calibrating LCD monitor - creating linear workspace

[highpoly]

I have been reading many threads and trying to understand how to setup my monitor (first) then make adjustments in max/vary to compensate for the montior's gamma thereby making it linear again (i think)..

few questions as I have spent all day and now everyhing just looks like crap as i have suffiiciently messed up all my settings....

using max and vray
using 2 mitusbishi diamondcrista LCD displays
NVIDA GeFORCE 7800GT

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1). it seems there are hardware adjustments that can be made to the monitor (but those only include brightness and contrasty and color) nothing in the actual hardware menus can i change gamma. So, next i looked to Nvidia control which has its owm setting for contrast, brightness, etc. AND a wizzard to adjust gamma. should i use the Nvidia one? where should i be adjusting brightness and contrast, on the monitor or in the Nvidia software utility? in the utility, there is also a place to load a color file, should i have one loaded (like sRGB or CIERBG) or just leave none?

2) after my monitor is calibrated to 2.2 or wherever it should be, then my images will look dark (unless that program has a sRGB profile) which compenesates for the gamma of my monitor right? so that means we need to enable this same correction in max and vray (both places? max gamma AND vray VFB?) is this right??

I feel like I ALMOSt get it, but now dont know how to negate all the changes i made. to make matters worse, i downloaded a gamma utilty and i think that wrote a gamma value into my system registry, so uI dont know if that is affecting my now 35th color correction attempt! lol

sorry so many questions..this is really frustrating

[Blitterswitch]

First post here!

I am also struggling with the the gamma setup and I am starting to feel like chucking the monitor out of the window!

I have Samsung Syncmaster 214t and 2x Quadro FX 3400.

Thanks.

[dapeter]

Re: calibrating LCD monitor - creating linear workspace

2) after my monitor is calibrated to 2.2 or wherever it should be, then my images will look dark (unless that program has a sRGB profile) which compenesates for the gamma of my monitor right? so that means we need to enable this same correction in max and vray (both places? max gamma AND vray VFB?) is this right??

What are you calibrating with - by eye? The best way to calibrate is to get a hardware calibration device like the Eye-one's or the Colorvision Spyder's. Doing it by eye or trusting the monitor/graphics card's numbers won't really get you anywhere.

And on the second part, yes you need to enable Max's gamma correction, then use the sRGB button on the Vray VFB to view the image. Also, if you don't have the 'Output Gamma' set to 2.2 in Max's Gamma Correction window and you're saving out something other than an EXR, you'll need to override the gamma when you save the image and set it at 2.2

[instinct]

Re: calibrating LCD monitor - creating linear workspace

Also, if you don't have the 'Output Gamma' set to 2.2 in Max's Gamma Correction window and you're saving out something other than an EXR, you'll need to override the gamma when you save the image and set it at 2.2

Or use something that works in linear space like nuke for post

Thorsten

[highpoly]

thanks for the replies..

well, i thought that at least doing by eye was better than nothing, no??
as far as the concept, if i understand right,

1 - make the monitor have the correct gamma, calibrate around 1.8-2.2 depending on platfrom, etc...

2-then in max, make the gamma correction so max is DISPLAYING linear images correctly (in its own render window, material editor, etc..)

3. lastly, put gamma correction on the image in vray VFB to make it DISPLAY linear on the monitor and be SAVED with that sRGB correction.

I guess max and vray have their own separate gamma controls. when I used gamma correction in max and saved from the max VFB, the nice linear image i saw on my screen didnt get saved the same way when i loolked at it in photoshop. i had to put an output 2.2 gamma on it for it to look the same as in max render window.

I guess for Vray, by doing the correction in the Vray VFB, you dont need to enable any other output gamma (like with a max VFB image) since saving it in the vray VFB right there embeds correction. is that right?

Do you have to go through that correction process in the Vray VFB every time? is there a way to just apply it automatically like the way max can have an output gamma set?

[dominiquelaksmana]

try samsung 931c, on any graphic card.... you will find yourself outside of the window. damn that lcd monitor....

[highpoly]

try samsung 931c, on any graphic card.... you will find yourself outside of the window. damn that lcd monitor....

Amen to that!...this monitor is worthless...i am not even going to try to callibrate it..all my blacks look posterized. Time for a CRT. I guess...

[gilicom]

hi we just got samsong 204b , which we manage to calibrate to 2.2 (reached 6501k calvine) using spyder2pro , so far it works very good.