Disclaimer Introduction Chances are you've came across the occasional map or screen shots that are way too dark or bright, and it's simply down to the author having their computer set up incorrectly. Monitor defaults can be inadequate and can't be suitable for everyone's working environment, and most likely you've changed your monitors settings at some point. This page discusses how you can adjust your monitor and settings so it conforms to widely-accepted standards of image display, both manually and using software, for free. In short, you'll be able to present your work and view others how it was meant to be presented. |
Monitor Calibration To check if your monitor need calibrating, the best way is to spare five minutes and complete the calibration steps. There's two ways you can calibrate; you can use a page such as this to calibrate manually and free, or you can use calibration software packages which can be more accurate and detailed, and costly (Some running into four figures!). Sometimes your monitor, graphics cards, or image editing programs may come packaged with basic software. Before Checking & Calibration • Your monitor should have been running for a good amount of time. Generally the longer the better, 1 hour is recommended! • You should have your workstation and room set up to your ideal viewing situation (Dim lighting, no reflections). | ||
Manual Calibration Color Depth The first and most obvious step is to check your color depth. I assume that almost everyone will pass this step, especially due to UnrealED requiring 24 or 32 bit color!
Look at the image above - there should be a very smooth transition from color to color. There should be no banding/shading and no little dots. If it isn't smooth, you are not using enough colors. Go to your Display Properties then Settings tab, and raise your color quality to the highest possible. White Point Monitors usually allow you to choose between two or three preset values, or let you set your own. 5000K can be too low, resulting in a yellowish tone. At the other end of the scale, 9300K is too high (Considered to be far too blue). The standard is 6500K for digital imaging, so set your monitor to that. Don't worry at this point if your screen isn't looking better, because we still have some steps to go ... Brightness and Contrast (Black Point)
1. Locate the the Contrast and Brightness control of your monitor (Icons are displayed above). Set them both to maximum as a starting point. The contrast control adjusts the maximum displayed luminance, so it is range control. It is best to keep it always at maximum anyway. Only if the highlights are too light for your vision bring it down to a suitable level.
3 . Using the brightness control again, lower the brightness until the black from your desktop background just matches the black of the non-projected area on your monitor. The Brightness setting has to be exactly on the verge, so that one increase of the brightness makes the desktop different than the black of the monitor. Then, return the display area back up to how it was. | ||
Adjusting Gamma 1. The next step is to adjust the gamma of your display driver. First locate the gamma control; this is usually found by going to your Display Properties, clicking Settings then the Advanced' button. Different graphics card and drivers may differ here but it shouldn't be too hard to find. ATI's gamma control is found on the Color tab, shown below (highlighted blue). Make sure that your gamma control is 'locked'; so that the red, green and blue sliders are moved together (Highlighted yellow below).
2. To set the gamma to how we want it, you need to check the gamma chart below.
To view this chart properly, you need to view the image from a distance so that the lines in the top half of the image appear as solid color (Tip: It might help to squint). What we are aiming for here is middle gray square (2.2) to look exactly the same as the top half. Check to see which square matches the top half best, using the viewing method above, and change your gamma accordingly. For example, if the squares to the right match the top half better than the rest, you need to raise your gamma. If the squares to the left match it better, then you need to lower your gamma. Keep adjusting your gamma until the middle square matches the top half exactly. 2.2 is the standard gamma. Note: For a more detailed tool with the full range of shades, a small simple gamma correction program is available to download here (91kb .zip) | ||
Removing Color Cast The final step is to remove any color tints, usually visible on shades of gray. This is done by adjusting the red, green, or blue gamma sliders until the gray tones appear as natural gray as possible. Check the gamma chart above and page background to see if there is any slight, barely visible, color tones. If there is no slight color tint, then you're all calibrated! (Remember to set your game's lighting settings to default!) If not, follow the steps below: 1. You may want to make a large change at first to one of the color sliders to familiarize yourself in how it effects the screen image. Use the red slider, then the blue, to balance the red/bluish tints as much as possible. 2. If you decide that you need to adjust the overall gamma, move the green slider a little. Then, repeat the first step with the red and blue sliders. Once you are happy with these settings, click OK (Maybe save your settings if possible for future use). You're all finished, and your monitor should look the best it has. | ||
In-Game Lighting Settings The last thing to check is that you have the default lighting settings for the game. You can bet that the majority of people who own the games leave these settings alone. The in-game settings also effects the editor lighting. That's why some of you may have noticed that the lighting changes when you switch from UnrealED to the desktop before. Default lighting settings for Unreal Tournament 2K3/2K4 Their shouldn't be a need to change these unless you have a problem, or you prefer these settings to differ. Some dark corners in maps should be exactly that, although some people like to see absolutely everything. Some people also prefer things to be more or less color intensive. But if you're mapping, forget about your preferences. |
2. Locate the Vertical Centering control of your monitor (Looks similar to the icon below). Use it to move the displayed area down, to reveal a black area above the desktop. You can also use the vertical height control. (Don't worry, we'll set everything back later)
