Monitors and Calibration Systems for Photography
Digital photography is painful and messy without a trustworthy calibrated monitor. I urge you to spend the extra money and get yourself an accurate professional grade monitor right away. The money that you spend here will save you so much time and frustration in the long run.
Monitor calibration is not difficult, and it does not have to be terribly expensive, but it is an essential part of the whole digital photography process. Remember though that the screen is only one part of the equation. No matter what model or brand of display you choose you will also need a calibration system.
A monitor calibrator is a little USB gizmo that you attach to your screen and then you use its software to true up the display. You are going to need to use this little device to re-calibrate your monitor about once a month. Once you have the software all figured out the whole calibration process will take you less than twenty minutes and it is really not very hard. Sure, its a chore but good software makes it pretty painless.
For really good step-by-step directions on how to calibrate most any monitor using a variety of different calibration programs, I recommend reading Color Confidence: The Digital Photographer’s Guide to Color Management (Tim Grey Guides).
Here are my recommendations for monitors and calibration systems to consider. Let me just add that that most photographers do not need to spend extra money on calibration systems that create profiles for anything other than the monitor. Don’t let them up-sell you on these devices! Most of us have no need for a device that can make printer profiles, calibrate a scanner, or true-up a video projector.
Monitors:
Calibration Systems:
X-Rite EyeOne Display2 Calibration System
** Indicates my current equipment.
I am very happy using a Dell 2408 Widescreen Flat Panel UltraSharp monitor with both my Mac and my PC computers. I think that these monitors are a fantastic value and they are easy to calibrate using the Xrite Eye-One Display 2 System. Sure, they are not the widest gamut monitors money can buy, but you get what you pay for and these are more than good enough for my professional photographic needs.
About the Author: David’s sports and landscape images are often used on the web and in outdoor sports publications. He has an extensive knowledge of digital photography and is an Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. David is a talented instructor and his entertaining teaching style works for students of all skill levels.
In 2009, David Marx led digital photography programs for the 
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I couldn’t agree more with the need for a properly calibrated monitor. I also use the X-Rite EyeOne system, but would add the HP LP2475w monitor to the list of good choices. 24″ IPS based monitor. I have been using one for a few months now and could not be happier.
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I’m currently working on twin Gateway 22″ HD LCD Flatscreens
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4034180&SRCCODE=GOOGLEBASE&cm_mmc_o=TBBTkwCjCVyBpAgf%20mwzygtCjCVRqCjCVRq
.. and with their Apple DVI to HDMI hookups the picture is AHHHHHMAZING … and with the X-Rite Eye-One Display 2 it’s a dream come true for clarity and color.
Scott and Brandon,
Thanks so much for your input!
-Scott
[...] For more information on calibration, and on my favorite monitors, please read this post. [...]
[...] keyboards, mice, and other peripherals. At home, I use a refurbished 15″ MacBook Pro with a calibrated Dell 2408 WFP monitor, a Microsoft Natural Ergonomic keyboard, and a Microsoft Ergonomic mouse. Just because you buy a [...]
is this DELL ULTRASHARP 2408WFP the display you have now? I’m NOT happy w/my cheap attempt at displays. that dell is within my price range now at ~ $470. Plan to get one nice display and one cheap for tools, web, etc.. Do you still recommend the 2408WFP?
cheers,
craig
Craig-
I am still a big fan of the Dell 2408 though truthfully I am using the previous model. It’s still my first choice for monitors under $600.
David,
Thanks for that info. I’m shopping and of course that display went off sale and is back in the mid 500$s. thanks for your help
David, This was all so helpful, especially since I have been struggling with calibration for hours (and that’s just this time around.) I want to look into the Dell 2408 you mention and am wondering if you know if that will work well and accurately (calibration-wise) if hooked up to my current Powerbook G4? Thanks!!!
Kristen,
Don’t mean to answer for David, but I will say that monitor will work with your Powerbook G4. It will calibrate the same as with any other laptop.
-Scott
Hey that dell 2408WFP is $429 now w/free shipping now till July 2 FYI. Think one will be in my future
Craig-
Thanks for the update. Wow. That is a bargain! Here’s the link to this monitor over at Dell.com
Dell UltraSharp 2408WFP 24-inch Widescreen Flat Panel LCD Monitor with Height Adjustable Stand
What about the iMac G5 monitor? It’s a big gorgeous monitor and I’m not looking to make a new purchase at this point. Any comments on how well it will work? Thank you.
Leslie,
I think that all of the iMac’s have nice monitors. They don’t have the gamut of the fanciest Eizos or Necs, but they are certainly useable. Even with an iMac though you still need a calibrator for real accuracy.
David
I want to upgrade my monitors & appreciate your advice. The Dell looks to be a great value. I want to use dual calibrated monitors. I understand that both monitors need to be the same model. Will either of the calibration devices you recommend handle calibrating dual monitors? Any advice you have in reference to this topic will be much appreciated!
Cal
Dear Cal,
I may be wrong here, and if so I sure hope that someelse one will jump in and call me out, but I don’t think that you can run two calibrations at the same time. As I understand it, all of the operating systems out are only able to load a single monitor profile on startup.
I don’t mean to say that you can’t create a profile for monitor one and then a separate profile for screen two. All of the calibration programs on the market will let you calibrate multiple screens. In an ideal world the profile for one monitor should be accurate for its twin– same model, from the same factory, produced within minutes of each other. But under real world circumstances I am not sure that this is what really happens.
First, I don’t know that the quality control standards of any brand are truly that precise and second, even if the screens started out completely identical, over time they will decay at different rates and drift further and further apart.
I don’t mean to talk you out of buying two screens, but I just don’t think that you will be able to run two profiles simultaneously. Again, I fear that over time one screen will become less and less accurate.
If I just burst your bubble please let me instead suggest just buying one really big screen. One huge screen = one accurate monitor profile = spot on color and happiness for years and years.
Again if any of you readers know that this advice is completely wrong please call me out.
best of luck,
David
From a Windows perspective, it is possible to have two seperate ICC monitor profiles loaded at the same time for a 2 monitor setup. This does of course require 2 separate graphics cards, and profiling software which supports multi-head calibration. I use Spyder 2 pro for this under Vista Ultimate x64. It’s worth checking the software spec for this feature if buying new. On startup each lookup table is loaded by the spyder software into its corresponding graphics adaptor (ICC profile is associated on calibrating, or can be selected later etc). Even calibrating 2 monitors though with the same luminance values and target does not produce exactly the same results. I have 2 Viewsonic vp series monitors – the vp2030b is fantastic and calibrates really well, whereas the vp2650wb is the worst monitor I have ever owned and looks awful, even after calibration!
Hope this helps, Paul A
Paul-
Thanks for the great info. This is the part of running this site that I most enjoy. I love it when folks volunteer their time to teach me something new.
Now I have to ask does anyone know if a Mac Pro tower, with two video cards, can load two separate profiles on startup?
Thanks again.
–David
David,
Can any Mac not load two separate profiles (even with one video card)? On my Mac Book Pro (older and newer one and and older Mac Pro tower) I feel like I can see two different profiles for two different displays in the Displays System Preferences pane (Color tab).
Am I mistaken?
-Scott
You may be able to load two separate ICC profiles, but the profile is only the component which tells the OS how to translate the apps’ graphics output so it can talk to your graphics card/monitor. What the calibration software also does (as well as creating the ICC profile) is to generate a lookup table which it later loads into the graphics card used during the calibration – so if you have only one graphics processor, then only one lookup table can ever be loaded at any one time. You will need wither a card with dual graphics processors, or two separate cards in order to load up two distinct look up tables, then each profile will follow its own distinct calibrated path from your software to your monitor (color aware software -> ICC profile -> graphics card LUT -> monitor). In my case I use the Spyder 2 pro system (a bit dated now, but reckon similar process used by other calibrators). This creates both the ICC profile (used by your software when displaying on a specific monitor) and the monitor’s Lookup table (LUT) which gets loaded at startup into the graphics card. So if you had 2 different calibrations carried out, each would create its own ICC profile and LUT settings. With a single graphics processor, when your system starts up and tries to load the 2 different calibrations, it’s likely that only the latter of the 2 would remain in the graphics card so only one of your monitors would be truly calibrated. I did some research on this when building my system, and discovered that 2 cards were cheaper than a dual processor card – so took this route.
Cheers, Paul A
David,
Thanks for your reply. I decided to take your advice & ordered a 30″ Dell UltraSharp monitor. With Splitview I think it will be perfect! I hope it is as good a monitor as the 24″ Dell you regard so highly…
Best,
Cal
I’m leaning toward the Eizo CG221, CG243 or SX2462. Any preferences?
I use an Eizo CG and it is great, but I think it’s overated with the new Dells available now. The Dells however are very bright which can lead to overexposed lab prints. Eizo has poor support and has been slow to upgrade their calibration software for Windows 7. Personally, I’m waiting for the LED backlit models to become affordable.
I’ve used a Monaco Optix XR Pro on a dual monitor system, and you can calibrate each monitor separately. I’ve done it on Mac OS X and Windows XP on a Dell with a dual-monitor card (not separate cards).
One thing others hadn’t mentioned is that after creating a profile, you can also use software in advanced mode to try to match the two monitors as closely as possible. I was able to get a flat panel and an LCD to look surprisingly similar–dragging a Photoshop window between them, there wasn’t a huge difference, despite the significant difference in gamut and native typical brightness prior to calibration.
One key to this is that the two have to be calibrated to the same white point (and I’d also suggest using “advanced” mode to set a specific brightness–something around 100 to 120 cd/m^2 if you’re print matching). I’m now using an external monitor on a MacBook Pro, and you can’t change the white point for the MBP. Since I wanted my main monitor at 6500k, I didn’t want to force it to the MBP’s native white point…but they’re still reasonably well matched.
Hope this is of some help!
Gary
hi!
does anyone know if the dell u2410 is a good monitor for photo editing?? it has the ips panels and it also has an led backlit lcd screen.
also, i will be running the dell external with my macbook pro. since i will be mirroring the screens, but also working off of my laptop when away from home…can i calibrate them both?
do i put the same gamma and temp for each calibration?
thank you:)
Dear Heidi,
I have not worked with a
Dell UltraSharp U2410 24-inch Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor yet but have been happily using the WFP series for many years. If money were no object I would go for an Eizo ColorEdge CG243W but from the tech specs and users reviews this Dell looks like an excellent choice for a whole lot less money.
I recently learned that you can indeed set a separate profile up for each monitor inside the Macbook Pro using the display utility. Even though the screens are made of different materials I would recommend using the same gamma (2.2) and the same white point (6500) for both screens.
If you do get the Dell please let us know what you think.
–
David