Stupid question - what is a 5k iMac?

[Crotonmark]

i just bought the new 5k iMac to replace the 2009 iMac
Here’s my dumb question
What makes it a 5k? Do I need to adjust the resolution to 5,000 to be in 5k mode?
At that setting the items on the screen are so tiny!
Is 5k a marketing tool and nothing else?
Don’t get me wrong - this machine is great
I just don’t know,if I’m using it to the max
Thanks

 

[SkiHound2]

i just bought the new 5k iMac to replace the 2009 iMac
Here’s my dumb question
What makes it a 5k? Do I need to adjust the resolution to 5,000 to be in 5k mode?
At that setting the items on the screen are so tiny!
Is 5k a marketing tool and nothing else?
Don’t get me wrong - this machine is great
I just don’t know,if I’m using it to the max
Thanks

Standard high definition was 1060p. 4k is essentially a doubling of the 1060p resolution in both dimensions (4 times the pixels). 5k is doubling a 2560 by 1440, which is a fairly common monitor resolution. I've not done the math but I think it works out to about 5 times the pixels of 1080p. The 5k monitors display text and icons at a size that is the same as on a 2560 by 1440 monitor, but the pixel density and image quality is higher. To a considerable extent, monitor resolutions are dictated by monitor size. Text displayed at 2560 by 1440 is pretty comfortable for most people on a 27" monitor. But think of trying to display the same amount of information on a 15" monitor; almost no one would be comfortable and many of us would struggle to read it, if we could read it at all. 1080p or 4K works pretty well on smaller monitors, like the 21" iMac, but at some point the text size becomes larger than needed on larger monitors. My understanding is that the doubling makes the processes of generating the display relatively efficient. A weak cpu might struggle to display non-native or non-doubled resolutions.

 

[Crotonmark]

Standard high definition was 1060p. 4k is essentially a doubling of the 1060p resolution in both dimensions (4 times the pixels). 5k is doubling a 2560 by 1440, which is a fairly common monitor resolution. I've not done the math but I think it works out to about 5 times the pixels of 1080p. The 5k monitors display text and icons at a size that is the same as on a 2560 by 1440 monitor, but the pixel density and image quality is higher. To a considerable extent, monitor resolutions are dictated by monitor size. Text displayed at 2560 by 1440 is pretty comfortable for most people on a 27" monitor. But think of trying to display the same amount of information on a 15" monitor; almost no one would be comfortable and many of us would struggle to read it, if we could read it at all. 1080p or 4K works pretty well on smaller monitors, like the 21" iMac, but at some point the text size becomes larger than needed on larger monitors. My understanding is that the doubling makes the processes of generating the display relatively efficient. A weak cpu might struggle to display non-native or non-doubled resolutions.

Thanks
So images look better at 2560*1440 on this Mac vs other monitors that don’t have apple’s setup?

 

[SkiHound2]

Thanks
So images look better at 2560*1440 on this Mac vs other monitors that don’t have apple’s setup?

I'd say yes. To some extent it may depend on what you're viewing and how the specific application exploits the technology. I bought a high end Dell 2560 x 1440 monitor in late 2012. Very good monitor. I'd say the monitor on my new iMac is better, but not dramatically better. The iMac monitor is sharp, bright, and has good color accuracy. It's a nice monitor.

 

[Crotonmark]

I'd say yes. To some extent it may depend on what you're viewing and how the specific application exploits the technology. I bought a high end Dell 2560 x 1440 monitor in late 2012. Very good monitor. I'd say the monitor on my new iMac is better, but not dramatically better. The iMac monitor is sharp, bright, and has good color accuracy. It's a nice monitor.

I do agree it is beautiful. I'm reworking some photos in Lightroom now to take advantage I still can't print to match the screen

 

[arncalars]

The optimal workflow would be to calibrate screen and printer.
But before you make that decision, try different printer ICC profiles in Lightroom print setup and see if you get close enough. And choose the appropriate paper settings

 

[Crotonmark]

The optimal workflow would be to calibrate screen and printer.
But before you make that decision, try different printer ICC profiles in Lightroom print setup and see if you get close enough. And choose the appropriate paper settings

Yes. Thanks
The problem I’m having is that the image on screen is sharper than the printed page. Also the brightness more on screen

 

[SkiHound2]

Yes. Thanks
The problem I’m having is that the image on screen is sharper than the printed page. Also the brightness more on screen

Folks generally sharpen more for printing than for the screen. And it depends on the paper used. E.g., glossy would generally require less sharpening than matte. So it is normal that a printed image would look shaper on the screen than when printed unless you adjust sharpening to match the print size and paper.

 

[mollyc]

Yes. Thanks
The problem I’m having is that the image on screen is sharper than the printed page. Also the brightness more on screen

If your prints are too dark, reduce your screen brightness till they match. Most people keep their monitors way too bright.

 

[Crotonmark]

If your prints are too dark, reduce your screen brightness till they match. Most people keep their monitors way too bright.

Thanks. Great idea

 

[Crotonmark]

Folks generally sharpen more for printing than for the screen. And it depends on the paper used. E.g., glossy would generally require less sharpening than matte. So it is normal that a printed image would look shaper on the screen than when printed unless you adjust sharpening to match the print size and paper.

and lightroom allows for sharpening in the print module don't they?

 

[SkiHound2]

and lightroom allows for sharpening in the print module don't they?

Yep, you can select sharpening settings after you've finished cropping, processing, etc. I think you can select a paper type, etc. Don't know how good the optimization is. I'd expect a lot of folks who do a lot of printing use a more precise (at least they think it's more precise) method of output sharpening. But display medium definitely effects how much output sharpening should be implied.

 

[Mark_EL]

I would strongly advise you to get an Xrite i1 display pro calibration device and calibrate your screen properly if you do photo or video work on your iMac...

 

[Sir Ruben]

While we are on the subject of 5K macs, I was amazed to find out that the primary default browser, Safari, cannot play YouTube videos in 4K. For that technical feat you have to use another 3rd party browser such as Chrome, or be content with 1080p. Impressive.