Display Profiling

Introduction
The ability to preview accurate color on your
monitor can save a considerable amount of time X-Rite’s monitor calibration systems include
and money for anyone in the photo and printing the i1Display Pro and ColorMunki™
industry. Photographers and designers who need to Display colorimeters, as well as i1Pro,
adjust images find that a color-calibrated monitor ColorMunki Photo and ColorMunki
is indispensable for previewing edits. To ensure the Design spectrophotometer systems.
colors you see on screen are the same colors from your
file, you simply need to calibrate and profile your
monitor. How to Calibrate a
But those who print color-critical images, such as
photos or corporate colors, will also benefit from
Monitor
the ability to preview colors as they will look when Monitor calibration involves four steps. Although
printed. Setting up softproofing will display the same they are a bit hard to distinguish, these four steps
colors on screen that will appear in print. follow a hierarchy known as the “4 Cs” of color
management. To achieve the most accurate profiles,

Viewing Conditions
you need to follow each steps.

First, a quick note about the importance of proper

viewing conditions. Since ambient lighting and colors 4 C’s of Color Management
around your monitor will affect your judgment of
color, room lighting should be set low and the monitor
should be brighter than the surrounding light. The
colors surrounding the monitor should be low key Conversion

and neutral. Print viewing conditions are also very Characterization

important, and a light booth can be very helpful.

Calibration

Consistency

To learn more about viewing conditions,

Step 1: Consistency
please see our Standard Viewing This first step is critical. Is your monitor providing
Conditions Need To Know document. consistent, uniform color across the screen? If it has
areas that show different color casts, calibration and
profiling will not improve your display. If it randomly
Calibration Systems fluctuates in color or brightness, calibration and
profiling can not make it more stable.
Although the Adobe® Gamma (Mac®/Windows®)
and Apple® Display System Preference (Mac OS X) Step 2: Calibration
can be used to visually calibrate a monitor, it is more
accurate to use a color measurement instrument such Calibration means achieving a known standard of
as an emissive colorimeter or spectrophotometer to performance. For monitors, the standards are gamma,
read color values from a monitor. contrast ratio, and color balance (also known as white
point). Calibration includes optimizing the hardware
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Display profiling

settings (if available) for contrast, brightness, and Contrast Ratio determines the dynamic range
color temperature. Optimized settings provide the between whites and blacks, allowing you to set your
best image reproduction on-screen. whitest white and your blackest black. Most profiling
software programs have a set value that cannot be
Gamma values in monitor calibration software changed. X-Rite’s i1Profiler allows users to edit this
can range from 1.00–3.00; the higher representing setting. See the “Display Profiling for i1Profiler”
a darker appearance with more contrast. The native section of this document for more information.
behavior of most monitors today is 2.2. Calibrating
to this setting will provide the smoothest gradients. White Point on monitors usually ranges from 5000–
Selecting a value that is very different than the native 9300 Kelvin (K). Lower values are more red, while
gamma of the display can introduce banding or higher values are more blue. When the white point
posterization in the gradients. is set to “Native,” the program uses the monitor’s
current white point without changing it.

Monitor Calibration The white point of your monitor should match the
white point of your prints under proper viewing
conditions. In the graphic arts industry, D50 is the
standard. Graphic artists who design for print on
an offset press should set the monitor’s white point
around 5000K. But many users find 5000K to be too
warm and dull, and prefer higher settings like 5500
or 6500. Sign shops and photographers may find
that setting the white point at 6500 more accurately
represents the cooler white point of photographic or
vinyl material when viewed under D50 Daylight.

LCD monitors can be brighter and can be calibrated

to any value between 5000 and 9300 without
Monitor profi ling occurs automatically after calibration as
diminishing the brightness. However, we still
the instrument measures a series of color and gray patches recommend 6500K for general graphics use. Some
on-screen. advanced users can try different values (between
Calibration Settings 5000 and 6500) to find the one that best matches
the look of their paper under their specific viewing
conditions.

Monitor Luminance values describe how bright the

monitor appears. The monitor should appear brighter
than the room lighting. Luminance is measured in
candela per square meter (cd/m2). LCDs are capable of
higher levels, as high as over 300, but values between
120 and 160 will provide enough brightness to see
details in shadows without being uncomfortable on
the eye. However, if your ambient room lighting is
rather bright and you have no control over it, you may
Monitor calibration settings include color balance (white
have to settle for a higher monitor luminance. Some
point) and contrast (gamma). monitor calibration software programs allow users to
set desired settings. This can be useful to get multiple
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 Display Profiling

monitors to match more closely. Another option graphic applications will automatically
available in some software is to automatically adjust use the profile for screen previews only.
the luminance based on the brightness of the room.

Monitor Calibration creates a curve that adjusts the

monitor’s behavior to match the selected white point
How to Check a
and gamma and saves it to the computer’s video card. Monitor Profile
As part of calibration, some software also includes
advanced options to help users adjust the monitor’s After you have completed each of the steps in
front panel controls to attain even better results. the “4 C’s” of color management—consistency,
characterization, calibration and conversion—you
On Windows, the calibration curves are downloaded should verify the profile you created is accurate.
to the video card upon startup. If you switch profiles,
the display won’t change because the new calibration Evaluating Color. The best way to do this is to
curves won’t be loaded until you restart the computer. compare a test photo displayed on the monitor with
Macintoshes dynamically load calibration curves a printed sample. Ideally, the print should be printed
each time a monitor profile is selected; so when you with a printer profile that you know is accurate and
select a new profile, the display’s contrast and color viewed in a 5000K viewing booth. It is also best if
balance will change right away. the viewing booth is not right next to the monitor.
Putting a little distance between the two, or even
Step 3: Characterization putting them at right angles to each other, will give
your eyes a little time to adjust for the difference in
After calibrating, the monitor calibration program the whiteness as they move from print to screen.
will create an ICC profile. Most monitor profiling
software will then assign this new profile as the system’s The photos should represent the type of work that
default profile for this monitor. Characterization, or you print, such as portraits with flesh tones, products
creating an ICC profile, is the third step in the “4 C’s.” with memory colors such as grass green, sky blue,
To help keep track of your profiles, it is recommended and other familiar colors, gray scales, highlights, and
that you create a monitor profile naming convention. shadows.
It is a good idea to use a name that you will associate
with this monitor, especially if you have multiple Tip
Hot
monitors on the system, along with the date.
To help you print the most accurate colors,
Step 4: Conversion we also offer Need To Know documents on
how to profile a variety of different printers.
After your monitor profile has been built, graphics
applications that are ICC compliant such as those Evaluating Shadow Reproduction. To check
from Adobe and Quark® will automatically convert your monitor’s ability to render shadow detail, create
the display. the following documents in Adobe Photoshop®:

• A square with three gray levels: RGB = 0 0 0, 8

8 8, and 12 12 12. Check that your monitor can
resolve all three gray levels.
Do not select the new monitor profile as
an RGB working space in any graphic • A blend from black to white. Make an empty
applications or print drivers! Your document 6 in. wide × 1 in. high at 72 ppi. With
the blend tool, create a blend from black (RGB 0
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Display profiling

0 0) to white (256 256 256). Check that shadows Luminance Adjustment. i1Profiler and Color-
and highlights can be resolved and that the munki Display include the option to automatically
gradation is smooth with no breaks or banding. adjust the monitor’s luminance based on the room’s
measured ambient light level. This step can be done
To check that your monitor profile is working, view
once during the profiling process, or some programs
these test images with the profile turned on and off.
allow you to leave the instrument plugged in and
• To turn off the monitor profile, select View > constantly monitor and adjust for the ambient room
Proof Setup > Monitor RGB. This shows the lighting.
image with the calibration, but not the profile.
If you want all of the computers in your studio to
• To view with both the calibration and the profile, display the same brightness, you may find the ability
un-check Proof Colors. to set monitor luminance valuable. Most display
calibrating products allow you to adjust the monitor
If you see problems in any of these tests, try setting luminance in candelas per square meter (cd/m2)
the monitor back to its factory setting on the front so that multiple monitors can be set to the same
panel, then re-calibrate and profile. brightness. This will provide a better match between
displays.

adVanced features Profiling Dual Displays. If you use more than

one monitor on the same computer, you may want
Several advanced monitor calibration features are
to profile both displays. Keep in mind that monitor
available with X-Rite’s Display Calibration products.
calibration values are stored in the video card, so if
These advanced features might be valuable if you
your video card only supports the calibration of one
use multiple monitors in the same studio, or if you
monitor, you can only calibrate one of the displays.
regularly compare screen previews to printed samples.
There are a few options for overcoming this. You
Ambient Light Measurement. i1Profiler and
can calibrate one color-critical monitor and use the
Colormunki Display allow users to measure the
uncalibrated monitor for tool palettes, use a separate
luminance of ambient light conditions. See our
video card for each monitor, or use a video card that
respective Need To Know documents for more
supports calibration of multiple displays.
instructions on taking these measurements.

Evaluating Shadows Ambient Light Measurement

RGB 0 0 0 RGB 8 8 8 To check your monitor’s

ability to render shadows,
RGB 12 12 12
create these images in
Photoshop and compare
with and without the
monitor profi le. Turn off
the profi le by selecting
View > Proof Setup >
Monitor RGB.

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 Display Profiling

Tip
Soft-Proofing Files
Hot
Softproofing allows you to see colors on your monitor
Today’s MacBook Pros® and iMacs® as they will look on your printer. Softproofing allows
support separate calibrations for built- you to make better editing judgments based on this
in and external displays. Intel® desktop preview, without converting your file yet. The file can
Macs support multiple monitor calibration. remain in your RGB working space while previewing
Some combinations of PC video cards and it in either an RGB or CMYK printer space.
Windows operating systems will not support
Many graphics applications provide setups for
multiple monitor calibration. Check with the
softproofing. Adobe Photoshop also has gamut
manufacturer to confirm support for yours.
warning capabilities that can alert you to colors that
fall outside the printer’s capability. Softproofing setup
Paper White Point. If you work in the graphic arts,
in Photoshop, Illustrator® and InDesign® is nearly
having the white on your monitor match the printing
identical. The steps below describe the process for
paper may be a useful feature. With i1Profiler, you
Photoshop. Check your software documentation for
can enter the paper’s colorimetric readings and set the
softproofing setup in other applications.
monitor’s white point to that of the paper.
1. Calibrate your monitor.

2. Edit your images as desired based on your

calibrated monitors preview.
If you prefer to actually read the paper, you
can use a spectrophotometer such as X-Rite’s 3. To check output colors, set up Photoshop’s soft-
Eye-One Pro. Be careful because many papers proofing using the View > Proof Setup > Custom
have UV brighteners that will measure dialog box. Select the printer profile for your
more blue than they appear to the eye. If you output. If, for example, your final output is your
use measurements from a paper with UV inkjet printer, select that profile here. If your
brighteners, your display will appear too blue. output is to be run on a press, ask your print
provider for the profile that represents their press
Network Monitor Calibration. In a network, conditions.
it may be necessary for the colors displayed on all
Do not select “Preserve RGB [or CMYK]
monitors to look as alike as possible. With i1Profiler
Numbers.” You can select different rendering
monitor calibration, you can calibrate multiple
intents to see their affect on your output. Usually
monitors to each other by saving target values (white
the best choice will be either “Perceptual” or
point, gamma, luminance) as Assets. This file can
“Relative Colorimetric.”
then be loaded on both Macintosh and Windows
platforms and used ensure all displays are calibrated 4. When View > Proof Colors is selected, Photoshop
to the same target values; helping the monitors match will display the image as it will appear with the
as closely as possible. However, keep in mind that selected printer profile.
calibration cannot change the range of colors that a
monitor is capable of displaying, so some colors still 5. When View > Gamut Warning is turned on,
will not match. Photoshop will show gray over colors that are
out of the printer’s gamut. These colors can then
be edited (e.g., reduce saturation using selective
color correction) to provide a realistic print and
avoid artifacts such as rough gradations.
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 Display profiling

Previewing Your Printer Output

When editing your document in Photoshop, set up the Proof Colors
dialog box to preview how your image will print. Use the Gamut
Warning to see colors that will be out of the gamut of your printer
profi le (shown here in gray) and adjust them to be within gamut.

Gamut Warning shows out-of-gamut colors in gray.

conclusIon
Taking the time to calibrate your monitor so that
what you see on the display matches what you will see
when you print can save you a considerable amount
of time and money. Visit http://www.xrite.com for
more information on the display profiling tools that
can make monitor calibration fast and easy.

For information on a variety classroom, custom on-site, and

highly interactive on-line training options, see X-Rite’s Color
Services web site at http://www.xrite.com/top_services.aspx
Contact us at:
Email: training@xrite.com
Classroom On-Site eLearning Phone: 800.248.9748 x2685
Training Training Training

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MonitorProfi lingNTK_02OCT11 The product names used in this Need To Know document are for educational purposes only and do not imply endorsement by the makers of those
©2011 X-Rite Incorporated. All rights reserved. products, or the endorsement of those products by X-Rite. All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.