Glossy vs. Matte

[I'm a Mac]

I know zillions of people have asked do I want glossy or matte, but what makes one better than the other. So many people say they hate the new Aluminum iMac because it has a glossy screen, but why? In my opinion, my glossy iMac is more pleasing to look at and easier on the eyes than my matte iMac. Except, glossy sucks sometimes for a TV if it has a bad glare. So feel free to give your opinion on both screen types.

 

[admiraldennis]

Glossy - deeper blacks, higher contrast, "nicer looking" to some, glare, reflection, inaccurate colors, hyper-shows fingerprints and dirt

Matte - traditional, lighter blacks, more accurate, no glare, easier on the eyes, can be "grainy"

I vastly prefer matte. I can't stand glare / reflections on my computer screen: it hurts my eyes and gives me a headache. Plus it kind of looks like crap.

I suppose if you're the type of person like likes everything artificially turned up to 11, go with glossy.

 

[Adokimus]

I know zillions of people have asked do I want glossy or matte, but what makes one better than the other. So many people say they hate the new Aluminum iMac because it has a glossy screen, but why? In my opinion, my glossy iMac is more pleasing to look at and easier on the eyes than my matte iMac. Except, glossy sucks sometimes for a TV if it has a bad glare. So feel free to give your opinion on both screen types.

I'm really not trying to be a jerk, but here's some links to get you started...

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/371516/

If you don't want to read it, I'll break it down for you.

1) Matte screens have more accurate color reproduction, and is thus the choice of most graphics professionals. Glossy screens have greater contrast and more vivid, though less accurate, colors, and are thus the choice of many media viewers.

2) Then there is the relection issue regarding glossy. It really bothers some people to no end, while others who buy glossy screens don't even notice it. Some people even prefer glossy reflections to the haziness of a matte screen in the sun.

3) After consideration of (1) and (2), it all comes down to personal preference and if at all possible, you should go to a store and look at both side by side. Again, the breakdown of every thread on this issue is that: IT ALL COMES DOWN TO PERSONAL PREFERENCE.


Gah,

Ado

 

[I'm a Mac]

I suppose if you're the type of person like likes everything artificially turned up to 11, go with glossy.

What does that mean (literally)?

I understand that glossy with a glare can give you a headache, so location is important with a glossy screen, but another thing that can help your eyes in turning the brightness down. Also, you said glossy has faker colors. Can't you change that in Display settings?

 

[Adokimus]

What does that mean (literally)?

It means nothing literally. Figuratively it means that glossy will give you a higher contrast ratio and more vivid/striking colors than a matte screen, but those visual improvements/enhancements are artificial in that they are are not accurate to the true colors and contrast of the source images.

Think of it as "beer goggles" for your screen. Everything may look better to you, but it's not an accurate representation of what you're looking at.




... and printing your screen will be much like waking up the next morning.


-Ado

 

[I'm a Mac]

So what about the color profile options in Display preferences?