i1 ColorSync Profile for 20" Aluminum iMacs

[Alloye]

Attached is a ColorSync profile for the new 20" iMac. It was created with an i1 Display 2 hardware calibrator. The target was medium white (6500K) at gamma 2.2. It should be suitable for most purposes.

To use, unzip the attachment and place the resulting .icc file in /Library/ColorSync/Profiles. You should then have an "iMac-i1" entry on the Color tab of your Display preferences.

NOTE: Because all displays are slightly different, this profile may not be completely accurate on your system. It should get rid of the washed-out look of the factory profile, but you might notice a slight color cast if your display is much different from mine.

[urbanskywalker]

Thanks! I will try this when my imac shows up.

[Alloye]

I just realized this calibration also fixes some problems that might be mis-attributed to poor viewing angles.

For example, using the default profile, the alternating white/blue rows in the iTunes content list not only look very washed out, but changing your viewing angle relative to the display causes the color of the blue rows to fade in and out as your eyes scan up and down.

Switching to the calibrated profile, this problem goes away and the alternating white/blue lines appear as they should.

Whatever the reason, it's really too bad Apple keeps shipping computers with deficient profiles. The display in my MBP was also less than great out of the box. :(

[daneoni]

The OP inspired me to do my own calibration and the results are attached if anyone wants to try it.

[AlexisV]

Thanks for the profile Alloye. Unfortunately it appears almost pink on my display! :eek: :)

[rogersmj]

Maybe it's just because I was using the default, but this makes everything look like it has a bluish tinge. It doesn't look as neutral as it did. I've also got my Dell 2007wfp (with S-IPS panel) next to the iMac and I prefer the more neutral look on that (it's using a color profile created for it by Apple). I'm not sure how else to describe it. Is this just something my eyes need to get used to? Does anyone else see the bluish tinge?

[Alloye]

Thanks for the profile Alloye. Unfortunately it appears almost pink on my display! :eek: :)

Maybe it's just because I was using the default, but this makes everything look like it has a bluish tinge. It doesn't look as neutral as it did. I've also got my Dell 2007wfp (with S-IPS panel) next to the iMac and I prefer the more neutral look on that (it's using a color profile created for it by Apple). I'm not sure how else to describe it. Is this just something my eyes need to get used to? Does anyone else see the bluish tinge?

Unfortunately, these are probably due to slight variances between our respective panels. Here are some other suggestions to try:

1. At a bare minimum, calibrate in non-expert mode and choose 2.2 Television Gamma. This method won't alter the default colors but it will reduce the brightness of mid-tones a bit.

2. Calibrate in expert mode and really take your time to align all the sliders. It's fairly tedious, but I've achieved good results this way.

3. Give SuperCal (http://www.bergdesign.com/supercal/) a try.

[Gaelic1]

Attached is a ColorSync profile for the new 20" iMac. It was created with an i1 Display 2 hardware calibrator. The target was medium white (6500K) at gamma 2.2. It should be suitable for most purposes.

To use, unzip the attachment and place the resulting .icc file in /Library/ColorSync/Profiles. You should then have an "iMac-i1" entry on the Color tab of your Display preferences.

NOTE: Because all displays are slightly different, this profile may not be completely accurate on your system. It should get rid of the washed-out look of the factory profile, but you might notice a slight color cast if your display is much different from mine.

Thanks so much! My 20" iMac is scheduled to arrive tomorrow and I downloaded your profile. This is why this forum is so great!:D

[NewtypeCJ]

Maybe it's just because I was using the default, but this makes everything look like it has a bluish tinge. It doesn't look as neutral as it did. I've also got my Dell 2007wfp (with S-IPS panel) next to the iMac and I prefer the more neutral look on that (it's using a color profile created for it by Apple). I'm not sure how else to describe it. Is this just something my eyes need to get used to? Does anyone else see the bluish tinge?

The profile in the first post gave everything a bluish tinge on mine as well. The second one posted further down was much better in that respect and that's what I'm using currently.

[rogersmj]

3. Give SuperCal (http://www.bergdesign.com/supercal/) a try.

Awesome tool, it took some time but my display looks great now. Thanks!

[Alloye]

Here's another one to try. This one contains the same display information and color data as the default profile but without the ridiculous gamma correction.

[mbalson]

I just received my new 20" 2.4 iMac and the first thing I did was load the "Perfect-4271A80.icc.zip" profile. What a difference! It looked so much better that I went ahead and used SuperCal to create my own profile. The display image quality is stunning. Anyone buying a new iMac should at the very least switch to the "Perfect-4271A80.icc.zip" profile.

[johng123]

I placed both the iMac-i1.zip and "Perfect" profiles in the proper location (Library/ColorSync/Profiles), but for some reason, only "iMac-i1" appears in the display preferences list.

I've tried everything, even running ColorSync first aid utility, but the "perfect" profile cannot be accessed. It shows up in the ColorSync utility list, but not in the display preferences list.

Does anyone have a clue what the problem is?

Thanks,
John

[stuff99]

thank you for this colour profile...i really love it!

[daneoni]

I placed both the iMac-i1.zip and "Perfect" profiles in the proper location (Library/ColorSync/Profiles), but for some reason, only "iMac-i1" appears in the display preferences list.

I've tried everything, even running ColorSync first aid utility, but the "perfect" profile cannot be accessed. It shows up in the ColorSync utility list, but not in the display preferences list.

Does anyone have a clue what the problem is?

Thanks,
John

Are you sure you put it in the right place i.e Macintosh HD/Library/Colorsync/Profiles/Displays

?

[johng123]

I did indeed place the file in the correct location you specified, yet it does not appear in the display preferences list with the other profiles.

I did have some success opening up the ColorSync Utility, clicking on "Devices: iMac" then clicking on the little arrow next to "Other..." I was able to manually select the "perfect" profile and have the screen calibration change instantly.

I then went into System Preferences / Displays / Color and say "Perfect" highlighted in the list.

BUT HERE IS THE PECULIAR PART>>>
I selected another profile in the list, and then "Perfect" simply disappeared from the list. Very strange.

I even did an erase and clean install of Tiger, and the same peculiar behavior still occurs.

I've tried downloading other profiles online and the same problem occurs.
Strangely, the other profile in the forum (iMac-i1) appears in the list perfectly after placing it in the proper Profiles folder.

I've searched continually online, but cannot find a solution or reason behind this. I'd appreciate any ideas or feedback from you.

Thanks,
John

[daneoni]

I did indeed place the file in the correct location you specified, yet it does not appear in the display preferences list with the other profiles.

I did have some success opening up the ColorSync Utility, clicking on "Devices: iMac" then clicking on the little arrow next to "Other..." I was able to manually select the "perfect" profile and have the screen calibration change instantly.

I then went into System Preferences / Displays / Color and say "Perfect" highlighted in the list.

BUT HERE IS THE PECULIAR PART>>>
I selected another profile in the list, and then "Perfect" simply disappeared from the list. Very strange.

I even did an erase and clean install of Tiger, and the same peculiar behavior still occurs.

I've tried downloading other profiles online and the same problem occurs.
Strangely, the other profile in the forum (iMac-i1) appears in the list perfectly after placing it in the proper Profiles folder.

I've searched continually online, but cannot find a solution or reason behind this. I'd appreciate any ideas or feedback from you.

Thanks,
John

Hmmm that is strange, maybe try renaming the file to iMac-2 or Calibrated or something. See if that helps. Also check/uncheck show profiles for this display only and see what happens

[Alloye]

I did indeed place the file in the correct location you specified, yet it does not appear in the display preferences list with the other profiles.

I did have some success opening up the ColorSync Utility, clicking on "Devices: iMac" then clicking on the little arrow next to "Other..." I was able to manually select the "perfect" profile and have the screen calibration change instantly.

I then went into System Preferences / Displays / Color and say "Perfect" highlighted in the list.

BUT HERE IS THE PECULIAR PART>>>
I selected another profile in the list, and then "Perfect" simply disappeared from the list. Very strange.

I even did an erase and clean install of Tiger, and the same peculiar behavior still occurs.

I've tried downloading other profiles online and the same problem occurs.
Strangely, the other profile in the forum (iMac-i1) appears in the list perfectly after placing it in the proper Profiles folder.

I've searched continually online, but cannot find a solution or reason behind this. I'd appreciate any ideas or feedback from you.

Thanks,
John

Have a look in /Library/ColorSync/Profiles/Displays. You should have a file named iMac-4271A80.icc in there. If you the number after iMac- is different, then we may have a situation where Apple is sourcing the 20" display from multiple vendors. This is known as a panel lottery, which is somewhat common in the industry.

Anyway, the Perfect-4271A80 and iMac-Native-4271A80 profiles posted in this thread have display data embedded in them that tie them to a particular panel. The iMac-i1 profile does not. That may explain the behavior you're seeing.

[johng123]

Thanks for the reply. I changed the file name with no avail. Just changing the file name probably has no effect on the file properties.

It possible for me to edit the profiles to "un-embed" a panel. I viewed them all in ColorSync Utility and they all appear nearly identical in their properties. However, I noticed the "iMac-i1" profile is version 2.4 while the others are 2.0.

Is it possible for others on this forum to re-save their profiles in a different way so I can test them.

I appreciate the help in getting to the bottom of it.

[Alloye]

I appreciate the help in getting to the bottom of it.

Is your default profile named something other than iMac-4271A80.icc?

[johng123]

Here is the name of my default profile:
iMac-4271AC0.icc

[Alloye]

Here is the name of my default profile:
iMac-4271AC0.icc

That explains why the profiles here don't work for you. Even if they did, they probably wouldn't produce satisfactory results.

One more thing, if you open the iMac profile with ColorSync Utility, what model display do you have? You can find out by scrolling down and highlighting line 13 ('mmod').

[johng123]

My display model is: 00009C6B
Manufacturer: 00000610

[daneoni]

My display model is: 00009C6B
Manufacturer: 00000610

Ah so thats why its not working. Mine is a 9C6A.

[Alloye]

My display model is: 00009C6B

Ah so thats why its not working. Mine is a 9C6A.

Yep. Two different panels.

[Fastshutter]

Unfortunately, these are probably due to slight variances between our respective panels. Here are some other suggestions to try:

1. At a bare minimum, calibrate in non-expert mode and choose 2.2 Television Gamma. This method won't alter the default colors but it will reduce the brightness of mid-tones a bit.

2. Calibrate in expert mode and really take your time to align all the sliders. It's fairly tedious, but I've achieved good results this way.

3. Give SuperCal (http://www.bergdesign.com/supercal/) a try.

THANK YOU so much for the link to SuperCal. I've never heard of it before and I wasn't satisfied by the other posted profiles. SuperCal did the job!

I'm 200% happier with my display now. Thanks to you!

[bc008]

The OP inspired me to do my own calibration and the results are attached if anyone wants to try it.

this one was perfect for my display.
thanks

[Alloye]

THANK YOU so much for the link to SuperCal.

You're welcome. It really is too bad Apple ships the 20" with such a bad profile. :(

[Fastshutter]

You're welcome. It really is too bad Apple ships the 20" with such a bad profile. :(

I agree. This is my 5th mac, and the first one that I had to jump through hoops to configure the way I wanted it. Thanks again!

[TitouDoc]

Can someone post an calibration file for 24" ?
It's also a lot too shiny, stupid gamma correction on this models...

[johng123]

Can someone post their SuperCal calibrations.
Here is mine. After making several of them, this is the best one of the bunch. It looks great on my 20" monitor, but it may not work for others. Might as well give it a try.

John

[stuff99]

bump for a great thread for all those that need their new imacs to be calibrated

[pigoz]

bumping too, guys use SuperCal that is GREAT!! So much better than Adobe RGB :)

[stuff99]

I wonder if this screen problem that people are having indicated here: http://tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/2007/09/11/apple-avoids-the-issue-many-20-imac-screens-deemed-defective/

is just a matter of calibrating the monitor? The colours looked gross on the lcd screen out of the box for myself before i installed the calibration file

[sarah3585]

Anyone got a good profile for the 00009C6B display? (Is one any better than the other?)

[Cloudane]

Loving SuperCal. I didn't realise how bad my new iMac 20" screen was until I started reading on here, but this has cured it. (Yes there's still a *slight* wash-out towards the bottom of the screen in iTunes, a characteristic of the particular LCD type, but nowhere near as bad as it was). I'm actually liking Leopard's new colours a lot more now that they're represented correctly instead of the glaring white-on-white-on-white I had before.

Funny, the Leopard default backdrop isn't as detailed towards the bottom once the correct calibration is applied. Dark purples turn to black, and the smaller stars disappear. It's difficult to know what's "correct" but everything else looks so much better... my photos, the interface, and even the new Leopard icons. Dock icons don't look washed out any more. Heck even the so called "fuzzy blob" for active apps in the new dock is actually acceptable now.

It doesn't look as extremely bright and radiant as it came (turned the brightness control down 5 notches too), and perhaps this explains Apple's reasoning - when you first see one and see the blinding screen you just think "wow" and it bowls you over (and hopefully tempts you to buy one). That's the effect Apple always go for these days. Once you're starting to get settled though, the desire is for accuracy, and SuperCal delivers it.

I'd probably switch to the 2.2 gamma built-in "easy mode" calibration for when more detail is needed in dark areas, but overall the profile I created in SuperCal (with the "typical PC" gamma of around 2.5) is a great all-rounder. Another side effect was a drastic "thinning out" of fonts towards the bottom of the page when reading forums such as this one, which is now gone. Yay.

I realise this isn't a "cure" for what is basically a lower spec LCD than others. But the lower spec is not such a glaring issue as it was before, because it's no longer being magnified tenfold by very poor factory-preset calibration settings. Perhaps this will be looked at when they start pre-loading Leopard onto the new iMacs.

I'd post my profile, but I strongly recommend downloading the SuperCal app and doing it for yourself because everyone has a different screen, eyes, preferences, brightness setting, viewing angle, ambient lighting... (the list goes on).

Edit: Greys do seem the most heavily affected. The active window titlebar for example is quite dark (like brushed metal) at the top of the screen, and lighter (like old Unified) at the bottom. For me personally, this isn't enough of an issue to make a fuss over... if I wanted perfection I'd research it and buy it (TBH it probably wouldn't be Apple)

[dL.]

Where do you guys check for display model #s?

Thanks a bunch! I just found this thread and I finally know why I have trouble reading text with this iMac. I thought it was my eyes but once I calibrated using 2.2 gamma, it seems perfect to me. However, I'll give SuperCal a try.

dL

[Cloudane]

FWIW I ran with a gamma of 2.2 for a few days and the Mac UI just seemed too dark and dismal so I changed it back to 1.8 (but calibrated). Calibrated 1.8 is waaaay better than the factory 1.8 which looked all washed out and yellowy and yuk.

[doug in albq]

Just to put in my 2¢.

I am currently using the "perfect" calibration setting given above. So far, after all these months of experimenting I like that one the best (including ones I tried to create myself).

I also am running a gamma of around 2. Not 1.8 and not 2.2, but somewhere in the middle.

I also just discovered an app called DarkAdapted X, which gives one much better control of ones iMac brightness levels. I also noticed with this program darkadapted, that when bringing down the brightness level on my iMac (when using it at night) the levels look qualitatively different and better than when controlling brightness with the F1/F2 keys. I implore anyone out there to experiment with this free program and post their comments. I am surprised I have never heard of this program until about a week ago.

[etbull]

daneoni, did you ever find a suitable calibration? I just got my 20" imac and it has the same 9C6A monitor

[RumMunkey]

Thanks for this thread and all the profiles. My display looks FANTASTIC now!

[rudini]

Attached is a ColorSync profile for the new 20" iMac. It was created with an i1 Display 2 hardware calibrator. The target was medium white (6500K) at gamma 2.2. It should be suitable for most purposes.

To use, unzip the attachment and place the resulting .icc file in /Library/ColorSync/Profiles. You should then have an "iMac-i1" entry on the Color tab of your Display preferences.

NOTE: Because all displays are slightly different, this profile may not be completely accurate on your system. It should get rid of the washed-out look of the factory profile, but you might notice a slight color cast if your display is much different from mine.

I put the un-zip ICC file in the folder stated above, but when i go to the color tab of the display preferences i don't see "iMac-i1" :(.

I have a new 20" iMac with leopard...

anyone?

pax,
rudy

[Cloudane]

Mine went into the library in my home directory, rather than the one in the HDD root. Maybe it's that.

[rudini]

:( I have it both my home directory and in the HD's home directory (a custom one i made appears here) but the one i downloaded does not appear in the "System Preferences" -> "Displays" menu :(

Man, i'm the only guy this has happen too?!

[daneoni]

daneoni, did you ever find a suitable calibration? I just got my 20" imac and it has the same 9C6A monitor

No unfortunately. I tried several other calibrations but found the "Perfect" one to be the best of all of them. Hence i've settled with that one

[daneoni]

I just did an alternate version to the Perfect.icc one i created a while back. This one has less gamma and is easier on the eyes...well my eyes...some might find it a little too dark. Basically YMMV.

Enjoy

PS. My screen is a 9C6A, therefore the profile may not be compatible with some other displays such as the 9C6Bs

[kabunaru]

Does anybody have a colour profile for the 9C6B panel?
Thanks.

[guklein]

Hello,

The calibration of 20'' iMac increase the life expectancy of a LCD display? Or te purpose is just improve the colours?

Thank you.

[Passive101]

What LCD do I have? it lists my video card and then for Device ID it read 0x94c8

I have tried calibrating with the advanced mac options and Supercal.

My colors always look messed up still. They are just not set right.

[guklein]

Doesn´t matter the kind of calibration of the display, the chances to get dead/stuck pixels in the iMac's display are the same, right?

That's it?

[Passive101]

Calibration has nothing to do with the life of an LCD display.

Different revisions and different companies use slightly different systems and some have different internal tolerances which are used. So colors can be slightly different.

[guklein]

Anyone has a profile (calibration) for a 20'' iMac 2008?

Thank you.

[kabunaru]

Anyone has a profile (calibration) for a 20'' iMac 2008?

Thank you.
Yeah, I have been wanting a new one too.

[ptsube]

I just did this calibration tonight and thought I would share.