Calibrated multiple monitors--images look different

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Calibrated multiple monitors--images look different

I have a MacBook Pro and a Samsung 23" LCD monitor both calibrated by the Monaco OPTIX. The calibration was successful, and when I drag images from one monitor to another, they seem to pretty closely match.

HOWEVER, my problem is when I use Aperture in a multi-monitor setup. I use the laptop to cruise thumbnails and the big monitor to view images. All the images on the large monitor are oversaturated in the yellows and reds and look VERY different than that on the laptop monitor.

But when I export the files as JPEGs and drag them from one screen to the next, they look identical. You know how the Mac performs a color calculation when you drag something from one monitor to the other and then corrects it? Well, when I'm using Aperture, it doesn't seem to make this correction on the secondary monitor.

Here's another example: If I use the multiple monitor setup and drag the main Aperture window (with the thumbnails and everything) over to my secondary monitor, the Aperture window color corrects and displays the thumbnails just as they appear on my laptop. You can now clearly see that the thumbnail does not match the full-screen image in the background(even though they are on the same monitor).

Is my explanation clear? If so, what obvious setting am I missing?

MacBook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.6)

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Posted on Jul 25, 2006 5:17 PM

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Answer 1

Jul 25, 2006 6:22 PM in response to pulykamell

There are two things to take in consideration here...

I'll tacke the first one:

Takign an image from one display into the second yields really funky results as the profile being applied to the image (window) is from the first monitor. This will continue until the mouse that is dragging the window crosses to the other monitor. You can actually try this with, say "preview" and move the window with an image until the mouse crosses over... The profile being applied to it changes. This is because the OS is waiting for you to drop the window on one monitor or the other. The deciding factor is where do you release the mouse.

Now the second issue (a bit more complicated):
All monitors are different. The fact they are calibrated does not mean that you will see the image the same on two monitor brands. The back lighting, LCD make etc all affect this. To prove it, you should open ColorSync and compare (using the holding to compare) the two profiles for the two monitors. There should be color clips between the two monitors. These clips represent the colors that will not be represented on the other. When workign with two monitors its better when both monitors are the same age and brand. The calibration will then apply on both and you will have more consistent color. The profile of both should be close and the calibration is take care of the small difference between them.

Hope that helped.

http://www.terraoptica.com

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Answer 2

pulykamell Author

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Jul 25, 2006 8:23 PM in response to Ramses Moya

I think I understand your answer, but that doesn't quite address what's going on.

As to the first part, that's exactly what happens. That's what is supposed to happen. When I drag my JPEG from one monitor to the next, they look pretty much the same when I release the mouse. The monitors match. I can tell they match because when I drag the entire Aperture window from the primary to the secondary monitor, it color corrects. That's when you can see that the thumbnail does not match the background image (which on the secondary is the full size image of the thumbnail I'm on).

So the second part of your answer doesn't really apply. I understand they won't match 100%, but this is not the problem. The problem is they dont match at all.

Let me try to clarify:

I have Aperture open. On my laptop are the thumbnails. On my secondary are the full sized-images. I export my thumbnail into a JPEG. I minimize Aperture.

Now I have a desktop on my laptop and the full-sized image still showing on the secondary. I open the JPEG. It looks good on my laptop's monitor. I drag the JPEG over to the secondary monitor (which is showing the Aperture full-sized image). The dragged JPEG color corrects to match my desktop LCD. It is clearly completely different color and saturation than the background image (the Aperture image). In other words, I have two pictures open on the same monitor, one from within Aperture, and one from within Preview that I dragged from the laptop monitor. The Preview image matches (more or less) the color of the laptop LCD. The Aperture image is oversaturated and skewed to yellow.

So, it's NOT a calibration issue--the monitors are sufficiently calibrated to my tastes. I can test this by dragging images from one monitor to another. Aperture is apparently not applying the monitor profile or something to the images it displays on the secondary monitor. That's the problem.

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Answer 3

pulykamell Author

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Jul 25, 2006 8:29 PM in response to pulykamell

OK, maybe this will help a little. The Aperture full-sized image on the secondary monitor looks a little like my dragged image before I release the mouse button. When I release the mouse button, the color profile is applied and the image matches the monitor it was dragged from. The Aperture image thus looks like it simply is not having the profile applied to it.

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Answer 4

Jul 26, 2006 9:22 AM in response to pulykamell

I currently don't use a multi-monitor workflow, so I'm not sure about this. However, I would suggest try setting the onscreen proofing for the second monitor with that monitor's colour profile.

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Answer 5

pulykamell Author

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Jul 26, 2006 12:19 PM in response to GTPhotoMan

I've already tried that--doesn't change a thing. And, yes, Onscreening proofing is set to "on."

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Answer 6

Jul 26, 2006 12:37 PM in response to pulykamell

Try the following:

Open Aperture, don't go to Full Screen, select an image to see it in the viewer.
Drag the whole Aperture window from your main display to the other (make the window smaller if it's not going to fit), as you drag it, you should see the color of the image changing to adecuate to the profile of the secondary monitor. In my case, while I'm dragging the window I can see the image a bit darker and then the colors change.

If doen't change the colors you might have a problem with the profiles. I would run a maintenance app as Onyx and then calibrate the monitors again.

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Answer 7

pulykamell Author

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Jul 26, 2006 2:41 PM in response to Eduardo Calvo

Yes, the colors do change when I drag the Aperture window from one display to another. Therein lies the crux of my problem. Full screen mode does not give me color correction on the other screen.

I apologize if my explanation of the problem isn't clear enough. Basically, what appears to be happening is that Aperture (or the Mac, I don't know how these things work) is not applying the color profile for the secondary monitor when I'm using monitor 2 as my full-screen monitor.

This problem only occurs from within Aperture and only if my secondary monitor is being used full-screen along with the desktop (which I assume is the standard way people use dual monitors in Aperture.) If I drag my main Aperture window over to the secondary, the proper corrections take place on the Aperture window (but not on the full-screen image in the background.) This is clearly how you can tell that the full screen image in the background isn't color corrected--it doesn't match the thumbnail image in the preview window, even though they are on the same monitor at the same time.

MacBook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.6)

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Answer 8

pulykamell Author

Level 1

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Jul 26, 2006 3:00 PM in response to pulykamell

That's the aperture window dragged onto the secondary monitor. Notice how the preview doesn't match the background the image. They should be the same--they're the same image on the same monitor.

The odd thing is, when I screen captured the image, the background image somehow desaturated a little bit in the capture. The actual image in the background is much more red and yellow than the screen capture shows. While the difference is clear in my screen cap, it's blindingly obvious sitting here.

Obviously, the colors aren't going to match what I'm seeing, but the important point is to see how the two images on the same monitor don't match at all. That picture shows you how obvious the apparent difference between the images is.

MacBook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.6)

MacBook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.6)

MacBook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.6)

MacBook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.6)

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Answer 9

kgelner

Level 4

1,205 points

Jul 27, 2006 1:56 AM in response to pulykamell

Very odd, I am not seeing that at all - I have two monitors, which I have also calibrated. I tried the same test you did and drug my Aperture window over to the second monitor which was set to "mirror", but to me the images looked identical.

Have you checked in the System Profile->Displays panel under the Color tab to make sure both monitors have the profile you are expecting? I guess I can't see how that would do anything though given that the images should be identical regardless of what profile was set, if the window and the background image are on the same monitor!

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Answer 10

pulykamell Author

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Jul 27, 2006 8:27 AM in response to kgelner

Ah, I see my examples finally explain the problem. Yes, I have checked monitor profiles and they are all set correctly and, you're right, even if they were set wrong, the images on the same monitor should look the same, and don't. And I haven't the faintest clue figuring out where the problem lay.

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Answer 11

Jul 27, 2006 11:29 AM in response to pulykamell

I'm having exactly the same problem with a MacBook Pro 17 and a 30" Cinema Display - have spent hours trying to get to the bottom of it...

I'm stuck with having to run Aperture on just the Cinema Display which is kind of defeating the point of having 2 displays!

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Answer 12

Jul 27, 2006 1:17 PM in response to pulykamell

I am running (3) 24" CRT monitors (all calibrated with MonacoOPTIX XR to D6500 / 1.8 Gamma). I am unable to duplicate your problem. Images all appear identical on all monitors even when dragging the main window over an alternate monitor with the same image displayedin background. All my images match whether software proofing is on or off in Aperture.

PS - Don't recommend using more than 2 monitors with Aperture - it just is not supported yet (maybe never). I would be happy if they would just allow me to designate which two monitors to assign to Aperture and leave any others in Desktop mode, but that is another story.

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Answer 13

pulykamell Author

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Jul 27, 2006 3:18 PM in response to ChoreoGraphics

Well, at least there is one other person who has the same problem, so it's not just me. Any chance this is a MacBook Pro issue? Or are others with MacBooks not encountering this problem?

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Answer 14

Aug 14, 2006 3:49 AM in response to pulykamell

I am having the same Problem with my MacBook Pro 15". It almost drives me nuts. I have two calibrated displays (ione) that usually match – not perfectly, but acceptable. Only Aperture won't calibrate the second monitor. It definitely is a bug in Aperture (maybe in combination with a MBP only) as Preview or other apps apply the color profiles perfectly well.

Regards,
Roman

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Answer 15

Aug 14, 2006 6:56 AM in response to Community User

I'm having the same problem with my MacBook 13" and Cinema 20" display. The 20" is about three shades darker and oversaturated. I keep calibrating the monitor, but it doesn't adjust accordingly.

Can I rely on the color my laptop monitor is giving me? They look great on it.

And I set my Gamma down from 1.8 to about 1.4. I felt that better represented the contrast I'd want in my images. Can anyone explain the benefit of keeping it at 1.8/ the importance of this; I'm unfamiliar with the specifics.

Thanks in advance!

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