Posted by Robert Helms on February 3, 2008 at 12:13 PM
I'm just curious what everyone is using to view images via the web? As I continue to work on my website I find such a significant difference between my own images when I view them between my laptop and desktop monitors. Granted laptops are probably the worst platform for viewing images, however, it seems that most people I know use them for web viewing. Which only causes me to wonder just what is the average viewer seeing when they view images via the web and is it possible to have a happy medium between the two?
Personally, I only use the laptop when I'm feeling lazy and would rather sit with my feet propped up in the recliner than at the desk. If anyone is using a laptop with a monitor that they are satisfied with please inform me.
I use a laptop...and I'm extremely cognizant of its limitations as a viewing platform, so when I critique images I typically punt on subtle questions of luminance and color...because I know that any modest irregularities I think I see could well be a function of my display, rather than the image.
I use a laptop because my only desktop computer--which I use for all of my own image editing and printing work--is deliberately untethered to the Net.
FWIW, I noticed some time ago that, even when changing color spaces to account for viewing with non-color managed devices (like virtually all Web browsers), significant changes in appearance take place when preparing images for Web display--even when viewing on a calibrated monitor. I now soft proof every image when converting it for Web viewing using the Monitor RGB profile in Photoshop. Significant adjustments in hue & saturation and contrast are occasionally needed (depends greatly on the image) before finalizing the process. And, even with all of this as you note, Robert, there's still no accounting for each viewer's individual displays and preferences.
I sometimes wonder, in light of all of this, if a lot of the technical back and forth that takes place in the IC galleries here on NPN--particularly in ESS, where I spend the vast majority of my time--isn't all a bit on the breathless side...
Posted by Robert Helms on February 3, 2008 at 1:46 PM
Thanks for the input, Kerry. It does seem that all efforts to display images, via the web, to the non photographer community could easily be in vain. I do use my desktop to proof the images and then open them in IE and Mozilla to check their accuracy before posting them to the web, but it would be nice to view them on several peoples displays just to see the variance between them all, however shocking it may be.
I do feel that anyone creating a website should place a tonal scale somewhere within it with minor instructions on how to best optimize their viewing.
Posted by Rob Coomer on February 4, 2008 at 9:18 PM
I do most of my editing and viewing on a Macbook Pro. I do have a 21" Mitsubishi CRT attached to my laptop at times, but most of my work is on the 15" laptop screen.
As for a grayscale bar on the website, I doubt anyone but a techie would even pay any attention to it. I could see a viewer leaving the site thinking your images are inferior because they have to "make up" for your mistakes by adjusting their monitor. Most people won't do that.
I'm 100% desktop. Being a poor college student, I can get a lot more bang for my buck with a desktop (especially since I build my own). You've mentioned the benefits of a larger and higher quality display, and that's another reason why I've never really been that drawn to laptops. They've come a long ways though and some laptops do have screens that would work well (some of the Mac products come to mind).
As far as a photographers efforts being in vein with optimizing images for the web...it's true to a point, but I think we need to do what we can to having our work display properly. At least then, when someone views our photos on an uncalibrated source, the fault isn't ours. I'd rather not be the weak link.
Discussion
4 repliesPersonally, I only use the laptop when I'm feeling lazy and would rather sit with my feet propped up in the recliner than at the desk. If anyone is using a laptop with a monitor that they are satisfied with please inform me.
I use a laptop because my only desktop computer--which I use for all of my own image editing and printing work--is deliberately untethered to the Net.
FWIW, I noticed some time ago that, even when changing color spaces to account for viewing with non-color managed devices (like virtually all Web browsers), significant changes in appearance take place when preparing images for Web display--even when viewing on a calibrated monitor. I now soft proof every image when converting it for Web viewing using the Monitor RGB profile in Photoshop. Significant adjustments in hue & saturation and contrast are occasionally needed (depends greatly on the image) before finalizing the process. And, even with all of this as you note, Robert, there's still no accounting for each viewer's individual displays and preferences.
I sometimes wonder, in light of all of this, if a lot of the technical back and forth that takes place in the IC galleries here on NPN--particularly in ESS, where I spend the vast majority of my time--isn't all a bit on the breathless side...
I do feel that anyone creating a website should place a tonal scale somewhere within it with minor instructions on how to best optimize their viewing.
As for a grayscale bar on the website, I doubt anyone but a techie would even pay any attention to it. I could see a viewer leaving the site thinking your images are inferior because they have to "make up" for your mistakes by adjusting their monitor.
As far as a photographers efforts being in vein with optimizing images for the web...it's true to a point, but I think we need to do what we can to having our work display properly. At least then, when someone views our photos on an uncalibrated source, the fault isn't ours. I'd rather not be the weak link.