Monitors: Difference in colour

Mozziephotography

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Stephen
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My wife has a two monitor set-up, both of them are LG 23MP75 IPS LED. I can't get them to display the same colours. The menus are fiddly, underneath the monitor on the right. Only one of them allows me to change certain settings. They are "greyed" out on the other. Help please.
 
You would need something like a Spyder or X-rite calibrator to match your screens. Unfortunately they are not cheap to buy.

Setting two screens the same without is almost impossible to do by eye and buttons.
 
Messed about with some settings and both monitors are now showing exactly the same screen and the mouse is moving in sync on both. ARGH! What the flip have I done?
 
And strangely, both monitors are showing exactly the same "colours, brightness etc"
 
I've got two ASUS monitors with consecutive serial numbers in work and the colours, contrast at al were miles apart straight out of the box. Thankfully it doesn't matter - I don't do anything that needs accurate colour rendition - but I did spend almost an hour trying to get them more alike. My marketing assistant had the same problem with her two Dell monitors so we bought a Spyder calibrator and she checks it every couple of weeks.
 
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You would need something like a Spyder or X-rite calibrator to match your screens. Unfortunately they are not cheap to buy.

Setting two screens the same without is almost impossible to do by eye and buttons.

And there is zero guarantee that they will look the same after using either device :)
 
both monitors are now showing exactly the same screen and the mouse is moving in sync on both
Right mouse click on the desktop background, choose "Display Settings" from the pop-up menu and then under the "Multiple Displays" section choose "Extend these displays" - assuming Win 10.

Like @Bristolian I've got two HP monitors of the same model at work and they show different colours and I have never got them the same whatever settings I use but it's not critical. LCD panels are known to be quite variable and even when calibrated they might not be the same simply because the panels won't have exactly the same gamut due to manufacturing variations.
 
And there is zero guarantee that they will look the same after using either device
That is simply incorrect if calibrated and profiled correctly, whilst I can appreciate that for many calibration and profiling may not be worthwhile the whole point is that the monitor is standardised and the profile ensures that colours are reproduced to a given standard. Of course we are talking about monitors of 'good' quality.
 
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Simply put when one is editing on out-of-calibration monitor it is the equivalent of correcting monitor flaws as opposed to working on an image. The results can be surprisingly unexpected.

Even different brands should look pretty much the same if the calibration is done properly.
 
Can't get out of "gaming" display. Tried windows logo P but it when I click on the option I want nothing happens.
 
That is simply incorrect if calibrated and profiled correctly, whilst I can appreciate that for many calibration and profiling may not be worthwhile the whole point is that the monitor is standardised and the profile ensures that colours are reproduced to a given standard. Of course we are talking about monitors of 'good' quality.

I use a pair of Dell Ultrasharp monitors, and even after calibration they were close, but not quite the same.
Then I switched from using the Spyder software than came with my Pro 3 to using DisplayCAL and that was able to provide identical results (to my eyes).
 
Whatever I chose with windows P it doesn't do anything. The only thing that happens with one choice, is that both monitors go off. Ah well.
 
Fiddling with the monitor settings is not the way to accurately calibrate. I use a Spyder 3 Pro. The two monitors are both Dell Ultrasharp but about 5 years difference in age. These monitors have a backlight which fades and changes colour over time. When I calibrate a new monitor the brightness needs to be set at 28% but this gradually needs to increase as the monitor fades. So my main monitor is newish and at 28% brightness whereas the older monitor is now just over 80%. Once it reaches 100% it is no longer possible to calibrate sufficiently accurately and then I replace it. I need to re-calibrate every 3 months max (should be more often but I cannot be bothered. Re-calibration is due around now and displaying the same images on each monitor, they do look remarkably similar. However, looking critically I can see that the older monitor has a very faint cyan cast. This will be removed after I re-calibrate.

Dave
 
That is simply incorrect if calibrated and profiled correctly, whilst I can appreciate that for many calibration and profiling may not be worthwhile the whole point is that the monitor is standardised and the profile ensures that colours are reproduced to a given standard. Of course we are talking about monitors of 'good' quality.

Well you have your Opinion, I will stick with 14 years industry experience :) If you want to come to the studio and prove me wrong I will happily pay your travel and day rate, we have many “goof quality” monitors and you will never get them looking the same side by side, or is there another reason manafacturer don’t “standardise” every monitor.
 
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Whatever I chose with windows P it doesn't do anything. The only thing that happens with one choice, is that both monitors go off. Ah well.

I think you are encountering different issues here, one is you have mirroring on....need to get that fixed first. With regards to the colours being different, there is a big possibility that if you are using different ports, i.e. one on SVGA and one with HDMI, that there will be a variation in colours due to the bit depth carried from the signal.
 
Well you have your Opinion, I will stick with 14 years industry experience :) If you want to come to the studio and prove me wrong I will happily pay your travel and day rate, we have many “goof quality” monitors and you will never get them looking the same side by side, or is there another reason manafacturer don’t “standardise” every monitor.
I think I will stick with my 40 years of professional experience thank you, 35 of those spent in a colour critical scientific environment where I was able to get multiple monitors across several related departments to match when we went digital. I accept that you don't find a need within your business and that it works for you. I did put the caveat 'calibrated and profiled correctly' because I have seen some very poor attempts.
I appreciate your offer, if we weren't isolated in very rural Devon I might have taken you up, not to argue calibration and profiling but a genuine general interest in your business (which I appreciate is successful)...
 
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I think you are encountering different issues here, one is you have mirroring on....need to get that fixed first. With regards to the colours being different, there is a big possibility that if you are using different ports, i.e. one on SVGA and one with HDMI, that there will be a variation in colours due to the bit depth carried from the signal.
Thanks for that. Frustrating but … there are worse things going on at the moment.
 
Changed one of my monitors, different make, for one of Sal's. Both set ups are now displaying fine. WTF? The 2 LG's don't like being together.
 
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