Monitor for photo editing??

[jarppi]

 Hi - I'm buying a new monitor and will probably go 27". It will be in my home and I use it for office work and general browsing, etc. I do some photography/editing and that's reason why I'm looking at a higher spec monitor. I don't think that I will need a 4K monitor and am considering 2K instead (like Dell U2717D).

4K seems to be all the rage and I'm just wondering if I'm missing or not considering something that might be important. I've heard of 4K having some issues with scaling or being too small with text, and so forth. Much of my work will be text, spreadsheets, etc. so I'm concerned about that. I'm sure I'd be thinking differently if I were a designer or I spent most of my time working with photos, but that's a small part (and hobby).

Alternatively, you can refer to the monitor described in this article and tell me which one is the best. I am really confused. https://pc4u.org/best-monitor-for-photo-editing-and-photography/

Thanks for any input.

PS. I don't game (on PC) and I don't watch movies on my monitor.

[tom95521]

I have never used a 4K computer monitor (only use our 4K HDTV for xbox games and streaming video) but depending on what software you are using it would require a more powerful graphics card  compared to a standard 1920x1080 monitor.  I don't know the specs of your PC. I know the font size would need to be increased on a 4K monitor to make it readable. Smaller pixel size would seen to indicate a sharper display. The new monitors have higher contrast ratios and refresh rates and better display technology like IPS.

I don't think a 4K is worth the extra money for business applications. 1920x1080 computer monitors are inexpensive and I would  rather have 2 monitors than one 4K monitor.

Tom

[MUR]

Hi Tom

Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed it very much

MUR

[tom95521]

Using a HDTV as a computer monitor is an interesting subject for me. There are many settings that can be configured in newer model HDTVs to make them more compatible with computers. Even my inexpensive Vizio 4K model has selection for YCbCr or RGB color space, Game Latency, Film mode, and Picture Mode. There is also the setting on the graphics card to output RGB 0-255 (it may not be detectable by your HDTV).

Tom

 

[monicayelle]

I recently purchased Samsung C34H890WJN USB-C monitor for MacBook for especially photo editing work. It features 3440×1440 WQHD and 34-inch screen size.

[tom95521]

Hi,

Welcome to the forum.

That monitor looks great. Curved panel, 21:9 aspect ratio, usb-c connector. So many monitor options available now.

Thanks,
Tom

[JudyKay]

I have and use (or have used) about every combination and here is my conclusion.

Size:

A very large monitor is useful for storage space in the periphery, but in reality, unless you get way back, you can't take in such a huge amount of real estate all at once.   I suggest a large screen, but not huge--whatever that means for you personally. Use 2 monitors.   if you are a nerd, but you can use 3 monitors, but better is to switch screens  (Win+Ctrl+r/l arrow.  I forget on a Mac.).

Resolution:

Doesn't matter a lot so long as it is at least 1920X1080. Unless you wear microscopes on your nose, you can't detect anything more than that anyway unless you are dealing with huge screens. Yes, you may detect some slight difference in smoothness, if you compare side-by-side and up as close to your nose as you can still focus; but we don't look at images that way or if you do, you might want to discuss the matter with your therapist.  

Color Rendition: 

Yes, you can get a Datacolor Spyder5Pro for $150 but avoid monitors that take you to extremes.  Ever look at an OLED and not think "That's a little overkill?"  Just get a good monitor like some described above and you will be fine.  Here is the deal--the human eye and mind adapt a great deal to colors and brightness--far more than the narrow precision offered by specialized equipment.  The simple fact is that unless you are way off plumb,  human eyes adapt to fix things. Of course, you don't want to be sloppy. Be as reasonably accurate as possible, but perfection happens in the eye, not on the screen. How people feel about an image is far more important than pixel precision. 

Caveat--if you are doing specialized copyist/print work then disregard the above because your eye doesn't matter. What matters is that your screen matches printer output regardless of your eye. That is more of a math game and less of an eye game. 

Conclusion:

Don't be careless and do get advice (like you are doing) so you don't get a lemon--I got one once.   Don't stress about perfection on a screen because that happens in the heart, not in the pixel. 

Dell U2717D is wonderful for what you describe doing.