I was wondering how much Monitor Brightness plays on how we view pictures?

I use an old Envision monitor and have my Brightness set on 65%, and my pictures look ok to me, and most of the pictures I look at on here look ok to me, but I've had people tell me that the shadow areas in my pictures are too dark.

So I put my Brightness on 100% and they looked way washed out, not really over exposed, but like there is a clear film or Meshy look to them.

I have a friend that sends me pictures and they are way too dark when I view them on my Monitor, so I ask her what her Brightness was set on and she said 45%.

Where I use 65% and she uses 45% Brightness, how are we to know if some pictures are really too dark or light or just right in exposure when we view them?

Because I'm sure every Monitor is different and depending on the %'age of Brightness we all use, would effect how we all see pictures on here?

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From stacy81/Stacy (251) on November 6, 2009 8:40:50 AM CST Regardless of what monitor you are using, you can check white clipping using, Levels in Photoshop and calibrate your monitor, i use spyder3 utility Reply

From del/Administrator (0) on November 6, 2009 8:56:05 AM CST Here is a simple web-based calibration tool, and here is another. If we all used something like these, it was be a better world in some respects. But, we can't get hung up on this as we submit and critique photos, we can simply do the best we can. The effect on pictures we see here will happen, depending on monitor, and this sometimes leads to discussion and monitor calibration. We can't demand that this happen. There are number of things that will cause different people to see a photo differently. Viewing angle on an lcd monitor can cause a shift in brightness, but we can't very well require everyone to get a wide view monitor. So, we press on and try to be both understanding of the possibility of different calibrations when people seem to have very different views of a photo. And be supportive of efforts to help people improve their viewing ability. Del Reply

From marshall/Marshall (9,896) on November 6, 2009 9:56:10 AM CST Percentage measurements of Brightness (black level) on different monitors will not necessarily equate, especially across different models, but even within a model, across monitor ages, etc. Consider calibrating properly using a hardware/software solution like the I1, Spyder, or other monitor calibration and profiling tool. That's really your best shot at being sure that you are seeing what you think you're seeing. There's no way whatever to guarantee that someone else will see what you expect, but by starting with a calibrated and profiled monitor and by understanding the simple steps to ensure your best shot (e.g., always using sRGB on the web), you at least have some hope of conveying your image the way you want. Reply

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