6 Replies Latest reply: Dec 25, 2011 3:30 AM by twenty_one RSS

    Adjust Gamma on the Fly?

    bstuttman Community Member

      I've never been successful in calibrating an LCD monitor so do my color management by eyeballing a test print and making printer adjustments as necessary.  I use my Nvidia control panel to set the monitor gamma so that my prints require minimal adjustments.  However, whereas the screen gamma is just right for Photoshop use, most Web videos appear too dark. I'm looking for some way to adjust the gamma setting on the fly - set it one way when booting computer and another way when loading Photoshop.  Is this possible?

       

      Burt Stuttman

        • 1. Re: Adjust Gamma on the Fly?
          Chris Cox Adobe Employee

          > do my color management by eyeballing a test print and making printer adjustments as necessary.

           

          That's not color management, that's a recipe for failure.

           

           

          1) Disable all the NVidia adjustments - they are fighting against all the normal color management on your system

          2) Go back to the display's default profile and start from there. If that profile looks way off in Photoshop, then you'll need to recalibrate the display.

          3) Then figure out why your prints don't match what you see in Photoshop - it's usually a matter of choosing to let Photoshop convert colors, selecting the right profile for your printer and paper, and getting the printer driver to keep it's hands off the color values.

          • 2. Re: Adjust Gamma on the Fly?
            bstuttman Community Member

            Thank you for your prompt reply.

            Wouldn't the gamma adjustment I make in the Nvidia control panel be equivalent to a third party calibration?  Basically what I'm doing is adjusting (calibrating) the monitor to so that the visual image matches the print image in density (not in hue).  Where my prints didn't match the screen it was always in density, either too light or dark and not in color variation.  That was always dead on.  Actually, once I get the gamma corrected, there was very little difference in how I chose to print.  Either Printer controlling or Photoshop controlling - the prints are pretty close.  And with my new Epson R3000 they are right on - with a simpler workflow.

            Getting back to my original question.  Is there a way to control gamma on the fly?  With my monitor set for Photoshop use - Gamma 2.2 - I find many online videos appear too dark.  Probably because they were created on an Apple with a 1.8 Gamma.  What I'm looking for is a way to reset the gamma when going online and reset it again when load Photoshop.

            • 3. Re: Adjust Gamma on the Fly?
              Chris Cox Adobe Employee

              No, the adjustment in the NVidia controls is not the same as calibration.

              You are changing the display, without changing the profile for the display - so color managed applications are targetting the wrong tone response for your display.

              And messing up your display to try and match the print is entirely backwards, and doomed to fail.

               

              No, there is no way to adjust display gamma on the fly, nor should there be.  You'd be deafeating all the correctly functioning color mangement that's already in place.

               

              Again, you are seeking a "solution" to a problem that you created -- stop messing up the display gamma and just figure out why your prints are too dark or light.

              The problem is with printing, not the display, videos, or gamma utilities.

              • 4. Re: Adjust Gamma on the Fly?
                Noel Carboni Community Member

                Chris may be being a bit broad with his "recipe for failure" description.

                 

                It's certainly possible to choose a particular well-behaved profile (e.g., sRGB), set the on-monitor controls to deliver a good image, then fine tune with the video driver controls (which the driver auto-loads at login).

                 

                This is not a mindless way to do it, but it's doable.  But you have to get the monitor gamma right, not just match prints.  Then you might have to do things to the printer to make it right as well.  I have a calibration test image that can be used to check whether a monitor is close to right.

                 

                However, bstuttman, what I don't understand is why you feel you need to adjust your overall gamma for different activities.  Can you provide a link to an example of a too-dark online video? 

                 

                Is it just video that gives you trouble?  Keep in mind that video players such as Media Player offer playback adjustments, and many drivers (not sure about nVidia with your setup) also offer specific adjustments that affect video playback specifically.  Perhaps that's where you should look to brighten up your video playback...

                 

                -Noel

                • 5. Re: Adjust Gamma on the Fly?
                  bstuttman Community Member

                  Thanks for your input.  Chris was correct when he stated that I was adjusting my display to match the print.  That's exactly what I was doing with the Nvidia Control panel.  As I said at the outset, I was never successful with the Hardware calibration devices.  I had Monaco Optix and recall on opening the box there was a slip about the software not functioning correctly in Windows, or something to that effect.  Really bred confidence.  It also reminded of a Rube Goldberg contraption. Couldn't get it to work properly on my  NEC LCD2070NX.  I used to use the Adobe Gamma in earlier PS versions and recall how the screen darkened when it kicked in on boot up. The adjustment I made on the Nvidia Panel gave the same effect.  I now brought it back to the default setting and calibrated the monitor with the Nvidia Optimize Display routine.  This appears to be similar to other calibration routines.  PS prints are looking OK using either method while running a PhotoDisc test print.

                  • 6. Re: Adjust Gamma on the Fly?
                    twenty_one Community Member

                    You're making this too complicated. What  you probably want to adjust is not gamma, but display brightness. Most people work with monitors that are too bright.

                     

                    Many calibrators do not allow you to set a luminance target. That may actually be a good thing because it should in any case be adjusted in the monitor OSD, not the video card. In that case you should set a luminance that gives a good match to printed output.

                     

                    Monitor calibration works out of the box if you don't mess it up too much. Keep it simple and it just works.