Calibrating Two Monitors? at DVinfo.net

Aviv Hallale · September 2nd, 2006, 04:56 PM

I have a dual monitor set-up for my video editing, a Viewsonic as my Primary and a Samsung as my secondary...Everything seems to work fine except for the fact that the colour seems different on the two, which is a bit annoying. Is there away to get the colour on the secondary to match that of the primary? The actual settings on the montior don't make much of a difference.

Also, I got new drivers with Nwiz...Can I use this for anything beneficial besides the basic display setup?

The primary monitor's colours seem more vibrant and warmer while the secondary seems paler.

Emre Safak · September 2nd, 2006, 05:25 PM

You should buy a colorimeter if you really care about getting accurate color. You can get them to match by fiddling with the controls, but what if they are both wrong? The only way to get them to meet an objective standard is to use a hardware device.

It also helps if you use similar monitors, rather than say a CRT from one brand and an LCD from another.

Dan Keaton · September 3rd, 2006, 07:47 PM

There is a low cost device called a "Huey" which helps in monitor calibration.

The list price is $80.00. The following is the manufacturers website:

http://www.pantone.com/products/prod...&idProduct=103

There are other more expensive units available. I can not personally vouch for this unit as I have not used it.

Also, I do not know if this unit will work with a dual monitor setup.

A google search for "Huey" and "Pantone" will bring up many items of interest.

Simon Antoniou · September 5th, 2006, 02:20 AM

Sorry to hijack thread, but I dident think this question warrented a new thread.

I have just started using dual monitors for Avid Pro. When I press to play the project screen it automatically shows a full screen preview on the other monitor. How do I stop this?

Thanks

Glenn Chan · September 5th, 2006, 06:55 AM

If you have a Nvidia video card, you can fudge with the video card's controls a little bit so that they look more similar. What actually happens is that it changes the look-up table (LUT) on the video card, so this affects everything you see on the monitor.

With the hardware calibration devices:
A- I don't believe they work that well.
See http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/m...tion_tools.htm
B- They usually generate ICC profiles, which require an application that does color management to make use of it. It generally doesn't affect everything that happens on your monitor (like the video card's LUT would). I believe the ICC color management system/standard allows for much more sophisticated control over the image than the video card's LUTs do.
C- For video work, a broadcast-grade (CRT) monitor is still a very effective way to get accurate color. Computer monitors just don't quite cut it in my opinion.

2- I don't know if this is possible on your monitors, but you should try matching the white points. Display a black and white photo on both monitors, and eyeball it.
Your CRT hopefully has "user RGB" controls or something like that.

This is so your white balance doesn't drift as you move your eyes between the monitors. Your vision has an auto white balance of sorts.

Simon Antoniou · September 5th, 2006, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simon Antoniou

Sorry to hijack thread, but I dident think this question warrented a new thread.

I have just started using dual monitors for Avid Pro. When I press to play the project screen it automatically shows a full screen preview on the other monitor. How do I stop this?

Thanks

No worries, I've sorted it.

Ariel Fleischer · September 5th, 2006, 01:37 PM

Sorry for askin here, but didnt want to start a new topic:

Does Pinnacle MediaSuite/Studio 10 or Ulead MediaStudio/VideoStudio support 2 screens? I have extended Desktop here and I couldnt benefit from it yet...

Thanx a lot in advance

September 2nd, 2006, 04:56 PM	#1
Aviv Hallale Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Cape Town, South Africa Posts: 276	Calibrating Two Monitors? I have a dual monitor set-up for my video editing, a Viewsonic as my Primary and a Samsung as my secondary...Everything seems to work fine except for the fact that the colour seems different on the two, which is a bit annoying. Is there away to get the colour on the secondary to match that of the primary? The actual settings on the montior don't make much of a difference. Also, I got new drivers with Nwiz...Can I use this for anything beneficial besides the basic display setup? The primary monitor's colours seem more vibrant and warmer while the secondary seems paler.

September 3rd, 2006, 07:47 PM	#3
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	There is a low cost device called a "Huey" which helps in monitor calibration. The list price is $80.00. The following is the manufacturers website: http://www.pantone.com/products/prod...&idProduct=103 There are other more expensive units available. I can not personally vouch for this unit as I have not used it. Also, I do not know if this unit will work with a dual monitor setup. A google search for "Huey" and "Pantone" will bring up many items of interest. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

September 5th, 2006, 01:37 PM	#7
Ariel Fleischer New Boot Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Tel Aviv, Israel Posts: 11	Sorry for askin here, but didnt want to start a new topic: Does Pinnacle MediaSuite/Studio 10 or Ulead MediaStudio/VideoStudio support 2 screens? I have extended Desktop here and I couldnt benefit from it yet... Thanx a lot in advance __________________ Live from Tel Aviv, Israel. Es lebe die jüdische Community!

September 2nd, 2006, 05:25 PM	#2
Emre Safak Trustee Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brookline, MA Posts: 1,447	You should buy a colorimeter if you really care about getting accurate color. You can get them to match by fiddling with the controls, but what if they are both wrong? The only way to get them to meet an objective standard is to use a hardware device. It also helps if you use similar monitors, rather than say a CRT from one brand and an LCD from another.

September 5th, 2006, 02:20 AM	#4
Simon Antoniou Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 73	Sorry to hijack thread, but I dident think this question warrented a new thread. I have just started using dual monitors for Avid Pro. When I press to play the project screen it automatically shows a full screen preview on the other monitor. How do I stop this? Thanks

September 5th, 2006, 06:55 AM	#5
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	If you have a Nvidia video card, you can fudge with the video card's controls a little bit so that they look more similar. What actually happens is that it changes the look-up table (LUT) on the video card, so this affects everything you see on the monitor. With the hardware calibration devices: A- I don't believe they work that well. See http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/m...tion_tools.htm B- They usually generate ICC profiles, which require an application that does color management to make use of it. It generally doesn't affect everything that happens on your monitor (like the video card's LUT would). I believe the ICC color management system/standard allows for much more sophisticated control over the image than the video card's LUTs do. C- For video work, a broadcast-grade (CRT) monitor is still a very effective way to get accurate color. Computer monitors just don't quite cut it in my opinion. 2- I don't know if this is possible on your monitors, but you should try matching the white points. Display a black and white photo on both monitors, and eyeball it. Your CRT hopefully has "user RGB" controls or something like that. This is so your white balance doesn't drift as you move your eyes between the monitors. Your vision has an auto white balance of sorts.