Apple Color 1.0 - Manual (Page 114)

114 Chapter 6 Monitoring
Monitoring at high bit depths is processor intensive, however, and can reduce your real-
time performance. For this reason, you also have the option of lowering the bit depth
while you work and then raising it when you’re ready to render the project’s final output.
For more information about the monitoring options available in the User Prefs tab, see
“
Playback, Processing, and Output Settings ” on page 106.
Choose Your Monitor Carefully
It’s important to choose a monitor that’s appropriate to the critical evaluation of the
type of image you’ll be grading. At the high end of the display spectrum, you can
choose from CRT-based displays, a new generation of flat-panel LCD-based displays,
and high-end video projectors utilizing a variety of technologies.
You should choose carefully based on your budget and needs, but important
characteristics for critical color evaluation include:
 Compatibility with the video formats you’ll be monitoring
 Compatibility with the video signal you’ll be monitoring, such as Y’P
B
P
R
, SDI, HD-SDI,
or HDMI
 Suitable black levels (in other words, solid black doesn’t look like gray)
 A wide contrast range
 Appropriate brightness
 User-selectable color temperature
 Adherence to the Rec. 601 (SD) or 709 (HD) color space standards as appropriate
 Proper gamma (also defined by Rec. 709)
 Controls suitable for professional calibration and adjustment
Note: For all of these reasons, consumer televisions and displays are not typically
appropriate for professional work, although they can be valuable for previewing how
your program might look in an average living room.
Set Up Your Viewing Environment Carefully
The environment in which you view your monitor also has a significant impact on your
ability to properly evaluate the image.
 There should be no direct light spilling on the front of your monitor.
 Ambient room lighting should be subdued and indirect, and there should be no
direct light sources within your field of view.
 Ambient room lighting should match the color temperature of your monitor (6500K
in North and South America and Europe, and 9300K in Asia).
 There should be indirect lighting behind the viewing monitor that’s from 10–25% of
the brightness of the monitor displaying pure white.