How do I calibrate my monitor using Calibrite's ccStudio on Mac?
Pinned Featured
We talked a while back as I had an order of canvas and storyboards and color correction was requested and some were good and some were not. All that were off were replaced - Thank you!
We talked a bit about it over the phone. I checked my cameras, and Capture One and all are good.
Then I calibrated my monitor ( see below) and sent test prints in. The Order # is 11398192. They all needed correction. Density ranged from -12 to a +10.
When I got them back I visited with Dee about them. She said to Adjust the Color and Density of my monitor. She was not sure how to do that on a Mac, she suggested I google it… well that led me down the crazy google path of lots of different opinions. So I was the one who reached out on fb to see if I could seek some help there and that is when you responded. So here we are. I am just confused… How do I adjust the color and density of my monitor?
Can you explain to me how by calibrating, doing the test prints and seeing that my color and levels are off, ( I can go in and adjust those prints to make them look better) but how does that change the results of future prints… What am I missing?
Thank you!
-
Official comment
Susan, is this a new M1, Apple Silicone MAC? I think there are some issues with calibration and the MAC displays.
But a few notes….
Your targets (color temp and brightness) should be matched to your environment. For example, they are recommending 120 candelas per sq meter. If you work in a dark environment, that is TOO BRIGHT. What will happen is it seems too bright, so you will tend to darken images. Then when they are printed, they come back too dark.
Here’s another way to look at it….If people say “my prints are coming back too dark”, my response is “Put a brighter light on them!” Now, it sounds like a smart ass reply, but it’s true. If your monitor is too bright, you need the light on your prints to be very bright as well.
For working in a dark environment, about 90 is a good brightness. If you are in a pretty bright office, 120 is good. If you are in a medium brightness environment, maybe 100-110 is ideal.
The same holds true with color. If you have 5000K lights in your viewing area, D65 might seem a little cool. Because your eyes are adjusted to 5000K and D65 is 1500K cooler than that.
Some argue this approach. BUT many calibration systems will measure the ambient light and set those as targets. Ummm, if I am wrong, why do they design systems like that??
Hope that helps point you in a good direction.
Gary Box
-
To calibrate and profile with Calibrite's ccStudio on Mac:
- Open ccStudio by going to your Applications folder and double-click on the ccStudio app icon.
- Click on the CM Display device on the right and then click on "Display" on the left.
- In the Display Settings select the correct ‘Technology type’ for your screen. Select “White LED” for your Technology Type if it is an Apple display manufactured after 2009. All iMacs manufactured in Late 2015 or later, select "GB-LED" for the Technology Type. The 15” and 16” MacBook Pros manufactured in 2016 or later are “PFS Phosphor”. The 13” MacBook Pro also switched to “PFS Phosphor” in 2020.
- If the default 'Photo' preset is used, the White Point will be D65, Luminance will be 120 cd/m2, and Gamma will be 2.20. If you want to use different settings, select the 'Custom' preset. Click "Next".
- Click on "Start Measurement Process", place the device on the screen, and click "Next" in the Profile My Display dialogue on the left.
- Follow any onscreen prompts to adjust brightness to achieve the desired luminance. When adjusting brightness on an Apple display (iMac, MacBook, or Apple displays), you may need to open System Preferences > Displays to fine tune the brightness to match the target more closely. After brightness is properly set per onscreen instructions, click “Next” to measure the required color patches.
- When the measurements are done, take the measurement device off the screen (keep it plugged in) and rotate the diffuser to cover the lens. Click "Next". When you see the color patches with diagonal lines thru them, click "Next" again.
- When saving the profile in the ICC Profile workflow step, keep the default name (monitor + date), select ICC Version 2 rather that 4 ONLY if you use Final Cut or Capture One, and set the Profile Reminder to whatever you want. If you choose "None", it will turn off the reminder. We don't recommend re-profiling any more often than monthly. Click "Save Profile" and "OK" to any popups.
- The small box with the little person at the top of the window will open a “Before/After” function. When you are finished reviewing the profile, click the “Home” button. The profile is complete, and the Mac operating system has it set as the default display profile for this display.
- Close ccStudio, unplug the ColorMunki Display and store the ColorMunki Display in a safe place.
The recommended display profiling settings of a D65 white point, 2.2 gamma, and 120cd/m2 has been set by the industry experts. The photographers and graphic designers of the world have determined that a monitor profiled to these parameters will most closely match a print that is viewed in a 5000K light booth (Graphic arts standard). The default gamma (aka; tone response) is set at 2.2 in the Profile Settings step. We recommend using the Advanced method and select a luminance of “120”. If your prints are darker than your display, feel free to try a lower display luminance setting of 100, 90, or even 80.
0 -
One of the best calibration YouTube videos I've seen. https://youtu.be/ZNlOZesqnDo
0 -
Tom Stanley Great video! Thank you for posting that!
0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
4 comments