[thechumpen]

I recently printed one of my pictures to my small photo printer and the image was really dark compared to how it looked in Lightroom 4. I researched and discovered the whole topic of monitor calibration.

I have an NEX 2470WVX that I bought before I got interested in photography. I have used the monitor calibration tool built into Windows 8 (Calibrate your display) and the problem I have is that the test screens look completely different depending on my vertical angle of viewing. E.g. if you look at the gamma test in the link then this looks completely different depending on whether I hunch down in my chair or sit up.

This makes me think I am on a losing battle with this monitor. Even if I buy a calibration solution it is always going to look different depending on my viewing angle.

My question - is this the same for all monitors or is mine just no good for photo editing etc? Can anyone recommend a 24" monitor that is more suitable?

[mrNewt]

What format your images are?
Maybe the conversion is not done properly before printing?

[K(s)evin]

You want to find a monitor which uses "ips" technology rather than "tft". I have a Dell U2412M, which has it. It allows you to view from any angle without the picture changing. Very highly recommended!

[jatrax]

I'm no expert and I'm sure someone who is will chime in as well, but I'm currently researching new monitors as well. You have a 'TN' type of monitor which is still the most common and least expensive LCD. But it does have issues with angle of view. The newer monitors are using 'IPS' or some variation of it and apparently have much better angle of view. Search for TN versus IPS for some videos and explanations of which does what.

I cannot recommend an individual monitor at this point, I'm still looking and will be interested in what others prefer.

In Lightroom 4 you do have the ability to soft profile and to setup a version of your image just for printing because as you discovered printed output can look much different than on the screen. Getting the two to match is not simple and takes a lot of time and work.

If you are going to be serious about photography and especially printing getting a calibrated monitor is essential. There are several hardware calibration units available and I use one on my TN style monitor and it helps a lot.

[mrNewt]

Before blaming the monitor ... are you working with RBG or CMYK images?
Also, what printer are you using?

[rhodopsin]

I recently printed one of my pictures to my small photo printer and the image was really dark compared to how it looked in Lightroom 4. I researched and discovered the whole topic of monitor calibration.

I have an NEX 2470WVX that I bought before I got interested in photography. I have used the monitor calibration tool built into Windows 8 (Calibrate your display) and the problem I have is that the test screens look completely different depending on my vertical angle of viewing. E.g. if you look at the gamma test in the link then this looks completely different depending on whether I hunch down in my chair or sit up.

This makes me think I am on a losing battle with this monitor. Even if I buy a calibration solution it is always going to look different depending on my viewing angle.

My question - is this the same for all monitors or is mine just no good for photo editing etc? Can anyone recommend a 24" monitor that is more suitable?

Sit up when monitor is calibrated -- that way you'll have good posture when editing photos, having to sit up straight. (Yes IPS monitor has very much less angle-viewing color-change problem: IPS Monitor List: Displays Using IPS Panels )

Monitor calibrated by Win 8 is for viewing Win 8. For printing photos, turn down monitor contrast and brightness until what you see on screen is as dark as what gets printed. Now try editing & printing after making screen photo brighter -- the print should look bright like the photo on the screen.

Monitor contrast should match paper contrast (3-4 stops total, I think...), then monitor brightness adjust so white screen matches white photo paper.

[thechumpen]

RGB or CMYK? No idea sorry. I am shooting with a K-r in RAW and then importing into Lightroom. Printer is a HP Photosmart A526.

rhodopsin - Sit up straight, good advice! Seriously though, even a slight change like tilting my head up or down gives a different view. Therefore I think what I will do is get an IPS monitor and then use your manual approach for calibrating it for now. Asus PA246Q along with some other Dell ones seem to get good write ups for a mid level price. At least with IPS once I get it where I want it I don't need to remember my exact seating position at the time

[Anvh]

I have an NEX 2470WVX that I bought before I got interested in photography. I have used the monitor calibration tool built into Windows 8 (Calibrate your display) and the problem I have is that the test screens look completely different depending on my vertical angle of viewing. E.g. if you look at the gamma test in the link then this looks completely different depending on whether I hunch down in my chair or sit up.

Manual calibration only goes so far, you need special hardware to really calibrate it.
Your screen has a TN panel which have bad viewing angles, you will never be ableto solve that but you might be able to calibrate it into reasoning.

But... this does not explain why your prints are so dark, well not fully.
Don't forget that your screen is a light source while paper reflects light, so you need to look at your prints under propper lighting.

As for screens, get IPS, PVA, MVA, PLS panel

You want to find a monitor which uses "ips" technology rather than "tft".

uhh.... IPS is a TFT panel...

[mrNewt]

... Seriously though, even a slight change like tilting my head up or down gives a different view ...

If your monitor is THAT bad, than I would strongly recommend a different one.
Dell has some decent monitors for affordable prices. I used them a lot and never really had any complains.

Also, your printer might not render colours properly.

The reason I asked what environment you are working on is that RGB colors (what you see on the screen) will always be more vivid with richer colors. When the conversion is done for printing (CMYK), some of those colors can be lost and the end resulting picture might look darker and duller.
When you do your own prints, you have to take those factors in consideration as well and sometimes depending on the colors in the picture, some manual tweaking for CYMK conversion might be needed.

Do you have this problem for all the pictures ... or just some of them?
If is some of them, then I am even more enclined to say that something is going on with the RGB to CMYK conversion ... or your printer needs to be calibrated.

[JohnX]

Calibrating your monitor will hopefuly allow you to view on-screen just what you saw when you took the shot, BUT, it won't necessarily mean that your prints will be any better if you're printing them yourself; you'll need to calibrate the printer as well!

[thechumpen]

Calibrating your monitor will hopefuly allow you to view on-screen just what you saw when you took the shot, BUT, it won't necessarily mean that your prints will be any better if you're printing them yourself; you'll need to calibrate the printer as well!

Is that what the soft profile feature in Lightroom is for then? Or is there some other way to do that?

[thechumpen]

Asus PA246Q or Dell U2410 seem to be the best options for a lower budget. The Dell one seems much easier to get hold of though.

[mrNewt]

I would go for the Dell ...

[nosliwmit]

I was amazed recently at how differently my (admittedly lower-end) Canon ink-jet printer treats different paper--some photo paper (Kodak) ends up looking very dark while a Korean store brand photo paper looked great. Something to keep in mind.

[DSims]

I've spent extensive time and resources on this topic. You have to get a new monitor to handle the viewing angle issue - get IPS or a similar technology as others have mentioned. Some newer models from LG and others are quite affordable, but I'm not sure how good the are. You'll have to decide whether you're OK with an LED backlight, which historically has poor color uniformity.

I bought 2 Dell FP 2007 (or is it 2007FP?) monitors, B-stock refurb for about $120 each. One broke after about a year so i just bought another. $360 is still better than the $1000 price for a new pair. You can get better monitors, but I was trying to keep the price down, and I'm happy with them.

If you want good monitor calibration go straight for the i1Display Pro (aka Display 3) from X-rite for ~$250. It's the best on the market for under $1000, and very, very close to the best at any price. Lesser models, including Spyder, are not worth it (I have one), and older models don't work well on modern monitors. The bundled software is good and easy to use - just use the highest settings and it's done in 10 minutes! If you MUST save money the ColorMunki Display is the exact same hardware for $169 retail, but the hardware's been crippled to run 4.5 to 5 times slower (with anybody's sotware)! I tried it and returned it after 1 day. If you still want the ColorMunki you may want to use it with the even better (IMO) free DispcalGUI software, but then you'll spend hours and hours re-trying until you get what you like, rather than 10 minutes and done with the i1Display Pro bundle. Since you should re-calibrate every few weeks to few months the speed will benefit you each time, and since it's so fast you won't mind using the highest quality settigs.

Printer profiles are a whole other matter, and can get quite complex and expensive. In general, Canon and Epson sell some very nice papers which usually work well with their printers and profiles. I can give you some specifics if you wish - especially if you tell me what your target printer(s) and paper type are.