Calibrate MBP??? at DVinfo.net

Michael B. McGee · September 10th, 2009, 12:52 PM

ok, i've done a search here and didn't really find much info or at least not the info i was looking for. i'm wondering what color profiles you Mac/MBP owners are using. I have a 15" MBP from the summer of 2007. I read that FCP uses, assumes, matches to Gamma 1.8 while PCs use a 2.2 Gamma. I'm not concerned so much about what NLEs do to the color profiles because i'm really only interested in "calibrating/adjusting" my monitor for field use viewing footage with Clip Browser. Before i was using the standard Adobe 1998 space and images looked flat, no contrast. After fiddling around with the Apple Display Calibrator Assistant i found that a Gamma closer to 2.2 looked much nicer than the recommended 1.8 Gamma. Now, i know what looks good to me but its purely my subjective opinion with no scientific/mathematical reasoning. what do you experts use?

thanks as always,
Mike

Matt Irwin · September 10th, 2009, 02:05 PM

Hi Michael,

I've been using a Spyder Pro calibrator, setting to 6500k / 2.2 Gamma. It's about as good as I've bee able to get with a MBP screen. Remember that MBP screens (at least the one I have) are only 8-bit and will not display truly accurate gamma and color when compared to an identically calibrated cinema display or properly setup broadcast monitor--- but it's good enough for a general idea.

Michael B. McGee · September 10th, 2009, 03:36 PM

cool, but if the camera's recording 8-bit to the SxS cards then does a 10-bit monitor matter that much?

Matt Irwin · September 12th, 2009, 10:52 PM

Technically / on paper it may not matter, though I have never been able to get a truly accurate calibration on a MBP screen when compared to an properly set up monitor that I know I can trust. My guess is that it's a gamut issue with the screen.

September 10th, 2009, 12:52 PM	#1
Michael B. McGee Major Player Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Santa Monica, CA Posts: 318	Calibrate MBP??? ok, i've done a search here and didn't really find much info or at least not the info i was looking for. i'm wondering what color profiles you Mac/MBP owners are using. I have a 15" MBP from the summer of 2007. I read that FCP uses, assumes, matches to Gamma 1.8 while PCs use a 2.2 Gamma. I'm not concerned so much about what NLEs do to the color profiles because i'm really only interested in "calibrating/adjusting" my monitor for field use viewing footage with Clip Browser. Before i was using the standard Adobe 1998 space and images looked flat, no contrast. After fiddling around with the Apple Display Calibrator Assistant i found that a Gamma closer to 2.2 looked much nicer than the recommended 1.8 Gamma. Now, i know what looks good to me but its purely my subjective opinion with no scientific/mathematical reasoning. what do you experts use? thanks as always, Mike

September 10th, 2009, 02:05 PM	#2
Matt Irwin Major Player Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 327	Hi Michael, I've been using a Spyder Pro calibrator, setting to 6500k / 2.2 Gamma. It's about as good as I've bee able to get with a MBP screen. Remember that MBP screens (at least the one I have) are only 8-bit and will not display truly accurate gamma and color when compared to an identically calibrated cinema display or properly setup broadcast monitor--- but it's good enough for a general idea. __________________ Matt Irwin DP / matt.irwincine.com

September 12th, 2009, 10:52 PM	#4
Matt Irwin Major Player Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 327	Technically / on paper it may not matter, though I have never been able to get a truly accurate calibration on a MBP screen when compared to an properly set up monitor that I know I can trust. My guess is that it's a gamut issue with the screen. __________________ Matt Irwin DP / matt.irwincine.com

September 10th, 2009, 03:36 PM	#3
Michael B. McGee Major Player Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Santa Monica, CA Posts: 318	cool, but if the camera's recording 8-bit to the SxS cards then does a 10-bit monitor matter that much?