[Doug]

Here are 4 versions of the same photo.

Please sort them from worst to best quality. This is you opinion, there is no right or wrong answer. Please indicate what type of monitor or screen you are using (CRT or LCD etc.). Please indicate if one or more images are too dark or too light.

Image #1

Image #2

Image #3

Image #4

 

[pedromorgan]

I would say 4,1,3,2. i am using an LCD screen.

But i have my screen a bit darker than most as i have to look at it for long periods and i sit in a TV gallery with dimmed lighting.
I am probably not a very good person for answering your question!

Doug if you go to many of the photography sights they have a little banner for calibrating your screen.
check out this.
http://epaperpress.com/monitorcal
Its best to calibrate your screen and then adjust the pictures to suit your own screen and taste. this if someone else dosent like it then its their screen and not your problem.

It dosent make any difference which type of screen you are using although the contrast ratio of LCD screens is far less than that of CRT screens (its getting better these days) but the resoloution these days is as good or higher on the flat screens. people often think that if they buy a cheap panel it will give a better picture than their old CRT because the resoloution is far higher. but they dont realise that contrast ratio is such a huge factor and are often dissapointed when there is no contrast at all in the darker areas of the screen.

Peter

 

[Gary]

For me its 2,4,3,1 and I use an LCD WXGA X-Bright widescreen display.

Happy modelling
Gary

 

[Brian Considine]

For me it's 4,3,1 then 2.

I'm using an LCD screen.

 

[dwb]

4
2 - Too light but at least I can see the detail
1 and 3 are about the same to me - too dark.

I am viewing on an Iiyama Vision Master Pro 400 CRT, which was a rather good 17" monitor in its day. Current ambient lighting conditions are less than ideal - the bright sunshine outside is being diffused through the conservatory roof and glaring over my left shoulder even through I am within the original walls of the house.

David

 

[Gofer]

4,3,1,2 on a calibrated 17" LCD. Pictures 1 and 3 are very similar, Picture 2 is washed out and picture 4 is about right albeit a tad high on contrast maybe.

This does beg another question Doug that being how many people have actually calibrated their monitors?

 

[Dennis David]

4,3,1,2

 

[80class]

4,1,3,2 for me too, using a 17inch widescreen LCD

 

[Rail-Rider]

Quality by picture #

19" HannsG 19" Wide LCD
#4. 'RIGHT'
#3. A little too dark
#1. A little more too dark
#2. A little too light

17" LG Flatron LCD
#4. 'RIGHT'
#3. A little too dark
#1. A little more too dark
#2. A little too light

Laptop 15.4" wide LCD
#4. 'RIGHT'
#3. A little too dark
#1. A little more too dark
#2. A little too light

Sony 17" CRT
#4. 'RIGHT'
#3. A little too dark
#1. A little more too dark
#2. A little too light

Sony 15" CRT
#4. 'RIGHT'
#3. A little too dark
#1. A little more too dark
#2. A little too light

SUMMARY: All 5 monitors, 3xLCD + 2xCRT, look slightly different,
but picture ranking remains identical in every case.
ie. 4, 3, 1, 2

NOTES
1. Had forgotten what monsters CRTs are!
2. Had also forgotten how much better ALL pics look on CRTs - they handle extremes much better.
Difference within the four variations are much less pronounced on CRTs compared with LCDs.
Other than weight and bulk, my CRTs are superior in every way.

 

[Brian Considine]

QUOTE (Gofer @ 31 Mar 2007, 13:37) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>This does beg another question Doug that being how many people have actually calibrated their monitors?

Did'nt know you had to - still, you learn something every day !

 

[Doug]

You don't have to. It is advisable if you are working in an environment where what you are working on gets printed. You try and match the monitor with the output. You use a device that reads info from the screen and inputs it back to the computer.

The results are interesting. There are definitely differences between CRT and LCD. It also seems that there are some issues with LCD screens.

 

[dukedog]

4 Best for me using LCD screen.
2 - Too light, a little wishy washy.
1 and 3 are about the same to me - too dark. A lot of detail is lost in the shaddows.
I'll try again on the works PC which is also a LCD to see if there is any difference, let you know on that one on Monday.
Hope this is of use Doug.
Regards
Frank

 

[Makemineadouble]

Ditto to Dukedog's reply

 

[neil_s_wood]

4,3,1,2 LCD

 

[pedromorgan]

hello doug. its not just to do with printing. it is also to make sure that you are accuratly showing the incomming pictures as well as pictures that you are passing on to others.

Peter

 

[Gofer]

Peter, you took the words right out of my mouth. Monitor calibration has become more important is this age of digital cameras. Unless a monitor is calibrated corrected there's a good chance you won't being seeing either your or other peoples pictures properly. This was brought home to me recently when a friend complained that all the pictures I was sending him were very washed out. I initially thought the problem was at his end but it transpired that, thinking my cheapy camera was at fault, I had been playing with the picture renditions to get them to look right on my (incorrectly calibrated) screen. Consequence was that I had 'upped' the brilliance of each picture far too high making them appear washed out to other people.

 

[Gary]

dwb I think you may need to carry out monitor recalibration. I have just recalibrated my monitor and now agree with everybody else in terms of the preferred picture order. If anybody looking in does not think that the order should be 4,3,1,2 from best to worst than you too may need to carry out recalibration. The difference between 3 and 1 is very marginal and it could easily be the other way around with just a very minor calibration difference.

And I must humbly apologise to John at Bromsgrove Models as his Hornby M7 decoder instalation images are now perfectly clear without the blind dark areas lacking contrast that I had commented about. A few months ago we exchanged words on this.

Thanks also to Doug for creating this test which should be helpful to everybody who wishes to see the same picture as everybody else on the web!

Happy modelling
Gary

 

[dwb]

> dwb I think you may need to carry out monitor recalibration
I have ckecked the settings. The brightness was wound right up, so I set it to the central position and then went to the site that Peter referenced in his first post. With the central brightness setting, I couldn't see any difference in the first three black squares at all. I read the article looking for enlightenment on what to do, but apart from checking the white point temperature - my monitor was set to 9500K rather than the 6500K of sRGB - there wasn't much help there, so I wound the brightness back up to the point where the 4 black squares showed some difference. The setting was back where it started.

As for the gamma test, I don't think my eye sight is up to seeing the patch with any sort of clarity from 10 feet away

So I have made a change. My monitor temperature is now 6500K which is correct for the Windows (and Internet) sRGB colour space.

I have reexamined the images and still place #4 first.

I would still prefer #2 to #1 and #3 as it shows more detail, but this preference is based on information content not on aesthetics. ie I would choose 2 to illustrate a "how to" article but 1 or 3 to present an overall impression. This is in the absence of #4 being available. It would appear that this choice is a personal quirk of mine compared to the rest of the posters, but hey, variety is the spice of life.

My lighting conditions are still less than ideal, it's another bright sunny day. My monitor is not in its first flush of youth either, so that may also be a factor; it will be 8 years old this summer.

David

 

[7113]

Doug,

3-1-4-2

Using a steam powered siemens 14"

Regards

John

 

[nevardmedia]

4-3-1-2

There is no proper black on 2

Currently viewing on a calibrated Dell 19" CRT

I viewed on couple of factory set-up HP TFT's at work earlier and would still go with 4-3-1-2

As CRT's get older they get darker, supposedly a CRT doesn't last beyond its prime for more than 3 years, this would depend on use though I imagine.