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The Ultimate Monitors for Critical Image Evaluation and Editing

February 14, 2019 Paul Schillinger

Laptops, iMacs, wide gamut displays of all sorts, IPS vs TN panels, 4k, 5k, 8k and on & on. After much serious research, we settled on NEC PA302W-BK SpectraView ll monitors for our colour critical image evaluation and editing work. We had not looked back, until recently. These monitors have provided excellent accuracy, consistency, flexibility and reliability. They have proven to be worth every penny.

But, recently, the time arrived for a new addition to our monitor line up. Only this time, we were interested in the 4k offerings. Having had only excellent experience with our NEC 30” displays, we were hard pressed to consider other players such as Ben-Q, LG, Samsung, Dell or even EIZO. But, to be thorough, we persisted.

The Apple Cinema Display (LG) which is the same display as the iMac was not considered because while the monitor is apparently acceptable for video work, it falls far short of the requirements for critical image work due to its gloss glass and DCI-P3 colour space at approximately 84% coverage of Adobe RGB not to mention the absence of the valuable calibration features available with some of these monitors. It’s virtually a large size version of a Mac laptop display.

The “Good Enough” Print

February 24, 2018 Paul Schillinger

One thing that I find to be extremely baffling in the world of fine photography is the fact that many photographers invest huge sums of money to acquire the finest gear, go to great lengths to create the best possible image by spending hours in post processing, fussing over every minute nuance of image detail and tonality only to then bang off a “good enough” print with inadequate care or forethought, using OEM canned profiles, inadequate paper and inaccurate settings with blind faith that somehow it will all turn out just fine. Of course, when the print is made, without another superior print to compare it against they may well believe their print is the very best it can be. Most of the time, this is not only untrue but it is a shame.

The Importance of Viewing Environment

February 3, 2018 Paul Schillinger

For critical evaluation of an image in print against the same image displayed on a computer screen, the lighting that is used to illuminate the print must be in sync with the display, in terms of brightness and colour temperature, etc. You might say, “Wait a minute, when the print is hung in my home it won’t be illuminated by anything but my living room light.” This may be true. But, it is irrelevant to the process of critical evaluation of the print against the same image displayed on a colour critical monitor.

When an image is translated from an emissive medium (a screen display) to a reflective one (paper, for example), it’s success in print becomes entirely dependant upon ambient lighting. The luminance and purity of an RGB image can only be simulated on paper using relatively impure CMYK inks to create a print that is viewed under lighting which is usually far from ideal. The quality of the ambient light, its brightness and colour temperature have dramatic effects on the appearance of the print. Subdued lighting darkens tonality. Shadow detail may seem to be lost altogether. This is the primary reason for one to conclude that their print is too dark.

What is a Good Print?

January 21, 2018 Paul Schillinger

Of course, we have to begin with a good image. What’s that? Well, while beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder, from an aesthetic standpoint, in my view, the image should be attractive and appealing; the framing and composition should be intriguing as should the subject matter itself; the image should fascinate, draw us in, touch us, entertain us, make us think, make us curious, suggest a narrative or ignite a feeling. Great images evoke a mood or a sense of the actual moment experienced by the photographer.

The Importance of the Print

December 10, 2017 Paul Schillinger

In my opinion, photographers who print are not pursuing photography simply to make visual records for posterity. Instead, our goal is to convey an emotional or aesthetic concept through our photographs. To do that, we need to look at images on paper or some other physical medium. Looking at an image on a computer screen doesn’t allow us to interact with it in a physical sense. When we see a print on a wall, we can step back to appreciate the entire image, then move closer to focus in on details. But, we still see those details in the context of the entire image – unlike zooming in on a computer screen, which takes the details out of context to form an abstraction.

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