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Author Topic: One monitor, two computers using it.  (Read 4601 times)

Rob C

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One monitor, two computers using it.
« on: December 30, 2011, 03:48:25 am »

Hi

I have a feeling that I asked this before, but so long ago that I can no longer be sure, and have certainly forgotten the replies if I did!

Briefly, I use a LaCie 319 monitor which is linked via a splitter cable to my two desktop comuters, one which I use only for Photoshop and the other for writing stuff and web-browsing.

Now, recently I started to play with my cellphone's camera and noticed that sent off e-mail images looked different, seen on the web-use computer, to the same finished jpegs when seen on the Photoshop machine.

The question is this: I calibrate the monitor using it with the Photoshop computer, so, what am I actually doing? Am I, in reality, adjusting the monitor to suit the computer or, perhaps adjusting the computer to suit the monitor? If the former, then I suppose there's no way it can ever suit both computers without recalibrating at every switch, which clearly isn't going to be practical.

However, if what's really happening is that the computer gets adjusted, then yes, simply calibrating with both computers might resolve my problem.

(I don't want to cloud the issue, but looking at my website on my web-linked computer, I don't seem to feel the same difference between the look of the images on it and the generating computer.)

Rob C

stamper

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Re: One monitor, two computers using it.
« Reply #1 on: December 30, 2011, 03:59:29 am »

Am I, in reality, adjusting the monitor to suit the computer or, perhaps adjusting the computer to suit the monitor?

Unquote

I am no expert but imo the former applies. Dan Margulis - a Photoshop guru - stated in one of his books that he has/ had calibrated an untold amount of monitors
and he reckoned that it is impossible to get every monitor to look the same and you shouldn't even try. Settle for a close approximation. Pick the monitor that
looks best to you and mostly use that one. I use two monitors and frankly only calibrate the main one and use the secondary one for less critical work. It's handy
for using a web browser and looking at other documents at the same time and of course all of you Photoshop menus and tools.

Jeremy Roussak

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Re: One monitor, two computers using it.
« Reply #2 on: December 30, 2011, 05:16:29 am »

Rob,

Like Stamper, I don't pretend to be an expert but I think he has things the wrong way round.

It may be that some high-end monitors are calibrated in hardware, within themselves. However, I think that most of the time when you calibrate a monitor, what you're doing is creating a profile for that monitor which is then used in software by the computer. That's certainly true of the Dells I use on my Mac.

If I'm right, that explains your situation and your solution is easy: connect your calibration device to your other computer, install the software and produce a profile.

Jeremy
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Eric Myrvaagnes

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Re: One monitor, two computers using it.
« Reply #3 on: December 30, 2011, 09:02:48 am »

Unlike Samper and Jeremy, I do pretend to be an expert, in absolutely everything.

The simple solution to your problem as I see it is to ditch the cell phone. If you really need a cell phone, find an old one that doesn't have a camera.

QED.

 ::)

Eric
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digitaldog

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Re: One monitor, two computers using it.
« Reply #4 on: December 30, 2011, 09:48:33 am »

I am no expert but imo the former applies. Dan Margulis - a Photoshop guru - stated in one of his books that he has/ had calibrated an untold amount of monitors
and he reckoned that it is impossible to get every monitor to look the same and you shouldn't even try.

He IS a Photoshop guru. He’s pretty damn clueless about color management. The statement is nonsense. We’ve had reference dispaly systems for a few decades. Barco, PressView, Artisan to name a few. More recently, NEC SpectraView or Eizo produce displays that do, when properly setup, produce visually identical previews on differing systems. That is why they are so expensive, and are used as reference displays. Of course, in differing environments, one has to control all ambient conditions (you build a reference viewing condition for your reference display systems).

Stick to reading about convoluted Lab conversions and how to correct piss poor captured images where no raw exists but ignore nearly anything Mr. Margulis has to say about color management!
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digitaldog

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Re: One monitor, two computers using it.
« Reply #5 on: December 30, 2011, 09:51:17 am »

The question is this: I calibrate the monitor using it with the Photoshop computer, so, what am I actually doing? Am I, in reality, adjusting the monitor to suit the computer or, perhaps adjusting the computer to suit the monitor?

Start here:http://www.takegreatpictures.com/software-tips-and-techniques/9785
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Rob C

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Re: One monitor, two computers using it.
« Reply #6 on: December 30, 2011, 10:45:56 am »

Start here: http://www.takegreatpictures.com/software-tips-and-techniques/9785



Well yes, I already understood about the different colour spaces around, but the article doesn't really answer my question about which piece of equipment is being changed when I calibrate.

As I think I indicated, my question came down to what is being changed, not why calibration is necessary; I'm possibly being very thick here, but my fear is that if I do a calibration, now, on the other combination which is the common monitor and the non-PS computer, I'll somehow screw up the setting for the PS combination, which could only happen if it's the monitor itself that's being readjusted.

Perhaps Eric's right! But, on that theme, I already have two dead non-camera 'phones which is why I now have the new one that I do. It has already bitten me: I'd understood the girl in the Telefonica shop where I bought it to be telling me that the monthly increase in the rental charges (double what I was paying for the non-Internet 'phones) was because the new phone accepted the Internet and this was payment for unlimited Internet use, just as with the fixed line ADSL system at home. I discovered from checking the latest invoice that it damned well isn't!

;-)

Rob C
« Last Edit: December 30, 2011, 10:47:31 am by Rob C »
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sandymc

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Re: One monitor, two computers using it.
« Reply #7 on: December 30, 2011, 11:05:53 am »

Well yes, I already understood about the different colour spaces around, but the article doesn't really answer my question about which piece of equipment is being changed when I calibrate.

Well, you don't mention what you're actually using to do the calibration, and I don't specifically know the LaCie 319, but 99% chance you're adjusting the computer. Specifically, you're changing the color profile that the computer uses to translate between "color" and "data to monitor". So yes, you should run calibration software on the other computer. If you're using a 2-1 cable, then do so without adjusting any monitor settings, otherwise you'll uncalibrate the first computer

Sandy
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Sheldon N

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Re: One monitor, two computers using it.
« Reply #8 on: December 30, 2011, 11:07:17 am »

I use the i1 Display Pro and share the same monitor with two different computers, one which is color managed and one which is my work computer with no color management or photo software at all.

When I calibrate/profile with the i1 on my main editing computer, it has me adjust the RGB controls to set the native white point of the display. This does affect how warm/cool magenta/green the base white on a display appears, before any profile is applied. It also has me set brightness at the display level, which affects the bightness on the non-color managed work computer. The rest of the profile is a calculated curve for RGB that is applied in software (either in the OS or in LR/PS) to give the proper image results. My work computer benefits from having a slightly more accurate white point and not being overly bright, but the colors are what you'd expect from a typical unprofiled office machine. I don't think that it made the color worse or hampered viewing results compared to just using the monitor in an "out of the box" state.

My old monitor was a Dell 2408WFP and worked as I've described above. As a side note, I recently upgraded to the Dell U2711 and it operates a little differently. It remembers the monitor settings for each individual input port. So when I profile the monitor on the main DVI port, the secondary port is not affected and can use different brightness/contrast and RGB settings. This allows me to run my work computer in the dumbed down sRGB mode and still have profiled/calibrated setting for my main computer.
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digitaldog

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Re: One monitor, two computers using it.
« Reply #9 on: December 30, 2011, 11:11:04 am »

Well yes, I already understood about the different colour spaces around, but the article doesn't really answer my question about which piece of equipment is being changed when I calibrate.

When you calibrate a display, you change that device. The target calibration aim points (usually white point, TRC Gamma and Backlight intensity) are altered to a desired condition. This can be done via the hardware itself (rare and ideal) or through a look up table on the graphic card. Since displays are unstable devices, you calibrate on a regular basis to bring the device back into the condition you desire (usually to match some output).
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David Piet

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Re: One monitor, two computers using it.
« Reply #10 on: December 30, 2011, 11:28:50 am »

If you're touching the display and adjusting brightness, contrast, or whatever, you are affecting the display.  If you are making all of the adjustments through your keyboard, you are creating a profile and not affecting the display itself.  The latter is the most common.  There should be no problem calibrating each computer separately in that case.
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sandymc

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Re: One monitor, two computers using it.
« Reply #11 on: December 30, 2011, 11:47:25 am »

I use the i1 Display Pro and share the same monitor with two different computers, one which is color managed and one which is my work computer with no color management or photo software at all.

When I calibrate/profile with the i1 on my main editing computer, it has me adjust the RGB controls to set the native white point of the display. This does affect how warm/cool magenta/green the base white on a display appears, before any profile is applied. It also has me set brightness at the display level, which affects the bightness on the non-color managed work computer. The rest of the profile is a calculated curve for RGB that is applied in software (either in the OS or in LR/PS) to give the proper image results. My work computer benefits from having a slightly more accurate white point and not being overly bright, but the colors are what you'd expect from a typical unprofiled office machine. I don't think that it made the color worse or hampered viewing results compared to just using the monitor in an "out of the box" state.

My old monitor was a Dell 2408WFP and worked as I've described above. As a side note, I recently upgraded to the Dell U2711 and it operates a little differently. It remembers the monitor settings for each individual input port. So when I profile the monitor on the main DVI port, the secondary port is not affected and can use different brightness/contrast and RGB settings. This allows me to run my work computer in the dumbed down sRGB mode and still have profiled/calibrated setting for my main computer.

If your display supports different setting per input, then go through the whole calibration process (monitor adjustments and all) for both computers. If the display didn't support different settings per input, you'd want to do the whole calibration process including all the monitor adjustments on one computer (the one you wanted to be more accurate), and then just do the profile building parts on the other one.

Sandy
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Sheldon N

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Re: One monitor, two computers using it.
« Reply #12 on: December 30, 2011, 01:25:03 pm »

If your display supports different setting per input, then go through the whole calibration process (monitor adjustments and all) for both computers. If the display didn't support different settings per input, you'd want to do the whole calibration process including all the monitor adjustments on one computer (the one you wanted to be more accurate), and then just do the profile building parts on the other one.

Sandy

My other machine is a work computer (work is not photography related). Not allowed to add any software to it, it's a locked platform. No need for a monitor profile or anything fancy on it. It's actually nice to be able to run sRGB on the work computer, and the full wide gamut on my main machine. Wide gamut + no color managed software = garish colors.
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