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Apple computers are wonderful graphics machines. But, when you get one out of the box the colors are usually washed out. If you hook your new Mac up to an external display, the color settings are reset for that monitor. I am a Graphic Designer, which means color is important to all of my work. Most people don’t notice that there monitor is washed out in the first place. After you complete this short tutorial, you will see a world of difference in the colors your monitor displays.

The following settings are especially important when matching screen colors to prints or screen to screen. When you complete this tutorial, the colors of your photos when printed should be close to how they appear on your screen.

Click Apple and Select System Preferences.

Select Displays from the System Preferences Pane

Click the Color Tab

If running two monitors, Check Show profiles for this display only (The Preferences Pane must be on the monitor you wish to calibrate).

Click Calibrate

Check Expert and Click Continue

Follow the on screen instructions until you get to the following screen:

Select a Target Gamma (look beneath the following image for instructions).

If you primarily work with Apple computers, move the slider to 1.8 (Mac Standard).

If you primarily work with PCs or video, move the slider to 2.2 (PC standard).

The Gamma is basically a keystone for how all colors on your monitor will appear. If you select the 1.8, everyone using a Mac will see the same colors you do (Presuming you did a good job at calibrating all the apples in the previous steps and thier monitor is Calibrated for 1.8). If you select 2.2, everyone with a nicely calibrated PC monitor will see nice sharp colors the way you intended as you see them on your computer.

Click Continue

Check Use Native White Point

Click Continue

Authorize or Deauthorize other Users to use the Profile

Click Continue

Name the Profile something different than the original

Click Continue

Click Done

In the Diaplay System Preferences Pane, check the difference between the new profile and the old one. You should see a pretty big difference if you have never calibrated your monitor before.

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Written by Steve Blue
steveblue@iuseapple.com