# Dell UP2516D Monitor Settings



## rebop (Apr 10, 2018)

Hi folks,

I very recently upgraded my monitor to a Dell UP2516D wide gamut monitor. A deal that could not be passed up at $249 new, but no room in the budget for a calibrator just yet. So, for now I want to use the best possible factory calibrated settings until I can afford the proper colorimeter. I am a bit lost in settings.

I "assume" that I should be using the aRGB color space on the monitor. I will be using the monitor for everything from Office to Browser to Photoshop and Lightroom. It seems to me that that is the premier color rendering setting on the monitor. Many other choices that I reject like movies, gaming, etc, but there is also Standard and sRGB. SO the first question is which colorspace?

Next, all of these, but perhaps especially aRGB seem VERY bright. Not realistic. The brightness and contrast are set to 75 each which seems too high, though I have read that is where the monitor is calibrated and changes should be done at the video driver, not monitor. Attempts to change them at the monitor bring up a warning that this will turn off Dynamic Contrast which I think would be a good thing as that is an articifial attempt at widening contrast it appears. 

How and where would you set Brightness and Contrast?

And last, what other settings on the monitor or computer would you be sure to check/change/set? It appears nothing in Lightroom or Photoshop.(I will continue to use ProPhoto in both Lightroom and Photoshop). Pwrhaps the proofing in Photoshop to the monitor ICM?

Appreciate any and all feedback.

Thanks.

~Bob


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## rebop (Apr 10, 2018)

OK, been reading and reading. It appears that IF I use the monitor ICM in Windows Color Management / Advanced, then use the Standard preset on the monitor. However this is software and generically managed and does not use the hardware calibrations either by the factory or if I had a calibrator.

To use the hardware calibrations, choose either the sRGB or aRGB profiles in Windows (not sure which yet) and then choose the same preset on the monitor. Still not sure where to adjust brightness and contrast just yet. But a little better understanding of the above relationships than I had a few hours ago.

In depth tutorials on this seem hard to come by.

~Bob


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## Johan Elzenga (Apr 10, 2018)

I don't know this particular monitor, but it seems obvious to me that you don't buy a wide gamut monitor and then set it to sRGB, unless there is a specific reason to do that.


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## rebop (Apr 10, 2018)

My intuition agrees with you Johan. However those like Ken Rockwell would argue that life is better with sRGB across the board. And of course, a monitor like this is 100% sRGB (as well as aRGB) which most are not, so even with sRGB there are benefits. I am still not decided.


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## Johan Elzenga (Apr 10, 2018)

Well, if Ken Rockwell says use sRGB, then I'm sure I should use AdobeRGB!


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## clee01l (Apr 10, 2018)

rebop said:


> However those like Ken Rockwell would argue that life is better with sRGB across the board.


I'm not sure that Ken has caught up with the latest advances in technology or of the post processing technology is as goo as LR/Photoshop ProPhotoRGB. . If you are going to share your video image, then the file shared between your monitor and many unknowns should be sRGB,  just to have a common playing field.  That does not mean that you should process with a monitor limited to sRGB. 
Each colorspace defines the color envelope containing colors that can be displayed by the device or generated by the app. sRGB is the smallest envelop and is contained entirely within AdobeRGB which is contained entirely within ProPhotoRGB.  ProPhotoRGB is a processing color space so that calculations will generate viable colors outside of any of the older colorspaces.   Your wide gamut display can show these colors approaching or sometimes exceeding the AdobeRGB envelop  whereas an older and  more generic monitor can not.   You can always dumb down your image colors AFTER post processing  But if you give your post processor (Lightroom with ProPhotoRGB) an image already limited to sRGB, you won't be able to use the original colors outside of sRGB in your post processing calculations.  Don't you want to see the colors that LR is capable of generating on a monitor capable of displaying those colors?


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## rebop (Apr 10, 2018)

Agree, Cletus. Lightroom ALWAYS uses Prophoto. Photoshop respects the embedded profile if you let it. And as I noted, Windows likely should not be using a software monitor profile. So the question then becomes using sRGB or aRGB color space on the monitor and Windows color management. A lot to digest but making progress.

I think I need to take an image I have processed and saved in sRGB for the web, then view on the monitor with sRGB and aRGB profiles set and see if there is color shift. If there is no change with aRGB, then agreed aRGB is the preferred for the monitor colorspace.


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## clee01l (Apr 11, 2018)

If I recall, Windows Color Management will let you create your own color profile.  This is similar to the color profile that you would create using a color calibrator.  Instead of the calibrator tool you use the "Mark I eyeball".  The result is perceptual rather that measured but unless you are color blind, it should be better than AdobeRGB or any color profile shipped with the Dell.


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## Johan Elzenga (Apr 11, 2018)

rebop said:


> I think I need to take an image I have processed and saved in sRGB for the web, then view on the monitor with sRGB and aRGB profiles set and see if there is color shift. If there is no change with aRGB, then agreed aRGB is the preferred for the monitor colorspace.


As long as you view it in a color managed application there should not be a shift.


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## rebop (Apr 11, 2018)

And indeed, there is not.

Biggest learn was NOT to use the monitor ICM profile, but aRGB in Windows. I do have what "feels" like a bit of a red push. Lowered Brightness to 50. Contrast seems to be good at 75 with Dynamic Contrast off. Will see how it is in a few days. But I can definitely edit on it.

Thanks all.


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## LouieSherwin (Apr 11, 2018)

For normal usage you will never want to assign a color space sRGB, Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB to a device. These are simply mathematical models that describes the color gamut (read the range of  colors). They have absolutely information about how a device displays color. The only reason that assigning the sRGB color space to a monitor works at all is that most manufactures have been making monitors that approximate the sRGB output so that even without color management system (CMS) most images will not look too bad. 

To get the maximum value from your wide gamut monitor you want to do the following. In the hardware setup for the monitor make sure that color space  it is set to something like native. This allow the  CMS to use all the possible color gamut the monitor has to offer. Do not set it to  sRGB or Adobe RGB that will simply limit what you can see.  You will also need to create a device specific profile for your new monitor using a colorimeter device and profile generation software  and tell the OS to use this profile.  

Here is some background that may be helpful:

Each and every input and output device has it's own unique color. The built in CMS  in the OS and applications like Lightroom is a way to make sure that the color that you see on your monitor looks the same as the color that you see on a print. For example without CMS if you have an image in Lightroom with  a pixel with the  RGB color, 200,20,66 and send it to two different monitors or to a monitor and a printer the color you see on each will look different. 

What the CMS does is to use device profiles created by measuring the actual colors produced by each device and and transforms the RGB values sent to each device so that the color shown on each  looks the same to the human eye. In the above example 200,20,66, monitor A may get 214,22,60; monitor B 222,25,75 and the printer 190,30,75. But when looking at each you will perceive the colors to be the same. 

There are also some complex calculations that will gracefully handle the situation where the color captured in the image cannot be directly represented by the output device.  These are known as out of gamut colors. Carefully constructed output profiles contain information that helps the CMS to adjust out of gamut colors so that the overall resulting image is pleasing to the eye. 

When the manufacturer states that their monitor displays 98% of Adobe RGB, they are saying that the gamut of display panel is about the same size as the gamut defined by Adobe RGB. This is not mean that it is the "same as". This is often misunderstood and will lead to endless frustration when you assign a color space such as sRGB or Adobe RGB to a display. 

I hope that this helps.

-louie


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## rebop (Apr 11, 2018)

Hi Louie,

Thanks. I did mention early on that I cannot afford the i1 colorimeter right now so custom profiling is out of the question. I am trying to get as close as I can with the factory calibrations. And this monitor is factory calibrated for better or worse.

So that being said, if the monitor is set for aRGB to get the widest factory calibrated gamut, what do you suggest setting the Windows 10 Device Color Management profile to?? Since I now know it is improper to use the monitor profile there are it will not work in sync with hardware calibration, I chose aRGB. It appears you might think differently.

Could you explain a little more. And even address the Windows 10 Advanced Color Mamangement settings for Device Profile and Viewing COnditions Profile?

Thanks!

~Bob


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## LouieSherwin (Apr 12, 2018)

Bob,

The short answer is no you should not assign a color space to your monitor regardless of what the manufacturer indicates. 



rebop said:


> Could you explain a little more. And even address the Windows 10 Advanced Color Mamangement settings for Device Profile and Viewing COnditions Profile?



Unfortunately I do not know anything about this. However, I think that this is what this is what Cletus is referring to.  


clee01l said:


> If I recall, Windows Color Management will let you create your own color profile.  This is similar to the color profile that you would create using a color calibrator.  Instead of the calibrator tool you use the "Mark I eyeball".  The result is perceptual rather that measured but unless you are color blind, it should be better than AdobeRGB or any color profile shipped with the Dell.



This should effectively set a usable monitor profile that is sufficient. 



rebop said:


> I did mention early on that I cannot afford the i1 colorimeter right now so custom profiling is out of the question. I am trying to get as close as I can with the factory calibrations. And this monitor is factory calibrated for better or worse.



I think that we are mired in marketing speak. What  Dell means by calibrated and what I am talking about are likely two entirely different things. What I am talking about is the process of measuring the color output of the monitor with a colorimeter and creating a device profile  to be assigned to the monitor in the monitor setup and used by the CMS.  If in fact the monitor is "calibrated" (my definition)  then they should have supplied a device profile for that calibration.  Without such a device profile their calibration is meaningless in the context of a CMS.  Your only other option is to use the calibrator tool as Cletus has described. If you persist in then assigning a working space (sRBB or Adobe RGB) to your monitor then all bets are off on the possibility of getting consistent color in your workflow. 

Take a look at the nice graph that Cletus provided.  The background is a representation of all the possible colors that can be seen by the human eye.  Notice how the three color spaces sRGB, Adobe RGB and ProPhoto RGB are nice precise triangles.  This is because they are essentially defined by 3 points the maximum color for  Red (255,0,0), Green (0,255,0) and Blue (0,0.255) plus some additional magic sauce. Notice how how the lower right tip for each is in a different location in the visible spectrum.  Think about what this implies, pure red (255,0,0) for each color space is a *different* color red in the visible spectrum.  This applies to every other possible RGB value. Each RGB value represents a different color when used in each color space. 

Now look at the blob shape that is label "2200 Matt paper". This is the device output profile for printing on an Epson 2200 and represents all the colors that can be reproduced on matt paper on the 2200. This closely resembles the device profile for your monitor except your monitor profile will be larger close the size Adobe RGB. But it will still be a lumpy shape where some places it may go beyond the boundaries of Adobe RGB and in other places will not reach them.  But in no  place will it exactly match. 

If you simply assign the Adobe RGB color space to your monitor the CMS system will successfully translate values in Lightroom which is using ProPhoto RGB to appropriate Adobe RGB values. These RGB values when sent to the sent to the monitor  will create color shifts because they are the wrong values needed to create the intended actual color on the monitor.  If you then try to make adjustments in Lightroom to make the image look better on the monitor you will make the subsequent output to the web or print even worse. 

So until you can afford to get a colorimeter it is best to use the built in software calibration that Cletus describes and leave it at that.  However, if you want to achieve an accurate color workflow even if it is just going to the web then you will have to invest.

Here is another device that is less expensive then the i1Pro Display. Spider4Pro

-louie


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## rebop (Apr 12, 2018)

I have to disagree. The "calibrated" is the same. The difference is it is done in hardware on this monitor, not software on the PC. And it comes FACTORY CALIBRATED with charts of the results for aRGB, sRGB, etc. I realize it will drift and WILL buy the proper and only colorimeter that will create a HARDWARE calibration for Dell UP series monitors.

I think you are likely correct in generalities, but not in this specific case.

Perhaps read more here?

How to Calibrate Dell Wide Gamut Monitors

Hardware LUT Calibration for Dell Wide-Gamut Monitors

Dell UltraSharp Color Calibration System (DUCCS) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) | Dell US

You can search further if you like Luie.

And perhaps I am misinterpreting what you are saying. But it appears you are adamanet about something that is not true for these monitors.

If you read the better explanations than mine in the links above and STILL disagree, then please explain why. I see no benefit in software calibration when hardware calibration has been performed and lives in firmware. Until it drifts and then updating firmware with the proper colorimeter seems better than a software solution.

~Bob


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## clee01l (Apr 12, 2018)

LouieSherwin said:


> I think that we are mired in marketing speak. What Dell means by calibrated and what I am talking about are likely two entirely different things. What I am talking about is the process of measuring the color output of the monitor with a colorimeter and creating a device profile to be assigned to the monitor in the monitor setup and used by the CMS.


I think each monitor that leaves the factory is calibrated with a colorimeter.   This factory calibration is "good enough" for generic uses but does not take into consideration ambient light and ambient light changes.  It is also less than adequate for rendering true photographic color in a post processing app


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## LouieSherwin (Apr 12, 2018)

clee01l said:


> I think each monitor that leaves the factory is calibrated with a colorimeter.   This factory calibration is "good enough" for generic uses but does not take into consideration ambient light and ambient light changes.  It is also less than adequate for rendering true photographic color in a post processing app



After scanning through the links that Bob provided this seems to be correct. There appear to be two ICC output device profiles provided with each monitor 

A part of the confusion I have is that Dell insisted upon labeling these profiles as sRGB and Adobe RGB which I think is quite misleading. These are  probably better described as  small gamut and wide gamut device output profiles that respectively have  a gamut of that is similar to sRGB  and Adobe RGB.  

Bob, somewhere Dell should have provided a .icc or .icm file with your monitor. You will want to use the wide gamut one, probably labeled Adobe RGB and install that one in the windows color settings.  As Cletus says that will be "good enough" until you can budget in purchasing an i1Pro Display. 

-louie


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## rebop (Apr 12, 2018)

Thanks.

I think the ICM is also incorrect. That brings the calibration to be generic rather than for this specific monitor and puts control back to PC software. Its a generic 6500  2516 ICM.  And with that one needs to use the STANDARD profile on the monitor, not the aRGB so it can be controlled by the PC . So I think I am closest and best at aRGB on both PC and monitor until I can buy the colorimeter.

And there are actually three with the Dell, but I have no idea what that color space is used for so I ignore it. Forgot what its called but something line DC-703 if memory serves at all.

Thanks.

~Bob


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## clee01l (Apr 12, 2018)

rebop said:


> Forgot what its called but something line DC-703 if memory serves at all.


DCI P3 is the color space used by Apple on all of their new retina displays. Digital Cinema Initiatives is an organisation formed by all the big Hollywood studios to establish standards for digital cinema systems.  Apple has adopted it in lieu of AdobeRGB or sRGB.  It is a wide gamut colorspace similar to Adobe RGB and has more coverage than sRGB
http://www.astramael.com/assets-2016-09-13/1/2d-argb-applep3.jpg


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## rebop (Apr 12, 2018)

Thanks Cletus. Informative.

I used to be fond of saying that standards are wonderful. There are so many to choose from 

~Bob


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