Color Calibration is Essential for Creating Digital Imagery

Software calibration is conducted by first selecting a gamma to use, which will allow for a maximum range of colors your system can display. The next step involves setting black (brightness) and white (color) levels to their optimum values. A set of color patches will then be measured to determine the limits of the monitor’s display capabilities to generate an internal ICC color profile, which is a profile set in accordance with the standards put in place by the International Color Consortium. The ICC profile is then used by the operating system to perform color management and can be used as a method for ongoing color management. As this type of calibration is conducted by the user, drawbacks resulting from software calibration are that it can be both difficult and time consuming and include issues relating to precision, as a result. The most notable drawbacks can occur with regards to gradation characteristics stemming from the use of a monitor’s color-adjustment function and video-card output. Gradation deviations such as tinting and other damages can occur, which impact the monitor’s ability to display minor color differences and affect overall gradation display. These deviations can be even more drastic when working from a monitor with no color-adjustment function. Hardware Color Calibration Hardware calibration is also conducted by selecting a gamma to use and setting brightness and contrast levels. With hardware calibration, a specialized hardware calibration sensor is used to determine the limits of a monitor’s display capabilities captured at monitor level. Sensors can come as part of a kit, as is the case with the Viewsonic Colorbration kit, which comes included with the CS-XRi1 color sensor that has been co-developed with X-Rite, pictured below.

As the types of profiles created with hardware calibration are independent of the graphics card, this method allows for access to the profile anytime regardless of the host computer. Since hardware calibration controls the monitor directly, this type of calibration offers good gradation characteristics with high precision. There are a range of different controls that can be controlled with high precision depending on the type of digital image creation required. Accessibility to the hardware look-up table (LUT) allows for a more customizable color mode to fine tune colors and make further adjustments. Precise control of the monitor’s gamut is available with the ability to simulate Adobe RGB or sRGB with very high accuracy. Black level can be controlled with precision and is of major importance during the soft proofing process. Precise calibration through the full luminance range of the display without the loss of digital resolution is another benefit of this method.

Conclusion

As a long term and professional calibration solution, the benefits of hardware calibration greatly outweigh the benefits achieved by software calibration. A notable benefit of the functionality of hardware calibration allows for alignment of the graphics card and monitor scalar for a long-term consistency and accuracy of color output, which the more limited software calibration method is not able to provide. For those working with high quality imagery or within a professional design environment, hardware calibration serves as an excellent resource for a more efficient workflow and consistent quality of work.