What should the contrast be on my monitor

For the best image quality, you want darker blacks and brighter whites aka a higher contrast ratio. Same for contrast, but with light colors. Again, see the lagom test patterns. If in doubt, stick with a preset that looks roughly correct. Totally understandable now that it makes perfect sense. I will definitely keep in mind what you told me. LCDs use liquid crystals to control the flow of light.

Similar to how the shutter on a camera allows light into the sensor, the LCD allows light from the backlight to shine through to the colored filters. The problem is, no LCD technology is perfect, and some light always bleeds through. When measuring the contrast ratio, we want to measure the amount of light that gets through when a pixel is in the "off" state.

Once we've measured the black and the white luminance, we're able to calculate the contrast ratio. To get this number, we divide the white luminance by the black luminance. Because it's a ratio, there is no unit for contrast. For example, a : 1 contrast ratio would mean that the television emits white that's five thousand times brighter than its black.

The higher the contrast ratio, the deeper the blacks and the better the picture will look. Although we take these measurements with the backlight set to nits, there's usually very little change in the contrast ratio of a display as you adjust the backlight. The more light the backlight emits, the more light passes through the pixels, causing the black levels to increase roughly linearly with the white levels. The 'Native Contrast' ratio of a display represents the most basic contrast performance of the display, with all image processing and contrast-enhancing features turned off.

To measure the native contrast ratio, we use a black and white checkerboard pattern to determine the black and white luminance, as described above.

For the black luminance, we measure the luminance of each of the four black squares surrounding the white center square. This is to reduce the impact of black uniformity on our contrast measurement. The final black luminance number used in our calculation is the average of these four squares.

Once we have both these values, the contrast ratio is simply the white luminance divided by the black luminance. We don't list the actual black level that we measured during testing, but because we measure contrast after calibration, it's easy to work backward. For example, a monitor with a contrast ratio of has an approximate black level of 0.

The 'Contrast with Local Dimming' test is nearly identical to the 'Native Contrast' test, but this time, we measure the contrast ratio with the monitor's local dimming feature enabled.

On monitors with multiple local dimming settings, we use the setting we recommend based on the results of our ' Local Dimming ' test. In most cases, this is the highest setting available. Local dimming on monitors is expected to become more and more common, especially as HDR displays grow in popularity.

Since we only measure the SDR contrast ratio, it isn't possible to measure the contrast ratio with local dimming on some monitors, as local dimming is only available in HDR. This is pretty rare, though. As a first step, try using the calibration settings we recommend provided we have reviewed your monitor.

This will get good, basic contrast - meaning no additional contrast-enhancing settings - and with no loss of detail in dark portions of the image. You can find this information in the 'Post Calibration' section of the review. One frequently asked question is which is more important, a panel's native contrast or contrast with local dimming?

It's a good question. The answer is a bit complicated, but basically, it depends. Unlike TVs, most monitors don't have a local dimming feature. There is no one right answer we can give you. Where are you getting stuck while attempting to adjust it? Just experiment until it's comfortable. And install f. Show 5 more comments. Active Oldest Votes. Improve this answer.

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I didn't like software solutions 'cos if I recall from ones I tried when you close the software, or restart and the software hasn't yet loaded, then the brightness BOOMS bright Also, with software.. But could you tell, I have brightness set on 90 and contrast 80, down to what level you would decrease, what should be higher and what lower so that I can after adjust to my preferences , if I buy and low-wattage desk lamp? I have heard stories, that low brightness or contrast, also straining eyes..

Johannes well, contrast can mean contrast in foreground and background colors, like whether it's white text on black background or black text on white background. I think that's what I had in mind when I said it's the brightness rather than the contrast.

As for the monitor settings for brightness and contrast.. My laptop only has a brightness option.. There are two things that contribute the most to your computer eye fatigue: not enough contrast and excessive brightness.

With the VMK you can test your vision, contrast sensitivity, visual acuity, and color deficiency. You can also use the results to order new glasses online. Richard saved time and money with the PVT.

Learn More To reduce eyestrain, you want to increase the contrast. What you are attempting to do is make the text you are reading stand out from the background. This keeps your eyes from working too hard. Most people are comfortable with the contrast set around 60 to 70 percent. Once you have your contrast where you like it, you can move on to the brightness setting. The goal here is to get the light coming out of your monitor similar to the light in your workspace.

If you are still feeling strained, you could also play around with the color hue of your monitor. During the daytime, a cool setting is best, but at night, you want the hue to be warmer. Another option is to add a glare filter to your screen. These screens go over your monitor to cut down on the amount of glare hitting your eyes while you are working.

Buy Now. The Vision Monitoring Kit comes with everything you need to order new glasses. Test your visual acuity and refractive error, then measure your pupillary distance. Use the results to update your glasses. Thanks for signing up and welcome to the club!