How to Calibrate and Optimize Your Monitor for Photo Editing

If you are a photographer or a photo editor, it is important to calibrate the colors on your monitor. If you do not, you may discover that a printed photo is rendered with different colors than you saw on your monitor, or that it is brighter or darker than you anticipated.

You should calibrate your monitor every month just to be safe, but a new monitor will definitely need to be calibrated before you start using it. If you've just bought a new laptop or monitor, or if it's been awhile since your last calibration, then this article is for you. Read on to learn the correct method for calibrating the colors on any monitor or laptop computer.

Items Needed:

Computer

Monitor

Calibration Software

Step 1: The first step is to decide whether or not you want to spend money. If you are working on an important photo project, or if you want to have a perfect print, it might be worth the cost to get commercial software designed to calibrate the monitor for you.

If, on the other hand, you don't want to or can't purchase software, there will also be a free method listed.

Also, before purchasing software or continung, look for that packet that came with your monitor or computer. On occasion, some manufacturers include calibrating software with their monitors, and you can simply use that to get it situated.

Step 2: If you are going to use calibration software, there are many to choose from. Colorific is a cheaper option than some other programs, and is highly recommended by myself as a good choice for both demanding and curious users.

Purchase the software, and then run the program and follow the instructions for a quick, accurate calibration.

Step 3: If you're the daring type, then you're probably holding out for the cheaper method which is, essentially, free, though it might cost you a bit of printer paper as you test it a few times.

The only way to calibrate a monitor without spending money is to do it manually, and you will need to have a good sense of realistic color - obviously, if you are color blind, this isn't going to work for you.

The first thing you want to do is increase your color bit from 8-bit to something higher. Many monitors offer 8-bit, 24-bit, and maybe 32-bit. If you don't have a good system, then avoid 32-bit, as it is a CPU hog. 24-bit is ideal, but you may not see an option for that. If that is the case, choose 16-bit. If you really want to, you can use 32-bit, but it won't make much difference. Avoid this level of color unless you have the RAM and CPU to handle it well.

You can edit the color bit by opening the Display Properties. Right click on your desktop and choose 'display properties'. Choose SETTINGS. You will see a drop-down box with the bit options. Choose one that is higher than 8-bit, and then choose APPLY, then OK.

Now, print a color photo out with your printer. This will be used to calibrate the monitor, so make sure you get a good print, and not one that is skewed by bad ink.

Open that exact same photo on your computer and tape the printed photo next to it. Open the color adjustment and brightness and contrast controls located on the side or bottom of your monitor.

Start with the brightness and contrast. Alter the brightness until the levels are relatively the same between the two photos. Then, turn the contrast so that the blacks are the same level. Once the photos are very close, alter the color settings to match. If things have a bluish tint in the printed photo, change the color settings so that the blue/cyan is increased. Repeat until the two photos match.

When finished, alter the photo on your monitor until it looks the way you want. Print it out and make sure it looks correct.