Best monitor for photo editing: 10 top models tested and rated

One of our most popular posts has been about monitors and which is the best for photo editing. You may be aware that the monitor you use to look at your images can have a substantial effect on how they look. That is not that they look better or worse more that they are accurate. If your monitor is too bright and you edit your images based on what you see then when you send your images for printing they will come out darker. The same of course goes for colour balance. So if you want some sort of accuracy you should always use the operating system software that is designed for monitor calibration, if you don’t know how just google monitor calibration on a (mac) or (PC). However if you want much better image fidelity you have to get away from a general purpose monitor which is OK for everything and get one that is designed for graphic work. This article on Digital Camera World lists the top ten as at October 2014.

MOnitor

Good luck

Here are some more up to date recommendations but not from sites that I regularly use so cross check what they say

Best Monitor for Photo Editing and Photography 2016

Photo Editing Monitor Buyer’s Guide – May 2016

 

 

 

Best monitor for photo editing: 10 top models tested and rated

Many people just buy the biggest monitor they can afford without considering it’s purpose. A screen that is good for watching movies or playing games or reading text might not be the best for graphics work, for photography and photo editing. In class we are constantly recommending calibrating monitors, we explain how a monitor which isn’t calibrated is showing you it’s version of your pictures, not how they actually are. A step beyond, One Step Beyond would be Madness of course, would be to buy a photo editing specific monitor. Digital Camera World has tested a few and here are their recommendations

What is the best monitor for photo editing? Colour-accurate monitors offer true-to-life reproduction of photographic images, but price and performance varies. We’ve tested 10 of the top models available to see which monitor is best for photography.

Choosing a monitor for photo editing can be a daunting proposition, especially if you need it to be better at one particular task than at any other.

In this roundup we want to find the best monitors for photo editing, so we’re looking for great colour reproduction and vibrant, bright displays.

This depends on the technology used – newer ‘IPS’ LCD panels have better colour reproduction than their older ‘TN’ counterparts, so this is worth looking out for in the specifications. All the panels here are IPS LED backlit displays.

The viewing angles are also far better with IPS screens, so if you ever sit at your computer and show someone else photos they are a must.

Screen size is important too – make sure your display is physically big enough for the work you want to do (we recommend 24-inch as a minimum now and that’s the smallest here).

Also, while most of the monitors here are height-adjustable, not all displays have the same level of fine-tuning, so do watch out for that.

When buying a high-end display, it’s important to make sure your computer’s graphics hardware is up to the task of displaying the high resolutions some monitors are now capable of.

You’ll need to research the capabilities of your own machine to do that. If you’re going to be connecting up a laptop, especially, make sure it has a good level of graphics capability.

If you are thinking about buying a monitor here is a list of things to consider

10 things to look for in a monitor for photo editing

1. Screen size is measured diagonally in inches, while resolution measures the number of pixels that make up the display. But a bigger monitor doesn’t necessarily mean greater resolution; the 24-inch Eizo has a higher resolution than the 27-inch NEC, for example.
2. A more useful measure of the ‘crispness’ of a display is pixel density, measured in pixels per inch (ppi). The NEC is 82ppi, the Eizo 94ppi, while Samsung and Dell weigh in at 109ppi.
3. Monitors increasingly offer more than just a simple display for your computer, with built-in speakers, USB hubs, card readers and multiple  inputs, such as HDMI, for use with a variety of devices.
4. While true-to-life colour reproduction is very important in image editing, you may need to compromise to get all the features you want within budget.
5. LED backlighting allows thinner displays, while IPS (or Samsung’s PLS) allows for greater viewing angles.
6. We’d always recommend using a digital interface like DVI or HDMI, but it depends on what your computer has. Do you want to plug in multiple devices? Make sure your new monitor has the same input as your computer has output!
7. Several of these displays enable you to swivel the monitor from side to side and turn the screen 90 degrees into portrait mode.
8. Most monitors are now capable of Full HD resolution (1920×1080) but more and more can do higher resolutions – many here are capable of 2560×1440, for example.
9. With so many devices plugged into our computers these days, a USB hub really is something you’ll wonder how you lived without.
10. So many monitors – including several of these – are just plain ugly. Also see what people are saying about the button controls and menu system. Ensure it is usable.

Go here for the reviews and recommendations

Here are some articles we have offered previously

Best monitor calibrator for photographers: 6 top models tested and rated

How To Choose the Best Monitor for Photography

 

Best monitor calibrator for photographers: 6 top models tested and rated

Your best friend as a digital photographer is a calibrated monitor. You can use the on board monitor calibration systems that come with your computer but if you want it right you need a bit of kit. This article in Digital Camera World lists a selection and evaluates them for you.

Don’t let a deceptive display fool you. Calibrating your computer monitor lets your photos’ true colours shine through. Here we’ve rounded up six of the best monitor calibrators on the market and tested them to see which offers the best capability.

You’d have thought all monitors would come pre-set to display at their best. To be fair, an average user viewing holiday snaps will be usually be happy with default display settings.

However, imaging enthusiasts demand more – any colour casts or contrast bias just won’t do.  At the very least, you want other people to have the best chance of seeing the same colours as you see.

This is where monitor calibration comes in. By sticking an ‘electronic eye’ (a colorimeter) on your screen and firing a selection of colours at it, any colour discrepancies can be detected and your computer programmed to compensate its colour output for the traits of your monitor.

You can then edit your pictures knowing others will see what you see. What’s more, it needn’t cost big bucks to get great colour accuracy.

Read the review here

Monitor Calibration

 

“For some strange reason, a whole bunch of things related to monitor calibration have been top of mind: I had my second monitor lose its recognition by my computer so it started displaying strangely; I have had a bunch of students at BetterPhoto.com struggling with the look of images because their monitors were not calibrated; and a friend of mine who works in public relations wanted me to try some new calibration tools from X-Rite! There seemed to be a message that I should do something on monitor calibration.

First, let me say that monitor calibration is a bit like flossing your teeth — sure, you know it needs to be done, but it is not a particularly exciting part of digital photography. It does make a big difference to your images, and all monitors generally need some calibration in order to look their best. I had a student who was convinced that no calibration was necessary with their iMac. I use an iMac and it is a bit too bright and contrasty from the factory — it definitely needed calibration!“

This is a good point made well, the rest of the article is equally useful from Outdoor Photographer….more

Monitor Calibration.