Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
the same color critical standards, do not conduct any image editing that
involves color and tone corrections.
Configuring the display system for a proper color managed
environment is rather easy to implement and not terribly expensive
for those with existing displays. Many new users ask if they can have
someone come to their studios with the necessary hardware and soft-
ware to calibrate and profile their display for a nominal fee. The answer
is, or should be, not really. First, display systems need to be regularly
calibrated and profiled. I would suggest at the bare minimum, once a
month. Although conducting this routine calibration and profile mainte-
nance could be done daily, it's overkill in most situations. The process
takes only a few minutes, so weekly calibration is probably fine. This
means the user needs to have regular access to display calibration hard-
ware and software.
The other issue is the legality of installing the calibration software on
the workstation of a user who doesn't own the software. With some
hardware and software products costing less then $200, my advice is to
purchase such a product. If you have a large number of display systems
to calibrate, look closely at the licensing agreement that accompanies the
software. Some companies expect users with more than a few display
systems to purchase a site license to run the software. In most of these
license agreements, a site is considered a single building. Some products
allow an unlimited use of the software.
CRTs and LCDs
The choice of display technology is a heated topic these days. At this time,
there are two primary display technologies to consider:
CRT
and
LCD
.
Most of us grew up on CRT (cathode ray tube) displays. Those big, boxy
displays look like a standard television and actually operate much the
same way. CRTs use electron controls to shoot electrons onto red, green,
and blue phosphors, which glow as a result. Phosphors can age over time.
Electron controls also change over time so control over the signal is
required to calibrate the display.
The other predominate display technology is LCD (liquid crystal
display
)
. These are the thin sexy units that are all the rage. A liquid
polymer is held between two thin plastic sheets. Behind this is a back-
light with a polarizing film. Electric current passed through the liquid
polymer coverts it to a crystal. This crystal also polarizes light. When ver-
tical polarized light from the backlight encounters the crystal, which is
horizontally polarized, no light reaches the user. When the backlight
reaches the liquid polymer and no crystals are present, the light contin-
ues onward toward the user. The backlight is composed of traditional flu-
orescent tubes. LCDs don't flicker, get as warm, or use as much energy
as CRTs. Unlike CRTs, LCDs don't take very long to warm up; however,
they should have 10 to 15 minutes for the backlight to stabilize. CRTs
