Not normally. Most monitors are dark to start with and become brighter with proper calibration. If you used a hardware device like a Spyder or something, I would not normally expect darker results.
Not normally. Most monitors are dark to start with and become brighter with proper calibration. If you used a hardware device like a Spyder or something, I would not normally expect darker results.
Hmmm...I used the Spyder2 Pro. Might need to try it again I guess. Thanks for the response!
Not normally. Most monitors are dark to start with and become brighter with proper calibration. If you used a hardware device like a Spyder or something, I would not normally expect darker results.
Hmmm...I used the Spyder2 Pro. Might need to try it again I guess. Thanks for the response!
It's possible that you were too bright.. maybe if you are using a Mac.
Ok, I just recalibrated my monitor. The before/after button show the before calibration being a lot brighter and warmer (more red). The after is darker and cooler (more blue, almost a dirty look to it).
I do have an LCD (Sony 19").
Thanks for all the comments! Made me feel a little better about the change.
Ambient light can sometimes fool the calibration tools, but AFIK the spider 2 pro has the ability to measure ambient light and adjust your display. Dumb question--did you leave the spider as the instructions suggest, or bury it under some papers?
When I first calibrated my monitor on a Mac, it looked WAY too dark with a Spyder. I tried it again with an Eye-One and got mostly the same result (it was a little brighter). After futzing around with various options, I think it was the gamma setting that proved to be the difference. Try recalibrating with a gamma of 2.0 or 2.2 and see what happens.
To answer the original question: yes, after your first calibration, it is normal for the monitor to be darker. To match the sRGB curve (or whatever target curve you chose), the calibrator system figures out how much to decrease the R, G, and B outputs at each point along the curve. Depending on how far off you were, that may end up looking just like a color shift, but it can also make it look darker overall.
It's also a question of what gamma you are used to. Older Mac's for example shipped with a gamma of 1.8 (I think that may be a standard in the print world). Just changing the gamma to 2.2 (the sRGB standard) makes it look darker, even without any calibration.
I don't have anything to calibrate my monitor with, but the last print I made came out very dark, so I turned the brightness down to match. Looks better, easier on the eyes as well.
