Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
third-party solutions that will allow virtually any LCD or CRT display to
be calibrated and profiled. Going a step farther, there are integrated
display calibration solutions. These systems are built from the ground up
to provide a level of accuracy and ease of use that the third-party solu-
tions can't touch. At this time, most of these solutions are built around
CRT displays. Using a combination of software, a cable running from the
computer to the display, and the internal electronics in the display, all
calibration is automatic. A single push of a button ensures the display
always returns to the calibrated target. Just sit back and relax. Usually
more expensive, a system like this may ensure that it actually is used on
a regular basis. Additionally, the level of control this type of system pro-
vides is much more precise, and repeatable. Many manual CRT calibra-
tion solutions may allow adjustment of RGB gain. A few also adjust bias
(gray tracking). However, this process is complex and laborious. For this
reason I'm a big fan of these smart displays, probably due to my experi-
ence with the Radius PressView, the forerunner of all such systems. If
you believe that your time is worth money, the precision, ease of use,
and accuracy of these smart displays is hard to beat.
The two systems on the market that I recommend are the Barco Ref-
erence V and the Sony Artisan. Both are based on CRT technology. The
Barco is certainly at the top of the food chain in price with the Reference
V costing $5000. An advantage of this system is beam current feedback,
which allows the display to be in a calibrated state within a minute of
being turned on. This system also provides 25-point purity adjustment.
This ensures that color across the entire display is within a tight
specification.
The Sony Artisan costs significantly less money at around $1600.
Although this system doesn't offer the number of purity control points
and the instant warm-up feature of the Barco, it is much easier to use
and offers some advantages. The Colorimeter supplied with the Sony
Artisan has filters matched to the Artisan phosphor set. The Colorimeter
is extremely precise at low light levels. Artisan uses prebuilt or custom
calibration targets. This allows a single button to calibrate and profile the
display. A unique feature of Artisan is the ability to set the graphics card
LUT to linear. Artisan then measures the actual TRC of the display and
places this in the ICC profile. When using this feature, no aliasing arti-
facts will be created by the graphic card LUT. To use this feature, create
a custom target and enter “- - -” (three minus signs) into the Luminance
Response Curve field (see Fig. 3-3). The Sony Artisan provides fine control
over the black level. This allows us to specify the contrast ratio of the
target color space. When working with low contrast output such as a
printing press, we might choose a target of 250 : 1. When working with
matt inks, an Epson ink-jet, and fine art paper, a contrast ratio target of
500 : 1 can be chosen. This ability to assign specific contrast ratios greatly
improves soft proofing. The Artisan allows you to change on-the-fly
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