How to Calibrate your Display

Overview
Windows 7 has a tool called the Display Color Calibration Wizard that allows you to adjust your monitor’s brightness, contrast, gamma and even colors settings. Calibrating your display ensures that the colors are represented accurately on your monitor. Before starting the Display Color Calibration, make sure that your display is set to its native resolution. This will help improve the accuracy of the calibration results.

Display Color Calibration enables you to change different color settings. After adjusting the different color settings via DCC, you’ll have a new calibration containing your new color settings. The new calibration will be associated with your screen display and used by color-managed programs.

1. Calibration
   To access this tool, press start then type “dccw” in the search field without the quotes. In the first window, just click Next.






2. Basic Color Settings
   
   
   
   
   In this screen, you’ll be told to reset your display’s color settings to default. This is usually done via the buttons in the front, under or the sides of the display hardware itself. Refer to your display’s documentation or just navigate the settings without changing anything so you can get used to it. Here are the default settings you should look out for:
   
   Color mode: sRGB
   (If color mode is not available, look for Color Temperature instead. )
   Color Temperature: D65 or 6000
   Gamma: 2.2
   
   If you can’t find these settings, just find the Reset to Factory Defaults button or something similar.



3. Gamma
   Gamma describes the relationship between the digital input value and intensity of the light that's emitted from the display.
   
   Click Next from the “How to adjust gamma” screen then adjust the slider until the dot in the middle of each circle disappears.
   
   
   
   
   



4. Brightness
   Brightness determines how dark colors and shadows appear on your display. As you adjust the brightness, you’ll want to see dark colors accurately, while the shadows, outlines, and other details in the darker images remain visible. If brightness is set too high, black colors will appear grayish.
   
   In the “Find the brightness and contrast controls for your display”, it will tell you to find the brightness and contrast controls of your display device. You’ll have to adjust the contrast depending on your display device.
   
   For LCD monitors: Set the contrast to default. (If not reset to factory setting yet)
   For CRT monitors: Set the contrast to the highest setting
   
   
   
   
   
   In the “How to adjust brightness” page, take note of the sample images then press Next. Use the brightness controls of your display to adjust and make sure that the large X above the guy’s shoulder is not visible. Once done, click Next.
   
   
   
   
   



5. Contrast
   In the “How to adjust the contrast” page, take note of the sample images then click Next. In the “Adjust contrast” page, use your display device’s contrast controls to adjust the contrast. Set it as high as you can while not losing the visibility of the buttons and wrinkles on the guy’s shirt. When done, click Next.
   
   
   
   
   



6. Color Balance
   On the “How to adjust color balance” page, look at the sample images that appear, and then click Next. In the “Adjust color balance” page, adjust the red, green, and blue using the sliders until the gray bars become neutral gray colors without any color cast. Click Next once done.
   
   
   
   
   



7. Calibration Results
   
   
   
   
   You’re done with the calibration! In this last screen, you can click:
   
   Previous calibration: This will revert your calibration to the way your display is before this calibration.
   Current calibration: This will save the calibration settings you just did.
   
   Check the “Start ClearType Tuner when I click Finish to ensure that text appears correctly (Recommended)” check box if you want the ClearType Text Tuner to open after you click Finish. This will help to make sure that text appears clearly with your new calibration
   



8. ClearType Text Tuner
   This simple tuner will appear after clicking Finish in the calibration results and when you leave the checkbox checked. You just need to select the best appearances of the texts displayed in the following pages.