Today I finally set up my second monitor for my computer.

A bit of a kerfuffle as I needed to get a DVI To SVGA/VGA adapter in order to plug it into my graphics card. Half hour wait at the computer shop got me the adapter and I was on my way home to set it up.

The second problem that I ran into was the fact that the new monitor calibration was completely out. :S I tried calibrating it visually – nearly but no dice! So I went to the trusty google search for answers. The following method that I found was extremely helpful and hope that you find it just as helpful

If you are able to distinguish all the different shades of black, then your monitor is properly calibrated. The shades should also be neutral and not tinged with other colours ie: magenta, green, blue, yellow, red or cyan.

Colour Bars

The first chart shows the graduations of neutral colour, as with the first  chart above, you should be able to distinguish the different shades without any colour casts to any of the different levels.

The next charts are similar to the above grey scale chart. They show the graduations of pure red, green and blue. You should be able to distinguish each graduation at the bright end. Although you should be able to distingush the different levels at the dark end, they may blend together.

This method that I have described above is fairly accurate if you don’t have a monitor calibration kit.

You can also do a search for monitor calibration images that you can set as your desktop and calibrate your monitor visually.

If you are serious in regards to calibrating your monitor for photoshop or creating print designs or photography, the best way is to use a monitor calibration device.