Quote:
Originally Posted by AlanG
I am aware of this and know the real issue is that color is expressed in relative rather than exact values using our current color modes. And 10 bits will solve a lot of this whenever it is standard. The Microsoft scRGB model seems interesting and may be a good solution for the future but it hasn't caught ground with Adobe and others. I don't think 10 bit color or wide gamut will become ubiquiteous until there is one uinversal system that is used from cameras to software to displays that low end and high end users employ as they currently do with sRGB. Right now, giving files to clients opens up a can of worms, once you get away from sRGB. (Many don't have color aware applications and don't understand what is going on with color.)
I have to say that while I want a very good constent monitor for judging brightness and contrast, having the ability to do the finest tuning of skin tones is not paramount to me. I thought the wide gamut may be beneficial for me to start exploring if and when there really is any value in supplying images to my clients in Adobe RGB color space rather than in sRGB.
And although the 2690's sRGB emulation mode is not calibrated, it certainly looks good enough to see if skin tones are nice. If your goal is inhouse outputting on a printer, it will be pretty easy to tell if you are locked in as well as possible. (I did this years ago on much simpler uncalibrated sytems.)
I will say that we are all really splitting hairs here and I'm not sure how much any of this matters in real world use. (Although it might for some very critical users.) I have to keep in mind how primitive the equipment was that I used for supplying digital files more than 12 years ago, and somehow it all worked out ok. There are so many factors that affect how people see and appreciate colors that in actuality it is pretty foregiving sometimes. (Think of all of those overly warm "beauty" photos.)
I did have concerns about buying a wide gamut monitor but I've spent considerable time the past week studying various images on the 2690 in sRGB mode and also in calibrated wide gamut mode. (The images were a mix of sRGB and Adobe 98) and I can't say I see any real shortcomings to me in any way. For a couple of years I've been using a pretty good calibrated Samsung 213T (PVA display) sRGB monitor and if it does allow for finer sRGB color adjustments, I can't say that I've noticed it or miss it.
That being said, the NEC 2490 looks like a great monitor too.
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Hi Alan,
Karl Lang argues that there are practical implications of this any time one is trying to work with colors that are very close to each other. I'd have to try both the 2690 and 2490 to know for myself but I do take Lang's opinion quite seriously simply because I believe that he really does know what he's talking about. As you say, when and if higher bit pipelines become standard, this will be a moot issue.
I've decided, unconventional though it may be, to largely live in the world of sRGB right now because of clients, the RR web site, etc. Though I may lose certain shades of coloring, there's a consistency in that workflow (and in the way it will appear in a broad range of display/output) that I like.
Cheers,
Sean