Samsung Natural Color Pro. Monitor calibration at home using Natural Color Pro. Correct monitor screen settings. Reducing eye strain

Almost all users computer systems while working, they want to see a clear, rich picture on the screen. Color is one of the components that greatly influences the image and also does not tire the eyes. But not everyone knows how to properly set up a monitor for correct color reproduction and check the settings made. Of course, in each specific case it all depends on personal preferences, but several general advice you can still give it. Let's look at some basic tools.

Setting color rendering: related parameters and factors

So, the user was faced with the problem of checking the set parameters for correct color rendering. What to do first? First, you need to clearly understand that adjusting just these parameters may not give much improvement.

The fact is that in this case many related factors play a role. For example, before calibrating colors, you need to decide on the place where the monitor itself is constantly located, what the illumination is in this place, whether it changes during the day, whether direct sunlight or electric light falls on the screen, etc. Depending on this, the settings can be completely different.

In addition, it is worth considering that big influence Brightness, contrast, and many other factors influence color settings. Besides all this, absolutely different solutions may have a question about how to set up your monitor for correct color reproduction on a laptop, or perform similar steps on a desktop device or TV panel to which you may be connected computer terminal. More on this later.

Dependence on the type of matrix and graphics adapter

Another challenge in deciding how to set up your monitor for proper color reproduction is the variety modern types matrices Setting the same parameters on monitors with CRT, TN or IPS matrices is not the same in terms of the resulting image.

For example, IPS matrices can be easily configured without the use of software methods, since they are made using such technology that when looking at the screen at an angle, the image practically does not change. But other screens may produce glare or change colors.

In the same way, screens can be configured differently depending on what video card is installed. Typically, manufacturers supply special configuration utilities for them in a pre-installed form, so it is better to perform color calibration with their help. In addition, it is precisely such utilities that allow you to change parameters in relation to normal mode work or to pass computer games. As a rule, access to color settings and other parameters is carried out from a menu called up by clicking on the adapter icon in the system tray. And, I must say, they can make installations automatically.

Visual determination of image quality

Finally, before you start directly deciding how to configure the monitor for correct color rendering (use software or limit yourself to system tools), you need to evaluate how feasible this is.

The most important scourge of all screens is a change in color or contrast when viewed from the side. First, you should move a few meters away from the screen and see how the image changes. Along the way, it is worth paying attention to the presence of horizontal stripes changing in the vertical direction. If they are visible too clearly, you will have to do some adjustments (this can be done in the adapter properties on the “Monitor” tab). The higher the frequency, the better. As a rule, the optimal setting is initially applied by default, but separately standing monitor a computer or laptop screen can support higher parameters. Therefore, you need to test each of them by selecting the appropriate frequencies in the drop-down menu.

How to set up your monitor for correct color reproduction: desktop devices

Now about the setup itself. As a rule, most modern computer monitors(not laptop screens) are already equipped during manufacturing with their own means for setting the necessary parameters.

To solve the question of how to set up the monitor for correct color reproduction, in the most simple case need to press special button menu on the front panel or side to enter the corresponding menu. When you select the desired section using two buttons, you can adjust all parameters. But, as is already clear, such settings are primitive, and the monitors themselves are clearly limited in their ability to fine-tune all the necessary parameters.

How to properly adjust monitor color rendering using Windows?

Although you can access color settings on Windows systems through personalization or screen customization (both sections can be accessed from the right-click menu on empty space"Desktop"), it is still better to use a special calibration tool. The easiest way to call it is through the search bar of the Start menu, where the word “calibration” is written. You can also access this tool, for example, in Windows 10 through the screen options, where additional settings are selected. You should first set it to optimal (recommended) or use higher settings if supported.

Next, you will need to follow the recommendations of the “Wizard,” changing certain settings along the way. Particular attention should be paid to setting the number of displayed colors and depth. You don’t have to experiment with quantity, but the color depth for displayed graphic objects is for almost everyone modern devices must be set to 32 bits.

Testing and configuration using RealColor

It is considered that one of the most optimal solutions The problem with how to set up your monitor for correct color reproduction is the use of a special wallpaper called RealColor, which is vaguely reminiscent of the adjustment grid that used to be used on TVs.

You just need to download the wallpaper with a resolution corresponding to that installed on your computer monitor or laptop screen, and then open it in full. Next, you should look at the screen from a normal distance. But it is better to use a special picture, in which, with optimal color settings, a smooth gray gradient should be visible. If streaking is visible or other colors are mixed in, the monitor is not calibrated. A similar result should be observed for images with colored letters and circles on a gray background.

In most cases, the result will not live up to your hopes, so you will have to use special utilities. One could, of course, recommend the special Atrise Lutcurve application, but the program is paid ($25), and most users simply cannot afford it.

Image calibration in Adobe Gamma

Thus, if you decide how to set up your monitor for correct color rendering using software, you can use Adobe Gamma as a testing utility, however, this program is basically designed for color calibration when working in Photoshop (so that the image on the screen does not differ depending on what will be printed).

When starting the application, it is better to select a special “Wizard” (step by step) and create a description of the new profile. Next, as in the case of calibration in Windows, you need to follow the instructions and recommendations, changing the parameters manually.

We set the glow type to HDTV (CCIR 709) or our own, leave only one checkbox for consideration and determine the so-called color temperature of the white point (for daylight the value is set to 6500K). Next, three light squares will be shown, from which you will need to choose the most neutral gray. On last stage All that remains is to set the point display as hardware and save the profile. If you need to make changes, editing the profile or launching a new test can be done from the system tray.

Using online services

Basically, evaluate the correctness set parameters Color rendering is also possible using special web services like monteon.ru, but they do not have their own configuration tools, but in the test results they provide fairly detailed descriptions of problems and recommendations for eliminating them.

conclusions

As a conclusion, we can only note that fine-tuning color rendering is quite a difficult task, especially since these parameters depend on a huge number of third-party factors and conditions. Therefore in different situations and the settings used may differ sharply from each other.

But many will ask, what should I use? In the simplest case, you can limit yourself to using Windows. Well, in programmatically It is better to configure the settings using the utilities supplied with graphics adapters(if such programs exist). In most cases, they save the user from changing settings manually and can optimize all parameters based on the selected operating mode.

The poor quality of the matrices in mainstream monitors makes it difficult for users to accurately identify details and colors in photographs, printed designs, or other images. But everything is not so hopeless. There is no need to run to the store for a new one. How to adjust your monitor to improve image quality?

First of all, we need to consider that we are talking about consumer approach. Professionals are guided by completely different tasks and opportunities. And their requirements differ from everyday ones. Professional decisions require serious costs, which are unlikely to be justified if your earnings do not depend on the quality of the image.

Why adjust your monitor?

A monitor can be good or bad, but more often it turns out to be incorrectly configured. Many of us have noticed the difference in colors on our TV and those of our parents or friends.

You should also understand that a person has individual vision characteristics, so everyone perceives the image differently. In addition to the visual characteristics of the person himself, monitor settings should also be taken into account.

Default computer settings standard drivers, the use of inappropriate color profiles, standard cords, or incorrect placement of the screen - all this has specific value. Therefore, you should not rely solely on images on the Internet.

Photographers often show potential clients portfolio on their laptops with the appropriate settings installed. But photos may look different on a different monitor. Therefore, you should not rely on the monitor to assess the quality of pictures. The only way to universally check quality is to print photographs.

How to properly set up a monitor - where to start?

Before setting up your monitor, you should remove possible obstacles to normal color reproduction (with maximum shades for this monitor) and full color perception. First of all, you should place the Monique in a place where there will be no interference from outside lighting. Look around the room - it is optimal that there are no windows in the chosen place, and that the lamp light does not fall directly or at an angle.

Designers also use special curtains that help limit glare and side light. For ordinary users Such curtains may be overkill, but you can at least place them on the table so that no light hits the screen.

Let's consider an image specially created to evaluate the quality of the picture on the monitor. This image contains 2 halves - white and black. Each half is marked with numbers 1-5. If the matrix is ​​of sufficient quality and well configured, you can see all the numbers from this list. Owners of a mid-level monitor can see numbers 1-3. If only numbers 1-2 are visible, or it was not possible to notice them at all, the problem must be solved - this is what our article is intended for.

The monitor does not always reproduce colors perfectly. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s expensive or cheap. The monitor needs to be configured like other devices that are display media. Regular the adjustment consists from standard settings for brightness, contrast, clarity, saturation, and so on. But there are also other parameters displays, more subtle. If the computer is used for simple tasks in the office, then this is not necessary. But if you need to constantly work with graphics, then the color rendition must match the source material. This important parameter and calibrating the display, in this case, is necessary.

• You need to calibrate your monitor in 20 minutes after switching on, that is, after complete warming up.
• Before you start, you need reset all monitor parameters are the same as those that were set at the factory. If such a function is not provided in the monitor, then you will need a program wini2cddc. It is a trial and 30 day trial. After the reset it is not needed and will be uninstalled.
• If there were parameters changed, then you need to re-calibrate;
• If there are automatic Contrast and brightness adjustments should be made disable their;
• If there is no calibrator and calibration using the program fails, when working with images, you should save them originals.

Settings and image quality assessment

If the display has a low-quality matrix, then it can often be errors when colors are selected when committing processing pictures, photographs and layouts for printing, when creating websites and resources.

There is a special picture that allows you to evaluate the quality of the calibration. On both sides there are numbers from 1 to 5. So, if the calibration is more or less successful, then it should be visible from three digits, and if perfect, then all five are above and below. If settings bad, then 1-2.

You need to remember how many numbers are visible and adjust until the average or high level. You can also open the picture and customize based on it.

In order for the image to be clearly visible, first wipe the screen itself, so that nothing interferes or spoils the picture, and then adjust it.

Adjusting brightness and contrast

Brightness can also be configured using a special picture. On her, you need to make sure that the colors of the suit and shirt, which are black, didn't merge. That is, it was possible to distinguish where the jacket was and where the shirt was. There is also a cross in the background, it should be clearly visible.

Adjustment contrast makes it so that there are noticeable light colors, and their details are distinguishable.

There are folds and buttons in the image, so you need to choose the calibration so that they are clearly visible. Better this parameter install in zero position, and then little by little raise. If they start to disappear, then you need to reduce.

Gamma and Gray Adjustment

Gamma is an important parameter. However, not every monitor allows you to configure it properly. But we must try to bring it to ideal, that is, as best as possible. If she's set up qualitatively, then dark and light spots will not be visible in the center of the image.

Correct gray calibration will remove those colors shades, which make the display image worse. Adjustable three colors: red, blue and green. If the calibration is perfect, then there should be no third-party colors in the picture, only ideal grey colour.

Configuration programs

There is plenty for this various applications from the simplest to the most complex, with subtle possibilities calibration:

• Atrise Software LUTCurve – best utility With big amount settings.
• Eberhard Werle QuickGamma– this program allows you to adjust colors and gamma.
• TFT Test 1.52– this program contains 12 pictures for setting up and comparing displays.

Even outstanding specifications monitors do not guarantee that the image on the screen will be perfect. The quality of the picture depends on the display settings no less than on its electronic “stuffing”.

Factory settings in most cases do not allow the monitor to reach its full potential. There are three reasons for this.

1. Saving. The cheaper the display, the less attention the manufacturer pays to setting it up. And even quite expensive models (10–15 thousand rubles) are often far from ideally configured.

2. Individual differences between displays of the same model. At the design stage, the monitor components - matrix, backlight, control electronics - are adjusted to each other: backlight lamps are selected according to the emission spectrum and transmittance of the matrix subpixels, the control electronics sets the shape of the gamma curves, etc. However, the parameters of the components of a single monitor are always slightly different from the nameplate ones, and as a result, the image characteristics also “float”.

3. Background lighting. Factory settings are aimed at operating the display when certain color and brightness of background lighting. However, users have to work at the computer either during the day, when sunlight makes it difficult to see anything on the screen, or in the late evening, straining from the excessive brightness of the image. And the color of external lighting can change from bluish for fluorescent lamps to red for the “Ilyich bulb”. As a result, the shades on the screen will also be perceived differently (the explanation for this is
see below for this phenomenon).

Incorrect settings lead to “crooked” color rendering. Most users don't notice how unrealistic the colors are on the screens they use every day. The human sensory system adapts to color distortions, and over time he ceases to see them. But if you put a “lying” monitor next to another, high-quality and correctly configured one, the difference in the image will be shocking: you may unexpectedly see that the faces in the photographs have an unhealthy blue tint, the grass is acid green, etc. In addition, when processing photographs on a monitor with incorrect color reproduction, the following unpleasant effect may occur: the user adjusts the colors in the photo, unknowingly compensating for the display's deficiencies, and as a result, the image is reproduced correctly only on this device. For example, if the monitor displays a picture with a blue tint, the user will turn down the brightness of this color in Photoshop and the photo will appear yellowish on other displays.

The second blow is taken by the perceived contrast: adjusting the electronics with incorrectly specified gamma curves makes the image faded and faded, or, conversely, too dark.

Fortunately, these shortcomings can be corrected. Most monitors allow you to customize image parameters within a wide range, and even with cheap models, color reproduction and contrast can be significantly improved. As for expensive displays, they can be adjusted with pinpoint precision, which allows them to be used even for professional color work.

At the same time, a well-tuned monitor is important not only for design, digital graphics and printing specialists. From correct settings depends on both the pleasure of playing games or watching movies, as well as the comfort when working with text and even the health of the user. We owe chronic eye fatigue not only to constant sitting in front of a monitor, but also low quality Images.

Preparatory actions

Before you begin setting up your monitor, you need to let it run for about 15–20 minutes. During this time, it will have time to warm up, the backlights will go into regular mode work. In addition, you should clean the screen from dust and traces of touch. For this, use special wet wipes soaked in an alcohol-based composition. They do not leave streaks and not only remove dirt well, but also provide antistatic protection for some time, protecting the screen from dust. It is helpful to read the manual that came with your monitor to understand the controls and available adjustments. Pay attention to the ability to move the menu from the center of the screen to its peripheral part– this may be needed during setup.

IN Display options Windows needs to set the correct values basic settings Images. IN Vista versions To access these parameters, right-click on Desktop, select “Personalization” from the drop-down list and in the window that opens, click on the “Display Settings” link. In Windows XP the same is enough context menu select “Properties”.

1. Move the slider in the “Resolution” section, setting the value corresponding to the “native” resolution of the display (in most cases, this is the maximum). Otherwise the image will be very blurry.

2. In the “Color Quality” menu, set the value to “Highest (32 bits)”.

3. Click on the “Advanced” button and in the window that opens, go to the “Monitor” tab. Select the maximum value from the drop-down list.

4. Close all windows opened in the previous steps by clicking on the “Ok” button.

Setting up your monitor using the OSD menu

The easiest way to set up a monitor is to tinker with its on-screen menu. Unlike “ancient” cathode ray tube displays, the best models of which have a “spread out” range of options, modern LCD monitors have an order of magnitude fewer adjustments available to the user (first of all, image geometry settings have disappeared). Three of them are found in the menu of the vast majority of models and allow you to adjust the picture by eye, without using auxiliary “software” or additional hardware devices, although it is impossible to achieve a significant improvement in image quality in such a simple way.

1. Brightness . This parameter sets the overall backlight intensity of the image.

and equally affects both its darkest elements, up to black, and light ones, including pure White color. Insufficient brightness makes the picture too dark, the difference between shades of similar intensity in the shadows becomes almost invisible (“shadows” and “highlights” are terms from professional photography, indicating the dark and light areas of the image), they merge with the black color. And too much brightness on displays with low contrast emphasizes “unreliable” black color. By increasing the brightness using the menu, it is necessary to achieve optimal reproduction of black on the screen, in which it remains quite dense, but shades close to it will be clearly visible. A photograph with a night scene taken with flash is perfect for this purpose.

2. Contrast. This setting should not be confused with contrast as a display characteristic.

Editing the corresponding OSD option will not deepen the blacks on the screen, but will only change the shape of the gamma curves. When too high contrast the picture looks too bright, “it hits the eyes”, which is especially noticeable when working with standard text (absolutely black letters on a bright white background). Because of this, the user quickly gets tired, general fatigue increases, and irreversible consequences for vision are possible in the future. Therefore, for everyday work not related to computer graphics, it is recommended to lower the contrast slightly. The picture will not be as rich as with the maximum value, but the strain on vision will be reduced. For viewing photographs and videos, amateur work with graphic programs and computer games, the contrast should be increased to the required level, focusing on high-quality reproduction the brightest areas of the picture: if you “sort out”, then the details in the highlights will disappear.

In addition, the contrast can be adjusted to the external lighting conditions, increasing during the day, especially in bright sun, and decreasing in the evening.

3. Colorful temperature. This term, familiar to amateur photographers, will also be found in the monitor settings menu.

In this case, this parameter sets the ratio of brightness of red, green and blue colors in the image on the monitor. It is measured in degrees Kelvin and is called temperature because it corresponds to the radiation spectrum of a completely black body heated to the appropriate temperature. The higher the color temperature, the cooler (paradox of perception) the hue of the image.

To a person, the colors of objects look the same regardless of the lighting, although in fact they change noticeably - this is clearly visible in photographs. When the lighting changes, the brain finds environment familiar objects and sets “white balance” based on them. At the same time, the colors of objects in which he is less “confident” (including on the monitor screen) are adjusted accordingly. This phenomenon is easy to check at home: paper sheets look white in the light of an incandescent lamp, but the document field in Microsoft Word has a bluish tint (unless, of course, the color rendering is shifted towards warm tones; in addition, the strength of this effect depends on the size of the screen - the brain “trusts” the color of a large object more strongly and begins to take it into account when setting its “white balance”).

By adjusting the color temperature of the display, the user can adjust the hue of the picture to the spectrum of background lighting - then the difference in perception will disappear. LCD monitor menus usually offer several fixed color temperatures to choose from. Smaller numbers give the image a warmer feel. pink tint, high values make the gamma colder, bluish. Standard color temperature values ​​correspond to several types of lighting: 2000K – household incandescent lamp, 3000K – fluorescent lamp with a “warm” phosphor, 4000K – fluorescent lamp with a “cool” phosphor, 5500K – bright daylight, 6500K – medium-brightness daylight ( aka D65, is the standard value for most displays), from 7500K to 8100K – cloudy “weather” and 9300K – shadow. When changing the nature of the backlight, you need to select the appropriate option on the display, but not all monitors have such a wide range of color temperature settings. In this regard, outdated CRT displays are more convenient: good models allow you to set any custom parameter value. On LCD monitors, for this you have to “conjure” with separate sliders for red, green and blue colors.

Using them, only a color correction specialist can set the correct color temperature.

Monitor software setup

The on-screen menu allows only rough adjustments of the display (although even such “processing with a file” in some cases will significantly increase the quality of the picture). You can more carefully adjust the image parameters using specialized programs. The principle of their operation is simple: specially selected images are displayed on the screen, and the user changes the parameters of the picture until it takes the form specified by the program instructions. The accuracy of display calibration using such applications directly depends on the visual acuity and meticulousness of the user.

In simple calibrator programs, settings are made using the monitor's on-screen menu. As a consequence, quickly changing settings is only possible if the monitor allows you to save user profiles. In addition, when you change the color intensity using the OSD menu, the brightness of the color will decrease proportionally in both light and dark areas. Moreover, if the corresponding gamma curve of the display has dips or “humps,” simple linear color compensation can only smooth them out, but not completely eliminate them.

More complex utilities require “feedback” from the user in the form of selecting certain items in test tasks, and “at the output” they record the so-called ICC profile of the monitor, which contains compensating gamma curves that, when superimposed on the display curves, give uniform color rendition throughout brightness range (of course, with strong errors, but this option is still better than simple linear compensation).

Most utilities for subjective monitor calibration are universal and allow you to adjust all image parameters in one pass. However, we recommend using two different programs: one is more suitable for adjusting brightness and contrast, the other is better at color correction.

4. Set the contrast control in the monitor OSD to maximum and the brightness control to minimum.

5. Increase the brightness until the background and everything are visible dark rectangles at the top of the scale. Now gradually reduce the brightness until only rectangles numbered 6 to 24 remain distinct, and the leftmost one, corresponding to a hue with an intensity of 1.2%, merges with the black background.

Remember that if you set the menu too high brightness, the monitor will not be able to display blacks correctly, and excessively low brightness will lead to loss of shades in dark parts of the image.

6. After adjusting the brightness, select the appropriate contrast for the ambient lighting conditions. As you decrease it, stop at the value at which large rectangles around the central scale will remain clear and will differ sharply from each other in intensity. You can control how the monitor displays the lightest shades close to white using the lower half of the central scale. It’s not scary if the rightmost rectangles with numbers 252 and 249 merge with the white background - this is how it should be if the contrast of the picture is normal.