How in the Tech

Using Windows 7 to calibrate your monitor

By Adam Myers ⋅ January 6, 2010 ⋅ Tags: Customization, Windows 7

Have you ever thought about calibrating your monitor? If you are like most people, the answer to that question is an overwhelming no. For most, the monitor is plugged into the video card and away you go. You may upgrade monitors or video cards throughout the lifespan of your computer but have you thought a little more about color or brightness? We all have different interpretations of blue, I don’t think many would argue against that. But why would we be so readily to assume that each monitor shows blue the same?

Windows 7 includes a Display Color Calibration wizard under the Control Panel -> Appearance and Personalization -> Display. Then click Calibrate color in the left hand menu.

The wizard will commence and you are strongly encouraged to reset your monitor settings to it’s factory default. This is likely accomplished through the on-screen display system of the monitor itself. This established the baseline.

First up is the gamma adjustment or the relationship between red, green, and blue values.

Next is the brightness adjustment. Using your the controls adjust the brightness until the image looks appropriate.

Adjusting the contrast will bring clarity to the entire display. Using your controls again, adjust the contrast appropriately.

Lastly, we need to adjust the color balance. This may be the most difficult to achieve but the basic premise is to have neutral balance on grey, without any leans towards red, blue, or green hues.

Once the wizard is complete you can jump back and forth between your previous calibration settings and your newly calibrated settings – the difference is usually quite dramatic. Even though I was happy with my initial display I was pleasantly surprised that after a few minutes of tweaking everything looked remarkably better!