I've needed to upgrade my 2006 matte iMac and had really hoped the refresh would offer a matte option. Even though I knew I had trouble working on a glossy screen, I bought the 27" new iMac, and tried my hardest to make it work. Long story short, I ended up returning it. It's too bad, because I feel the iMac is the perfect computer for my needs: photo-artist (non pro but serious) running Aperture, CS5, Nik plugins...but no other really hard core uses to justify the Mac Pro. Anyway, I purchased a nice 24" IPS display and attached it to my old iMac and discovered I really like working with dual displays. However, I still need a new computer! (The RAM limitations on the 2006 machine just don't cut it for Aperture.) So I am thinking of buying a 21'' iMac and using it to power my 24'' display as well as hold my photoshop and aperture toolbars, etc. but otherwise mostly not use it for working, because of the glare. I'm wondering if anyone else does this - esp. people who don't love glossy - and how it is for them. Does the difference in screen coatings bother you? I might just have to buy and try to see what works for me. Any user experiences most welcome, though! Thanks. (BTW, I do have an early 2008 MBPro laptop which I know I can use, but again, I would like at least 8 gb RAM and it can't handle it either.)
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Does anyone use matte display + glossy iMac?
- Thread starter edwins
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I'm surprised you haven't given matte films for glossy screens a try before giving your 27" iMac away. According to the reviews, they are rather effective at suppressing reflections.
I use a 15" MacBook Pro with a high-res glossy display and an external 22" Eizo screen (which is obviously matte). I don't really mind the differences since even if the ProBook's screen were matte, the Eizo has much better characteristics (except for the dark blacks, of course). I use the internal screen in Aperture for the list of images while I view single images on the big screen. That works rather well for me.
I use a 15" MacBook Pro with a high-res glossy display and an external 22" Eizo screen (which is obviously matte). I don't really mind the differences since even if the ProBook's screen were matte, the Eizo has much better characteristics (except for the dark blacks, of course). I use the internal screen in Aperture for the list of images while I view single images on the big screen. That works rather well for me.
I considered the anti-glare films, but I read so many bad reviews and also about how hard they are to apply w/o getting any dust underneath, that I really didn't want to go that route. Also, their own site says "Due to the nature of glass displays, anti-glare films will impart a slight prismatic effect to object edges when viewed straight-on. " - which didn't bode well for determining proper sharpness/critical photo editing, etc. Thanks, anyway, though. 
I may end up trying it on the "secondary" monitor (ie glossy imac) if I go this route...I wouldn't be editing photos on that one anyway.
I may end up trying it on the "secondary" monitor (ie glossy imac) if I go this route...I wouldn't be editing photos on that one anyway.If all other things are identical, matte displays will always be less sharp than glassy/glossy displays. That's just the nature of matte displays. Essentially, the difference between glossy and matte are films such as the one offered by radtech. The difference is that you can optimize the type of films used to diffuse incident light just for that panel and that you can apply the film with much higher precision using machines. Since these films cost only $20, I'm still surprised that you haven't tried them, it doesn't sound like such a big risk.
BTW, this is my first glassy display. And I've bought one just to try and live with one. So far, I have mixed emotions about them: I love the fact that you don't have an edge around the frame which is notorious for collecting dust. Compared to the matte version two friends have, the gamut is a bit larger, the blacks are much deeper and the images seems a tad sharper. In most situations, I don't see any reflections. On the other hand, there are situations when I don't seem to get rid of them
In any case, the combo I have now works great.
BTW, this is my first glassy display. And I've bought one just to try and live with one. So far, I have mixed emotions about them: I love the fact that you don't have an edge around the frame which is notorious for collecting dust. Compared to the matte version two friends have, the gamut is a bit larger, the blacks are much deeper and the images seems a tad sharper. In most situations, I don't see any reflections. On the other hand, there are situations when I don't seem to get rid of them
In any case, the combo I have now works great.