Is there a proper lap top screen viewing angle? With mine the color/contrast changes drastically! Im not sure what color others see when shareing photos because there is such a differance on my screen im not sure whats right.
I have a dell 17" studio, its a couple of years old.
Posted by Eva McDermott on April 15, 2012 at 11:43 PM
I use an Arcatech viewing angle gauge but there may be simpler, cheaper methods. I exclusively process my images on a Lenovo W701ds laptop work station for convenience at work (non-photo related work at lunch time), home and on the road locally but I am sure others will say it is not the best way to process images but it works for me with its 17" RGB display with built in calibration device.
Posted by David Bostedo on April 16, 2012 at 11:20 AM
Jack - A couple of things are important in using laptop monitors to get accurate color :
1) A good monitor to start with. Most laptop displays are just plain bad for accurate color. They don't have a wide enough gamut, or calibrate accurately enough. It's tough sometimes to tell which laptops have a good monitor, but generally the more expensive the better (if there are options for the the monitor). Some research here definitely helps.
2) Viewing angle. The better the monitor, the less this will matter, but it matters for just about any of them to some extent. As Eva mentioned, there are guides to help keep it consistent, but a higher quality monitor goes a long way toward helping with viewing angle.
You should probably read through some of the threads on here :
Wow first switch to FF camera, than L lenses, now i need a better lap top. Holy crap this site sure does twist my arm, hope my wife never finds out how much this stuff cost!
Posted by Mark Seaver on April 16, 2012 at 5:57 PM
Jack, I've explored the laptop viewing angle and ways to get it right and I think the easy way (at least with a glossy screen) is to center your eyes in the screen before you turn it on or when it's displaying something dark. Yeah, I'm constantly amazed about what every little thing related to quality photography costs ($38,000/gallon printer ink, etc.!
Posted by David Bostedo on April 16, 2012 at 8:01 PM
Jack - One thing to consider (which I think is in one of the threads above) if you're amenable is getting a better monitor for your current laptop (assuming it has a decent video card with the right outputs). For $400-$500 you can usually get a very good stand alone 24" monitor that will be much better than just about any laptop, and a lot bigger.
Of course, you are then tied to the monitor when you are editing photos - which is why I don't go that route - but it certainly is a good option.
Discussion
6 repliesI have a dell 17" studio, its a couple of years old.
1) A good monitor to start with. Most laptop displays are just plain bad for accurate color. They don't have a wide enough gamut, or calibrate accurately enough. It's tough sometimes to tell which laptops have a good monitor, but generally the more expensive the better (if there are options for the the monitor). Some research here definitely helps.
2) Viewing angle. The better the monitor, the less this will matter, but it matters for just about any of them to some extent. As Eva mentioned, there are guides to help keep it consistent, but a higher quality monitor goes a long way toward helping with viewing angle.
You should probably read through some of the threads on here :
http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/bbs.cgi?a=vm&mr=8471&CGISESSID=427e593bc7cbe11437e8eb7cb6beb12b&u=24225
http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/bbs.cgi?a=vm&mr=46361&CGISESSID=427e593bc7cbe11437e8eb7cb6beb12b&u=24225
http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/bbs.cgi?a=vm&mr=69571&CGISESSID=427e593bc7cbe11437e8eb7cb6beb12b&u=23911
http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/bbs.cgi?a=vm&mr=11132&CGISESSID=427e593bc7cbe11437e8eb7cb6beb12b&u=24225
Of course, you are then tied to the monitor when you are editing photos - which is why I don't go that route - but it certainly is a good option.