Calibrate a CRT computer monitor for Photoshop Elements 5.0
What's Covered
About Adobe Gamma
How to install Adobe Gamma
How to calibrate your monitor
Glossary
This document explains how to install and use Adobe Gamma, a software tool used to create color profiles for CRT computer monitors.
About Adobe Gamma
Adobe Gamma can create and edit CRT monitor profiles to help you maintain a color-managed workflow in Photoshop Elements. Using a color-managed workflow is important to ensure that the colors you see in a photo on your computer screen remain consistent when you print the photo. Adobe Gamma is included with Photoshop Elements 5.0.
For information on using the color management features of Photoshop Elements, see Photoshop Elements Help.
Note: Adobe Gamma does not support LCD monitors. To create a profile for an LCD monitor, use a color calibration tool from companies such as Chromix, ColorVision, Gretag/Macbeth, or X-Rite.
How to install Adobe Gamma
1. Insert the Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 installation CD into your CD-ROM drive.
2. Navigate to the Goodies\Software\Adobe Gamma folder on the CD.
3. Copy the contents of the Adobe Gamma folder (Adobe Gamma.cpl, Adobe Gamma Loader.exe, and Adobe Gamma Read Me.txt) to Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Calibration\. If the Calibration folder does not exist in the Program Files\Common Files\Adobe folder, then create a new folder there named Calibration.
4. Right-click on the Adobe Gamma Loader.exe file in the Calibration folder and choose Copy.
5. Navigate to the Documents and Settings\[username]\Start Menu\Programs\Startup folder.
6. Choose Edit > Paste Shortcut.
7. Right-click on the Shortcut to Adobe Gamma Loader.exe file and choose Rename.
8. Change the name of the file to Adobe Gamma.
How to calibrate your monitor
When you use color management, what you see on the screen is a fairly accurate representation of how your photo will print. Calibrating your monitor is important if you plan to modify your photos; without calibrating, your changes may not be reproduced accurately in the printed copy. You can use the Adobe Gamma software to create a monitor profile. If you are unfamiliar with monitor calibration, then use the Adobe Gamma wizard to create a profile.
Note: Skip this calibration procedure if you are using an LCD screen. LCD monitors (such as flat-screen and laptop computer monitors) do not calibrate easily because viewing angles can change colors significantly. Instead, use the manufacturer-provided profile or create a profile using a color calibration tool. (See the documentation that came with your monitor for more information.)
1. From the Start menu in Windows, choose Settings > Control Panels, double-click Display, and then open the Settings tab. Make sure that your monitor is displaying thousands of colors (16 bits) or more. For more information, see the documentation for your operating system.
2. Set your desktop to display neutral grays only, using RGB values of 128. In Windows, choose Start > Settings > Control Panel. Open Display Properties and click the Desktop tab. Set Background to None. Click the arrow next to the Color menu, and choose the top right gray swatch, which is a neutral 128 RGB gray. Your version of Windows may require different steps. For more information, see the documentation for your operating system.
3. Make sure that your monitor has been on for at least 30 minutes. If your monitor isn't warmed up, then it may not display colors accurately.
4. From the Start menu, choose Settings > Control Panels, and then double-click Adobe Gamma.
Note: Adobe Gamma requires you log on to your computer with Administrator privileges. If you do not have Administrator privileges, then see your system administrator for help.
5. Choose options in the Adobe Gamma application:
-- To use a version of the utility that guides you through each step, select Step by Step (wizard), and click OK. This version is recommended if youre new to calibrating monitors. Start from the default profile for your monitor, if available, and type a unique name for the profile. Then save the profile using the same name. (If you do not have a default profile, contact your monitor manufacturer for appropriate phosphor specifications.)
-- To use a compact version of the utility with all the controls in one place, select Control Panel, and click OK. This version is recommended only if you have experience creating color profiles. A monitor profile uses the following settings to precisely describe how your computers video card and monitor reproduce color:
Glossary
Brightness and contrast: The overall level and range of display intensity. These parameters work just as they do on a television set.
Gamma: The brightness of the midtone values. The gamma adjustment compensates for the nonlinear way that monitors reproduce tones.
Phosphors: The substance that monitors use to emit colors. Different phosphors have different color characteristics.
White point: The coordinates on a standard color gamut chart at which red, green, and blue phosphors, at full intensity, create white.
Additional Information
321608 - Using Adobe Gamma on Windows
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