Literally 10-15 years ago, in front of every photographer, in the process of creating a photograph, a painful choice arose. It began with determining the type of film and ended only in the process of developing a photograph: the selection of photochemistry, developers, attenuators, light filters, photo enlargers, photo glossers and even a red lamp for the “black room”. In our time, this choice has remained just as painful and languid. Only objects have changed - now there are a lot more of them, and they have become digital. This is not about choosing photo equipment and accessories. I want to talk about the choice of components for a computer that will be optimal for working with digital photography. With this article, I will begin the series Computer for a Photographer. And the first topic of our cycle will be the choice of monitor. A monitor is your eyes. When choosing a monitor for working with photography, it is very important to take into account its characteristics, because the final result of your work (the combination of color and light of the picture that you want to show) completely depends on them. The photographer, like any creative person, fully relies on his feelings. As a musician trusts his hearing, the photographer counts on his own view. On my own eyes. His main task is to convey to others what he saw through the camera’s lens, preserving all the colors and moods of the plot. What should be the ideal monitor for the photographer? To answer this question, let's define the basic requirements. Firstly, the monitor matrix should support the sRGB color gamut as much as possible (we will talk about this a bit later). Secondly, an IPS matrix should be installed in the monitor. When choosing a monitor, you also need to consider the size, viewing angle, type of surface and screen backlight. Let's take a closer look at each feature.
Matrix type
The matrix is the heart of the monitor. Choosing a monitor for a computer, you, in fact, choose a matrix. Almost all other monitor characteristics depend on this choice. Let's look at the types of liquid crystal matrices. Today, TN, IPS and MVA are considered the main LCD manufacturing technologies. The TN matrix is the simplest, and it has the highest response time (that is, the picture on the screen is updated relatively quickly). In the past, they were quite widespread. TN matrices are the cheapest. The advantages of this technology end there. Matrices of this type are characterized by certain disadvantages: small viewing angles, low contrast, poor color reproduction and the inability to get the perfect black color. The last point is especially critical when working with photos. You will never distinguish a failed shadow by eye from just a dark area. The IPS LCD matrix (also known as SFT) is the only matrix today that can always convey the full sRGB color depth. An indisputable advantage of this technology is its wide viewing angles reaching 140 °. Based on this technology, there are already a number of improvements called H-IPS, AS-IPS, AFFS, etc. For example, H-IPS technology outperforms IPS with a reduced response time and an increased level of contrast. With the advent of AFFS technology, the viewing angle and brightness have increased. This technology is now used in the manufacture of tablets and smartphones. Each manufacturer of displays (NEC, Hitachi, LG, etc.) every year improves the modifications of IPS-matrices, allowing them to improve the performance of monitors. The technology of the MVA (multi-domain vertical alignment), developed by Fujitsu, was a compromise between TN and IPS technology. The advantages of MVA technology are its deep black color (high contrast), and not gray, as in TN-matrices, and wide viewing angles (up to 170 °). The disadvantages are the loss of detail in the shadows and the dependence of the color balance of the image on the viewing angle. This technology also has several modifications: PVA of Samsung, MVA-Premium, etc. However, even now there are professional photographers who work with outdated CRT monitors. And all because there are still very few affordable LCD monitors that can compete in picture quality with a picture tube.Color gamut and number of colors
Perhaps this is the most important parameter of the monitor, if it is designed to work with color. Sometimes there is confusion with the concepts of “color gamut” and “number of colors”. Most often, these characteristics are presented in the description of the monitor (usually 16.2 or 16.7 million). The color gamut and the number of colors are two complementary things: the color gamut determines which range of colors a monitor can show, and the “number of colors” parameter determines how many gradations it can split this range to reflect intermediate tones and midtones. Color gamut is the hardware feature of the monitor: on a monitor with a large color gamut, you can get a cleaner, more saturated color. The parameter "number of colors" determines the difference between two adjacent colors - the greater the number of colors, the smaller this difference. The entire space of colors reproduced by the monitor is divided into 16.2 or 16.7 million gradations. We can set a specific color only up to a specific color gradation. Accordingly, if this space (color gamut) increases, and the number of gradations (colors) remains the same, then the difference between two neighboring colors will inevitably increase. It turns out that, on the one hand, a monitor with a large color gamut can show more colors in the physical sense of the word, but, on the other hand, it does this less accurately. In practice, such a lack of colors is noticeable on smooth gradients: transverse stripes appear on them, each of which corresponds to one gradation. This effect can be seen stretching the entire screen from, say, a red to black gradient: you will see narrow even transverse stripes on it even on the best LCD monitor. The only possible solution is to increase the color depth to 30 bits (so that each of the three components would be allocated 10 bits). At the moment, only single monitors can work with 30-bit color. Their cost is from 100,000 rubles. For example, NEC SpectraView Reference 2180WG LED. Their cost is from 100,000 rubles. For example, NEC SpectraView Reference 2180WG LED. Their cost is from 100,000 rubles. For example, NEC SpectraView Reference 2180WG LED. Back to the color gamut. To visually describe the range of reproducible colors, a diagram is used in which the horseshoe-shaped figure depicts the entire range of colors available for human vision. Pure colors are located on the edges of this figure, and when approaching the center they mix, forming a white dot in the end. Images on monitors with an extended range of colors look richer than on conventional models. Therefore, calibration of monitors with extended color gamut is required. For amateur use in the style of "plug and play" they are unlikely to work.Contrast and brightness
The contrast of the monitor is expressed in the ratio between the maximum and minimum brightness on a white and black background, respectively. Brightness is one of the strengths of the LCD monitor. This is the amount of light emitted by the display. If the brightness of the monitor is high enough, it is necessarily indicated in advertising booklets as one of the main advantages of the monitor. But sometimes the technical specifications of the monitor do not match the real ones. This also applies to brightness. If you can not focus on the passport data of the monitor, then how then to evaluate its brightness? It is best to turn on the monitor and set its contrast and brightness to maximum. If at the same time the image turns out to be too bright and a decrease in brightness is required for comfortable operation, then it can be confidently stated that the monitor has a sufficient margin of brightness.Viewing angle
The maximum viewing angle vertically or horizontally is defined as the angle when viewing from which the image contrast is at least 10: 1. And image contrast is understood as the ratio of the maximum brightness on a white background to the minimum brightness on a black background. For the photographer, an important circumstance is the fact that when viewing the image at an angle to the surface of the monitor, there is not a drop in contrast, but color distortions. For example, red turns to yellow, and green to blue. Moreover, similar distortions appear differently in different models, and in some they are noticeable even at a slight angle, which is much less than the viewing angle. Therefore, comparing monitors at viewing angles is basically wrong. More precisely, it is possible to compare, but such a comparison has no practical value. Thus, the viewing angle should strive to be as wide as possible. For cheap matrices, the viewing angle is very narrow, and even with a slight change in the viewing angle, the image begins to darken, and the colors are distorted. The best viewing angle parameters are provided by the ISP LCD. A good example of a monitor for processing photos is the NEC MultiSync PA241W. This is a 24-inch TFT P-IPS monitor with a screen contrast of 1000: 1 and a viewing angle of 178 °. This monitor is capable of displaying more than 1 billion colors.Screen surface
And here it is not so simple. The surface of the screen is a very important feature. There are two types: matte and glossy. The glossy surface of the monitor is less convenient for work, since it reflects all the light sources and illuminated objects in front of the screen and behind the back of a person working at a computer. Reflections greatly interfere when working with photography, you often have to strain your eyes and peer into the picture. But glossy displays are more “vivid”, they have richer, more intense and contrasting color reproduction, they display deep black color well. These are the pluses. Matte surfaces do not have a reflective effect. They are more convenient in work, although the picture on them looks a little “poorer”. But this applies not so much to working with graphics, but in general to working at a computer.Size (diagonal) and resolution of the monitor
This is precisely the parameter where the principle “the more the better” does not work. And even harms. Why? Let's figure it out. Firstly, the larger the monitor, the greater the resolution it needs. As a result, this is the load on the video card. If we purchase a more powerful graphics card, this increases the total cost of the computer. Secondly, a large monitor is not needed for processing at all. At work, the photographer always enlarges the photograph by 300–500%. It’s more convenient to fix minor defects. Accordingly, why do we need a large monitor, if in any case you have to enlarge the photo? However, it’s not worth the little detail ... For comfortable work, a 24- or 27-inch monitor with a screen resolution of 1920x1200 and 2560 × 1440, respectively, is enough. And if you really want and the budget allows you to purchase a powerful video card (or even two in SLI mode), then you can use a 30-inch monitor with a resolution of 2560x1600. For example, this monitor may be the HP ZR30w.Conclusions and recommendations
For working with color, IPS matrices are best suited. This type of LCD matrix has the most correct color reproduction, but also a higher cost. Monitors with PVA and MVA matrices are less suitable for image processing. The fairly common cheap TN matrices are completely unsuitable. Recommended screen size - at least 24 inches. If you intend to use the monitor in a brightly lit room or in front of a window, a monitor with a matte screen is optimal. But the window can be curtained and the lights turned off, and enjoy a rich and natural picture from the glossy screen of your monitor. For ease of understanding, I divided the monitors we recommend into two subcategories: regular and professional. If you are a beginner and still poorly orientated in color and color calibration, your unconditional choice is a regular monitor. When choosing a conventional LCD monitor for working with photography, stick to the specifications in the previous paragraph. The manufacturer is not so critical. This may be a device from Samsung, LG, Asus, Dell, etc. Choosing a professional monitor is quite complicated. These are monitors by NEC, QUATO, EIZO, etc. For comfortable work, initial models of this segment (for example, NEC Multisync PA241W or NEC Multisync LCD 2490WUXI2) are suitable. Some professional monitors have a built-in calibrator (for example, the Eizo ColorEdge CG276W model costing about 170,000 rubles). And the flagship monitor from NEC Display Solutions is the NEC SpectraView Reference 302. With its impressive dimensions (30 inches), high resolution (2560x1600, 16:10) and excellent uniformity of image characteristics, this monitor is ideal for the most demanding applications (for prepress preparation and viewing of printing forms on the screen, as well as for obtaining images with professional color rendering quality). As you can see, there is a choice for every budget. The main thing is to properly dispose of them and choose a monitor that meets the requirements of quality work with photography. Now you can do it without much effort.