{"id":102173,"date":"2018-05-22T06:00:18","date_gmt":"2018-05-22T11:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/?p=102173"},"modified":"2018-05-21T11:19:42","modified_gmt":"2018-05-21T16:19:42","slug":"calibrating-video-monitors-on-set","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/calibrating-video-monitors-on-set\/","title":{"rendered":"Production Tip: How to Calibrate Your Monitors on Set"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the fast-paced world of digital filmmaking, it can be easy to underestimate the value of a properly calibrated monitor on set.<\/h2>\n

Cover image via Cienpies Design<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Whether we like to admit it or not, relying on your monitor more than your scope at one point or another during a shoot is more likely than we might care to admit. Although it’s essential to\u00a0use your scopes and other tools to expose properly, there is still\u00a0a lot of value and peace of mind\u00a0that comes with having a monitor that displays true.<\/p>\n

Calibrating your monitor\u00a0can save you time in post-production \u2014 and on set with your director\u00a0and\u00a0clients. Nothing is worse than major inconsistencies in color or image between a variety of monitors \u2014 and wasting time explaining to the less technically savvy not to worry about it. You can ensure that what you\u2019re seeing is what you\u2019re getting on your screens\u00a0with this straightforward calibration technique.<\/p>\n

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Calibration<\/h3>\n

There are two\u00a0approaches to calibration. You can\u00a0use an external tool (the more expensive option), or you can do it manually with color bars. This article will focus on using color bars.<\/p>\n

Before you start your calibration, there are a couple things to keep in mind. Ambient light affects the contrast and overall look of your monitor (and thus your calibration accuracy), so ideally, find a location for your director’s monitor that’s shielded from ambient light throughout the day. (This is also why you tend to see the DIT<\/a> on set in their own tent.)<\/p>\n

Before you\u00a0calibrate a computer, you\u2019ll want to turn it on and\u00a0let it warm up for a few minutes. Then, follow these steps.<\/p>\n

1. After your monitor is warmed up and connected to your camera, you need to send the HD NTSC Color Bars from the camera to your monitor. Some monitors will have the option built into their menus, but it\u2019s typically best to send the color bars yourself when you can.<\/p>\n

(Side note:\u00a0if you’re shooting on an HDSLR and don\u2019t want to miss out on the fun, check out this video by\u00a0Richard Harrington<\/a>\u00a0on how to get color bars on your cameras.)<\/p>\n

2. Adjust your \u201cBrightness,\u201d \u201cContrast\u201d (also called \u201cPicture\u201d), and \u201cPhase\u201d to their midpoint or factory settings. On Panasonic monitors, for example, you usually see this indicated by the tally marks on the screen\u00a0changing color (blue) or\u00a0becoming bold to\u00a0indicate that you\u2019ve reached the \u201cmiddle.\u201d Sometimes, there is also a factory reset option in the menu.<\/p>\n

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4. I tend to start loosely with contrast and bounce between contrast and brightness until I\u2019ve landed in a good place. For most of the calibration, you\u2019ll be looking at the 100% White Chip (labeled A above) and the PLUGES Bars (labeled B above), which are the three bars of different gradation beneath the red bar (left is 3.5 IRE, middle is 7.5 IRE, and right is 11.5 IRE, just for reference).<\/p>\n

If it makes it easier to see, you can also bring the \u201cChroma\u201d all the way down to make the screen black and white so you can\u00a0focus on the change in the bars.<\/p>\n

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Focusing on the 100% white chip, increase your contrast level until the white chip no longer seems to get brighter. Once you\u2019ve hit that point, pull back a couple notches. Also make sure\u00a0your 100% white chip is\u00a0not bleeding into its surrounding bars.<\/p>\n

5. Next, you are going to adjust the PLUGE bars (labeled B above) to find your brightness. You’ll want to adjust the brightness until the left two PLUGE bars disappear into the 0% black field (to their left) and the far right PLUGE bar sits just a step above that 0% black. I tend to bring it down until I cannot see that right bar, then nudge it up until I catch a hint of it. (Reference the figure below.)<\/p>\n

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6. Now jump back and tweak your contrast to make sure your 100% White Chip didn’t start to bleed. You\u2019ll jump back and forth between the contrast and brightness until you\u2019ve found a satisfactory level between these two goals.<\/p>\n

7. The last adjustment is your chroma. To check this, you’ll need to switch your monitor into its \u201cBlue Only\u201d feature. If your monitor doesn’t have a \u201cBlue Only\u201d feature (dig around: sometimes it’s difficult to find), you\u00a0can complete this step by switching your monitor into its monochrome setting.<\/p>\n

Basically, you want all the longer, alternating blue bars to be one continuous bar. If the chroma is incorrect, you will see a small band of a different shade of blue at the bottom of these bars (see below). Adjust your chroma until those bars disappear into the larger bars.<\/p>\n

Incorrect:<\/h4>\n

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Correct:<\/h4>\n

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8. After this, go back and double-check your brightness and contrast with the PLUGE bars and 100% white chip, and then you should be good to go!<\/p>\n

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Looking for more video production resources? Check out these articles.<\/p>\n