Different monitors?

I have just noticed something about my pictures. When I view pictures on my computer monitor, they look very different from when I view them on an iPad. Does my monitor need to be calibrated and if so, how? I just realized how different they are when I compared them side by side.

Yes, it needs calibration.

What monitor and type?

There are 2 different panel types; basically TN and IPS based. Both can be calibrated, but IMHO TN panels suck so calibration is only going to go so far.

Granted, in the past few years, TN based panels have actually improved quite a bit, but they're still far off from IPS based panels when it comes to color accuracy.

Are the colours different, or is it just a brightness issue? What exactly are the differences?

It certainly wouldn't hurt to have a color calibration system for your computer. I use a Huey.

But the problem is, most displays and printers are not individually calibrated. You could calibrate your own monitor, and edit your photos so they appear absolutely perfect on that display. You can also edit for a specific display or printer if you get ahold of a calibrated color profile for that device. They also might look better on other calibrated displays as a result. But that still isn't going to make it look identical, especially once you release it into the wild.

It isn't a separate monitor at all, but the screen on a Toshiba Satellite L675 laptop that I am using compared to an original iPad screen. It might be a brightness issue, I don't know. The pictures on the iPad just look a little darker perhaps maybe a bit more saturated, but I could be imagining things. Maybe a laptop screen isn't the ideal thing, but it's all I have for now.

You should ideally have both of your devices calibrated.

ConCon wrote in post #14853207
It isn't a separate monitor at all, but the screen on a Toshiba Satellite L675 laptop that I am using compared to an original iPad screen. It might be a brightness issue, I don't know. The pictures on the iPad just look a little darker perhaps maybe a bit more saturated, but I could be imagining things. Maybe a laptop screen isn't the ideal thing, but it's all I have for now.

You are correct. There will be differences even with calibration.

I have a high-end 24" Dell display with a matte surface. It's the one I do most of my editing on.

I also have a laptop with a glossy screen. Even with both displays calibrated, the laptop appears to have a bit more contrast and saturation compared to the Dell desktop screen.

Likewise, the iPad seems even more saturated and contrasty than either of the computer screens... and there is really no way to calibrate it even if I wanted to. It's generally not possible to do calibration on tablets, smartphones, etc. because they have no means by which you can add or adjust profiles.

It's very difficult to do accurate image editing on a laptop.... and I imagine on a pad. Both are subject to whatever ambient light is where they are being used. And, viewing angles change so easily, even a little can make for huge differences.

It's probably a combination of overly bright display and color balance. Most lcd screens are way too bright. For editing, I'm also using a 24" IPS monitor with a matte display (HP LP2475w in my case). I have brightness turned way down to 21 (out of 100). I check that and run calibration on it monthly.

I also use a hood to minimize stray light on the monitor and my workspace has fairly well controlled and somewhat dimmed lighting.

I also use a couple laptops, just not for critical image editing work. But, I do keep them calibrated as well, as best possible.

It also can make a difference the program in which you are viewing images. For example, Windows Explorer isn't color calibrated, so images do not appear true color on the web or if viewing them on my computer with that program... colors tend to look flat and washed out. Lightroom and Photoshop and other softwares I use are calibrated. (I have a codec installed, though, that allows directly viewing RAW files in Explorer and displays them with a high degree of color accuracy. Canon offers a codec for 32 bit operating systems, but last time I checked not for 64 bit. So I bought an inexpensive codec called FastPictureViewer and installed it. That allows directly viewing RAWs, calibrated, in Explorer... Not just Canon's either.... all camera manufacturers' files are supported.)

Further, it depends upon the image files themselves. For example, I shoot in Adobe RGB and RAW, work with them in 16 bit mode, but then save images that will be used to make prints or posted online as 8 bit sRGB JPEGs. If saved as another type of file, such as a TIFF or PSD, color is truer, 16 bit can be maintained and they can be left in Adobe RGB color space.

I do recommend calibrating your displays. Every photographer should, to avoid frustration editing their images and making prints. I'm using Datacolor Spyder3 Elite, but only because it allows me to calibrate the three computers I use, plus calibrate a projector and make print profiles, if needed. You could probably get by with a lighter calibration suite that only calibrates your monitor. I haven't got a pad, so have never tried to calibrate one... but Apple products are fairly well respected for color fidelity, so it might not be needed. Mainly I recommend one that checks monitor brightness levels. Not all of them do, yet it's one of the most critical factors. I shoot for a 90 to 100 cd/m^2 for my main editing monitor. That pretty well matches prints I make from it (if you have overly dark prints, that's a sign your computer monitor is overly bright... If needed, you can use a good print from a sample image to adjust brightness reasonably accurately, via the monitor menu).

Some of the calibration devices also can measure ambient light and adjust for it on the fly. That might be helpful using a laptop. But nothing can solve the problem of easily varied viewing angles. You can see for yourself how it can be an issue.... just set up your laptop, get an image on the screen, then change the tilt it slightly and see how much it changes. Most laptop monitors also vary a lot if viewed from any angle. It's hard to be consistent enough maintaining identical viewing angles with a laptop.