Monitor setup/choice for colour editing.

FantasyFilmProductions

FantasyFilmProductions

I remember reading somewhere at some point that certain monitors are better for editing and colour correcting then others because they are better calibrated in reference to colour.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized how important this is because even between my two laptop screens, and an external monitor, and my tv, the colour definitely differs if all of them are tested with the same picture.

So is there some sort of formula or process to set a screen up for true colour? or do we have to buy one that has been recommended by others?

Clearly this is a hugely important issue. How can one colour correct properly and competently if ones monitor is off key.
 
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Sage Pictures said:
You want an IPS monitor. You can buy a proper screen meant for the job, but if on a budget, just make sure you get an ips. They are more expensive, but headway has been made in getting cheaper options there. Also, a quality cinema projector is very good, if you have one
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For those, like myself, who don't know what an IPS monitor is...
http://www.slrlounge.com/what-is-an-ips-monitor-understanding-ips-displays

Ok so this article backs up what both Sage, and Salacious are saying.

I had never heard of an IPS screen before, and they are said indeed to be the go, and the dell screen that Salacious mentioned is indeed it seems a good replacement if building on a budget.

However, the article mentions that only the really big multinationals can afford to buy the IPS screens, so places like Dell are buying them OEM to be used in their own builds. From what I am understanding from this article, they are saying that one IPS is not necessarily as good as another.

Thanks guys.

Two more interesting links

First a place selling broadcast monitors. Not sure if these are well priced or priced high.
http://www.shopfsi.com/category-s/67.htm

Second a discussion on another website
http://forums.adobe.com/message/5193810
 
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++ If you're using an hdtv at hand, they can be made reasonably accurate if the screen is good/good maker. There are settings sets often posted online for given tv models that allow for the most accurate display of movies. If you've a tft-tn monitor (such as most laptop screens), it will simply not do. They can't be accurate whatsoever, and are only 6 bit (w/ dither). In this case, you can run your laptop image out to an external display that will make the grade (trying to grade on a bad screen really does cause a lot of trouble down the road)
 
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Sage Pictures said:
++ If you're using an hdtv at hand, they can be made reasonably accurate if the screen is good/good maker. There are settings sets often posted online for given tv models that allow for the most accurate display of movies. If you've a tft-tn monitor (such as most laptop screens), it will simply not do. They can't be accurate whatsoever, and are only 6 bit (w/ dither). In this case, you can run your laptop image out to an external display that will make the grade (trying to grade on a bad screen really does cause a lot of trouble down the road)
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Yea at the moment I am borrowing an acer laptop and I have a 42 inch lcd tv. My thought there then is to either sell my tv, or swap, in order to get a Plasma as this seems the most affordable option at the moment.

With that said, the tv I will sell is worth maybe $300-$350 US at todays exchange rate so I hope to be able to find a reasonable plasma. Any thoughts on what a good plasma within that price range might be?
 
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IPS displays are good... And at one point were the best ones out there. But this is like saying "make sure you get a Pentium". Tech changes.

What you want is something that has good saturation, very good gamut representation, good viewing angle, and good contrast. You can calibrate almost any monitor to be acceptable (although I have a dell monitor that is pretty difficult) but the better it handles those criteria above, the better it will be in general. I'm using that dell, but also a hardware calibrated high gamut laptop (thinkpad w series) that is not an ips display, but has a much wider gamut.

As far as viewing environment, think of how you expect it to be viewed. If it's an office video to be viewed at the desk, color it with fluorescent light on in the room.

The most important things to remember are to warm up your monitor, calibrate it, reduce light shining/reflecting from it, and angle it exactly perpendicular to you. Lacking hardware calibration, try http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/
 
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stef said:
IPS displays are good... And at one point were the best ones out there. But this is like saying "make sure you get a Pentium". Tech changes.

What you want is something that has good saturation, very good gamut representation, good viewing angle, and good contrast. You can calibrate almost any monitor to be acceptable (although I have a dell monitor that is pretty difficult) but the better it handles those criteria above, the better it will be in general. I'm using that dell, but also a hardware calibrated high gamut laptop (thinkpad w series) that is not an ips display, but has a much wider gamut.

As far as viewing environment, think of how you expect it to be viewed. If it's an office video to be viewed at the desk, color it with fluorescent light on in the room.

The most important things to remember are to warm up your monitor, calibrate it, reduce light shining/reflecting from it, and angle it exactly perpendicular to you. Lacking hardware calibration, try http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/
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Ok. great reply. Thanks. I'll have to do my homework on what you have discussed here. I like how you mention lighting it in an environment similar to where you expect it to be played. That makes a lot of sense.
 
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FantasyFilmProductions said:
Keep us posted if you find a reasonable Korean screen. Im not adverse to losing brand name if it does the job.
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The reviewer gets a little annoying, but..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7Zl5hp2Kyc
Granted, he's only really concerned about gaming performance, but the monitor has similar specs to the apple cinema display for like $300-400ish


I'm actually thinking about something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2RY18W8784

Apparently PLS is newer and better technology than IPS. PLS displays are also, supposedly, cheaper to produce than IPS displays, and according to samsung, more efficient, better response times, lower power, etc. They also tend to be matte vs. glossy from what I've seen which might be good -- less glare.
 
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Yeah, there are not a ton of panel makers but the other electronics make a big difference.

I think a good, easy suggestion is to get a panel that has at least a 95% gamut reproduction for sRGB or adobe rgb. I suggest this will result in a good monitor not because that's the only thing that matters, but if a monitor goes the extra distance to have a wide gamut, they most likely will have dealt with all the other issues involved in good color grading or the wide gamut would be a waste.
 
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Interesting. I have to say that got me quite excited. 27 inches is pretty good and I am sure you can get bigger if needed. He mentions at the end a blue saturation. What's your thoughts on that point? It would surely affect colour grading?

I went to monoprice.com and the one that leaps out for me is the 30" IPS LED blacklit...anyway heres a link to the site for everyone

http://www.monoprice.com/Category?c_id=114&cp_id=11401&cs_id=1130703
 
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He also didn't bother to do any color calibration.. at the price, it'd be worth it to get one and see how well you can calibrate it, and if it's not good enough just use it for something else.
 
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So going on what STEF said, would this screen fit into this criteria that he outlined in regards to gamut etc, or would the blue haze on the screen perhaps upset the usefulness?

Also there was the mention of lag on that refreshment rate within the video. Would that not affect editing professional footage?

So far we have a workable solution to grey paint. We have more insight into how your editing environment affects the outcome of colour correction, and we are quickly honing in I believe on a workable monitor.

Also of note, did anyone else notice the echo on that video, toward the end when the guy would face the camera? Not really relevant to this discussion I know but interesting as he did seem to have some pretty good sound padding in that room.
 
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Will Vincent said:
He also didn't bother to do any color calibration.. at the price, it'd be worth it to get one and see how well you can calibrate it, and if it's not good enough just use it for something else.
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Its true that he did not colour calibrate...but on the screens I linked to, there were some interesting mentions in the feedback on the screen I was most interested in where somebody had done colour correction. They provided the settings they set it all to both on the monitor and on their video card controls. It seems they were pretty happy with the result.
 
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Dell Ultrasharp Line of Monitors

Apparently, these come already factory pre-calibrated and offer 10-bit color (billions of colors) and IPS display.
 
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FantasyFilmProductions said:
Its true that he did not colour calibrate...but on the screens I linked to, there were some interesting mentions in the feedback on the screen I was most interested in where somebody had done colour correction. They provided the settings they set it all to both on the monitor and on their video card controls. It seems they were pretty happy with the result.
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I must have missed your links.. I'll have to go back and look again. I'm not to the point of wanting/needing a monitor just yet, so it seems we've found the point where our levels of research have crossed and you've taken the lead. :D
 
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Will Vincent said:
I must have missed your links.. I'll have to go back and look again. I'm not to the point of wanting/needing a monitor just yet, so it seems we've found the point where our levels of research have crossed and you've taken the lead. :D
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Actually, I've found a guy over in the States that does special effects and colour correction to a high standard. The best part is, his prices work out cheaper then me setting up my own grading suite.

Can flick you his details if you want?
 
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