile. If you have to live with 190cd/m2, which isn't that awful (150 is what I use), just raise the print viewing conditions next to the display to result in a visual match. There is NOTHING special about 90-120cd/m2, in fact, newer LCD's are hard pressed to run that low.

[jappie]

#digitaldog:
Your answer is correct for only judging prints.
But it is not a solution for calibrating a printer.
And if the printer is not calibrated so to what quality of print are you looking at....?!
I hope there are fellows who have a solution for the problem of David (and mine too).
Some help can be found on the website of X-Rite by looking at a webinar of Joe Brady.
It's a webinar about their ColorMunki device and you is saying some things about Mac computers and about Shades...
Kind regards,
J.

[digitaldog]

But it is not a solution for calibrating a printer.

No, it is a completely different device in the chain, color managed with it’s own profile for soft proofing (for the visual match) AND the output.

FWIW, many printers require no calibration but they all require a profile. There is a difference. I’ve ever calibrated any of my Epson printers. They are quite stable and don’t require it. I do profile all of them.

[David Eichler]

No, it is a completely different device in the chain, color managed with it’s own profile for soft proofing (for the visual match) AND the output.

FWIW, many printers require no calibration but they all require a profile. There is a difference. I’ve ever calibrated any of my Epson printers. They are quite stable and don’t require it. I do profile all of them.

Even for Epson papers? I mean, if they can't do top quality profiles for their own printers/papers.... Would love to see some examples of the differences between the stock and custom profiles for a complete Epson output.

[Ellis Vener]

Even for Epson papers? I mean, if they can't do top quality profiles for their own printers/papers

The purpose of creating a custom profile even for an all (printer, ink & paper)  Epson, Canon , or HP or other printer is to take into account localized differences. By localized differences I mean variations from individual printer to individual printer, your working  environment ( viewing conditions, etc.) and the standards and settings you choose to create a profile with.  Also subject matter can mean one profile is better for one type of subject than another.

Canon, Epson and HP all do a very good job of creating generic or averaged profiles  but that does not mean a better profiel cannot be created.  See Bill Atkinson's notes on a bouquet of profiles at http://homepage.mac.com/billatkinson/FileSharing2.html