Monitor Color Calibration

Monitor Color Calibration

Introduction
This HOWTO explains how to calibrate the colors on your color monitor. You have a few options when trying to adjust the colors on your monitor. You can use the on-screen monitor options, you can manually adjust your monitor colors, or you can use a color calibration device. Each is described below.

Recently, March 2010, Jon Cruz gave a talk at the 8th annual Southern California Linux Expo titled Why Color Management matters to Open Source and to You. The description, presentation, audio track are available at the SCALE8X web site:

http://www.socallinuxexpo.org/scale8x/presentations/why-color-management-matters-open-source-and-you

On-Screen color control
Most computer monitors include options to change brightness and contrast. Many include an option to set the color range of the display. Typical values are 5000K or 6500K. Some monitors have an option to individually adjust the red, green, and blue color intensity. Other adjustments may be available depending upon your monitor.

The typical color for photographic uses is 6500K.

Manual calibration
This is here for completeness. You might install a color profile that was generated on another system or play with RGB curves until you find a calibration you like. I think most people just use the default color calibrations and test their monitor on-screen options. Those interest in more accurate calibration use a calibration device.

Using a calibration device
The Argyll CMS package includes support for many different instruments. This page on their web site lists them:

supported instruments

This link has a good article about using dispcalGUI http://hoech.net/dispcalGUI/

Software Tools
x11-misc/xcalib

media-gfx/lprof

media-gfx/argyllcms

Hardware
This Ebay.com search will give you an overview of many hardware calibration choices:
 * Ebay.com search color|monitor calibration

Applications that support Color Management

 * Digikam
 * GIMP
 * Eye of GNOME
 * Krita
 * UFRaw
 * Inkscape
 * Scribus
 * CinePaint

ICC Profiles

 * ICC Profile test page
 * Downloadable ICC profiles for some monitors and laptops - in French

Color Management Introductions

 * Color Management 101