The Matte Versus Glossy Issue: Feedback Please

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Level 2

177 points

The Matte Versus Glossy Issue: Feedback Please

As I count down the remaining 3 weeks before I get my new MBP and my iBook goes into retirement I have been considering options for configuration. Everything is fairly easy to decide except what I originally thought is the smallest issue: Glossy or Matte.

So I am looking for feedback on peoples experiences with using glossy vs matte for painting and for use in a wide range of situations including oudoors both night and day.

It is easy for people to say look at them side by side in the store. Unfortunately it appears Apple and resellers seem to have a policy of only putting Matte MBP displays on display.

Someone said "The MacBook is glossy, have a look at one beside a MBP." So I walz in to the shop all excited and the salesman said for security reasons he could not move the MacBooks around next to the MBP's, but then he pulled out his personal 18 month old MacBook and set it up but also told me it is not a fair test because the MacBook screens are so inferior to the MBP. Also, even though he would allow this comparison test there was no way we would be able to look at any of the computers in the sun (security).

His usage of his laptop is completely different to mine so he couldn't talk about graphics programs, or working outdoors both of which are habits of mine as an artist. I live in Photoshop and Painter, and do web design.

I have to admit to loving bright rich color, love contrast, hate pastel tones and soft colors. I have always disliked the matte surfaces of non reflective glass for framing pictures, and love the look of my glass flat screen CRT that faces some big windows, and gets occasional direct sun in mid winter.

eMac G4 + iBook 12 inch G3 (10.3.9 on both) + iPod 5th Generation 60 GB, PowerPC G4 1 GHz 1 GB SDRAM + (iBook) PowerPC G3 500 MHz 384 MHz SDRAM

Posted on Jan 10, 2008 6:45 AM

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Answer 1

Jan 10, 2008 6:54 AM in response to artistjoh

Given your comments, it sounds like you'd be happiest with the glossy display, especially your love of bright, rich color and high contrast - the glossy will certainly surpass the matte for those attributes. If you don't mind the glare on your CRT, you'll be able to live with it in the glossy MBP.

If color calibration matters (i.e. if you will print your art) it is more difficult with the glossy. But it's not that easy with matte either - the differences between display medium (transmitted vs. reflected light) and color space (monitors are RGB, print is CMYK) are much more significant than the difference imposed by glossy vs. matte on color reproduction.

Also, when you are in a truly glaring situation you can put a 3M polarizing filter on the glossy display to "matte it out", but you can't really "glossify" a matte display.

Hope this helps...

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Answer 2

joudbren

Level 1

90 points

Jan 10, 2008 7:27 AM in response to artistjoh

If you "live in Photoshop" as mentioned, then matte is the only way to go. Glossy is nice and it tends to exaggerate contrast and colors but any decent screen for truly accurate color work will be matte, not glossy. Don't worry about your perceptions of a matte screen on hanging photos, not the same thing. A hanging photo is not backlit from behind like an LCD display so you won't notice the matte finish in the same way.

You didn't mention if you were going 17" or 15" on the MBP. Both can go extremely bright but the 15" is LED backlit so it tends to have richer blacks and can go ballistically bright if you choose. Once calibrated for Photoshop though you'll find that you'll be turning the brightness down anyways for color and gamma accuracy. If you work outdoors then the glossy screen will be a COMPLETE nuisance for you as the glare from the Sun will make the screen almost unusable. Just my two cents worth and good luck with whichever one you choose. Cheers!

James

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Answer 3

artistjoh Author

Level 2

177 points

Jan 10, 2008 8:16 AM in response to neuroanatomist

neuroanatomist wrote:
Also, when you are in a truly glaring situation you can put a 3M polarizing filter on the glossy display to "matte it out", but you can't really "glossify" a matte display.

I am curious about these polarizing filters. Are you talking about an adhesive plastic film that is on for more than just a couple of hours or it it something that loosely attaches (and maybe moves in breezy conditions outdoors but is easily removeable?

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Answer 4

artistjoh Author

Level 2

177 points

Jan 10, 2008 8:34 AM in response to joudbren

joudbren wrote:
You didn't mention if you were going 17" or 15" on the MBP.

17 inch

joudbren wrote:
Both can go extremely bright but the 15" is LED backlit so it tends to have richer blacks and >can go ballistically bright if you choose. Once calibrated for Photoshop though you'll find that >you'll be turning the brightness down anyways for color and gamma accuracy.

Doen't this mean that the colors/brightness/contrast can be turned down on the glossy screen giving the choice of both saturated colors or softer colors, but that the matte screen is only capable of the less saturated option?

joudbren wrote:
If you work outdoors then the glossy screen will be a COMPLETE nuisance for you as the glare >from the Sun will make the screen almost unusable.

Have you used a MBP Glossy outdoors in the daytime? I have read many forum answers that suggest that the glossy is better than the matte in actual outdoor usage. It doesn't seem logical so I seek more wise heads. Was your comment based on your belief of what it would be like rather than actual usage?

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Answer 5

Jan 10, 2008 8:47 AM in response to artistjoh

I was referring to the latter - something like a 3M privacy filter or antiglare filter; little adhesive tabs stick to the bezel around the display (thin enough that the MBP will still close) and the screen slides into place and is held by the tabs.

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Answer 6

Jan 10, 2008 9:00 AM in response to neuroanatomist

i have the glossy and i use it outside a lot and compared to most pc glossy screens(hp is the worst) the mbp glossy has almost no glare.

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Answer 7

Jan 10, 2008 9:14 AM in response to artistjoh

I have my MBP and I have the glossy screen. Whenever I am sitting around campus outside, when it is sunny, its very hard to notice a glare. It is only slightly there if you really look for it.

Every manufacturer, as stated before, has there own type of screen thus different levels of glare. That makes it hard to compare different manufacturers. I used to work in retail selling computers and I can tell you from experience the glare you see on the MBP is far less intense than that of a HP.

This should give you an idea of the difference:
http://www.blackmacbook.com/mods/macbook-with-a-matte-screen

For Photoshop and other programs that deal with specific colors, some people have said that with the glossy you are getting a little bit of false "beauty". So you would print out a project and it isn't what it seemed to be. The matte will give you a little better reality of what it will look like in print.

Hope this helps, I have had nothing but a good experience with my MBP glossy. I personally think it is the way to go.

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Answer 8

dherron

Level 1

97 points

Jan 10, 2008 10:17 AM in response to artistjoh

When I ordered my MacBook Pro from Apple over a year and a half ago, I seen the optional Gloss extra and questioned this in PC World store. The guy said that seeing I was a graphic design student, the matte one would suit me best as it would give a true colour representation as opposed to the glossy which is more shiny and if you are printing something, it will look more accurate to the representation on the matt screen.

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Answer 9

R. Berardi

Level 4

2,036 points

Jan 10, 2008 10:36 AM in response to artistjoh

I have 2 15" MBPs, (work/home) both glossy.
I am a graphic designer, and if I need "true" color, I am plugged into external monitors. (most of my work is web, not print)

but to be honest, I love the look of the glossy - some people hate it. It really is a preference. The glare never bothers me, don't even notice it.

I know you said you are getting the 17 - but the 15 has the LED backlit, and it is truly unbelievable. (hopefully Apple will incorporate this into their 17" on the 15th 🙂

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Answer 10

artistjoh Author

Level 2

177 points

Jan 10, 2008 11:10 AM in response to R. Berardi

R. Berardi wrote:
I know you said you are getting the 17 - but the 15 has the LED backlit, and it is truly unbelievable. (hopefully Apple will incorporate this into their 17" on the 15th 🙂

If they do, if SJ introduces the new 45 nanometer chip, if drive sizes go up... I got a long list of wishes for SJ to deliver on To see what happens I waited to late Jan/early Feb to get my MBP

Do you ever use your MBP's outside? If so how is it?

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Answer 11

R. Berardi

Level 4

2,036 points

Jan 10, 2008 11:21 AM in response to artistjoh

coffee and internet on the front porch is about the extent of my outside viewing - wasn't a problem - although not in direct sunlight.

i don't think that would be a problem - the issue with the gloss (that some people have) is the reflection (a window behind you, etc.)

again, hasn't been a problem for me.

totally your decision, but it sounds like you are trying to justify getting the gloss. I say get it, and if "true" color (whatever that is) is an issue, buy a nice matte lcd and work inside those days. (they are dirt cheap)

Message was edited by: R. Berardi

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Answer 12

artistjoh Author

Level 2

177 points

Jan 10, 2008 11:51 AM in response to R. Berardi

R. Berardi wrote:
totally your decision, but it sounds like you are trying to justify getting the gloss. I say get it, and if "true" color (whatever that is) is an issue, buy a nice matte lcd and work inside those days. (they are dirt cheap)

I certainly prefer the rich colors and blacks of the glossy. This is a link to my main web site.
http://tonyjohansen.com/ Once you see the colors of my paintings you will understand that richness of color and deep blacks are characteristic of me anyway. My current work is largely intended to be projected, displayed on LCD screens, and placed on the web. Print is a smaller component for me.

So I like the look of the glossy but need to consider the useability in a wide range of situations from intense Australian sun to art studios with lights all over the place, to nightclubs with their dim but difficult lighting. Only sometimes would an external monitor be available to me.

BTW Something that puzzles me. People seem to talk as if the glossy screen is always more saturated, always higher contrast. Can't color and contrast simply be turned down to any desired level?

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Answer 13

Jan 10, 2008 11:55 PM in response to artistjoh

I have some questions too. What about the toughness of those two? I've read posts from others that replacing a cracked MBP LED/LCD is pretty expensive. So does anyone have an idea if one is more tough than the other while the other cracks more easily the the other?

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Answer 14

artistjoh Author

Level 2

177 points

Jan 11, 2008 3:53 AM in response to artistjoh

Okay, so I have some feedback of my own now for others.

Today I managed to get the manager of the Apple store to take a MBP and a MB into full sun. We looked at the two side by side, same angle etc in several paces from strong light to an angle where the full sun was reflecting off both screens and the result is surprising:

(1) The glossy as expected shows strong reflections, shop lights, the sun and clouds all clearly visible in the screen.

(2) The matte screen as expected turns light sources such as shop lights into diffused soft areas of reflection, but the sun makes a massive difused area of reflected light across a large part of the screen.

(3) The MacBook with its glossy screen was substantially easier to read text and see images on in direct sunlight than the matte MBP screen. Even though clouds and other reflected things including the sun were visible, it did not stop the screen being readable and useable. The details on the matte screen however with the sun reflecting off it was nearly invisible. Turning the matte screen a little improved the view substantially, but it did with the glossy screen too. There was no where in the strong light that the glossy screen could not be turned so that reflections were almost non-existent, however the matte screen tended to have a noticeable lightening of colors at all angles in the bright light. I was expecting there to be a small difference. I was surprized that the difference was so marked and that the glossy screen was noticeably better at all angles to sunlight.

(4) Indoors both screens are good, however the glossy picked up lights easily and needed to be moved so that the reflection is no longer visible. There is always a position where no reflection is visible. The matte is easy to look at indoors no matter which way it faces.

(5)I went immediately to a store selling PC's. Although they weren't side by side my impression was that the PC screens all gave noticeably stronger reflections than the MB glossy screen which confirms some comments made here.

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Answer 15

artistjoh Author

Level 2

177 points

Jan 11, 2008 6:31 PM in response to artistjoh

I have just discovered something relevant that I have never given any thought to before. People with poor vision (like me) are likely to have a better experience of glossy reflections on a screen that those with good vision.

I am writing this on a flat screen CRT monitor with big bright windows behind me, the very place that will be "home base" for the MBP. I can see the sunlight reflected in the CRT glass. It has never bothered me, and I now know why: it is blurry. The reflections are as blurry as they would be if I turned and looked at the source directly. I take my eye glasses off to use the computer (I am very short sighted but as I get past 50 yo I find close work easier without the glasses). When I put my glasses on and look at the screen the reflections are more bothersome because the reflections come into focus as well as the material displayed on the monitor.

I am still interested in other people's feedback on this issue as to whether they find matte or glossy better or worse in a variety of light and why.

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