Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

[TIP] Glossy Vs. Matte Screens Review

SchneiderMan

SchneiderMan

macrumors G3
Original poster
May 25, 2008
8,332
202
So me and alot of other people here, new or old want to know whats better.

so i went and did some research on both glossy and matte screens with pics,
I personally think the glossy is the way to go, i have a glossy screen too:

173245389_34001f7bd0.jpg

Left is a Matte Screen, Right is a Glossy Screen; OUTDOORS


1055321714_39e0d488d5_o.jpg

Left is a Glossy Screen, Right is a Matte Screen; OUTDOORS

displays7bm8.jpg

Left is a Matte Screen, Right is a Glossy Screen; INDOORS

So the glossy screen shows more contrast and color, i have had a matte screen laptop before and i really hated it, matte is matte, it will not show you bright colors and it too has glare to it.

EDIT:

"Dazzling display
The glossy widescreen display on every iMac delivers incredibly rich, vivid color"
imac screens are really pretty, and glossy lol
 
are they your pics? whats the brightness on the screens in the first and second pics?

for me and my glossy MBP the screen isnt readable in sunlight unless at full brightness. what about full brightness matte?

EDIT: also the glare on the matte screen in the last pic is from the flash being right in front of the screen, you wont get that indoors in normal lighting conditions.
 
richthomas said:
are they your pics? whats the brightness on the screens in the first and second pics?

for me and my glossy MBP the screen isnt readable in sunlight unless at full brightness. what about full brightness matte?
Click to expand...

they are all on 100%
 
Do you want advice or are you advising us?
Frankly, glossy is pretty but I find the on-screen results for things like photographs to be misleading and that only leads to prints that aren't quite satisfying to me. I have had a glossy screen desktop replacement (laptop that weighs 100 lbs) and it was horrid for my photo editing/printing.
 
glare8ng.jpg


I'm not arguing with you - just pointing out that every image can point in one direction or the other. (my ibook matte screen is terrible in direct light, fwiw)

I've heard that inverting your screen is the best for sunlight, whether glossy or matte. = command - option - shift - 8

or there is an app that switches the colors to monochrome - and the high contrast is easier to see in bright light - I've forgotten the name for now...i think you can even set it to turn on using the ambient light sensor (i.e. when it is really really bright, it switches)....
 
i have been advised to go with the matte screen over and over, supposedly it is a lot easier on your eyes and the glossy is misleading, yes it might be good for movies which is a lot of what i will be doing but, i am have had a matte screen my whole life and it gives good color and picture so i think i will go with the advise that people tell me and get the matte, i am going to order it tomorrow
 
So, those were your pics then? If they are not I would wonder if they had been manipulated. Kinda like that video that came out comparing the first intel imacs with g5 boot time.

I've been trying to decide this as well. Seems like the reflections would be distracting. BUt the punched up color is nice. BUT then you got color correction issues.

Would calibration help with trying to get accurate prints? Anyone have experience with this on a glossy?

not that this really matters but invert monitor is control option command 8.
 
no those are "research" pics
and i dont think that the colors on the glossy will damage you prints or anything like that.. i will not be WAY off
 
Are both of these screens almost the exact same age? Most screens grow dimer as they get older.

Regardless, for objects with different reflective qualities, you're never gonna get a photo that at all accurately captures their different qualities. While these photos are interesting for discussion, people should not use these pictures to help them determine which screen type to get.
 
skinaked2 said:
i have been advised to go with the matte screen over and over, supposedly it is a lot easier on your eyes and the glossy is misleading, yes it might be good for movies which is a lot of what i will be doing but, i am have had a matte screen my whole life and it gives good color and picture so i think i will go with the advise that people tell me and get the matte, i am going to order it tomorrow
Click to expand...

+1
Glossy will definitely strain your eyes way more than matte ever could. I`d prefer matte over glossy any day given that I`ve had enough experience with both. But I`d also like point out the glossy screen on my MacBook is way way better than any other glossy display I`ve seen. SO it`s not all bad. But still matte is better IMHO.

SchneiderMan said:
I dont think that the colors on the glossy will damage you prints or anything like that.. i will not be WAY off
Click to expand...

Colors on glossy display are very inaccurate(compared to matte). So you`d definitely get printouts which look very different than what you see on the screen.
 
ImNoSuperMan said:
+1
Glossy will definitely strain your eyes way more than matte ever could. I`d prefer matte over glossy any day given that I`ve had enough experience with both. But I`d also like point out the glossy screen on my MacBook is way way better than any other glossy display I`ve seen. SO it`s not all bad. But still matte is better IMHO.
Click to expand...

That's the point that everyone seems to miss in these glossy vs. matte discussion threads. It all comes down to personal preference. People just need to accept that even though it's a piece of technology, there is no better or worse product, just one that you personally prefer.

Personally I strongly dislike glossy. I've got an iPod, and even though the screen is tiny, I still can't ignore the glossiness unless I'm in a completely pitch black room. I dislike the gloss on the iPod's screen so much that I've been looking for a good matte screen cover I can put over it.

Just use what you prefer, getting other people's opinion to help you make a decision will do you almost no good.
 
SchneiderMan said:
is that a glossy on the left? or both are?
Click to expand...

glossy on the left (MB) matte on the right (MBP)

not my picture - but was one of the ones that popped up when the glossy v. matted rolled through last time.

i'll be getting a MBP to supplement my little ibook g4 that could, and I'm settled on matte, so i hope they keep that option active...
 
Your photos are very misleading. You need to use identical screens, just with different coating (glossy and matte). The most accurate comparison would be the 15" MBP with the same configuration except for screen coating.

Just for kicks, here's a pic I've just made of a glossy MB vs a matte LED 15" MBP with both facing the window.
Sorry.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_3810 - Version 2.jpg
    IMG_3810 - Version 2.jpg
    84.8 KB · Views: 634
If my matte screen on my led 15" MBP looked like any of these pictures - I'd be taking it back. Fact is you need a professional photographer to capture the differences in a controlled environment.
 
any people here having some eye strain with matte screens?

all the iMacs have glossy screens right? they look awesome, but for people with sensitive eyes will have trouble
 
Well, i do Graphic Design work, and im still going for the Glossy.

The Matte just cannot compare for me, The Glossy looks better, is easier to read in Direct Sunlight, can be angled to get rid of Glare (The Matte just disperses the light, making the whole thing unusable) and i prefer the look.
 
I feel it does come down to personal preference which is the kicker because there is NO OPTION for matte on the MB/iMac we have to buy glossy.

I wonder why the ACDs aren't glossy ...

;)
 
ben.mcmahan said:
or there is an app that switches the colors to monochrome - and the high contrast is easier to see in bright light - I've forgotten the name for now...i think you can even set it to turn on using the ambient light sensor (i.e. when it is really really bright, it switches)....[/QUOTE]

You're looking for [URL="http://code.google.com/p/blacktree-nocturne/"]Nocturne[/URL]. :)
Click to expand...
 
mckyvlle said:
You're looking for Nocturne. :)
Click to expand...

yes - exactly. I even had it installed for awhile...but couldnt remember the name. It does a better job than the straight screen inverse (which works really well, btw)

i wrote much of my comps exam outside (in the shade), but the inverse helped on the bright days, of which there are many in tucson
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back