Well, I can’t say I ever expected to work a Cyndi Lauper reference into the Finish Line Blog, but, it happened. Mark July 23, 2018 on the calendar. At least it wasn’t “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, though I can vouch for the fact that they really do. I don’t know if Cyndi has her computer’s monitor calibrated correctly to see colors as they’re meant to be displayed, but your’s will be after we’re finished today!
In the cyber world, there’s a huge discrepancy when it comes to colors on monitors. Because no two monitors are alike, no two user’s experiences are the same. While it’s a good idea for everyone to have their monitor set up correctly, it’s absolutely critical for those in the graphic and website design fields, and those who enjoy photography. In order to avoid surprises, take the time to calibrate your monitor so the Christmas cards you’ve ordered from VistaPrint will look exactly the same in your hand as they do on your computer screen, and your home movies will be in living color just as you remember them. The examples are endless, but you get the “picture” (no pun intended…well maybe a little).
If you’re sold on the idea of monitor calibration, grab your mouse and set aside a few minutes of your time. Before you start the calibration process, be sure that your monitor has been powered on for at least a half hour so it’s properly warmed up and displaying colors as it normally would. Next, make sure that your screen resolution is set to its largest resolution (the highest point in the slider, 1680×1050 in my case). You can check this by right-clicking on an open area on the desktop, and then clicking “Screen resolution” (in Windows 7) or “Display settings” in Windows 8 or 10. It’s important when you do this to be sure that there’s a decent amount of ambient light in the room. It’s not ideal to have lights on as they could alter your results.
Now that the monitor is warmed up, the resolution is correct, and the amount of lighting in the room is ideal, we’re ready to get started. In Windows 7, click the “Start” button, and type calibrate display color into the search box just above the “Start” button. Click on the top result. In Windows 8, move your cursor to the top right corner of the screen and wait for the charms to appear. Click on the magnifying glass, and type calibrate display color. Click on the top result. Finally, in Windows 10, type calibrate display color in the search box to the right of the “Start” button. Click the top result. Click “Next” to begin the calibration process. The wizard will walk you through the steps, asking you to identify the correct gamma, brightness, contrast, and color balance settings. Most of the steps will ask you to make your selection based on the best match for the image that Windows has displayed. Don’t worry, it sounds more complicated than it actually is. When the wizard is finished, click “current calibration” to apply your new settings. If you’re not satisfied with what you’ve done and want to return to the default settings, simply click on “return to previous calibration”. You can run the calibration as many times as you wish, so don’t panic if it isn’t quite right the first time.
Let’s face it, you’re not using all of your senses when sitting at a computer screen. Sight is definitely the most utilized sense, and because of this, it’s very important to be sure you’re seeing the cyber world as it’s meant to be seen. The easiest way to ensure that you are is to calibrate your monitor and “See Your True Colors”.