How to Calibrate Monitor for Photo Editing: 2024 Ultimate Guide

Calibrating your monitor before photo editing is very important since you might not be able to see a lot of details if the colors aren’t accurate when running any kind of photo editing software. Such a procedure is also necessary after changing the graphics card of your PC and performing driver updates since usually they leave you behind with an average, standardized picture after installation.

You can calibrate your monitor for photography editing in many ways – from manual configuration to using special utilities and proprietary solutions provided by different manufacturers. Utilities of this kind allow you to improve the monitor’s color reproduction on a basic level.

Nonetheless, if you want to fine-tune the picture to see the tiniest tonal changes, you’ll have to use a calibrator.

If you don’t have the time necessary to handle editing yourself or you’re struggling to calibrate your monitor properly, consider entrusting that task to our company’s retouchers.

Both Windows and Mac OS come with dedicated tools suitable for handling different calibration parameters, which are restricted by the screen type and model. Before starting the calibration process, make sure the monitor is in a room with moderate neutral lighting and isn’t suffering from glares.

Another factor to consider is that the screen has to be turned on for at least 30 minutes so that it’s properly warmed up and cleansed of any dust or smudges. By default, the display has to show the picture in the maximum available resolution before you begin the calibration. However, you might switch to a different resolution if it will suit your needs better.

Note: This approach isn’t recommended to people who rely on their monitor for their job or own a premium-grade 4K monitor with advanced settings.

When using Windows, right-click the desktop and pick Display Settings from the appeared options. Next, navigate down to Color Calibration, which can be found in the Related Settings section of the pop-up window. This will launch the calibration utility that will provide detailed instructions for each stage of the process. It’ll start by helping you tweak the gamma, then the brightness, and finally the contrast and color.

Windows will explain what you need to do to get each parameter right while providing a relevant monitor calibration image example in the process. As such, even if you have no idea what all the settings are responsible for, you’ll still be able to achieve a satisfying calibration result.

Once you’re done with all the steps, it’s time to pick the current calibration and press “Finish”. As a result, the newly done calibration will be saved as the ICC (International Color Consortium) profile.

If for some reason you’re not happy with the calibration, simply select “Cancel” in this menu, and the calibration changes will be reverted.

If you’re on a Mac PC, navigate to System Preferences > Display > Color > Calibration. Here you’ll find a utility that will take you through all the screen calibration stages. Here you start by setting the white point. The device lets you either enable the Use Native White Point checkbox or perform manual adjustments.

The type of your screen will determine whether you’ll be able to tweak any other parameters in the calibration utility. If you have access to extra settings, those will be parameters like gamma and contrast.

After you’re done making all possible changes, Apple will add a new color profile that contains your user-defined settings. The last window of the calibration utility lets you name the profile before you save it.

Pro Tip: Once you’re done calibrating the monitor, we suggest you immediately download Photoshop for free to test the result and if you’re unhappy with the picture quality, go through the calibration process again.

A calibration tool (a calibrator) visually resembles a regular computer mouse. Its software interacts with your monitor to make it display a broad color and tonal range. All the received data is recorded and measured, after which the calibrator analyses it.

The most prominent manufacturer in the monitor calibration industry is called Datacolor. If you want to learn how to calibrate monitor for photo editing, we particularly suggest checking out the Datacolor SpyderX Pro since it comes with a room-light monitoring feature, automated profile changing, and unparalleled screen color, shadow detail, and white balance precision. Such a device would currently cost you about $150.

The main factor that sets this procedure apart from manual calibration is its full automation. For instance, if there’s no way to reproduce the colors 100% accurately, the software will automatically “accentuate” everything to make sure all inaccuracies are related only to tones that are poorly perceived by the human eye.

Overall, this method allows you to completely deal with the following problems:

• Inaccurate color reproduction;
• Existence of “parasitic” color fluctuations;
• Lack of shadow detail;
• Appearance of inaccuracies when color testing future photos.

Using this method of monitor calibration photography editing allows you to receive terrific results but it isn’t always flawless. Each such procedure should be followed by result control that involves evaluating the calibration quality with the help of a black-and-white gradient opened in any software with a color management feature. A monitor is considered to be fully calibrated when one tone transitions into another one with equal uniformity.

The web provides multiple free calibration solutions that will teach you how to calibrate laptop screen for photo editing manually. The provided results can sometimes even surpass standard calibration methods.

Works both offline and online

The Lagom LCD Monitor is a calibration utility that is suitable for both online and offline use. It employs a sequence of test images that evaluate the display’s contrast, brightness, color range, and responsiveness. If you want to ensure the results are as precise as possible, make sure to tackle all test images in the order they’re presented. For instance, you have to adjust the brightness, contrast, and sharpness before you can move on to viewing angle tests.

The Lagom utility might seem intimidating if you’ve never used a calibration tool before but all test images are accompanied by detailed instructions. If you want to employ the test images offline, you can simply save them on your PC or flash drive.