{"id":8391,"date":"2024-08-28T12:05:09","date_gmt":"2024-08-28T12:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/truhu.app\/blog\/?p=8391"},"modified":"2024-08-28T12:05:10","modified_gmt":"2024-08-28T12:05:10","slug":"how-to-calibrate-monitor-on-windows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/truhu.app\/blog\/how-to-calibrate-monitor-on-windows\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Calibrate Your Monitor on Windows"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You have three options for calibrating your monitor under the Windows 10 or 11 operating system. Ranging from basic to professional and from free to pricey, all the methods below can help you achieve a good color setup with slightly varied degrees of color accuracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ll begin with the free option built into the Windows OS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Calibrate Your Monitor on Windows<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Option 1: Color Management Control Panel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Price: <\/strong>free
Method Employed: <\/strong>guesstimating, aka relying on your eyes to guide the calibration process
Pros:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. native software<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. easy to use<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Cons: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. Performs an sRGB calibration. Not valid for wide gamut \/ professional displays.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. The method to find an ideal brightness is extremely crude and not of much value on most displays. The method for finding your preferred brightness is very basic, and doesn’t provide much of an improvement on most monitors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. You can pick a target white point, but without any sort of measurement, it\u2019s more of a guess.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Here are the steps to launch the Display Color Calibration utility using the Windows control panel:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      1. Open Control Panel – <\/strong>from the Windows Search Bar type in \u201cControl Panel\u201d. This will open your computer settings \/ control panels.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. Click on the \u201cColor Management\u201d<\/strong> control panel (alternatively, you can simply search for \u201cColor Management\u201d).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. Click the \u201cAdvanced\u201d Tab<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      4. Under Display Calibration, click \u201cCalibrate display\u201d<\/strong> – this will launch the Display Color Calibration (DCC) utility.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        And here are the steps to using the DCC utility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        1. Wide Gamut Warning <\/strong>– first, you should be aware that if you are using a higher quality, wide gamut display, the DCC was not designed to work with these. And it will likely produce poor results. If that is the case, you will receive this warning:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
          \"Windows<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          1. Set Gamma – <\/strong>this uses a slider to adjust your gamma (which is related to contrast). It\u2019s a pretty coarse control. It will help return your gamma to something reasonable if it\u2019s really whacked. But in my experience, most displays have a reasonable gamma, so it\u2019s probably best not to adjust the gamma slider.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          2. Set Brightness <\/strong>– I find the brightness image itself to be a useful part of this utility. It helps you to visually optimize shadow detail for your viewing environment by adjusting brightness.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
            \"Windows<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
              \n
            1. Set Contrast <\/strong>– the intended purpose of set contrast adjustment is to preserve good highlight detail. In reality, this is a legacy feature from many years ago when the dominant display technology was CRT (cathode ray tube). I have calibrated many, many LCDs over the years and have never felt compelled to adjust the OSD (on-screen display) contrast. And in fact, many LCD screens do not have a contrast adjustment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            2. Adjust Color Balance (White Point)<\/strong> – If your gray balance is really off, this might be useful in returning you to something reasonable. However, measurement-based calibration utilities will enable you to set a white point using degrees Kelvin (e.g., 6500K). In other words, this will enable you to go from \u201cbad\u201d to \u201cOK\u201d but not from \u201cOK\u201d to \u201cspot on\u201d like measurement-based calibration. And this second scenario is a much more common need.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            3. Save Calibration<\/strong> – Lastly, you are prompted to save either your previous calibration or stick with the previous one.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

              \u26a0\ufe0f HDR<\/strong>: It is worth noting that Windows also has a built in utility to optimize highlight and shadow detail in an HDR environment. This utility is reviewed in our Color Management for Windows article<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Summary<\/strong>: If your monitor is seriously \u201cwhacked,\u201d with a significant cast to your gray or no shadow detail, this utility should be helpful. But if you are like most people, where you want to go from an unknown state to a known, calibrated state, you will want something a little more sophisticated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Your next two options on this list will solve that issue and result in a calibrated profile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Option 2: The TruHu App<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

              Price: <\/strong>$39.99 \/ year
              Method Employed: <\/strong>uses your phone\u2019s camera to calculate colorimetric data points and generate an optimized color profile
              Pros: <\/strong>simple, inexpensive, easy to use<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              The TruHu app is tailored for color professionals, offering a streamlined and high-performing calibration software. It surpasses the visual process provided by Windows OS while offering a more affordable and user-friendly alternative to colorimeter-based solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Specifically, unlike the free option, TruHu offers a precise gamma and white point and also measures the monitor\u2019s chromaticities to create a precise profile for accurate color communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Why?<\/strong> Beginner color professionals often find the limitations of the built-in Windows tool a real pain. Investing in a costly colorimeter can be daunting, especially with the added challenge of navigating complicated software. So, how exactly does it work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Enter TruHu:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \n
              1. Start by <\/strong>downloading the TruHu app<\/strong><\/a> on both your computer and mobile device.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
              2. Once installed, <\/strong>create an account<\/strong><\/a> and sign in on both apps.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
              3. You don\u2019t need to subscribe right away\u2014<\/strong>TruHu offers a Trial subscription that lets you test out the calibration process before committing. But you will<\/em><\/strong> need to subscribe if you want to save your color profile.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              4. Next, here are the steps in the mobile app:<\/strong>\n
                  \n
                1. Adjust your ambient lighting to match your typical working conditions.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                2. Set your brightness to a comfortable level.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                3. Choose a target color temperature. <\/strong>A higher temperature results in a bluer white, while a lower temperature gives a more yellow hue. <\/strong>Most are fine with 6500K (Kelvin). There\u2019s also the option to keep your current color temperature if you don\u2019t know what the value is but you still enjoy it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                4. Capture two photos of color swatches. <\/strong>\u00a0Simply point your phone at the screen and capture an image of the Gray Target, followed by the Color Target. The app itself will have more details. At this stage, the app gathers colorimetric information from your phone\u2019s camera sensor in its RAW state, allowing for measurement-based color accuracy.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                5. And you\u2019re done! <\/strong>After completing these steps, your new color profile will be automatically generated and applied. The last screen of the desktop app allows you to pick between your old profile and the new one generated with TruHu.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                6. Set a reminder<\/strong>. Let the app know when you want to recalibrate. We recommend most professionals repeat this process once a month, or whenever the work environment changes dramatically.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                  \n

                  TruHu takes only a few minutes to install and use, and then the app will remind you every so often to do it again, and that\u2019s that. It\u2019s easy. If you can use a computer and an iPhone, you can use TruHu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  You can also try it for free and see if you like it. You can\u2019t use the profile the free version creates, but you can see how the app works and see if the results are worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  For many users, it\u2019s the last calibration technology they\u2019ll need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  <\/p>\n– Jeremy Gray, <\/strong>PetaPixel Review of TruHu<\/strong><\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

                  If you\u2019re still having difficulties figuring out how the TruHu app works<\/strong><\/a>, check out this video:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  \n