Calibrate HDR Content?

[SRPcashie]

Hi All,

I am currently in the market for a new display calibration device because I upgraded to the new macbook pro, which has the new screen technology.  In terms of Calibrite, the options are display pro and plus HL.  The difference according to calibrite is the ability to 'calibrate HDR content'.  Apparently this is a technololgy that is 'evolving'.  I don't really understand why you would need to specifically calibrate for HDR content.  Does anyone out there have any information or advice about that? 

I'm pretty tired of having to dish out money on these things.  

Thanks!

Mac OS 13.6

LR 12.5

PS 24.7.0

Macbook Pro M2 Max

[SRPcashie]

Also, not sure how to get their attention, but do the Adobe folks have anything to add?

[Conrad_C · Accepted solution]

I am currently in the market for a new display calibration device because I upgraded to the new macbook pro, which has the new screen technology.  In terms of Calibrite, the options are display pro and plus HL.  The difference according to calibrite is the ability to 'calibrate HDR content'.  Apparently this is a technololgy that is 'evolving'.  I don't really understand why you would need to specifically calibrate for HDR content.

By @SRPcashie

It’s because of the extra dynamic range that that true HDR involves. It’s well in excess of the dynamic range of what we now call SDR displays that have been around for decades. So if you take an old calibrator and use it on an HDR display, the way it measures is going to be just flat out wrong. It’ll make incorrect, outdated assumptions about the dynamic range, color rendering, screen technology, and other critical aspects, so you end up generating an incorrect profile that does not take advantage of the advanced display.

It’s important to understand that true HDR content and display is not the same as, for example, doing an HDR merge in Photoshop or Lightroom to an SDR file. To do true HDR editing, you need a real HDR display, such as the Liquid Retina XDR. Right now, a good example of true HDR is the “HDR Output” technology preview in Adobe Camera Raw. Greg Benz has done some great videos on this:

As far as the calibration devices go, if you want a device for the current 14/16" MacBook Pro, my understanding is that the new Calibrite devices work out like this…

Display SL: Don’t get this, it’s for older SDR displays.

Display Pro HL: This is probably the one most people should get for a 14/16" MacBook Pro.

Display Plus HL: Overkill for most people.

There is another point of view that says you can hold off on this purchase, because the 14/16" MacBook Pro already comes with very good factory calibration that won’t drift much, and all most people need to do is fine-tune it once in a while. ArtIsRight has many videos about these displays, and if you really want to understand what’s going on, watch his videos.

This might all seem complicated, but it’s because the MacBook Pro has a display that generally behaves more like a high-end desktop display. Many of the things about it that are “new” to long-time Mac users have been quite familiar to those who have already been working with pro color displays (Eizo etc.) or HDR for video.

In short, if you really want to get the most out of these displays:

• Understand how Apple uses Reference Modes to take full advantage of the Liquid Retina XDR displays. 
• Understand that in the past, we mostly did profiling, not calibration, but the Liquid Retina XDR display allows actual calibration, closer to how a pro color desktop display works with hardware calibration. 
• Understand how HDR editing and display (not HDR merge) really work. And that for now, most Photoshop/Lightroom work is not done in true HDR.

And no, I’m not saying this is an easy subject. It’s a lot to get one’s head around. But these displays are a huge improvement over any Mac laptop display in the past.

[SRPcashie]

thanks Conrad!

That was a lot of information to sift through but my takeaway is that we don't need to spend the extra money on the plus calibrator.  

I do have one more question.  Since the technology has changed, can the new calibrators properly calibrate the old 2017ish iMac monitors?  I guess the better question is are they equipped to handle everything out there?

[Conrad_C]

I believe they do work with older displays, but it would be best to check with the company. My understanding is that over the years these devices have had to be upgraded multiple times to add support for each new generation of display technology in more or less this order:

CRTs

LCDs with fluorescent backlights

LCDs with LED backlights

Wide gamut color

OLED

HDR displays

I haven’t used the software that goes with the new ones, but for example, the older software I do use asks me to tell it what kind of display it is. So I don’t think they remove support for older display tech, but I could be wrong. That said, the type of display used in a 2017 iMac is still in very wide use, so new calibration devices should still support it.

One more note: If your work is mostly for web and print, the HDR capabilities of the new displays don’t have much benefit, and it’s more important (especially for print work) to choose or set up a macOS Reference Mode Preset that best represents the calibration specs for the kind of work you deliver the most.

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