Comments on: Fix Dull Colors & Contrasts on New MacBook Air/Pro by Calibrating the Display

By: Steve Tree

Steve Tree — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 18:38:18 +0000

I’m with Jay on this. Apple’s calibration directions truly do NOT make sense.

“Move the left slider until the brightness of the grey shape in the middle matches the backgrounds as much as possible”

It’s impossible to determine the brightness of the shape, let alone figure out what we’re to compare it to! Vs. the brightness of what? The backgrounds? Say, Apple, there is one background, not multiple ones!

If they mean the white background, a grey shape won’t be that color. If they mean the stripes… what’s the difference between “brightness” and rendering the shape “neutral” as the rest of the directions says?

They absolutely need to redo this or rewrite the directions!

By: meesh

meesh — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 22:23:01 +0000

has anyone else noticed the following with an LG display or found them less good than samsung? (I checked and my new macbook pro 15″ has an LG display) – thing is my colors are not as bright as my last macbook pro, nor as bright as the display models at the store I bought it at (we’ve gone through two now trying to find one that’s better) – side by side comparison with the mac guy and tech guy and we couldn’t match them up – all the calibration adjustments won’t do it – the white is not a true light-cool white – everything is a warm/yellow/ashy/dirty tint to it – i can’t get a white-white…anyone else notice this. It’s a bit easier on the eyes but making me crazy – it’s not that pure white (like on the iphone – the contrast of the word google against the white) – but a yellowy/dusty white (and yes, I know how to calibrate and tried it for hours on end. – not possible unless everything is made to tint a blue hue.

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 00:48:48 +0000

I think they have their before/after images backwards.

By: lietuvis

lietuvis — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 01:10:42 +0000

Well, uncalibrated monitor screenshot is much better: colors are natural. “Calibrated” sample is way too oversaturated. Calibration purpose is to make the screen to display right colours, not to make colors to pop up.

By: MEme

MEme — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 21:03:22 +0000

There’s a reason for that pattern, and it’s the only way to do it.

Obviously you can’t use a color on a monitor as a reference to calibrate that monitor, since that color will be off in the first place, and it will change as you adjust the calibration of the monitor.

You can however show black and white right next to each other in a repeating pattern, and make the assumption that a viewer will mostly see it as gray. The same goes for black to pure red, green, or blue.

The middle tone there will look the same regardless of calibration or not, since it’s just the pixels (or subpixels in the case of R, G, or B) being fully on or off.

Then you can match a solid software representation of those middle tones to it.

If you are having trouble seeing a color in the pattern, try defocusing you vision or look at it through someone else’s glasses or without your own.

By: Alberto I

Alberto I — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 07:28:17 +0000

The green on the uncalibrated monitor is very more natural……

By: Tod

Tod — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 21:24:44 +0000

I am pretty this problem is unique to you. I have been using such tools since windows 3.11 days, using a grey square not an apple. Never have I had any problem getting my screen calibrated.

By: ehutchins

ehutchins — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 21:11:44 +0000

I’m assuming this is only for the Air and the regular Pro but, is this also the case with the MacBook Pro with Retina Display?

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 20:32:37 +0000

“Move the left slider until the brightness of the grey shape in the middle matches the backgrounds as much as possible.” So you’re supposed to match a solid-grey colored apple logo to a background that is on top of a 1-pixel high stripe pattern? Who thought that pattern was a good idea? No matter what I set it on it’s no better than the default. The OS X calibration tool only succeeds in frustrating the hell out of me.

The calibration tool actually works. As stated, it says you should try to “squint”. That helps for sure. I also tried my own method: I reduced the brightness down to its lowest level. Thanks to OSXDaily, use shift-option-brightness button. That will adjust it incrementally. Once on its lowest setting, go ahead and calibrate the display (also while squinting). Hope that helps. I calibrated my display both ways, with the brightness at maximum and at minimum. Both had pretty much the same result. Any comments on the method I tried?

By: Jay

Jay — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 19:58:59 +0000

I hate the calibration tool, and just about any calibration method on any display. Maybe it’s just my eyes but I can never get the images in the steps to match what the directions say.