Colour profiles - imac to external monitor

[GilesM]

All, I have just bought an external monitor to make a dual screen set up with my imac.
So for the first time I am looking at the colour profiles.
Would I be right in thinking that if I select profile "sRGB" on the external and "sRGB IEC61966-2.1" on the iMac then when I have the two screens side by side, the colours will match?

I have using the Apple 'iMac' profile for two years and anything else just looks strange.

What is the 'true' colour or is it just a matter of opinion?
Which profile is nearest to real life?

 

[BlueRevolution]

I have using the Apple 'iMac' profile for two years and anything else just looks strange.

Use another profile for an hour and you won't notice it anymore.

Would I be right in thinking that if I select profile "sRGB" on the external and "sRGB IEC61966-2.1" on the iMac then when I have the two screens side by side, the colours will match?

No. You can use Apple's calibration tool, but even then they won't match perfectly. It's a bitch to calibrate one glossy and one matte display.

What is the 'true' colour or is it just a matter of opinion?

Opinion, mostly.

Which profile is nearest to real life?

That's something that you can only really tell with a hardware colour calibration tool. I've been thinking of investing in one myself, just haven't made the leap yet.

 

[GilesM]

BlueRevolution,

thanks for the replies. So it looks like I will try the sRGB profile and see how close I can get the two screens.

I have looked at the Huey product, it seems to do what I want but really, £65.00? A bit expensive.

Trial and error, and who knows once I might get a Huey one day.

I wish I could just borrow a Huey, use it and return it! I wonder if there is a lending service for this type of 'use once' tech?

 

[BlueRevolution]

I have looked at the Huey product, it seems to do what I want but really, £65.00? A bit expensive.

That's why I haven't either.

I wish I could just borrow a Huey, use it and return it! I wonder if there is a lending service for this type of 'use once' tech?

The thought of starting one had crossed my mind. $20 isn't much to pay for a calibrated monitor, and it only takes a few calibrations to make the tool a worthy investment.

Hmm, I wonder if a local tech store would let me buy one and then return it because I had "changed my mind"...

 

[GilesM]

well, that is the policy here in the UK, you can return something if you have 'changed your mind' but the retailer would probably refuse you if the item has been opened. That may or may not be within the letter of the law, I have no idea.

I think there would be a market for a postal lending service of some items.
It seems a shame to spend £65.00 and only need it once.

The manufacturers would argue that all monitors 'drift' over time and will need calibrating every few months. How true this is I could not say.