LCD Monitor setup for production

[D_Max]

Good day all. We have a Apple Display 20'' that 's on our scanning/retouching
station. We'd like to simulate coated / uncoated stocks and be able to
view the printing results for each. Our color profiling systems doesn't
create icc profiles so we're looking for another way to "dirty up" ,so to
speak, the brilliance of the LCD to match to formentioned printing media's.

Apple LCD Cinema Display
Power Mac G5 10.4.1
Dual 2 GHz
2GB SDRAM

 

[LoneGoose]

Re: LCD Monitor setup for production

You should probably get a system that makes ICC profiles...

 

[rich apollo]

Re: LCD Monitor setup for production

Yep. Nicolas is right. It's easy with ICC profiles.

rich

 

[D_Max]

Re: LCD Monitor setup for production

Well, i can't say i didn't already know that, our retoucher is using the canned
SWOPv2 in photoshop as the default and it's getting him in the ballpark but.....
having to run and wait for the color proof is like a long line for your hot dog and
beer.

thanks for your replys

 

[LoneGoose]

Re: LCD Monitor setup for production

Sorry, I know that that wasn't a very helpful reply.

Maybe for the forum to help you out better you need to be more specific in terms of your current system, your budget for making this work etc.

Do you currently use some proprietary closed-loop system? If so, it's your vendor's problem to get it working for you, I should think.

 

[DonnaFC]

Re: LCD Monitor setup for production

Hi, I agree with getting and using profiles it is the best way. You can try using gamma control an osx application. My color guys us it all the time to tweek their monitors.

 

[disbellj]

Re: LCD Monitor setup for production

Those that use their eyes to judge the monitor color to tweak it may think they are close (I thought I was close). But when you use Eye-One Display and hardware/software combo, you see just how much better it really is. Takes less time and is better. Can't beat that (except maybe to pay less. If anyone knows how good a job the PANTONE Huey does compared to the Eye-One, Huey's less than 100 hotdogs).

Don

 

[rich apollo]

Re: LCD Monitor setup for production

> {quote:title=DonnaC wrote:}{quote}
> Hi, I agree with getting and using profiles it is the best way. You can try using gamma control an osx application. My color guys us it all the time to tweek their monitors.

That's kinda' scary. At least it used to be that as soon as you opened the gamma control panel you blew out any LUTs in the video card thus effectively de-calibrating your monitor. In so doing, your monitor profile was immediately rendered invalid.

rich

 

[DonnaFC]

Re: LCD Monitor setup for production

Don and Rich I thought the same thing until I sat in his seat. He has an Eizo CE210w monitor and we used the i1 match. For some reason it keeps blowing out the highlight. The monitor is cleaner than it should be. Can't visualy see an 8% dot. When he went on vacation I used the Eizo software and i1 and thought it looked real close but still in this case it is a matter of comfort. We also have LaCie blue CRT's that we can't get as close as we would like. I would love to find a simple software that is one size fits all.

donna

 

[disbellj]

Re: LCD Monitor setup for production

I was told the following by a GretagMacbeth tech support for the Eye-One Display, concerning the Eye-One Match software (BTW make sure you have the latest version of the Match software):

"Okay, best thing for Old CRT's is to Not set a luminance target. Leave it As is, No Change"
"often, targeting a luminance higher than what the monitor will do will actually get you a color shift"
"Use No Change, see what your monitors native luminance is, it will be listed as Current in the summary screen"
"to fine your monitors' Native, you must leave it at No Change, then the software will make the profile and video card calibration, and only after all of that, will it be able to calculate the current luminance"

Note: Support discussion was about using Monitor Validator, which I can give the whole discussion if need be:
Don: So to reiterate, I will re-calibrate and choose 5300K (close to my paper, which is the closest I can get since I can't scan it since I don't have an Eye-One Pro, but only an Eye-One Display 2), Gamma 2.2 - Recommended, Luminance No change, go through the process, make the profile, run validator, and re-calibrate use the same profile name as the original, using this same workflow after I'm above Delta E of 1 on any colors.
Don: Above Delta E of 1 from my baseline (Note: The baseline is as close as that monitor will get to the target)
TS: Sounds good, though we usually make the profile name show the date when you made it to keep track of which profile is which. I also put the software version in the profile name, like M361 for Match 3.6.1 and put the white point and gamma in there as well
Don: So if a color on my baseline is Delta E of 2 (closest it's gonna get), then I would re-calibrate when the Delta E for that color goes over 3, right?
TS: Correct
Don: OK. So I use the same reference.txt, and I will validate the old profile until I make a new one, and then use that new profile as monitor profile in Validator, but Validator will keep track of the info from all times I used Validator, no matter what profile was used at the time.
TS: yes"

Hope this helps, although this discussion was about a CRT monitor, and out current thread is about LCD monitor.

Don

 

[rich apollo]

Re: LCD Monitor setup for production

> {quote:title=DonnaC wrote:}{quote}
> Don and Rich I thought the same thing until I sat in his seat. He has an Eizo CE210w monitor and we used the i1 match. For some reason it keeps blowing out the highlight. The monitor is cleaner than it should be. Can't visualy see an 8% dot. When he went on vacation I used the Eizo software and i1 and thought it looked real close but still in this case it is a matter of comfort. We also have LaCie blue CRT's that we can't get as close as we would like. I would love to find a simple software that is one size fits all.
>
> donna

Weird. I think something is wrong. You shouldn't be getting results like that.

Make sure that Universal Access is not messing with your display. Under early versions of Tiger it was just slightly engaged by default. That cost me 3 days to figure out.

What luminance value are guys targeting?

When you say you "thought it looked real close," what did you mean? Close to a reference print/monitor or to the results you got with i1 Match?

The CRTs may be too "long in the tooth" to be worth the effort.

Give ColorEyes a shot. Great application and there's a demo available.

The last thing we haven't talked about is your measurement device. Can you get your hands on another measurement device, just to be sure that yours is functioning properly? I've heard mixed things about the i1 display.

rich