Remember... monitor calibration is NOT enough to see these dark images. On a very good monitor, you might be able to see the image even with the light grey background that dpc has, but for the most part, I can't see anything without changing the background to black to offset the optical illusion that your eyes see when faced with such a huge diference in color.
I suggest to make the entire background of dpc black for voting in order to better see textures. I had the same problem with my "Metal" challenge in this respect so what did I do? I did some edits in black background mode in Photoshop to make sure it looked right... and then went to regular grey back ground mode and pushed up the brightness/contrast just so I could see what I thought I was seeing.
It's not just the monitor... our eyes are very easy to trick.
Man - what an eye opener! No pun intended. The variance in what people see, don't see, is amazing! The monitor I'm using is a Dell 19" CRT that is 3 years old and I can see the face just fine - so I don't qualify it as an exceptional one, good yes, but nothing outstanding.
On the 'test' link below (monitor test) I'm seeing a change (or the box) around 3-4. I took the same test on my work monitor yesterday and couldn't see anything until 12-13!
Recently someone suggested (haven't looked for the thread) a monitor test before allowing a person to vote. Not sure how that could be implemented, but after seeing all of this variance...might not be a bad idea. Before you say it, yes I know there is the scale on the bottom of the voting page - but that really doesn't mean anything to most people, or at least I don't think so anyway.
The face is way too subtle. Remember that not all voters will have their monitor set up properly to see all shades of black so it probably just looked like a knife on a black background to most.
Interesting approach to the challenge though. I can barely see the face on my crappy monitor at work that has the contrast and brightness at max in order for any image to look acceptable.
I couldn't see the face in the thumbnail, and could only make out the full-size face because I knew it was there, and the bright dot on the eye gives something to search from. According to the test that glad2badad posted, my monitors are "average" (square appearing at about 6), and the calibration scale on the voting page looks fairly even, although I can't see a difference between the two darkest blocks.
The face is way too subtle. Remember that not all voters will have their monitor set up properly to see all shades of black so it probably just looked like a knife on a black background to most.
Interesting approach to the challenge though. I can barely see the face on my crappy monitor at work that has the contrast and brightness at max in order for any image to look acceptable.
On my work monitor the square starts to show at 7. My home monitor is better and the square shows at 4.
I can't see the silly square on until 30 on the vlock test. And no I thought what I was looking at in the knife photo was just a poorly photographed hait. All I could see was a curve the edge of the knife blade and a distrcting dot in the background... Sorry for all of the too dark comments. I knew my work PC sucked but thats just horrible.
Man - what an eye opener! No pun intended. The variance in what people see, don't see, is amazing! The monitor I'm using is a Dell 19" CRT that is 3 years old and I can see the face just fine - so I don't qualify it as an exceptional one, good yes, but nothing outstanding.
On the 'test' link below (monitor test) I'm seeing a change (or the box) around 3-4. I took the same test on my work monitor yesterday and couldn't see anything until 12-13!
Recently someone suggested (haven't looked for the thread) a monitor test before allowing a person to vote. Not sure how that could be implemented, but after seeing all of this variance...might not be a bad idea. Before you say it, yes I know there is the scale on the bottom of the voting page - but that really doesn't mean anything to most people, or at least I don't think so anyway.
I'll say this is an eye-opener!!! WOW! I see a change at 4 (and had no trouble seeing the face with the knife), but DAGGONIT! This really highlights an issue that all of us face here (or anywhere for that matter). Would it be worthwhile to have somewhere in the membership application a statement and/or test about monitor resolutions/clarity and link to this test? Just a thought - I know that we have a LOT of currently pending issues, but this might help even the playing field. I'd like to see it at least added to the bottom of the "wish list". Any others feel the same?
I can barely make out a face in each of the dark images. And this monitor is calibrated, an Electron Blue 22 incher. I don't think it's fair to say "if you can't make out the face your monitor isn't set up right"; it's perfectly possible to miscalibrate a monitor so that it shows too MUCH detail in the dark areas, at the expense of the bright areas.
In my experience, LCD monitors, the cheaper sort, are especially prone to this.
I can barely make out a face in each of the dark images. And this monitor is calibrated, an Electron Blue 22 incher. I don't think it's fair to say "if you can't make out the face your monitor isn't set up right"; it's perfectly possible to miscalibrate a monitor so that it shows too MUCH detail in the dark areas, at the expense of the bright areas.
In my experience, LCD monitors, the cheaper sort, are especially prone to this.
I can barely make out a face in each of the dark images. And this monitor is calibrated, an Electron Blue 22 incher. I don't think it's fair to say "if you can't make out the face your monitor isn't set up right"; it's perfectly possible to miscalibrate a monitor so that it shows too MUCH detail in the dark areas, at the expense of the bright areas.
In my experience, LCD monitors, the cheaper sort, are especially prone to this.
I did not then and can not now see the face even though I'm looking for it. Just the mysterious white dot. I use the on-line calibration tools but I know this old LCD does not do well with shadow areas. Hope to get a new Sony Premier Pro soon though!
For those who can't see the face in the original posting, I've done a version (hope ubique doesn't mind) with a levels adjustment. so you can at least see the content of what you're missing, if not the very dark tonalities of the original. Is there anyone out there whose monitor makes this look perfect?
Great Bear! I can now see it fine. I think that must have been the intent as the face is clearly visible but definately subdued and lurking in the background.
edit: OK, now you are going to have to tell us how you did it.
Great Bear! I can now see it fine. I think that must have been the intent as the face is clearly visible but definately subdued and lurking in the background.
edit: OK, now you are going to have to tell us how you did it.
Who, me? Opened levels dialogue box, pulled the right slider over 20% or so, slid the middle slider to the left a smidgen.
No disrespect bear, but if you could see the square at level 2 on the monitor test, you should have been able to see the face quite clearly on the original image posted in this thread. My monitor doesn't show the test square until level 3 or 4 and the face was quite clear...
