Calibrating & setting up new MacPro computer

[glennab]

Hi my gurus!

I have my new computer up and running, and when I first opened my current restoration I about fell off my chair.  On the old ViewSonic monitor it looks darn good.  On the new flat screen it's light and I can see a ton of flaws that didn't show before.  Does any of you know the best settings for the monitor to ensure I'm getting a true rendition of the image?  I did set everything I could find at sRGB, which I recall has been recommended for the display. What else can I do?

Any other suggestions would be much appreciated.  I absolutely LOVE the new set-up, but there are so many controls and means by which to tweak everything.  I'd forgotten the amount of time it takes to get a system up and running.  Two evenings so far, and I haven't even set up the Wacom!

I have to mention how wonderful my husband has been about this investment.  He has totally supported me not only in the time I spend on the restorations, but the purchase of the new system.  This is after I got badly spoofed on an e-bay auction -- I lost over a thousand dollars when I thougt I was purchasing a kick-butt G4 in anticipation of doing the OPR work - and never got the computer. We're not monied people, but he knows how much OPR means to me; hence the new computer.

He's talked so much at work about what I'm doing that his boss asked me to write an article on OPR for the company newsletter.  (I'll post what they publish when it's out.)  Anyway, I have to tell you what a wonderful guy he is.  Definitely a keeper! (We just celebrated our 20th anniversary and have renewed the contract for another hundred years!)

Anway, as usual, I do go on.  I'm gonna be late for work!  I'd appreciate your letting me know of any plug-ins, other software, etc. that you can recommend for a new system.  I have a lot to learn!!!  Thanks.

Have a wonderful day!

GlG

[cmpentecost]

Hi Glenna,

Sorry to hear about the eBay mess.  I haven't purchased a lot on eBay, but do they have any recourse against the person who never sent the computer?

As for your monitor, Tim Grey has an excellent book out titled Color Confidence. The Digital Photographers Guide to Color Management.  I have used this book a LOT when setting up my computer and monitor, as well as Photoshop, and getting it calibrated, set up for printing, etc.  It's not the most exciting topic in the world for me to read about, but a necessity when optimizing the colors on your computer.  Perhaps your local library will have it.  If not, perhaps you could go to Barnes and Noble, get a good cup of coffee and find a comfy chair to sit in while you read thru the book.  (Bring a notebook to take notes if you don't buy it...there is a lot of info in the book).  I'm confident you could also find it used at Amazon.

Good Luck.

Christine

[glennab]

Hi Christine

Thanks for the recommendation.  I'll buy the title from Amazon, since I'm a book freak, and I especially love to have reference material at hand. I usually devour them from cover to cover.  My co-workers think I'm nuts, because I had Katrin Eismann's restoration book at work one day, and they couldn't believe I was actually READING it.  (Needless to say, Amazon is a very dear friend of mine -- I should own stock by now!).

Yeah, the e-bay experience was demoralizing.  I did a lot of research, and thought everything was legit.  These spoofers are very clever.  They have sites set up to look like e-bay and are very professional.  What horrifies me is that the money went to London.  I just pray that it didn't go to one of the terrorist cells over there!  I found a couple of federal internet crime units and reported it to them.  All I got from e-bay was several admonishments for being stupid enough to get spoofed in the first place.  They weren't the criminals or at fault  for my being ripped off, but I didn't like the way they handled the situation.

Anyway, onward and upward.  I'm having a hard time staying on track at work, because I'm dying to get home and delve more into OSX and all the Creative Suite goodies.  And the cats love having all the new things to walk on and investigate.

Thanks again for recommending the color reference.  I'm sure it'll be invaluable.

Best wishes!

GG

[Ausimax]

Hi glennab,

I can't help you with your Mac, I use a PC. However with regard to your colour problem, check the colour space of your images, most of mine have been RGB, and the colours are off if you view them in sRGB, several I have posted I forgot to convert to sRGB and the colours were very flat.

That said, setting up a new system is a real pain, seems to take weeks before you get all the things you need installed and running, and then you have all the new things to learn ---- Have fun. :up:

Max

[glennab]

Hi Max

I'll definitely check out the color space of my image.  I'm going to have to start over, because the new monitor shows so many flaws that didn't appear on the old one.  I even calibrated my monitor, and the restoration still looks crappy.  However, I can see many more details in the original, so that should help my accuracy.  With my old monitor I couldn't see that the chairs in the photo had buttons on the upholstery.  They're quite obvious on the new one.  Amazing!

Yes, setting all this up has been quite a challenge.  I'm pretty savvy about computers, but I'm not that familiar with the newest technology, and switching over is a time-consuming bear.  I do love the new computer, though.  Once I'm set up I'll be ready to roar!

Thanks for the input about color!  You're the best!

GG

[Ausimax]

Hi glennab,

Just a thought, I think I read in another post that you were using a different editor before, I have found that since I have been using CS 2 that images that I have edited in it, look really crappy when opened in my other editors. I have no idea why, but it certainly stops you cross editing in different editors.

You may have to start again from scratch, or finish the current image in your old editor, not a lot of help I know, maybe someone else has an answer that will help us both.

Max

[glennab]

Max

I'm not sure what you mean by editors, but I upgraded from Photoshop 7 to Photoshop CS2.  I now have a flat-screen lcd monitor and a new operating system as well.  I suspect they all factor into the discrepancy.  I'm going to start over.  This really makes me wonder what admin's having to deal with when they're getting files that have been restored in all this different software!

GG

[Ausimax]

Glennab,

Sorry it wasn't your post I was thinking about, if you were using PS 7, before I can't think why it would be different, unless it is the new monitor.

Yes it does make you think about the results of different editors on the finished images, though I find no trouble viewing those that are posted in the forums, though that may be a result of how browsers display images, I know my images that don't display well in other editors display OK in MS Fax and Image Viewer, the default viewer in Windows.

Anyway as I can be of no real help to you I will remove myself from the scene and get some work done, well wish I had some, I'm still waiting for my next image.

Max

[Kenny]

Glennab, all LCD monitors seem lighter to me. My wife has one on her new computer, but it looks pretty good. It may be that the ones I've looked at weren't calibrated. Most people just plug them up and use them. I personally use Adobe gamma to calibrate my monitor. What all have you tried so far?



Kenny

[Peter_AUS]

Get yourself a monitor calibration hardware device like the Gretag EyeOne Display and use that regularly to calibrate your monitor.  The steps are very straight forward with the hardware and software use.  You will be very surprised at the look of the monitor before and after calibration.  My daughters were on their LCD displays.

The luminance on LCD displays is quite high compared to CRT monitors and you need to have a gamma setting of 2.2 with a colour temp of 6500, luminance on CRT monitors are best at 100, LCD I think from memory is 120 - 180 hence why you see the bight look.  Also when you calibrate them, the contrast is always turned all the way up and the brightness is turned all the way down.  During calibration you then move the sliders to adjust the displayed checker on screen to get the level in the middle during each of the process steps.  If you can adjust the colours individually then that is a plus as there are steps to adjust those as well, which to me is always the longest and hardest part to get them all close to the middle.

Unless you start by doing this first, and then remember to use the soft proof in PS to view them as you would either printed or monitor display in IE (sRGB), you will be chasing your tail.

It also takes monitors about 1 hour to warm up fully as well.  So don't turn it on and start editing straight away.

Hope that helps get you through the process.

[glennab]

Gurus:

Thanks for all the input.  I did use the gamma controls to set up the monitor, but everything still looks light.  I suspect a lot of it is the difference in the way the color is transmitted on the LCD vs. the CRT. I'm not sure what to do about my restoration.  It looked so good on the old ViewSonic.  I guess I could post what I've done so far and see how it looks on the forum.  I think I'll do that this evening, and maybe you can give me some feedback.  I hate to start over, because this is a bear.  Every detail is covered with white spots.  Not many shortcuts with this one!

I'll check on the calibration hardware.  I know some of those devices are quite costly, and I broke the bank getting the setup I just bought.

Anyway, I appreciate the response. I can always depend on getting input, and it means so much.

I really do love you guys (that encompasses the gals, too)!

GG

[cmpentecost]

Glenna,

One thing nice about Tim Grey's book is that he takes you thru the complete set up of your computer and photoshop, including calibration, regardless if you have a calibration system, or you use the Adobe gamma.

As with anything, the more you get involvedin a hobby, the more you spend.  But, fortunately, you don't always have to spend tons of money to get good results.

Looking forward to seeing your work.

Christine

[glennab]

Ok, Christine, I've ordered Tim Grey's book from Amazon.  Since you're one of our gurus, I trust it'll be invaluable in getting my monitor set up, at the very least.  Thanks again for the recommendation!

GG

[cmpentecost]

Whoa...I'm not a guru, just a Photoshop geek that is trying to learn more every day.  However, of all the books I own, Tim Trey's was the one I read through in the most detail, beginning at page 1.  It's painful reading (at least for me), but it was the best way I learned of how to set up my computer, Photoshop, and my printer.  I have more fun playing in Photoshop, but if my system isn't set up correctly, then my efforts in Photoshop are not worth it.

Good luck, and please keep me posted on how it all turns out!
Christine