Adobe Gamma and SyncMaster 172N

[keshiv]

I have a Sumsung SyncMaster 172n and the manufacture says there are no phosphors numbers.

This is an LCD flat screen.

It comes with a program called Natural Colors that is supposed to make what you see on your monitor and what prints on your printer the same.

Should I just use that or is it better to use the Adobe Gamma tool.

If the Adobe Gamma tool how would I set it up using this monitor?

Thanks
Keith

[Stephen M]

Keith - I AFAIK Adobe Gamma is only for CRT devices, there may be a hack - but not to my knowledge.

Hardware/software for creating a monitor ICC profile, which is then used by a ICC aware applications - are not that expensive these days. I would look into one of these devices, it will probably save you more in ink/stock with the printer.

With luck others who have been down this path will post, I still use CRT's.


Stephen Marsh.

[keshiv]

This LCD monitor already comes with it's on ICC profile generator. I probably should use it since it is designed for this Monitor.

The other ICC profile generators are too expensive.

Thanks for letting me know the Adobe Gamma is only for CRTs.

Keith

[Richard_Lynch]

I am not sure that Adobe Gamma will only function with CRTs, though they may be what it was designed for. I would not take the manufacturer's support suggestion either. I have called and been told CRTs don't have phosphor settings, and I have had to call several times to get a technician who knew what I was talking about. There is also a possibility that you might have to go beyond the front line of defense to find what you are looking for. I have in the past requested to talk with engineers who will tend to have that information more readily available.

If the device comes with a calibration unit, it would certainly be the best thing to use.

[keshiv]

Thanks,

does anyone have a link to a web page the explains and shows Gamma curves and what a correct one should look like?

Thanks

[Stephen M]

I agree with Richard, when I wrote earlier I was thinking that AG is written for a CRT device and not LCD, which is so - but as I said I don't know if you can hack it to work anyway.

HAVE YOU TRIED TO INSTALL AG AND USE IT??? Dont, read below.

So...

Let's re-start this thread again.

Calibaration - bringing a device into some known state. Monitor calibration is important to some degree (brightness/contrast/whitepoint/gamma). But don't get too hung up here, this is only the first step - but still critical.

After cal comes Characterization/Profiling. This is usually the tough subject, cal is easy for most but profiling is not. It seems like LCD's are opposite, well at least this one is. This is only needed if you use ICC colour managed software.

If your monitor makes a ICC profile - THEN GOOD FOR YOU, USE IT!

Follow your monitors instructions for first calibrating to some base level - then tape over the controls and characterize/profile this monitor state so that CM aware apps can use. This will need to be done on a regular basis, and assumes the room lighting is constant.

I would forget about CRT and AG and worry about LCD issues, CRT is probably going to confuse things. Speaking of confusing things, I feel that I have done more of this than helping, so I might bow out of this thread here.

Some very good primers on general colour management and colour managed workflows for the full version of APS can be found here:

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~binaryfx/PSTV_links.html#I

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~binaryfx/PSTV_links.html#C

Stephen Marsh.

[keshiv]

Thanks for the info.

I used the utility that came with the monitor called Natural Color.

It also has calibration for the print, if I ever get one to make prints with.

The hardest thing is adjusting the Red, Blue and Green squares they want you to do. Looking at those lines and getting the center square to match is hard on the eyes.

But I think we got it done.

Just have to tweak as I go.