Mac vs PC monitors

I had always been a PC guy, but I recently switched to a Macbook Pro 17" for processing my images. I still have PC's around here, but the Mac is really getting to be a favorite. Tonight I had some work to do on my network and PC's, and while doing that I had occasion to pull up some images I'd processed just yesterday.

I was horrified! The images I'd spent so much time making look wonderful on my nicely calibrated Macbook Pro just rendered terribly on the PC monitors. I can't believe how bad they look.

This challenges my entire approach - should I be editing with the WORST looking monitor, so that my images look their best everywhere, or put my nose in the air and tell the world to get a decent monitor if they want to see the full potential of my images? Honestly, the first option looks more reasonable!

Anyone else notice this, and what can I do about it? The images I processed yesterday are here: http://www.pbase.com/b​enttop/20120610_seward​park - more specifically the ones with faces. They look fine here, but on the PC's they look very noisy. Is that what you see? What would you do?

Don't know how this would help but I feel like I should mention that I am looking at your pictures from my 13" Macbook Pro purchased this time last year and the photos seem to be noisy on my screen as well (I only looked at the photos with people in them)... I don't have any advice for you since I'm new at this (sorry), but I too am interested to know what people's thoughts are.

benttop wrote in post #14566434
I had always been a PC guy, but I recently switched to a Macbook Pro 17" for processing my images. I still have PC's around here, but the Mac is really getting to be a favorite. Tonight I had some work to do on my network and PC's, and while doing that I had occasion to pull up some images I'd processed just yesterday.

I'll let you in on a little secret, that is not actually that little, or that secret.
Apple does not make monitors, neither does HP or Dell or Acer or any computer brand.

Instead there is only a small number of companies that actually make the panels (LG is a big one), which are then manufactured into cases with the electronics for each brand.

This means that an Apple or Dell display of the same resolution and spec will be using the same Panel.
My Dell 2711 for example uses the same panel as the 27inch iMac. Dell put a different backlight in it and specify a matte screen coating while Apple use an RGB back light and a glossy coating.


Beyond that, each monitor displays colours and tones in different ways, depending on the hardware and software being used and how each monitor is set up.

This is why some kind of Calibration is important if you want consistent and accurate colours.


So your seeing a difference between your different computers, not because one is a Mac and the other a PC, but because they use different monitors from different ends of the quality, spec and price scale.

You could show your images on 100 different monitors and they would all look different, many of them would look better than what you see on your Mac, and many would look worse.

There is nothing you can do about this, it is simply something you have to accept, and if your selling images, educate your customers on.

Yep even if you have the most beautiful and perfect image ever created. Then you upload it to facebook where 90% of the users are uncalabrated and now your work looks horrible.

This is why good web designers also run 5 or more different browers which is a pita.

All good comments, and thinking back, I knew that. I just never got a real taste of how awful an image can look on the wrong display. I may do some cross-checking going forward, for more important images. Snapshots is one thing, but the ones you want to say you're proud of - well, those better look the best I'm able to make them, on the widest variety of displays, to the best of my ability.

I'm seeing compression artifacts in some of the images, turning them "noisy".

I see quite heavy compression artifacts on for instance this image: http://i.pbase.com …/2/143962116.fY​PO2ZuX.jpg

The image has sRGB embedded, so should look accurate on any machine using a color managed browser and calibrated monitor.

I'm using Firefox and a calibrated Eizo on my Mac.

Calibrate your screen and don't worry too much on how the image will look on a crappy monitor: There's nothing you can do about that.

On a side note: IMO, a laptop screen is not the best (most consistent) screen for editing, even when calibrated, due to the very limited viewing angles.

René Damkot wrote in post #14573151
On a side note: IMO, a laptop screen is not the best (most consistent) screen for editing, even when calibrated, due to the very limited viewing angles.

MBPs use IPS panels?

René Damkot wrote in post #14573151
I see quite heavy compression artifacts on for instance this image: http://i.pbase.com …/2/143962116.fY​PO2ZuX.jpg

The image has sRGB embedded, so should look accurate on any machine using a color managed browser and calibrated monitor.

I'm using Firefox and a calibrated Eizo on my Mac.

Calibrate your screen and don't worry too much on how the image will look on a crappy monitor: There's nothing you can do about that.

On a side note: IMO, a laptop screen is not the best (most consistent) screen for editing, even when calibrated, due to the very limited viewing angles.

That link produces a "forbidden" message.

The Macbook Pro 17 has a better viewing angle than any of my stand alone monitors. And it is calibrated on a regular basis.

skidu wrote in post #14574866
MBPs use IPS panels?

No.

benttop wrote in post #14575480
The Macbook Pro 17 has a better viewing angle than any of my stand alone monitors. And it is calibrated on a regular basis.

Then you must have some poor quality stand alone monitors.
The Macbook Pro does have a very, very good screen, short of some of the Lenovo W series screen it is one of the best, but it doesn't come close to even a good mid range stand alone screen.

Moppie wrote in post #14577088
No.

Then you must have some poor quality stand alone monitors.
The Macbook Pro does have a very, very good screen, short of some of the Lenovo W series screen it is one of the best, but it doesn't come close to even a good mid range stand alone screen.

Hm - really? I may have to look into that, but then my processing will be even further from the place my images are consumed... what a conundrum!

Moppie wrote in post #14577088
No.

Then you must have some poor quality stand alone monitors.
The Macbook Pro does have a very, very good screen, short of some of the Lenovo W series screen it is one of the best, but it doesn't come close to even a good mid range stand alone screen.

Moppie, do you know if both Lenovo W and X-series laptops have IPS panels or just the X-series?

Moppie wrote in post #14577088
No.

The new Retina MBP does.

Bob_A wrote in post #14581411
Moppie, do you know if both Lenovo W and X-series laptops have IPS panels or just the X-series?

I'm not sure on the current range, I know it used to be ne some of the W series models.

jasonlitka wrote in post #14582989
The new Retina MBP does.

Very true.

As far as I am aware, the current 2012 (*30 series) Lenovo lineup is like this
X-series: IPS comes standard on X230t, and upgrade option on the X230.
T-series: no IPS
W-series: no IPS (but people are wishing ) Their FHD comes pretty close to IPS though.

I just purchased the new T-530 and is supposed to arrive on Monday. I'll try to post a review of sorts hopefully in the next week.