Introduction
Have you noticed that the same images look different on your and your colleagues’ monitors? When printing in color, do the picture colors not match what you see on the screen? These are sure signs of incorrect monitor calibration. And if you can fight with the color rendition of cheap external flat monitors forever (and often without result), then the owners of iMac and MacBook will need no more than 10-15 minutes to fix everything!
The fact is that Apple always chooses very high-quality matrices with excellent color rendition for its computers. And the user only has to adjust the color correction monitor settings to the particular conditions.
Software or hardware color calibration method?
Monitor calibration generally falls into two categories: software and hardware. Software calibration is performed using special software. These are tools that directly adjust the output parameters of the graphics adapters, which can easily cause interruptions in color rendering.
Mac users are lucky to use a great variety of advanced and trustworthy color dropper tools. The top ones are Sip, QuickLens, Aquarelo, Adobe Capture CC, GECO, etc. To choose the best Mac color picker you need to keep in mind your specific tasks and needs. Thus, a perfect tool for identifying colors in different values is a Digital Color Meter. For instance, to get the Digital Color Meter hex color code, you just need to hover the Mac eyedropper over any screen place.
Hardware color calibration is performed using a calibration tool and software developed by the monitor manufacturer. Its enormous advantage is that it displays more accurate colors and preserves the maximum depth the monitor can reproduce to achieve a continuous color gradation and avoid broken transitions between colors.
When is it necessary to calibrate colors?
Any move of the computer (even from one desk to another) should begin with screen color adjustment. It is worth moving the computer closer to the window. The illumination of the place changes radically. The monitor gets more warm daylight and less cold room light. Obviously, the colors and overall contrast of the image will look unnatural on a monitor that has not been adjusted to the new conditions.In this case, you can increase display contrast on Mac or decrease it, if necessary.
Use Display Calibrator Assistance to save time and effort
Contrary to popular belief, calibrating a monitor in Mac OS is a simple and straightforward process. The easiest and most accessible way to calibrate a display on Mac OS X is to use the built-in Display Calibrator Assistant.
Since you will need to calibrate the monitor by eye, we recommend providing lighting conditions as close to working conditions as possible.
Step 1.
On your Mac, go to System Preferences -> Monitors, open the Color tab, and click the Calibrate button – this will launch the assistant utility.
Firstly, the Assistant briefly explains its purpose and offers to activate the expert calibration mode, which will be discussed below.
Step 2 and 3.
Setup and Standard Gamma, are relevant in the basic mode only for external monitors connected to the computer. When calibrating the display built into the iMac or MacBook, the assistant skips them. They are needed primarily to prepare external monitors for subsequent color adjustment. On the display built into the computer case, the system easily sets all the necessary parameters on its own.
Step 4.
Test Gamma directly affects the contrast and depth of black in the image. If the gamma is set incorrectly, the image will look too dark or faded. From the two options, choose the one that is most pleasing to the eye. As a rule, it is the standard Gamma 2.2 for all Macs.
Step 5.
You need to choose the Target White Point. The principle of choosing is the same. Just click on all four points and stop at the one where the white is closest to the ideal – for more confidence, just put a sheet of white paper on the screen and compare its shade with what is displayed on the monitor. Do not forget that such screen settings as True Tone can also help you with that. If you ask “what is True Tone on Mac used for?”, the answer is to adjust the white balance when the light around you changes.
Step 6.
That’s it! The basic monitor setup is complete. All that remains is to name the new Mac color profile and save it in the system.
Conclusion
The job is done. The monitor is successfully calibrated and ready to work! All that remains is to enjoy the depth and variety of shades that only a well-made and well-adjusted monitor can display. It is enough to see this with your own eyes once and starting to set up your MacBook with monitor calibration will quickly become a habit.
