Is this dark?! Calibration issue

[jeffbox]

On my newer lcd this picture looks good, but on an older CRT monitor it looks too dark. Both monitors were "calibrated" the best I could based off of:
http://www.photofriday.com/calibrate.php

All shades are represented by both monitors, but it looks significantly darker on the CRT. WTF?


Is this image dark? Thanks.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f73/mys2000/s2000small-1.jpg

[Bill Boehme]

The background is dark, but the windshield and top of car along with pavement are mostly in the mid to bright range. It depends a lot on how you metered the scene. If you were to meter off the background, then there would be some blown highlights on the car.

[DigitalSpecialist]

Since I have a properly calibrated monitor, I will say it is a slight bit dark. But as Bill said, it is very balanced and metered quite well. I would use fill flash, and some brightness in PP to make this photo pop!

[LeuceDeuce]

It's definately low-key. You could always bring up the midtones without blowing the highlights. Changing where the tone values lie in this image is purely subjective, as you are already covering the entire range. Now just make adjustments to suit your eye.

[jeffbox]

Ok the s2000 picture was probably not the best picture for reference because of the range/subjectivity. What about this one?

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f73/mys2000/lizzardcrop22-1.jpg

This one looks good for me but it's dark on the CRT. I'm pretty sure my laptop is a bit too bright. If this picture seems dark, I guess I will need to find some way to calibrate my monitor.

FWIW, CS3 auto-levels wants to lighten it but only a very little bit.

Thanks for the help.

[LeuceDeuce]

Exactly the same issue. You've exposed the image using the full dynamic range available to you, but the majority of the image is in the darker areas.

[LeuceDeuce]

Once you've captured the image with all of the available tones covered, then you have the freedom to process it the way you want. I would lighten your subject, while darkening your background. This draws more attention to the lizard.

Not a perfect mask, but you get the idea...
_

[dkord]

Nice job on that PP Deuce. Yes both images are way too flat.

[Bill Boehme]

This one looks good for me but it's dark on the CRT. I'm pretty sure my laptop is a bit too bright. If this picture seems dark, I guess I will need to find some way to calibrate my monitor.

FWIW, CS3 auto-levels wants to lighten it but only a very little bit.

Thanks for the help.

Which parts are dark? We know that the background is dark, but how about the white surface that the lizard is on? The lizard is somewhat darker than I would like, but not terribly off. If you think that it looks bright on your LCD monitor then it may be having calibration problems rather than the CRT.

I thought that auto-levels was only good for checking for sensor dust. :rolleyes:

[PhotosGuy]

he background is dark, but the windshield and top of car along with pavement are mostly in the mid to bright range. The silver looks silver & I expect the windshield to be a bit blown. I like it, & might just darken it a touch.

Now PS out the crud reflecting in the side! :D

[jeffbox]

Now PS out the crud reflecting in the side!

What tool would you use to do that? I tried the clone stamp and it worked pretty well but it took a while and it certainly isn't perfect.

Which parts are dark?

The entire image looked dark. I see what you guys are saying though about the range in both images. Even what I think looks "good" to me might not look quite right to the more experienced people here. After looking at some pictures on a bunch of other monitors I've concluded that my laptop is just fine and my CRT is a little dark but I think it just lacks the clarity. I think it's about 7 years old so maybe that's why everything looks clearer on a brand new lcd. (I know a GOOD CRT is supposed to be better than LCDs in general... right?)

[Bill Boehme]

I know a GOOD CRT is supposed to be better than LCDs in general... right? The difference is so small that it is not hardly noticeable in high quality LCD monitors. There are cheap LCD monitors that are pitiful, so don't run down to Fry's and buy one of the no-name cheapo LCD monitors and expect it to be good for anything beyond typical office use.

[PhotosGuy]

What tool would you use to do that? Clone or Patch. Try them all.
With the Clone, sometimes it works better if you work within a selection.
Selecting areas in PS. (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=39994)