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Question

Which monitor is best for color grading?

Forum|Forum|12 years ago
March 31, 2013
10 replies
140727 views

I am new to Editing & color grading,i am working for films,using Adobe CS6 & davinci resolve now i am looking for 2nd monitor(reference or preview purpose) which one is best to choose in budget.

my monitor is dell 27 inch ips monitor,and what to choose second one ,is it a broadcast monitor or one more ips monitor is enough? broadcast monitor is expensive then which is best budget monitor to choose?plz help me

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Chase Chick

Known Participant

You can do Dell, but if anything goes wrong, you'll spend hours on end with Indian call centers, and no one has a clue what is going on, and you will finish that conversation screaming profanity. Every time. Guaranteed. Not sure that any other companies are better, but that's my consistent Dell experience.

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naumen

Participating Frequently

if u want Pro but cheap monitor , thats what u need : ViewZ

http://www.viewzusa.com/broadcast/vz240pmpl.html

mikeklar

Inspiring

I agree with GrizzlyAK’s comment regarding NEC monitors, they have issues.

I have their EA244UHD, while it is good for viewing 4K videos it’s useless for evaluating colors as it has a predominant pink hue. Having worked closely with their service department and replaced the monitor once, they have been unable to help me remedy the issue.

Naumen, you reference ViewZ’s monitors as being "cheap", but they don’t show list prices on their site and their monitors look expensive?

Presently, I’m looking to replace an aging EIZO with a 27” – 2560x1440 resolution monitor. While tempted to get another EIZO it’s more than I want to pay. As such there is serious consideration for the following: “ASUS ROG PG279Q Black 27"WQHD IPS 2560X1440”

I would like to hear from any of you if you have any suggestions... ?

Cheers

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andread83

Participant

Hi all,

I search a monitor that work with bm intensity shuttle thunderbolt hdmi output.

I have try with my monitor hp pavillon fhd but it don't work.

I think that it's a problem with a horizontal and vertical frequence becouse the mac display me "Signal out of range"

I don't need for my home workstation a very good color grading monitor but a simple reference monitor with a little budget.

(In the my office I have all good refence monitor that I need.. )

I've a imac 27' and a apple 24 display : I need a third view monitor with a bm intensity card.

Can you recommend a monitor (low budget) that works? you have or have tried and you are sure it will work with bm intensity shuttle?

what do you think if I try with a tv? Do you have some to recommend me?

thanks

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Anonymous

Ive been keeping an eye on this thread for awhile as ive been looking at investing in a reference monitor finally. I went back and forwards on speanding alot, to little but in the end I had to be realistic and set my budget for the level my work is now at, as a video editor. I could of spent more but for where im at work wise, as a relatively inexperienced video editor doing mostly internet orientated work, i couldn't justify a full blown broadcast monitor right now. Got one broadcast job coming and a short film in the pipeline but the rest is all video for the web. Anyway I settled on an Eizo CG247 for 750 US, only 2 months old, which is good value. If and when later aa full broadcast monitor / 4k etc... becomes more valuable to me, the pain wont be so bad.

I needed cash over for some other things too, namely a way to get true 10 bit video out. Still up in the air on this, if anyone has any advice? Looking for something with Displayport out, so Quadro's and the like, or perhaps just a decklink monitor with HDMI, im not sure. Though i guess thats for another all together.

Somax

Participant

OSEE's monitor line is great - and they sell them direct - for great prices at http://www.oseedirect.com They have the LCM156 for right around $650 - and this monitor is a duo purpose monitor because of it's size. You can use it at home for color grading, and correction or you can take it on the road for production for a reliable confidence monitor (since it accepts LUTs)

If you have a bit more money and want to go the OLED route - they have the XCM250 for 5grand, but I've matched the specs on this to SONY's top of the line OLED monitor which prices in right at 30grand. So, you're essentially getting a 30grand monitor (Has the same AMOLED screen, housing and functions) for a fraction of the price.

Both of these monitors can be calibrated and both have over 1billion visible colors. Both have great features, including wipe, image overlay, focus assist, and so many more. Check out there YouTube videos for some of their functions.

LCM156 - OSEE LCM156 15.6" Display a Professional and Affordable Monitor - YouTube

XCM250 - OSEE XCM250 25" OLED Monitor - YouTube

Right now I'm using their MVM230 and it's great. Amazing viewing angle, tons of features - and quad viewing on sources. It's super handy for post work, as well as amazing for production work.

Alexander Eberhard

Inspiring

Check out EIZO Flexscan or CS series if you want to go professionally.

BillVincent

Participating Frequently

I've read this thread with interest, although I found it one day after I placed my order for an Asus PB278Q. That's okay, because you can debate all day every day but at some point you have to make a decision, and I made one - and from the many, many reviews I've read, I made a good choice for my budget and needs. I do both videography and photography, very little broadcast work, mostly web. I felt this monitor was a good match for my Quadro 4000 for Mac card, which can deliver the max resolution out of the Asus monitor. I may live to regret my decision, but hey... it's my decision, and based on as much research I could reasonably do before making it, I don't think I will be disappointed. Will it handle true 10 bit? Uh, no. But than again, my average client doesn't even know what that is, or what difference it would make in the edit, or why they should care - so although I'm not saying it doesn't matter, I'm saying it doesn't really matter within the context of the work I'm currently delivering, and probably won't for some time to come. When it does, I'll prepare for that eventuality.

I'm no stranger to professional broadcast facilities, and yes - you can go from "whatever works" to the most unbelievable, expensive monitoring the world has to offer, and you will most likely find that most facilities lie somewhere in-between those two extremes. Honestly, it also falls on the quality and knowledge of the engineering staff to make sure the rooms are tweaked properly, and that the equipment is good - and there is a LOT of variation in that component alone when it comes to getting "true" out of any room. Most all productions (and edit suites) are a compromise. And, especially when it comes to news footage, it could be shot on a Fisher-Price camera and the networks would still air it if the story was newsworthy!

It really comes down to budget, finding the best options for your price range and then pulling the trigger. Knowing the limitations of your equipment is just as important as their capabilities, and if you know both, you can do the best work you can deliver within your means. That's the best you could hope for, and if you are worth your salt you will satisfy your clients with that approach as long as they understand what you can and can't realistically do.

preditorj40153117

Inspiring

@BillVincent

I researched for about 2years before i made any decision and realized that at some point I done too much research. I had chosen to use my friends older Dell u2410 as he had gotten a HP DreamColor (which he is now starting not to like). When i did make a purchase it was the NEC PA27 and for the second bay i got a PA242. Together these monitors were less than a Ezio or a Flanders (which by the way is not for video). Both do 10bit and 100% srgb or rec709. I am happy with my choice and actually could have made that decision months sooner. The Dell did well also.

I was a sound engineer before i was doing video and if you research audio monitors you will see a lot of people swear by 4particular brands. This is hillarious to me cause sound engineering does not require the best speak. It does require a good to awesome speaker but i have friends that work at MAJOR recording studios that use things like Klipse computer monitor speakers to do work on T.I.'s music. The fact of the matter is that you cant use completely garbage speakers but you do not need ultra pro audio speakers. What you need is a good ear and time using a particular product to understand its nuances. ALL SPEAKERS AND COLOR MONITORS HAVE NUANCES and over time you learn to adjust for them.

My dell leaned a bit blue-ish to me but i would compensate for that and once i had ran about 10 jobs across it, it was starting to be second nature for me to adjust for that blue hue. The HP Dreamcolor is not as consistent as the dell when looking at color values from center to edge. The nec that i currently use leans ever so slightly yellow (barely noticeable). The Blacks in the PA27 is not as good as the blacks in the PA24 (again barely noticeable). But i like them more than anything else i have scene implemented in an edit bay including FSI.

All to say this. A really good editor will get awesome work out of subpar equipment and a novice can not get ok work from a 40k set-up. It is more about the OP than the hardware. I have done at least 80 broadcast QC'ed commercials without any external color monitor. I have only been rejected once and that was for audio levels peaking above -4db. I was using 2 LG E2750 (LG E2750VR-SN: 27" Widescreen Full HD LED LCD Monitor | LG USA) which i am not even sure if they can do 8bit (doubtful). This is not a way to go but i am just illustrating how knowledge is more important than equipment. Those that say you need to spend 5k on a monitor are spoiled, wrong or looking to excuse their inability to see.

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Alex Iniesta

Participating Frequently

Hi, I'm buiding a new post-production room and my intation is to make the color corrction with Davinci Resolve, the video card will be 4 k UltraStudio blackmagic, the new MAC PRO computer, and Avid editing system.

My problem now is the monitor. I've been shuffling EIZOCOLOREDGE CG276, HP DREAMCOLOR. But ACAV see the following monitor that he did not know. It's http://www.konvision.com/en/show-62.aspx.

Seem to be a good monitor?

Someone can help me.

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sankoor2012Author

Participating Frequently

i am doing grade in speedgrade and using a sony klv-46R452A http://www.sony.co.in/product/klv-46r452a , the tv have scene select modes like Auto,General,Movie,Photo,music,Game etc.... i need best color mode and values for this tv to grade a movie,i am using this to my computer with hdmi cable anyone plz help.....

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GaryLitwin

Participating Frequently

I work for Boland Monitors. Just wanted to chime in here. If you are doing color, or even offline (and you want to see accurate colorspace), make sure you use a professional monitor as your "go to" for reference. Most TV's and computer monitors are not exact (even the best of them). Get a model (regardless of brand) that can be calibrated to the EXACT colorspace you are supposed to be working in, or one that comes already calibrated out of the box.

If I can answer any questions for you, post them and I will give it a shot.

Jeff Bellune

Legend

Please don't double-post. I deleted your duplicate topic.

Jeff

lasvideo

Inspiring

For serious accurate color correction I suggest you talk to these folks.

http://www.shopfsi.com/?gclid=COK3js-Lp7YCFWunPAoda1kAyQ

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Anonymous

As usual, it depends on what your purpose is. If your output is going to be web only, then a computer monitor displaying the sRGB working space is sufficient. If your output is going to be HDTV, DVD, or Blu-ray, then you need a monitor that can display the Rec.709 working space. That means a production monitor, or at least an HDTV (with the hardware/software to get that TV a broadcast signal).

Without a proper output device to let you see what you're doing, Resolve is pointless. My advice -- buy your output device first. Use it with the three way color corrector effect in PPro for a while. You may find that sufficient. If you outgrow the Abobe tools, you can always buy Resolve when you need to.

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sankoor2012Author

Participating Frequently

I am doing my first film(2k Red footage) now i am making one budget pc setup for adobe cs6 and resolve(editing and color grade),some people telling that take one proffesional broadcast monitor (reference purpose)for color grade but i don't have that much budget which one is cheap n best for my requirement n what to do, is the dell ultrasharp is ok or anything else? plz help me

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Kranex1

Participating Frequently

http://www.necdisplay.com/p/desktop-monitors/pa271w-bk-sv

That NEC is the best choice in that price range. I believe that also includes the colorimeter as well.

Eric

ADK

Yes NEC makes some of the best pro monitors out there. Just make sure whatever monitor you choose is 10 bit.

You will also need a 10 bit card (sn Nvidia Quadro, AMD FirePro) and an OS (Windows 7 and beyond) that can accomodate 10 bit. As for Mac, only the current Mountain Lion is compatible. Anything before that, won't work.

The last but not least piece of the puzzle is the software. It too must handle 10 bit (few do) but the current Photoshop will. If any one of these are missing it won't work.

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