DSLR Photography Forum

So I got a fancy-dancy new laptop (ThinkPad T42) with my new job. The laptop came pre-loaded from the IT dept. with PS7, so I've been learning how to use 'the real thing". Problem is, the images look SOOOO different on my CRT monitor. Is it possible to properly processa photo on a laptop screen? How do you know which angle of view is the 'real' brightness, etc.?

I'm supposed to be getting a copy of PSCS soon. I'm hoping I'll be able to sneak the CD home (sorry boss, I didn't get a chance to install that new software today, I'll take it home and do it there....) so I can process on my desktop with my pseudo-calibrated screen!

I find it hard too to get colours right on a laptop LCD screen (I've got a Compaq N610c). I reserve my desktop for the important stuff.

Even with web design (which you think would be pretty doable on a laptop), I find I run into problems when choosing the colour palette. I sometimes choose some beautiful colours on my laptop and update the site and find out later that they're too garish and horrible on my desktop.

Lol... I think the early Shuttertalk design was a victim of this...

I find my laptop all but useless for any serious processing. Serves me right for buying the cheapest laptop in the store 3 years ago

I've had fairly good success with my laptops, but when I shop for a laptop, the screen is probably the most important single aspect of it to me for many reasons (not just image editing).

My in-the-process-of-being-replaced notebook (Dell Inspiron 8200 - 1600x1200 15" display) is pretty good but has a slight reddish cast when I put it beside most other good screens. The cast is very consistent across the entire colour range, and I've been using this notebook for two years, so I pretty much know just how much to compensate for it. Brightness isn't as good as newer LCD screens, but in all other aspects it is quite usable. When I edit images on it and then move them to a different screen, I don't scream in horror.

I just picked up my new replacement notebook last week (Alienware Area-51m 770 - 1680x1050 17" wide-screen) and it simply has the best looking images I've ever seen on a laptop. Unfortunately it was delivered with faults, so I only got to use it for 24 hours and am now waiting for them to build me another one... but I was blown away by it. I didn't do any scientific tests, but I did put it beside my 17" Desktop LCD screen (Benq FP767 v2), and the notebook screen was every bit as good and bright as the desktop screen, with no colour cast. I'm still not convinced that the wide-screen aspect ratio is as good as everyone thinks (Jury is still out on that one), but the notebook has a glossy screen instead of matte which seems to give colours more depth, albeit at the price of a bit of glare.

I also run a Home Theatre PC through a DLP projector at home (which is what I'm typing this on right now), but that really is useless for any kind of image editing. The lighter colours aren't bad, but contrast totally disappears in the shadows and there is no such thing as a really deep black. Its still great for home-theatre entertainment-type stuff like games, TV, movies, email and web-browsing, but that's about it.

Because I alternate between 6 different screens on a regular basis (3xLCDs, 2xCRTs and 1xDLP), I am very aware that the same image can look quite different depending on where it is shown.

From time to time I have seriously considered purchasing a proper hardware monitor calibration tool such as ColorVision ColorPlus (http://www.ausmedia.com.au/calibration.htm), but AU$229 is a fairly big cost just to calibrate my screens.
But I don't think you can hire them, as the software needs to remain installed on the PC in order for the calibration to continue working... and I doubt the software license allows that to happen.
It's the kind of thing you want a few mates to go shares in or your employer to buy for you.

There's plenty of info on the web about calibrating monitors (and there are some things you can do to improve things).

Here's a link to get you started if you're interested:
http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/monit...ration.htm

Cheers
Adrian

I've had a mixed bag of results using laptops, I currently have two (HP6200 & Highlander)

And my secret to accurate(ish) results is the old side by side comparison. Take one shot that you know to be correct on the desktop and then try to get the laptop to match. Its not too bad but the contrast seems to be the bigger problem.

Wow Kombi! sounds like a super cool laptop! Did you have to import it? (The Alienware one)

Thanks for the links, I'll check them out;

I use my Acer TM371TCi for everything, and unfortunately, well, the angle you tilt the screen makes the brightness change, (not the special feature like the macs, but this is because of angle of view thing), so I get many people say that the pictures are too dark when they appear fine here I tried post processing on my CRT, which is really old and yuk now, and it seems to be even more off!

I was just thinking this a few days ago, to get a good monitor so I can post process!

Hey Adam,

Yeah.. should be nice... If I ever get a fully working version that is :o/

Alienware have opened an Australian branch in Adelaide (just since Christmas), so I didn't have to import it.
A word of warning though - I suspect the Aussie branch probably isn't quite ready for business, I've had nothing but trouble with the sales team. The laptops themselves are sent bare-bones from the US and then fitted out and tested in Adelaide, so physically they should be identical to the US laptops (which have a good reputation), but the sales and support is all Australian-based.
For my experience, it has taken 6 weeks so far since they received the money (my work paid for it, not me), and I still don't have a working laptop. The sales person made all the promises in the world and didn't back any of them up (it was supposedly going to be sent "today" about three times over a couple of weeks), and then when it did arrive it had major power problems and didn't include everything in the order (missing CD's, missing $200 backpack, etc).
It really seemed like they were slack or didn't get onto it for ages for some reason they didn't want to tell me about, and then when they finally did build it, they just rushed it out the door without testing it first or checking the order properly.
So I can't really comment on how good the notebook itself is yet, but the service so far has been appalling.
Sorry for the rant.

Like Jamie, I think that if you visually can't see a difference between two screens then that is as good as anything. The only other times it matters are:

1) When you post images to the web for others to see (in which case it doesn't matter if your monitor was calibrated or not, as the viewer's monitor probably isn't)

2) When you print. I've read several articles that say if you are concerned because your printouts don't look like your screen images, then chances are that *most* of the difference is because of the monitor, not the printer.

At the very least, I try to find and download the appropriate colour profile for my monitor and use that in Windows Display Properties, or use the sRGB profile if I can't get the "proper" profile for that monitor. I usually switch colour management off in Photoshop (and Corel Photo-Paint) though, as a lot of the work I do is designed for on-screen viewing and not printing, and I find it easier for me to work this way.
I still don't understand as much as I'd like to with regards to Colour management though, but now I'm printing a bit more stuff I'd like to learn more, as it becomes a lot more important.

Cheers
Adrian

So, laptop LCDs are useless... what about TFTs? Are they as reliable as CRTs for colour, contrast, etc.?