Are the fonts appearing blurry? Are the streaming movies appearing faded? By learning how to calibrate your monitor, you can resolve these issues and many others. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it.
If the games and streaming movies on your monitor appear dim, with washed-out colors, or if the text characters are not as sharp or easy to read as they should be, do not automatically assume that your only options are to purchase a new monitor or accept the flawed visuals. It is highly likely that you can resolve any of these issues, or at least significantly improve them, by learning how to calibrate your monitor. While hiring a professional or purchasing the necessary equipment for a complete calibration may cost more than a new monitor, there are several steps you can easily take on your own, quickly, effortlessly, and at no cost.
Calibration is not a simple process with only one outcome. It encompasses a variety of interconnected factors that can impact the quality of images when working exclusively on your own computer. Furthermore, it can also affect the consistency of colors and shading when viewing the same image on different monitors, printed copies, or images created elsewhere, including streamed movies. For instance, if you decrease the brightness setting on your monitor excessively, you may strain your eyes while working on spreadsheets. Additionally, you will lose all the intricate shadow details in games, movies, and photos, as multiple shades of dark gray will appear as a solid black mass. This is why it is essential, at the very least, to ensure that you have correctly adjusted the brightness and contrast settings. Even these two steps are considered as calibration.
In general, there are four tiers of calibration options available. The initial tier, which is recommended for everyone, involves adjusting brightness, contrast, and gamma settings. These settings determine how contrast changes at different levels of brightness. Both Windows and macOS provide built-in features for this basic calibration, along with additional adjustments for high dynamic range (HDR). In this discussion, I will provide a detailed step-by-step guide on how to calibrate your monitor for standard dynamic range (SDR) in Windows 10 and Windows 11. For those who wish to delve deeper, I will also briefly explain the essential information for starting HDR calibration and the other three tiers of more advanced options.
Prior to making any adjustments to settings, it is advisable to undertake three initial measures. Initially, it is important to assess the lighting conditions in the room where you are working. In the majority of settings, especially those with windows, the intensity and color temperature of the surrounding light fluctuate throughout the day. These variations can have an impact on the appearance of colors on your screen as well as the optimal settings for brightness, contrast, and other options.
Professional photographers and graphic artists find it necessary to create multiple profiles to suit different times of day. The same principle applies to TVs and projectors, as models supporting ISF modes for calibration offer both ISF Day and ISF Night modes. The detailed calibration we will be delving into does not provide a simple method to maintain and switch between various calibration settings, so it is important to conduct the calibration in the lighting conditions most commonly present in the room.
The next preliminary step involves reviewing the menu options on your computer monitor in order to become acquainted with them and to test out the settings to determine the initial point for calibration. Even the most affordable models will provide brightness and contrast controls—which are essential for calibration—and typically offer a selection of preset color calibration modes. Prior to making any adjustments, make sure to either write down or take pictures of the current settings so that you can revert back to a known state if the calibration process does not yield satisfactory results. Next, test out both a photo and text using each preset mode to determine which one closely matches your desired outcome, and proceed with calibration using that particular mode.
Windows 11, Windows 10, and previous iterations of Windows come with pre-installed calibration tools that can greatly enhance the visual output of your computer monitor. In this comprehensive guide, we will provide step-by-step instructions for calibrating your display in Windows 11, with most of the process being similar to Windows 10. We will also highlight any variations between the two versions. Apart from the Windows utility, which provides a range of test patterns, the only requirement is your own eyes.
To conveniently access the calibration tool in Windows 11, simply input “calibrate” in the search box and proceed to select “Calibrate display color”. In case you have multiple monitors connected, kindly adhere to the instructions displayed on the initial screen to relocate the calibration window to the specific display you wish to calibrate before proceeding with the “Next” option.
If you encounter the warning message displayed below, indicating that your display is currently utilizing a wide-gamut color profile and inquiring whether you wish to proceed, opt for the negative response and proceed directly to the section on Windows HDR calibration outlined in these instructions.
If your display lacks support for a wide color gamut, the warning will not be visible. Instead, you will be instructed to set your display to its factory default settings if possible. Please follow the given instruction and proceed by selecting Next to continue.
The following screen provides information on gamma, a feature that controls the contrast variations at various brightness levels. The optimal gamma setting should be chosen based on the ambient lighting conditions in the room. Therefore, it is recommended to adjust this setting according to the lighting conditions that are most commonly present. The gamma screen displays three examples illustrating how the adjustment screen will appear with gamma set too low, with gamma set correctly, and with gamma set too high.
The subsequent display delves into gamma, a parameter that dictates the contrast alterations at different brightness levels. The ideal gamma configuration will be contingent on the ambient light within the room. As previously stated, it is essential to calibrate this setting according to the lighting conditions typically encountered. The gamma screen showcases three demonstrations depicting the appearance of the adjustment screen with gamma set too low, with gamma set correctly, and with gamma set too high.
Take a look at the examples to acquaint yourself with the variances, and proceed to select “Next” when you feel prepared to make the necessary modification.
Please adjust the gamma using the slider on the following screen to make the dot inside as many circles as possible undetectable, or at least difficult to see, without making the dots in other circles too obvious.
Please feel free to utilize the back arrow to revisit the examples in order to accurately match the appropriate gamma sample. Additionally, you can achieve more precise control of the slider by using the up and down arrow keys on your keyboard to make small adjustments, rather than moving it with a mouse. Keep in mind that the visibility of the dots may vary depending on your viewing angle, so finding the optimal setting is more of a subjective judgment call rather than a strictly correct adjustment.
Once you have determined that you have selected the optimal setting for the lighting conditions, proceed by selecting the Next option to move forward.
The subsequent screen provides the choice to bypass adjusting the brightness and contrast, however, these settings are crucial to calibrate accurately. Despite their names, the standard brightness and contrast controls do not directly adjust brightness and contrast. The brightness control actually modifies the black level and the number of various shades of dark gray displayed on the monitor, affecting how well shadow detail is preserved. On the other hand, contrast adjusts the number of different shades of bright gray (or near white) displayed, influencing whether highlights are overexposed.
Choose Next on this screen to adjust both.
The initial screen displaying brightness settings provides three illustrations of potential outcomes: excessively dim, overly bright, and the desired level labeled as Optimal Brightness.
Select Next to proceed to the screen where you can customize the settings after analyzing their variations.
Please refer to the guidelines on this display in order to adjust the brightness control of your monitor to closely resemble the Good Brightness sample. The X should be faintly perceptible, and ideally, you should be able to distinguish the shadow on the shoulder of the man’s suit jacket, provided that your monitor has the capability to display it.
Please consult the instructions on this screen to calibrate your monitor’s brightness control to closely match the Good Brightness sample. The X should be barely discernible, and ideally, you should be able to see the shadow on the shoulder of the man’s suit jacket, assuming your monitor is capable of displaying it.
Select the “Next” option when you are prepared to proceed to the comparison phase.
The two screens used to adjust contrast operate in a similar manner to the two screens used for adjusting brightness. The initial screen displays examples of contrast set too low (resulting in a hazy appearance, especially on the face), too high (causing overexposure on the white shirt highlights), and just right (labeled Good Contrast), which is the desired outcome.
On the subsequent display (not depicted here), a magnified version of the image will be visible. Adjust the contrast setting on the monitor to maximize the contrast without compromising the visibility of the details on the white shirt. It should enable you to clearly discern the lowest button on the shirt.
After completing the task, select the Next option to proceed with adjusting the color balance.
The purpose of the color balance screens is to allow you to eliminate unwanted tints in grayscale from almost white to dark gray. These tints may occur due to an excessive gain in one or more primary colors (red, green, and blue) compared to the others, resulting in gray shades appearing tinted instead of neutral. This imbalance could lead to inaccurate color calibration on your monitor.
The initial screen displays examples of how the gray tones will appear with each of the six potential combinations for color inaccuracies (three with an excess of a single primary color, and three with an excess of two primary colors). The objective is to attain neutral gray tones in the five swatches on the adjustment screen (as depicted below).
Please review the examples provided on the initial screen before selecting “Next” to advance to the subsequent screen.Please review the examples provided on the initial screen before selecting “Next” to advance to the subsequent screen.
Please attempt to replicate the neutral example from the initial page on the color balance setting screen by utilizing the red, green, and blue sliders. Similar to adjusting gamma, you can achieve more accurate control by clicking on the desired slider and using the arrow keys to make adjustments instead of dragging with a mouse. It is important to note that adjusting color balance can be challenging. Your eyes have a tendency to adapt to slight color changes after prolonged exposure (such as when wearing sunglasses), so it is beneficial to have a neutral gray printed sample nearby for reference.
Once you are content with the configuration, select the Next option.
You can compare the newly calibrated monitor to its previous state on the final screen. For optimal viewing of the differences, it is recommended to display a photo or graphic, as illustrated below, and switch between the before and after settings by selecting the Previous and Current calibration buttons.
Ensure that you have made a selection between the two calibrations before proceeding with the Finish option. Additionally, if you decide to retain the previous settings, please remember that the contrast and brightness adjustments were made on your monitor, not within the utility. If you wish to completely revert to the original settings, you will need to manually reset the monitor itself to its previous configuration. It is worth noting that the option to initiate the ClearType Text Tuner upon selecting Finish is already pre-selected.
The initial ClearType screen remains unchanged regardless of whether you accessed ClearType Text Tuner by selecting “Finish” on the last screen of the Calibration utility or by typing “ClearType” in the Windows search box and selecting “Adjust ClearType text.” The “Turn on ClearType” option is automatically selected as the default setting.
By selecting the “Next” option, you will be directed to either of two screens, based on the number of monitors you possess. In case you have two monitors, the utility will inform you about the presence of both and provide you with the choice to adjust the settings for both monitors or solely for the monitor you have chosen. Opting for both will lead you through the remaining steps twice, allowing you to tune one monitor at a time.
The upcoming screen will indicate if your monitor is currently set to its original resolution. If it is not, you will have the opportunity to adjust it to that resolution. If you decide to modify the resolution and proceed by selecting Next, it will promptly switch to the native resolution and prompt you to confirm the change before proceeding further. Please be aware that once you confirm the change, you will not be able to revert back to the initial resolution using the utility. However, you can right-click on your desktop, select Display Settings, and then scroll down to the Display Resolution option to make any necessary adjustments.
After selecting the Next button on the resolution setting screen, the tool will guide you through a sequence of five screens displaying text samples. Select the sample that appears most optimal on each screen. Click on Finish on the final screen to complete the process, or at least complete the Windows calibration for SDR. If your monitor—and system—has HDR support, you may consider calibrating it for HDR as well.
Upon clicking Next on the resolution setting screen, the utility will lead you through a set of five screens featuring text samples. Choose the sample that appears most appealing on each screen. Press Finish on the last screen to finalize the process, or at least complete the Windows calibration for SDR. If your monitor—and system—has HDR capabilities, you may wish to calibrate it for HDR as well.\
Both Windows 11 and Windows 10 offer support for HDR, although Windows 11 takes it a step further by introducing a downloadable HDR Calibration utility exclusively for Windows 11 users. (We will discuss this utility in more detail later.)
To ensure HDR compatibility and activation on any Windows version, start by verifying the system’s HDR support and enabling it. This can be done by right-clicking on the desktop and selecting Display settings. In Windows 11, locate the Use HDR option and activate it if your system is compatible. Click on the arrow next to the On/Off switch to access the HDR screen, where you can view information about HDR support and adjust HDR settings, such as the brightness slider for HDR content.
Within Windows 10, you can access comparable settings by selecting Windows HD color settings within the Display section of the Settings application. For further information on utilizing HDR in Windows, refer to Microsoft’s official website. On the website, you will see various topics listed on the left-hand side of the page, so it is recommended to explore each one thoroughly.
The HDR display in Windows 11 includes a direct link to the Microsoft Store where you can access the complimentary Windows HDR Calibration tool. If you intend to utilize HDR on Windows 11, it is highly recommended to utilize this tool. Simply download, launch, and carefully follow the prompts provided on each screen. For additional details about the utility, you can visit Microsoft’s official website.
For individuals seeking to enhance their monitor calibration, there are free online tools available, which include downloadable images. These tools can assist you in learning how to calibrate your monitor more effectively by adjusting additional settings, if your monitor provides them. By taking this step, you can also fine-tune certain settings that Windows can help you adjust, such as brightness and contrast. Consider this as a cost-free alternative to the commercial and often pricey software-based calibration tools that will be discussed later in this guide. To begin, you may want to utilize the Windows calibration utility to address issues like gamma, which your monitor may not have its own setting for. Afterwards, you can utilize these free images to further adjust any settings that your monitor offers.
As previously mentioned, adjusting brightness and contrast is crucial for optimal settings. While the Windows calibration tool covers both aspects, it relies on your judgment to determine if the image appears good, rather than displaying the precise levels of gray being set. This issue is resolved by using grayscale test screens such as the one provided in the [8K] Black Level Screen Monitor TV Test Pattern on YouTube.
Prior to utilizing this (or a similar) image for adjusting brightness, it is crucial to take into account a significant complication: There are two possible ranges that you may need to consider when adjusting the image. The full RGB range, which is typically recommended for most computer applications, consists of 256 gray levels (ranging from zero to 255, with zero representing black). On the other hand, the standard for TV and movies only utilizes levels 16 through 235. The issue arises when using the full range, as streaming movies may appear washed out. Conversely, opting for the limited range may result in images in graphics programs losing shadow detail. In essence, it is essential to align your calibration choice with the range of the image sources you frequently work with or watch.
After selecting a specific range, adjust the brightness control on your monitor to display the maximum number of dark grayscale steps within that range, ensuring that black (represented as the zero level in the image) does not appear gray. (When testing videos on YouTube, you may need to pause playback to prevent the video from transitioning to a different image. I chose this particular video, which is a 10-hour loop of the same image, for this purpose.)
After completing the adjustment of brightness, you have the option to utilize an image similar to the aforementioned White Level Screen Monitor TV Test Pattern, which can be found on YouTube, in order to calibrate the contrast. This specific image employs a reversed numbering system, where white represents level one. If you have opted to utilize the range from 16 to 235, the brightest level that should be distinguishable from the background on this screen would correspond to patch 21, if it were available. However, since the closest patch is 20, you may consider accepting a setting where patch 20 is barely visible, or alternatively, locate that setting and then increase the contrast by one step.
There are numerous images available online to assist you in calibrating your monitor. To discover additional images, simply search for monitor calibration test images on YouTube or your preferred search engine. While you may not always have the necessary controls on your monitor to make adjustments based on these images, they can still provide insight into your monitor’s limitations and enhance your understanding of what to consider when purchasing a new one.
While the initial two levels of calibration we discussed come at no cost, levels three and four require a monetary investment. However, this expenditure can be justified if obtaining the optimal image quality from your monitor is important to you. The main distinction between levels three and four lies in their affordability. Level three options cater to moderately serious gamers and video enthusiasts who seek the best image quality at a reasonable price. Additionally, these options are suitable for photo enthusiasts who desire on-screen images to accurately match their printed counterparts. Prices for level three calibration start at under for software-only packages and slightly over for packages that include a colorimeter for precise measurements of the displayed images.
When looking for software solutions, you may want to explore the options provided by DisplayMate and Spears and Munsil. DisplayMate, a trusted choice by PC Labs for years, offers testing and calibration tools for monitors and projectors. Available in both disc and USB memory key formats, the end-user version starts at just. On the other hand, Spears and Munsil offers a range of products including the Ultra HD Benchmark, UHD HDR Benchmark, and UHD HD Benchmark, 2nd Edition (currently only available in used condition on Amazon). Both packages come with a variety of test patterns and user-friendly instructions to help you achieve the best image quality on your monitor.
The software calibration tools present two significant drawbacks. Initially, they do not provide a means to adjust settings that are not available on your monitor. For instance, if your monitor does not have a built-in comprehensive color calibration system, you will have limited options to correct color inaccuracies. Secondly, these tools do not offer the capability to create multiple calibration profiles that can be easily switched as lighting conditions vary.
Both of these limitations can be resolved by utilizing options that integrate hardware calibration tools known as colorimeters, which measure the screen, and software that can generate multiple profiles. Certain hardware calibration packages also include the capability to measure ambient light, providing information on the appropriate brightness for the monitor. Additionally, some packages can monitor ambient light levels throughout the day and automatically switch to different profiles that have been created to adjust brightness and contrast accordingly. If you require this level of calibration, it may be worth considering the Datacolor Spyder X2 Ultra, or a comparable alternative from Datacolor, X-Rite, or Calibrite, which is X-Rite’s partner for products targeting consumers rather than professionals.
Tier four calibration is fundamentally similar to tier three in theory, however, it comes at a higher cost which makes it more appealing to professionals who have the financial means to afford it. This is typically the case for individuals whose livelihood revolves around calibration or those who rely on top-quality calibration for their displays consistently. If you require such a high level of calibration, chances are you are already quite knowledgeable in this area. Even the third tier, as I’ve classified it, exceeds the requirements of the average person.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the user-friendly Windows calibration tool is readily available for those who own a computer. It is recommended to take the opportunity to utilize this tool, as you may find yourself pleasantly surprised by the enhanced appearance of your monitor and motivated to further pursue well-calibrated computing.
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