Contrast settings on LCD monitors

Mar 25, '04 10:36:00AM

Contributed by: rloney

I recently purchased my first LCD monitor, and found that Apple's directions for monitor calibration aren't perfect. They worked fine for my previous CRT monitors, but one must watch the contrast and brightness settings with an LCD.

In System Preferences -> Displays -> Color -> Calibrate..., the first step when you calibrate asks you to set the monitor's contrast setting to maximum, then adjust the brightness to make the oval barely visible. When my NEC 1960NX monitor is set to maximum contrast, the whiter shades are severely washed out.

In the document Calibration Theory by Thomas Niemann, it is suggested is that the black point calibration is completed using the brightness, and the white point is calibrated using contrast. If my monitor is set over about 50% contrast, I cannot differentiate between 95% and 100% white. My final settings end up being about 78% brightness and 50% contrast.

So users of LCD monitors beware ... you might want to check your brightness and contrast settings and ensure you are calibrated properly.

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