I think it depends on the industry you work in, or what in specific you're working on. I'm a professional graphic designer currently working for a massive food manufacturer and wholesaler. We don't obsess over color accuracy this much even though 90% of what we design gets printed on a box, label, product, etc. We calibrate monitors maybe once a month at the most usually. Usually once the colors are chosen we don't need to worry about it that much unless we're checking proofs, especially if they're spot colors. (you can also use physical pantone swatches to check stuff like spot colors) Someone editing text on a label does not need to see the colors 100% accurate, at that point the colors have already been determined on a good screen that's calibrated. I use a 5K iMac at work and the out of the box color accuracy is actually almost passable for print, in fact I don't think anyone would notice if it weren't my job to care about it. So I think its a bit disingenious to say "its not enough for people who make money by trusting color accurate displays". The company I work for makes a ridiculous amount of money, requires color accuracy, and we very rarely have an issue with colors printing wrong. (over a year without incident and the last one was a new hires mistake that had nothing to do with color inaccuracy on a monitor)
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Apple Explains How to Custom Calibrate the New MacBook Pro Displays
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I have the spider x elite and can confirm it does not work on the MBP. You get error messages and then my screen turned blue! Emailed data colour and they confirmed the above. As a photographer i calibrate my screens every three weeks and for the first time in many years I can’t do this!
Factory calibration on all Macs and iPads is a little yellow. Apple‘s engineers have a different idea of what D65 is compared to everyone else. There’s looks like 5000-5500 kelvin.
You can tell if you set to dark UI or gray wallpaper. Warm tint.
Your ambient lighting must be completely perfect or lights off before you calibrate. Some people even experienced people forget this or don’t know.
Read through the comments and read the article, but I’m also very new to color calibration and am looking to by my first Mac in 10+ years…so…
With everything that was said and as it stands now will support for the new Macs eventually come to devices like Calibrite’s ColorChecker or Datacolor’s Spyder? Is it they need to change their software to add support or is it they need to change their hardware?
Again, please forgive my lack of knowledge. I’m trying to fix that.
With everything that was said and as it stands now will support for the new Macs eventually come to devices like Calibrite’s ColorChecker or Datacolor’s Spyder? Is it they need to change their software to add support or is it they need to change their hardware?
Again, please forgive my lack of knowledge. I’m trying to fix that.
This was a cool peak into a field I don't know much about personally. Feel bad for that new hire. Thanks for sharing!
That's not good...I have my new mbp coming Monday and was hoping to finally get into calibrating my monitor as I'm looking to get some images printed.
Just to be sure - is this an issue with the display on the mbp or will this affect external displays as well?
Again, sorry for the newb question ?
I agree with you in one sense, but in another sense this display disappoints. It uses PWM at all levels of brightness. While the PWM frequency is high, it still adversely affects many of us. This is not a display I can use.
Hi. Not had chance to check with the external display yet. This is what data colour told me. Sound like it may “Just” be the MBP screen where there is an issue.
Josh
“We are sorry, the new 2021 MacBook Pro with the new Liquid Retina XDR Display cannot be calibrated at all.
Apple has prevented the calibration of this new MacBook Pro. All calibration solutions you will find on the market are effect by this.
Apple released a statement on the Fine tune calibration of the MacBook Pro 2021 with the new Liquid Retina XDR Display yesterday evening. This fine tune can be done using certain spectroradiometer that start at around 12000 Euro”
Hello,
I don't know how you calibrated the xdr screen macbook pro, while the icc profile cannot be installed and visible in the display presets it only has the default profiles like apple p3 500nit / 1600 nit / photograph d65 etc ...
i added an icc profile in colorsync and nothing it does not appear.
in this video he mentions that this is not possible at the moment to install an icc profile
You can calibrate and create (and apply) color profiles on the new XDR MacBook Pros, but it requires a few steps. I have a workaround posted here. This should also work with profiles created with 3rd party calibrators (that allow you to create and save color profiles).
Merci pour le tuto, une question je vais calibrer ça avec displaycal ou avec le logiciel x-rite a partir de quel profil je calibre mon écran, apple p3 xdr 1600 nit ou apple p3 500nit etc...?
Hi All,
While this isn't the entire story, as it can get very complex, I would like to share a bit of knowledge regarding how Apple's Color Management functions today. Additionally, we were able to calibrate the MacBook Pro w/XDR Display and have included some data. (spoiler: the display calibrates extremely well). Please keep in mind that while we provide data for SDR @ Rec.709 and HDR @ P3, there are many color management targets and scenarios with their own idiosyncrasies that may require consideration.
The Mac is able to display multiple windows that may have different color spaces (targets); as such, it is important to 'manage' the system so that a window (or app) that may be in the sRGB color space will be accurately represented next to another window in a different color space such as Rec.709 or Adobe RGB. To do this, the display profile would inform the color management system as to how the connected display is optimized; at which point, the OS will transform the various color spaces for representation on the target display. In content production, this is similar to applying a LUT (Lookup Table).
sRGB (source) > Apple Color Management > P3-D65 display
In the above scenario Apple Color Management will take an application in sRGB and transform it into the P3-D65 color space. Where this becomes tricky is when a display is unable to fully represent the color space of the source. For example, currently available displays are not quite capable of hitting the Rec.2020, ST.2084 HDR standard-- the standard has a larger color volume and a higher max nit level at 10,000 nits. Apple's specification for the MacBook Pro XDR Display only achieves 1,600 nits. When this happens, some form of tone mapping occurs in an effort to accurately represent the entire image without blowing the highlights out. We can go down a very large rabbit hole with this.
In terms of the MacBook Pro XDR, we found the out-of-box measurements to be quite good on the sample tested; of course, there may be manufacturing tolerances where one may be further off, but overall the display wasn't terrible. Thankfully, Apple provides the 'Fine-Tune Calibration' in order to accommodate for out-of-the-box variables and drift over time.
Using the 'Patterns Test Generator' available on the Mac App Store (disclosure: we are involved in this app), and the Calman Ultimate Calibration Software (we are not involved in this app), we tested various color spaces and how Apple's Color Management handles them. The data attached was taken after both display warm-up and a Fine-Tune Calibration.
SDR
- MacBook Pro XDR set to the 'HDTV Video (BT.709-BT1886)' Preset.
- Patterns Test Generator set to tag patterns (content) as 'BT.709 @ BT.1886'
HDR
- MacBook Pro XDR set to the 'HDR Video (P3-ST 2084)' Preset.
- Patterns Test Generator set to tag patterns (content) as 'Tone Mapped HDR (P3 @ ST 2084)'
We have provided three charts for each SDR and HDR. They are:
Grayscale-EOTF
This chart measures the grayscale from 0% (black) to 100% white. Here we are looking for the RGB Color Balance to line-up on top of each other and for the response curve (EOTF) to track the yellow line. There are two quantifications of error included-- DeltaE 2000 and DeltaE ITP. DeltaE 2000 is most commonly used with SDR content and Delta ITP is most commonly associated with HDR content; however, a truly accurate monitor will have low numbers on both. 😉
Saturation Sweeps
This chart tracks color saturation at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. While many reviewers like to only measure 100% to see how far out the primaries can go, the reality is that very few colors are actually at 100% saturation. The sweeps provide a way to validate if the signal is being mapped into the proper color space.
Color Checker
While the grayscale and saturation sweeps provide quality data, they don't provide any data outside of the primary and secondary colors. To achieve a more well rounded image (pun intended) of how the system is performing a color checker chart provides an quick and efficient way to further test the system. Of course, we could even go further and measure larger datasets of the color volume, but for now these will suffice.
Summary
As the results illustrate, the Fine-Tune Calibration is an effective way to dial in the MacBook Pro XDR display. Please note that while we are evaluating color balance, color space, response curves, we are not evaluating local dimming, blooming (halos) and other things that contribute to what is called a 'reference display'. After all, color calibration is only part of the battle to quality images.
Best,
David Abrams
While this isn't the entire story, as it can get very complex, I would like to share a bit of knowledge regarding how Apple's Color Management functions today. Additionally, we were able to calibrate the MacBook Pro w/XDR Display and have included some data. (spoiler: the display calibrates extremely well). Please keep in mind that while we provide data for SDR @ Rec.709 and HDR @ P3, there are many color management targets and scenarios with their own idiosyncrasies that may require consideration.
The Mac is able to display multiple windows that may have different color spaces (targets); as such, it is important to 'manage' the system so that a window (or app) that may be in the sRGB color space will be accurately represented next to another window in a different color space such as Rec.709 or Adobe RGB. To do this, the display profile would inform the color management system as to how the connected display is optimized; at which point, the OS will transform the various color spaces for representation on the target display. In content production, this is similar to applying a LUT (Lookup Table).
sRGB (source) > Apple Color Management > P3-D65 display
In the above scenario Apple Color Management will take an application in sRGB and transform it into the P3-D65 color space. Where this becomes tricky is when a display is unable to fully represent the color space of the source. For example, currently available displays are not quite capable of hitting the Rec.2020, ST.2084 HDR standard-- the standard has a larger color volume and a higher max nit level at 10,000 nits. Apple's specification for the MacBook Pro XDR Display only achieves 1,600 nits. When this happens, some form of tone mapping occurs in an effort to accurately represent the entire image without blowing the highlights out. We can go down a very large rabbit hole with this.
In terms of the MacBook Pro XDR, we found the out-of-box measurements to be quite good on the sample tested; of course, there may be manufacturing tolerances where one may be further off, but overall the display wasn't terrible. Thankfully, Apple provides the 'Fine-Tune Calibration' in order to accommodate for out-of-the-box variables and drift over time.
Using the 'Patterns Test Generator' available on the Mac App Store (disclosure: we are involved in this app), and the Calman Ultimate Calibration Software (we are not involved in this app), we tested various color spaces and how Apple's Color Management handles them. The data attached was taken after both display warm-up and a Fine-Tune Calibration.
SDR
- MacBook Pro XDR set to the 'HDTV Video (BT.709-BT1886)' Preset.
- Patterns Test Generator set to tag patterns (content) as 'BT.709 @ BT.1886'
HDR
- MacBook Pro XDR set to the 'HDR Video (P3-ST 2084)' Preset.
- Patterns Test Generator set to tag patterns (content) as 'Tone Mapped HDR (P3 @ ST 2084)'
We have provided three charts for each SDR and HDR. They are:
Grayscale-EOTF
This chart measures the grayscale from 0% (black) to 100% white. Here we are looking for the RGB Color Balance to line-up on top of each other and for the response curve (EOTF) to track the yellow line. There are two quantifications of error included-- DeltaE 2000 and DeltaE ITP. DeltaE 2000 is most commonly used with SDR content and Delta ITP is most commonly associated with HDR content; however, a truly accurate monitor will have low numbers on both. 😉
Saturation Sweeps
This chart tracks color saturation at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. While many reviewers like to only measure 100% to see how far out the primaries can go, the reality is that very few colors are actually at 100% saturation. The sweeps provide a way to validate if the signal is being mapped into the proper color space.
Color Checker
While the grayscale and saturation sweeps provide quality data, they don't provide any data outside of the primary and secondary colors. To achieve a more well rounded image (pun intended) of how the system is performing a color checker chart provides an quick and efficient way to further test the system. Of course, we could even go further and measure larger datasets of the color volume, but for now these will suffice.
Summary
As the results illustrate, the Fine-Tune Calibration is an effective way to dial in the MacBook Pro XDR display. Please note that while we are evaluating color balance, color space, response curves, we are not evaluating local dimming, blooming (halos) and other things that contribute to what is called a 'reference display'. After all, color calibration is only part of the battle to quality images.
Best,
David Abrams
Attachments
Cool, so you did not profile the display with ICC profile? You did just use the fine tune options? I can't find how to apply a new ICC profile in a good way for the HDR/SDR profiles in macOS 12.1
Hi RStople,
Correct, we used an app that we developed called 'Patterns Test Generator', that application can create test patterns with all of the available Apple Color Management tags for us to test against. We put up a White Test Pattern, similar to Apple's QuickTime files, and measured with the Colorimetry Research CR-300 Spectral Radiometer. The CR-300 provided the xyY data for Fine-Tune Calibration-- you enter measured data, target data, and Apple takes care of the rest.
Once the correction was applied, we went through and validated it in Rec.709 @ BT.1886 and HDR P3-D65 ST.2084 to confirm the results were as expected. There was a bit of back/forth to ensure that the panel was warmed up for stability-- at first, we had a pretty good result but found it drifted as we tested; after about 30 minutes, the panel stabilized and we could calibrate/validate without issue.
The 'Patterns Test Generator' can create ICC Profiles for display's that don't use Fine-Tune, or when tying in an external display's calibration to macOS, but in this case it wouldn't apply to HDR as macOS is not only using the ICC Profile but other parameters outside of the ICC in order to optimize for HDR. The app is really a pattern generator though and is designed to be paired with Light Illusion's ColourSpace software or Portrait Display's Calman software. Using those applications, you are able to optimize a display via ICC and create/apply 1D LUTs for gamma/grayscale correction.
I hope that helps,
David
Correct, we used an app that we developed called 'Patterns Test Generator', that application can create test patterns with all of the available Apple Color Management tags for us to test against. We put up a White Test Pattern, similar to Apple's QuickTime files, and measured with the Colorimetry Research CR-300 Spectral Radiometer. The CR-300 provided the xyY data for Fine-Tune Calibration-- you enter measured data, target data, and Apple takes care of the rest.
Once the correction was applied, we went through and validated it in Rec.709 @ BT.1886 and HDR P3-D65 ST.2084 to confirm the results were as expected. There was a bit of back/forth to ensure that the panel was warmed up for stability-- at first, we had a pretty good result but found it drifted as we tested; after about 30 minutes, the panel stabilized and we could calibrate/validate without issue.
The 'Patterns Test Generator' can create ICC Profiles for display's that don't use Fine-Tune, or when tying in an external display's calibration to macOS, but in this case it wouldn't apply to HDR as macOS is not only using the ICC Profile but other parameters outside of the ICC in order to optimize for HDR. The app is really a pattern generator though and is designed to be paired with Light Illusion's ColourSpace software or Portrait Display's Calman software. Using those applications, you are able to optimize a display via ICC and create/apply 1D LUTs for gamma/grayscale correction.
I hope that helps,
David
Point of clarification, after more testing, I found out that one can assign display icc profile via ColorSync utility and it will stay persistence through start up and etc. An update video will follow soon.
A few question, side using the CR-300. Were you able to run Calman Natively on the Mac or was it run thought Virtual machine. Based on what I understand, CalMan Client 3 will run on Mac but that has not been updated in a while and definitely not for Apple Silicon. I just want to get a better idea of your process. Thank you so much for providing these additional info.Hi All,
While this isn't the entire story, as it can get very complex, I would like to share a bit of knowledge regarding how Apple's Color Management functions today. Additionally, we were able to calibrate the MacBook Pro w/XDR Display and have included some data. (spoiler: the display calibrates extremely well). Please keep in mind that while we provide data for SDR @ Rec.709 and HDR @ P3, there are many color management targets and scenarios with their own idiosyncrasies that may require consideration.
The Mac is able to display multiple windows that may have different color spaces (targets); as such, it is important to 'manage' the system so that a window (or app) that may be in the sRGB color space will be accurately represented next to another window in a different color space such as Rec.709 or Adobe RGB. To do this, the display profile would inform the color management system as to how the connected display is optimized; at which point, the OS will transform the various color spaces for representation on the target display. In content production, this is similar to applying a LUT (Lookup Table).
sRGB (source) > Apple Color Management > P3-D65 display
In the above scenario Apple Color Management will take an application in sRGB and transform it into the P3-D65 color space. Where this becomes tricky is when a display is unable to fully represent the color space of the source. For example, currently available displays are not quite capable of hitting the Rec.2020, ST.2084 HDR standard-- the standard has a larger color volume and a higher max nit level at 10,000 nits. Apple's specification for the MacBook Pro XDR Display only achieves 1,600 nits. When this happens, some form of tone mapping occurs in an effort to accurately represent the entire image without blowing the highlights out. We can go down a very large rabbit hole with this.
In terms of the MacBook Pro XDR, we found the out-of-box measurements to be quite good on the sample tested; of course, there may be manufacturing tolerances where one may be further off, but overall the display wasn't terrible. Thankfully, Apple provides the 'Fine-Tune Calibration' in order to accommodate for out-of-the-box variables and drift over time.
Using the 'Patterns Test Generator' available on the Mac App Store (disclosure: we are involved in this app), and the Calman Ultimate Calibration Software (we are not involved in this app), we tested various color spaces and how Apple's Color Management handles them. The data attached was taken after both display warm-up and a Fine-Tune Calibration.
SDR
- MacBook Pro XDR set to the 'HDTV Video (BT.709-BT1886)' Preset.
- Patterns Test Generator set to tag patterns (content) as 'BT.709 @ BT.1886'
HDR
- MacBook Pro XDR set to the 'HDR Video (P3-ST 2084)' Preset.
- Patterns Test Generator set to tag patterns (content) as 'Tone Mapped HDR (P3 @ ST 2084)'
We have provided three charts for each SDR and HDR. They are:
Grayscale-EOTF
This chart measures the grayscale from 0% (black) to 100% white. Here we are looking for the RGB Color Balance to line-up on top of each other and for the response curve (EOTF) to track the yellow line. There are two quantifications of error included-- DeltaE 2000 and DeltaE ITP. DeltaE 2000 is most commonly used with SDR content and Delta ITP is most commonly associated with HDR content; however, a truly accurate monitor will have low numbers on both. ?
Saturation Sweeps
This chart tracks color saturation at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. While many reviewers like to only measure 100% to see how far out the primaries can go, the reality is that very few colors are actually at 100% saturation. The sweeps provide a way to validate if the signal is being mapped into the proper color space.
Color Checker
While the grayscale and saturation sweeps provide quality data, they don't provide any data outside of the primary and secondary colors. To achieve a more well rounded image (pun intended) of how the system is performing a color checker chart provides an quick and efficient way to further test the system. Of course, we could even go further and measure larger datasets of the color volume, but for now these will suffice.
Summary
As the results illustrate, the Fine-Tune Calibration is an effective way to dial in the MacBook Pro XDR display. Please note that while we are evaluating color balance, color space, response curves, we are not evaluating local dimming, blooming (halos) and other things that contribute to what is called a 'reference display'. After all, color calibration is only part of the battle to quality images.
Best,
David Abrams
Hi paalb,
Yes, the meter is quite pricey but we're in the display calibration business, so tools of the trade. You could certainly use an i1Display Pro or a Spyder colorimeter. The difference is the accuracy and repeatability that may be achieved. There are many factors in light meters that contribute to overall accuracy, one of them being the ability to measure accurately in low light (near black), but with Fine-Tune Calibration you're measuring white, which is very bright, and thus doesn't need a meter with as much sensitivity as you may need to calibrate a display that requires near black measurements.
Best,
David
Yes, the meter is quite pricey but we're in the display calibration business, so tools of the trade. You could certainly use an i1Display Pro or a Spyder colorimeter. The difference is the accuracy and repeatability that may be achieved. There are many factors in light meters that contribute to overall accuracy, one of them being the ability to measure accurately in low light (near black), but with Fine-Tune Calibration you're measuring white, which is very bright, and thus doesn't need a meter with as much sensitivity as you may need to calibrate a display that requires near black measurements.
Best,
David
In Apples info pages they only mention Spectral Radiometers, so this is good news.
I guess we who use x-rite and do not have a lot of money to spend just have to wait for them to make an application?
Great question! Calman and ColourSpace are both Windows applications. We are running them on an Intel NUC and then simply Remote Desktop into the machine running the software. 'Patterns Test Generator' is a Mac native app, built in Metal and optimized for Apple Silicon. The system configuration was like this:
- Intel NUC running Windows w/Calman Ultimate
- MacBook Pro XDR 16" running Patterns Test Generator
- Colorimetry Research CR-300/100 Spectral Radiometer/Colorimeter Pair
Calman acts as the 'brain' in this situation and connects to the Patterns Test Generator over the network for IP. The meters connect to the NUC/Calman via USB. Calman sends a command to put up a pattern, take a reading with the meters, and plots the data-- it is a very quick and efficient way of collecting large datasets quickly for calibration, evaluation, and validation.
For the Fine-Tune Calibration though, you would need a minimum of 2 things.
1. A way to generate your desired test pattern-- Apple provides the QuickTime Files for this.
2. A way to measure the results of that test pattern-- some form of a light meter.
This will allow a white point and luminance calibration; at which point, we trust that the rest is acting as it should. The issue here is that there is no validation that your target is actually optimized to your desired target. For example, if you're using Davinci Resolve we have found that the color management utilizing Rec.709 @ 2.4 Gamma and there isn't a reference mode built-into the XDR to accommodate. In order to do so, you'll want to "Customize Presets" and create a Rec.709 2.4 Gamma mode without the gamma boost to be compliant with Resolve's use of Apple's API's.
We have a saying of "no calibration without documentation!", but really it is "no calibration without validation!" As a company that provided video system calibration services throughout the post-production community we see a lot of instances where prices of the puzzle are left out. For example, calibrating the grayscale and white point but not setting the proper video range (narrow Vs. full) for the content that is being played-- this is very common.
If you calibrate the XDR Display to BT.1886 and use an application, such as Final Cut Pro, that uses BT.1886 your results will be excellent, but if you calibrate the display to BT.1886 and use Resolve you'll have a gamma shift. It's important to validate the application and signal path on the Mac to get ensure accuracy.
Best,
David
One more thing I missed... Yes, Calman Client 3 is only a 32bit application and is not compatible with the latest OS. We developed the Patterns Test Generator to fill the void of a solution that accurately worked with macOS both in SDR and HDR. To date, we are unaware of any other application that is Apple Color Management compliant, built on Metal, Apple Silicon optimized, and HDR capable.
It does allow for the user to calibrate via the ICC method just like in Client 3, but with more versatility and Client 3 didn't allow for anything other than sRGB validation calibration/validation. I'm attaching the list of color spaces supported in Patterns. It's really a tool for the professional calibrator as it stands today. If you want to shoot white and enter the data for Fine-Tune Calibration I would recommend the QT files to start, but if you have Calman or LightSpace/ColourSpace and want to get a bit more involved Patterns is perfect. You can even build a 1D LUT in Calman and put it into the ICC Builder of the Patterns Application to build a custom ICC for the Mac. Great for Macs without Fine-Tune.
Best,
David
Attachments
I found a way to do with X-Rite device. Woraking on a video guide. Will share here when it is doneColorimetry Research CR-300
Price: $15,990.00
Great solution, I was putting the puzzle together and figured it was a work around of some type. So this makes a lots of sense!
Looking forward to seeing that. Hoping it does not require Windows as an intermediary.