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BJBBJB1
Inspiring
April 25, 2026
Question

ICC profile for a hardware calibrated monitor

  • April 25, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 46 views

Greetings,

I have used Lightroom Classic and Photoshop before that for a very long time. So for years I used my i1Pro2 meter and i1Profiler software to calibrate and generate icc profiles for my windows PC’s. I hope this is the right place to post this question on the forums.    

 

Now I have a shiny new Asus OLED PA32UCDM ProArt monitor. Although this is Calman factory calibrated, I am doing a “check” hardware calibration of this new monitor in wide gamut mode with a new meter and Calman software. It will write to the monitor LUT, however it does not generate an icc profile to install in windows.

 

From my recollection, since I am using the ProPhoto colorspace in Lightroom and Photoshop, it utilizes the icc profile to translate the colorspace requested to the current state and capabilities of the monitor.

 

After I do my hardware calibration the monitor will be very well calibrated. But it will be running with the default installed icc that does not really know the current status of the calibrated monitor. A thought I had was to run my old Xrite software and i1Pro2 meter and it will see an almost perfect monitor and will create an icc profile to reflect that state. However not sure how well that older meter will do with an OLED.  

 

Any thoughts or suggestions are most appreciated.

Thanks,

BJBBJB1

    2 replies

    D Fosse
    Community Expert
    D FosseCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    April 28, 2026

    Yes, try the1Pro2 that you have first. But if that doesn’t work out well, a Calibrite Display sensor is just $330. That’s a modest investment that will serve you well for many many years ahead. You can use it with i1Profiler, but it can also be used with virtually any high end software on the market. I’m still using an i1 Display Pro with Eizo Colornavigator.  

     

    I just want to take this opportunity to clear a few things up for anyone else reading this. I know you know this, but it’s so often misunderstood. You never know who’s reading these threads :-)  

     

    Much has been said about hardware calibration, but it doesn’t “replace” profiling and icc color management. The main advantage of hardware calibration is high bit depth that reduces quantization and banding, which can be a real problem with calibration tables in the GPU. 

     

    In principle it doesn’t matter how the calibration is done. It can be done by the profiling software ahead of the profiling, and the curves uploaded to either the machine’s GPU or to the monitor’s internal processor. It can also be done via the monitor’s OSD controls. For that matter, putting a colored plastic sheet in front of the panel is crude “calibration”. It’s all about setting the actual behavior of the monitor.

     

    And then the icc profile maps that behavior, and the application uses the profile to convert the output numbers. The monitor profile, the icc profile, has one job and one job only: to describe the actual and current behavior of the monitor. It doesn’t do anything, it’s just a map. But it has higher precision, and uses more parameters, than any calibration procedure.

     

     

      B
      BJBBJB1Author
      Inspiring
      April 28, 2026

      Excellent explanation!  Yes I have found there are large knowledge gaps in this area.  Nicely done.

      D Fosse
      Community Expert
      D FosseCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      April 27, 2026

      Yes, you’re right - obviously the software needs to create an icc profile, that’s the main part of the process. This profile is used to convert from the document color space and into the monitor color space (in its calibrated state). 

       

      Calibration is important enough, it sets the white point and black point, but it is not part of the color management chain. What it does is set the environment for color management to work within.

       

      Open the Calman software and look around. There should be various options for the icc profile. If there isn’t, the software is incomplete and useless and you need to find something else.

       

      I don’t know first hand how well an i1Pro2 handles OLED, but according to this it should work fine:

      https://www.xrite.com/categories/calibration-profiling/i1photo-pro-2

      You may need to use an older version of i1 Profiler. The page says the i1Pro2 is not supported in the newer versions.

       

      All that said, it might be time for a new Calibrite Display colorimeter. That’s the new rebranded x-rite i1 Display. It’s still the best mainstream colorimeter on the market, and it’s specifically designed for OLED, HDR etc.

      https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/monitor-color-calibration-tools/ci/12000

        B
        BJBBJB1Author
        Inspiring
        April 28, 2026

        Thanks so much for the feedback.  I have confirmed that the Calman software which I have used for years for TV's will absolutely calibrate my Asus PA32UCDM and directly write to the hardware LUT chip in the monitor,  This will leave the monitor in the best raw calibrated state,  The software is not intended to nor does it create an ICC profile. It fact it talks directly to the monitor via a pattern generator and a laptop connects to the monitor chip to write the adjustments. It is a hardware only calibration. Like factory calibrated  plus 

         

        Then, I need my PC to run a program though the video card with that monitor attached to it to send patterns and read this now almost perfect hardware calibrated monitor and generate an icc.  I am hopeful that the Xrite software and my i1pro2 will do this.  Thanks for the link.

        BJBBJB1

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