Best Computer for Editing?

[Life in Motion]

Does anyone else HATE how you can edit a photo from one computer and then look at it from a different computer and it look totally different! ugh.....this really is starting to tick me off actually! I'm debating on getting a new computer just for editing or monitor calibration. Right now i have a HP and i love it the only problem is....it puts off such a glare/glow on it's screen it is hard to see the whites correctly? For example! I had someone order a 16x24 standout framed picture of an image with a white background. The background looked great to my eye--and knowing the problem of my screen with it's glow i made sure and looked at it from every angle down low, up high, at the floor level, from side to side to ensure the background was seamless! But i got it back and it had what looked like dirt splatter(very lightly but still ruined the white seamless look) on the background. So, of course sent it back and got a second chance to fix the problem. Sometimes it is hard to fix a problem you can not see or notice, until the prints get back! Now this is the first time i've had this problem and actually sent an image back....but up till now i did mainly darker backgrounds because of only one light. Now i have a background flash as well and look to do a lot more high key kind of work. So, now i'm nervous and second guessing myself everytime i edit those type of light backgrounds, i have always watched the histogram very carefully not to blow whites and light colors because i know my screen is a little glarey! But i'm getting tired of guessing around the problem!

I'm worried that a calibrated monitor system won't get rid of the glare/glow on this type of monitor!?! Any body else know if a calibration system will help while editing the whites and lighter colors to diminish the glow on my screen? If not...does anybody know a brand of computer that doesn't have as much glow/glare and would be better for editing purposes!

I'm really wanting to find a solution this income tax season, so i can move forward with less worry with my light backgrounds!

Thanks for any and all comments ahead of time!

[autofocus]

Charity, that's why I still use a CRT (calibrated) over a dedicated flat screen or laptop. When my original CRT crapped out, i did some local searching and found a virtually new NEC multisysnc (the original owner just put it on the side in favor of he getting a flat screen) There are good high end flat screens for use in editing, but figure on spending $800 - $1500 bucks to get one. The trouble with most consumer grade flat screens is that they have an excess in color saturation, luminance, and contrast..not to mention how things change with viewing angle. Just tilting my laptop screen a little and I see an image go from very dark to very light...so, how can you really do good edits on it?? My suggestion to you would be to try to find a good, used CRT for consistent results...and it'll be way more affordable to those high end flat screens. Also, what's really most important is not how images look from PC to PC, but how well you images printed match your computer screen.

[Life in Motion]

Originally Posted by autofocus

Charity, that's why I still use a CRT (calibrated) over a dedicated flat screen or laptop. When my original CRT crapped out, i did some local searching and found a virtually new NEC multisysnc (the original owner just put it on the side in favor of he getting a flat screen) There are good high end flat screens for use in editing, but figure on spending $800 - $1500 bucks to get one. The trouble with most consumer grade flat screens is that they have an excess in color saturation, luminance, and contrast..not to mention how things change with viewing angle. Just tilting my laptop screen a little and I see an image go from very dark to very light...so, how can you really do good edits on it?? My suggestion to you would be to try to find a good, used CRT for consistent results...and it'll be way more affordable to those high end flat screens. Also, what's really most important is not how images look from PC to PC, but how well you images printed match your computer screen.

YES! the main issue on my prints are the color/brightness. Usually they are a tad DARKER/LESS saturated printed than what i see on my screen. so i find myself overcompensating a tad to get it to look perfect in printing. Probably because like you said my screen is fairly new and it is brighter/moresaturated/more luminance than older monitors. *sigh*

When i try to adjust my LCD screen by eye and get it to look like my test prints. it looks very close! however it is mainly the contrast/brightness/color is slightly darker. Whenever i go to the menu on my screen to calibrate it. it has an sRGB, 6500K, 9300K, Quick View(don't know what that's for ), Custom Color(haven't messed with). I go back and forth between the sRGB and 6500K alot trying to find the correct screen color. Along with the brightness and contrast settings seperately. Usually when my prints come back a tad different than i expect i adjust to them again. it's a continual dance!

Is all calibration systems going to make all screens look the same? or is it something that calibrates to a certain labs printers you use? Where do you get calibration systems? i've heard them stated to be neccessary on this site, but i'm not sure where/what kind is best to get? I really only have a slight understanding of what this system does.

Thank you very much for taking the time to help me! i really appreciate and respect your advice!!!

[Ania Photo]

The problem is calibration. Here is an article for this How to Calibrate Your Monitor

[autofocus]

Originally Posted by Life in Motion

YES! the main issue on my prints are the color/brightness. Usually they are a tad DARKER/LESS saturated printed than what i see on my screen. so i find myself overcompensating a tad to get it to look perfect in printing. Probably because like you said my screen is fairly new and it is brighter/moresaturated/more luminance than older monitors. *sigh*

When i try to adjust my LCD screen by eye and get it to look like my test prints. it looks very close! however it is mainly the contrast/brightness/color is slightly darker. Whenever i go to the menu on my screen to calibrate it. it has an sRGB, 6500K, 9300K, Quick View(don't know what that's for ), Custom Color(haven't messed with). I go back and forth between the sRGB I would stick with sRGB color profile, that's what the majority of the labs printers are set for. and 6500K alot trying to find the correct screen color. Along with the brightness and contrast settings seperately. Usually when my prints come back a tad different than i expect i adjust to them again. it's a continual dance!

Is all calibration systems going to make all screens look the same? I would guess no because you have to start with a screen baseline adjustment first before you calibrate. So, depending on how well that was done will probably influence the end result. Also, any light falling on your screen during the calibration process will also effect the end result. or is it something that calibrates to a certain labs printers you use? You can attempt to calibrate to a certain labs printer profiles, but if you use several labs you may find some inconsistencies between the labs. Where do you get calibration systems? You buy them..Spyder makes some that are not too expensive..like under $100 bucks. It's the one I use and seem to get acceptable results. i've heard them stated to be neccessary on this site, but i'm not sure where/what kind is best to get? You can also try to do it without a tool...try googling it, and you'll find some procedure for doing it I really only have a slight understanding of what this system does. For starters, and for the sake of compatibility, make sure you are set up doing your edits and saving them in the sRGB workspace. In my experience, this is what most of your print labs require.

Thank you very much for taking the time to help me! i really appreciate and respect your advice!!!

Hope this helps

Vinnie

[Life in Motion]

Thank you both for the great info!!!!! i'm sure to come to a resolution now! thanks again for taking the time to help me out!

You can snag a good 21" IPS monitor from Dell for about $200. IPS monitors are ideal for photo editting, as the color and brightness doesn't change much with viewing angle. IPS monitors are what Apple uses in their over-priced products, which is why they are always recommended for photo editting.