New LCD monitor HELP everything looks horrible

[mschonher]

I just got a new Dell pc yesterday with a 20" flat screen monitor and everything in PS and what I was working on before the new monitor looks terrible. The whites are blown out and the grey has a lavender/ purple cast to it. I'm ready to send the whole kit and kaboodle back to Dell. I thought I did a good job of selecting a monitor but I think I really messed up. I'm using Windows Vista and I have a digital hookup rather than an analog one to the monitor. All the print is tiny too. Got any ideas what I can do? I really appreciate any help you guys can give me.
Mary

[Tess (Tassie D)]

Hi Mary. It will take a bit of adjusting but this article explains it step by step. http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/monitor_calibration.htm

This is probably similar to your display buttons on your monitor. http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/monitors/2001fp/EN/controls.htm

For the small print it will depend on the resolution setting. You can always bring that down a notch but you may choose to enlarge the print in appearance settings rather than resolution.

[mschonher]

Hi Tassie, Thanks so much for your input. I was expecting to just plug everything in and start working on photos, that's about all there was to it with a CRT. Just doing the Adobe Gamma adjustment seemed to work just fine. With this new monitor, Adobe Gamma is useless! I was horrified to see my work displayed on this new monitor and the photo I've been working on prior to the new monitor appears all blown out and has a strange color cast. I have finally decided on using the native res inherent to the monitor. Dell said this would give me the best outcome. I've been playing with text size in another way. Right now as I'm typing it's painfully small but in other applications it's better. I have no idea why though. I followed your links but they seem so complicated. As you know I'm technically challenged! What I'm going to do is work on a new photograph from OPR and see how it goes with the monitor as it is. That may or may not be a good idea but at least I'm trying. Also, I'm going to google the subject and see what comes up. I was at the Office Depot yesterday and the salesman told me he did a calibration from the net and it turned out great. It's not that I'm so willing to take the easy shortcut but the software programs for calibrating are very expensive. Maybe it's just me that can't use the adobe gamma for this new monitor? I just can't wait to get back to photo editing though.................Mary

[hoodman3]

Mary, if you right click anywhere on your desktop and click on properties>Appearance tab>advanced button you will have the option to change the font sizes in different areas that will better suit your resolution. It's really a chore to adjust the gamma of new monitors, but I think it's imperative. More important than almost anything you can do at this stage. Sorry I have no advice for your monitor, but the link from Tassie looks great.
Best of luck!
Pete