A problem.. and a big one i suppose!

[Rune Rask]

OK

So, ive been working dual screen for a while now, and it really suits my needs, not that im that particulair good, but the extra space is naaaice :D

but.. one day i dragged my painter window from one screen to the other, to discover that the colors on my image where completly different.. not that much in color terms, more like in the saturation and such, especially the color red was quite present in the image on one screen, while the same area looked more like a deep brown redish thing on the other screen.

Im running a 22" widescreen flat panel and a 19" widescreen flat panel. both from HP and crystal clear view. so no problems with black. They are both calibrated the same way, almost, and i say almost because the one monitor is DVI input and the other VGA does this make a difference? is the DVI the better or the other way around? i would really like some help.

But it got my thinking... how can i insure that the colors at least on my PC are the colors that i choose. and how will i know how the image will look on other peoples stations?

Thnx a bunch
Rune

[Grief]

buy a monitor color calibrator.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_calibration

the advantage of the calibration device is that it reads the information being displayed by the monitor, instead of just plugging in a set color field space which in theory should depict the same color.

and how will i know how the image will look on other peoples stations?

well thats really not something you have control over. mentioning the colorfield space you work in for optimal color display will help the viewer, but theres no guarantee that their monitor is calibrated to the same standards.

[Chingwa]

Yes DVI and VGA are way different, they will never be the same. One is all digital the other is analog and you losr color info. get a graphics card with dual dvi outputs.

[Emerald_Mara85]

From what I learn from my dad,

Is that there is never a precise way to do this calibration...
Just an almost or near enough.

And yes there are programs or tools that exist to help you but its costly. Unless you pretty much have the cash...
But if you don't,
You can try color tests found on the web or use the 10 tones *from black to white* to test your monitor. The 2nd darkest tone should only have a slight difference...
Uhh that's all I know if you're cheap!

[Seedling]

Is the image ultimately going to be shown in print, or on computer monitors? If monitors, then you will never have strict control over the final image, because everyone’s monitor is different. What I like to do in this case is to make sure that the art looks good over a range of monitor calibrations (which I do in part by using two differently-calibrated monitors and periodically switching which side I look at the art on.)

Print’s another whole ball of wax, though, which I know nothing about.

Someone once tried to callibrate all the artist’s monitors here, once, using one of those callibration devices. The results weren’t worth the time and the money.

[Rune Rask]

thnx all ... im giving up on this.. it looks decent on my station, and i did my research now.

Basicly my VGA monitor doesnt have enough info to display as wide a range of colors avalible in Painter. Good thing i work on my DVI monitor :D

Rune