Calibration - RGB Controls
RGB Controls
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RGB Bars
- To set the native white point of the monitor as closely as possible to your desired Target White Point, adjust the RGB Gain controls of your monitor until the three columns in the RGB Adjustment Graph are balanced and the White Point and Brightness match the specified target.
- In this method, the hardware is optimized before any measurement or calibration begins, offering optimal result.
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Color
- Target: the target White Point (in CIE xy) - Current: the current measured White Point (in CIE xy)
- Difference: the difference between the Target and the Current color values expressed in Delta ab.
- A difference of zero means that the monitor is adjusted to exactly the desired White Point. Any value below .05 is considered acceptable to begin calibration.
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Kelvin
- Target: the target White Point (in degrees Kelvin)
- Current: the current measured White Point (in degrees Kelvin)
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Brightness
- Target: if a Target Brightness has been specified then this will show the target value in candelas per meter squared (cd/m2).
- Current: the current measured Brightness in candelas per meter squared (cd/m2) -
Update
- By default, Spyder / SpyderPro will automatically take measurements at 2 – 3 second intervals.
- If this has been disabled in the preferences menu, you will need to click the “Update” button to take another measurement.
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Rotate position
- The RGB measurement window can be moved to multiple locations around the screen for convenience depending on the displays OSD menu location.
- Click the rotate button to move this window to the next location.
NOTE:
First, please realize that it is not necessary to go through the process of adjusting the RGB Gain controls in many cases. If your Target White Point is the same as one of the Color Temperature Presets available on the display, you can get very good results by just using the preset. Also, it is not necessary to adjust your RGB Gains Controls every time you calibrate your display. Usually the balance between color channels will remain consistent for several months, though running this step allows you to check the balance, and determine if you would like to make minor adjustments.
If you want exacting White Point control for matching side-by-side displays or achieving the closest possible proofing matches, then this is the tool to use. However, it can be a tedious process until you become familiar with adjusting a specific display's on screen controls.
If you are calibrating an LCD display it is recommended that you compare the results you obtain using a color temperature preset to the results when adjusting the RGB controls. On some LCD displays, adjusting the RGB controls may be unrewarding; using presets may be more effective. Since LCD displays vary widely between manufacturer and model it is not possible to make a universal statement about using RGB controls on them. It is only possible to share the observation that RGB balancing works well on some models while on others using presets is a better choice.
Two things to understand about RGB Gains balancing:
Red, Green and Blue levels interact. For example, increasing Red can also cause Blue and Green to decrease. Every adjustment in one color will generally cause effects on the other two. Make small adjustments.
Adjusting the RGB levels will also affect the Brightness. If you have a Target Brightness you also have to watch the Current Brightness in relation to the Target Brightness. If you match the White Point but your Brightness is off, adjust ALL THREE controls up or down to affect the brightness without affecting the White Point balance.
Your goal is to make all three columns of the RGB Graph the same height. When the columns are level, the top of the columns will be inside the black rectangle. Be aware that the three colors interact with each other. For example, if Green is too high then you may either reduce Green or increase Red or Blue. This will take a little experimentation.
If possible, start with a preset that is close to your desired target. Make only small adjustments in the RGB levels, 2-5 percent at most. Try not to adjust the control with the highest level - instead adjust the other two to compensate to optimize the Brightness level.
Adjust the RGB Gain controls of the monitor as indicated by the levels on the bar graph in the RGB Gains screen. For example, if the bar graph shows that Red is too low, this means that you should increase the Red Gain (or decrease Green and Blue) using the monitor controls. The levels graph is relative; adjusting the bars up and down will only change their height in relation to the target rectangle, not the overall graph.
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