Editing on a laptop... how to know if screen is tilted too much?

[Flesheater]

I've had this problem, of knowing how photos I edit on my laptop will actually look when I upload them and see them on another computer.

if it's tilted too far back my photos will appear darker than they are, and I will edit them too brightly. if it's tilted too far forward they appear brighter than they are and I will edit them too dark.


Surely I'm not the only one who has had this problem.

any ideas on how to find out where the tilt = actual brightness?

[OsmosisStudios]

This is the tricky bit with using laptops as editors. Most people suggest you dont. I can say from experience that I have had no problems.

I generally find a happy medium simply through what looks right.

One way to check is to make yourself (or find) a greyscale and test from that. It'll basically be a bunch of different chunks of grey in a line, form 100% white to 100% black. Just use that, and tilt so that you can see every single section as a separate shade.

[Flesheater]

Yeah, but when your traveling, you dont have much choice, unless you just want to wait... but who wants to do that?

and yeah that seems like a good idea.
I usually just try to guess and it works out.
but last time, I had a few turn out darker than I thought they were.

I probably just wasnt paying attention.


thanks for the reply!

[Digidave]

I did it once!! Never again! I thought I did pretty well, until I got home & went to Flickr to see the shots on my desk top computer. Huge difference!!

[Kit]

Hi, This link may help with regards to monitor calibration:

http://www.photofriday.com/calibrate.php

[dcclark]

I use my laptop exclusively. Besides calibrating my screen, the simplest answer is simply to make sure you are looking directly at your screen: not on an angle in any direction. Try putting up a photo with some deep shadows, and moving yourself around: the shadows should only look really normal from one spot, and they should have a strange almost "glowing" appearance from anywhere off-center.

Also, be sure that your workflow includes color profiles and color management all the way from the camera to the printer -- normally it does by default, but if you've messed aronud with settings, that may not be the case.

[Glayva]

If you are really serious about photography you would never edit on a laptop!!

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by Glayva

If you are really serious about photography you would never edit on a laptop!!

That kind of blanket statement is just silly. I've done all my editing on a laptop and have had no problem. If anything, editing on a stationary LCD has been problematic.

[dcclark]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

That kind of blanket statement is just silly. I've done all my editing on a laptop and have had no problem. If anything, editing on a stationary LCD has been problematic.

Agreed. Modern laptop screens are very good quality, and indeed share the same lighting problems with many modern desktop screens!

[Japaslavian]

It's not really the laptop screen, but the environment the laptop is in. The same goes for any desktop screen as well.
If there's a bright light source behind you, or to the side, the glare will be there regardless. I will say that most desktop monitors tend to have a wider viewing angle, but I don't really think anyone situates themselves at an angle to any monitor that the difference will be very different.
If you're seeing major differences between laptop and desktop, your monitors are probably calibrated differently.
A nice tool for laptops, especially since they are mobile, are the Pantone Huey calibrators. They are lightweight, portable, and when plugged in, it will change the monitors settings with changing light in the area. Of course, they work well with desktops as well, especially if you work in a room with windows.

Originally Posted by Glayva

If you are really serious about photography you would never edit on a laptop!!

Eh... When I was working for a commercial photographer, we used a Macbook for on-location shooting. If you know how to shoot things correctly, there is no need for a perfect monitor. Just read the histogram and use a gray card, and color really shouldn't be an issue.
I will say, that CRT monitors do hold color best.