Imac Monitor Brightness

[Kayas.]

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hello,

I was wondering how bright you set your iMac Monitor when processing photos for example Capture One.

Obviously the 5 K monitor  (2020 iMac 27") is very bright so when printing in a shop the pictures turn out too dark especially b/w.

is it best to set the monitor's brightness to rather low or can one generally say (I know there are no general rules) that about 1.5 f stop should be sufficient?

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[grafebner]

depends on brightness around your imac. 

 Take the print and then hold it in front of you - and turn monitor darker or bighter - unil they match. ready. 

[Pieter12]

A hardware calibration system is really what you need.

[Jeff S]

5 hours ago, grafebner said:

depends on brightness around your imac. 

 Take the print and then hold it in front of you - and turn monitor darker or bighter - unil they match. ready. 

The ideal approach, which hardly anyone practices, is to use a print viewing station (consumer grade) where one can place the print under the same lighting conditions as the display lighting environment.  Instead, one typically uses experience to adjust editing and viewing workflow.

One reason I like ImagePrint software is that paper profiles can be quickly adjusted based on designated lighting conditions. 

Display lighting is what ultimately matters most IMO, as that’s what viewers will actually experience for final exhibition. Even museums sometimes miss the mark in this regard, especially under-lit, dark prints.

Jeff