Monitor calibration help... No, not another "Which Hardware" question

I've tried to do my research, so it appears that the harware calibration tools will not work with my Costco special LCD display, as there are not enough controls to do as the calibrators ask. So, I have been trying to calibrate via Adobe Gamma. I sure I am just a moron, but I dont fully understand what I am doing.

One of the first things it tells you to do is to adjust your monitors contrast to 100% and to adjust the brightness down to where the box inside of the black box is as close to black as it can get, without being black. Easy enough, but when all of the calibration is done and you exit the program, the colors are blown out, most noticeable is the colored Windows XP window title bar has no color at all. It does not tell you to lower the contrast back down, but the only way to see that color in the window bar is to drop the contrast back down to about 75%. Am I supposed to leave it at 100%, or is it OK to bring it down some?

Secondly, I really don't understand the gamma color boxes. It tells you to adjust the slider until the center blends into the border. To me, it never blend. It always looks like a solid color on the inside and rows of black and colored horizontal lines on the outside. I read somewhere that squinting helps, but apparently not for me. Any tips for doing this? Am I interprating the directions wrong?

Thanks.

I actually ran into the same problem calibrating my 20" Acers. It tells you to turn one thing up, the other down (from what I recall) and then to do the tests.

After the tests, everything is blown out. I decided to turn it back down to 50%/50%, I don't know if this is what you are supposed to do so if someone with more knowledge could chime in, that would be fantastic.

Also, I find that that closing one eye and blurring your vision a bit helps, move our head further away from the monitor.

I have been strongly considering a huey hardware calibration set, I found one locally for $100 Canadian, so may look into that.

If all you want to do is zero in the Brightness & Contrast, send me an email & I will send you a graphic that is easy to use (instructions on graphic) & quite accurate.

I am not sure if this is what we are supposed to do, is it?

I had that same problem, colors blown. So I bought huey, under $80 at amazon.com. Iwll get it next week.

That's what I've been thinking.

Huey is on sale at B&H for something like $50 or $60. I have one in the mail

Unfortunately, from everything that I have read, a hardware solution is not possible with my low end and out dated LCD. So, I am really needing help with Adobe Gamma specifically. Does anybody have any answers/solutions that involve my questions about getting Adobe Gamma figured out??

Sorry, but Adobe Gamma really doesn't work with LCDs

Most hardware systems prefer it if you have all the adjustments available on the monitor, but I'd be very surprised if they required it. I'm pretty sure that the i1 Display hardware (uses i1 Match software) will calibrate your LCd whatever adjustments you have/don't have. The results may not be brilliant, but that's down to the monitor...

Adobe states that Gamma is only for CRT monitors. I ended up buying a Spyder2express, from Amazon, $62. and no shipping cost.

Mike R wrote in post #2824330
Adobe states that Gamma is only for CRT monitors. I ended up buying a Spyder2express, from Amazon, $62. and no shipping cost.

I got the same one with an employee discount. I love it. I think it helps that the old CRT I have has a pretty good color rendition. Some don't seem to have very bright and vivid colors. I had to update the version to 2.3, but it works great. Worked on my fiances laptop too. Her controls were very limited. I couldn't get the contrast and brightness moved, and it seemed to work great.

Mentalist...how are you calibrating - using adobe gamma, some program or a hardware calibrator?

Join the club though, this isn't one of those things that everybody can easily accomplish. Most monitors come from the store with everything cranked to the max to look "bright and vibrant" for the average user, who likely is not trying to produce decent photos.

You are right about bringing down the contrast though. I'm using one of the better Viewsonic flat panels and I've actually got both contrast and brightness down around 60 or so. They have some good calibration S/W and I'm also getting very clean whites. I do have one of the Monaco Optrix (now Eye-One) hardware calibrators and they are quite good for the money.