What is a good monitor to use that will display the most accurate color when editing digital pictures?

Question

I have become interested in learning to take and edit digital pictures but need a monitor that will help me acheive the best results and display the truest colors. When editing now I often get completely different results from a print than what was displayed on my monitor. I am about to purchase a new monitor and was wondering which would give me the best editing results.

Answer 1

Pros use a good quality CRT type monitor, with color set to the highest performance and resolution. LCD's are not as color accurate.

However, a new monitor may not solve the problem. It is a complex process to get the view on the screen to match the output of a printer. These devices use very different technologies.

Monitors project light from the back and make colors out of combinations of red/green/blue. Printers put down ink that make colors out of reflecting four other different colors. And each may be using different color standards. Ugh!

All is not lost, though. There is a process to get the monitor and printer reasonably close. It will take some dedication and experimentation by you. Take a look at:

http://www.normankoren.com/index.html#Tutorials

Look at the articles on color management. (These may not be the best for you; they were just the ones I ran across first. I am sure that there are other descriptions. Search on "color management")

Basically, the process is to :

. Calibrate your monitor

. Match the color management standards between monitor, printer and photo editing software

. Set up a non-distracted viewing area (dim room, no direct light on monitor, bright direct light to view prints)

. Adjust until satisfactory results.

The process really does work, but is time consuming. I get great results now, even with an LCD monitor.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

I'm in the same boat. I have a CRT monitor and have been trying to get some degree of consistency in my prints. I have a close friend with the same set-up as mine.....monitor, printer, same version of photoshop.....and his prints are just beautiful.

I have found there is no simple solution to this problem. I have pulled together the various pieces of the puzzle and now in the process of trying to get repeatable color prints. I have a GreyTag color chart and will use a Spyder to calibrate the monitor. I have been told that I'm probably double color profiling the images....don't know but something has got to change.

At the moment I have a 21-inch Mitsubishi Diamond Plus 100e monitor.

Good Luck

Answer 3

A digital SLR will be extra acceptable in the start. truly, you do not even choose an SLR in the start, till you're extra experienced. The photographer takes the photos, not the digital camera. With a digital camera you may practice as a lot as you want without stressful about dropping money on the components utilized in undesirable photos.

Answer 4

A good video card can make a differance also.

Answer 5

http://www.mikeshardware.co.uk/RecHardware.htm