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Monitor profiling and calibration are serious business, often involving equipment costing hundreds of dollars.
Thankfully, there are free tools for calibration both on the internet and in your operating system.
This will ensure that your monitor is adjusted to show as many tones as possible.
This is an excellent tool, but only adjust part of the problem.
They are however, priced for professionals, and are cost-prohibitive for many hobbyist photographers.
X-Rite Technology being demonstrated by a Graphics vendor selling the product.
This video is a good illustration on how to use this sort of technology to calibrate a monitor.
The following method is free for Windows users, as it is built into the operating system.
This tool is not available to Windows Vista users, as it is new to Windows 7.
Lifehacker has coveredCalibrize, which has similar features for Vista and XP.
The program youre looking for is Calibrate Display Color, and it lives in your control panel.
you could also go to your control panel and do a search for calibrate.
The program is shown here, and you will need administrator privileges to calibrate.
Its hardly an exciting looking app.
Simply read the preamble about improving color on your display and click next.
you’re free to adjust your gamma slider on this screen.
Remember, youre trying to replicate the Good Gamma image.
When youre satisfied, click Next.
This part is slightly more difficult, and Windows gives users the option to skip brightness and contrast adjustment.
Otherwise, carry on by pressing Next.
It will show you this graphic illustrating the correct value range you want to achieve.
Youll have to locate the brightness and contrast controls on the front of your monitor and adjust them.
If you still have your printed product manual, you may find it helpful in making these adjustments.
It is here you adjust yourBrightness onlyusing the controls physically on your monitor, not in Windows.
Put down the mouse and find them!
The trick is maximizing detail while keeping the X in the background from disappearing completely.
If you cannot see the X in the graphic, you should probably adjust yourBrightness setting.
When you are satisfied, click Next.
Again, youll have to work with a screen similar to this one.
Consult your monitor manual to find out how to adjust your contrast.
On the LG L227WT it is available on the same menu, although your monitor may be completely different.
Color balance will be your next step.
When you are happy with your neutral grays, click Next.
You are given this screen to test your new calibration.
Check the new one versus the old one, and see if you are happy with your work.
If you are, congratulations!
You are one step closer to perfecting your digital photography and ensuring better prints.
