Why is my monitor so dark?

[Hypersona]

Maybe your monitor's contrast ratio is low? The higher the ratio, the broader range of highs/lows.. You can try to adjust the contrast as well, but the ratio has to do with the monitor itself. Check the specs..

Just a guess. :shrug:

[psychojohno]

ahh man i just had a look at one of my renders on my dads computer it looks good on my computer but on my dads its washed out as hell :D I figured it out now. It has a sticker on it that says its a low radiation power saving monitor :eek: I cant find the specs for my monitor though! Its funny how you never notice these things! So there is no way of fixing it?

[niva]

Being low radiation spec has nothing to do with the image, it just protects the user fromt he radiation blasts of the CRT. Most radiation is directed sideways and backwards away from the user, this is the case with most CRT monitors these days.

What you're observing is the sign of age. Contrast/brightness go down over time, some monitors last longer than others, if you can't adjust it through maxing out the settings for brightness and contrast consider buying a new one.

[Rist]

I have been having this for months, but when you brought the topic back up, I used your image to tweak the settings in my video card settings (nvidia). It should the Gamma rating, just make it higher, and the dark image should appear!

[ThirdEye]

What monitor is that? Can't you read the brand and the model printed somewhere? From that we can understand how old it is maybe.

[theboykidney]

is there any monitor calibration tool out there?

[Rist]

Like I said, I just fixed my own with the same problem. And my monitor has to be more than 5 years old. Its a 17inch Fujitsu e177 CRT, and now that i just tweaked it, its useful again :D

[lots]

Nvidia's drivers have a monitor calibration tool these days..

But there are many monitor callibration tools out there, google may be a good starting point :) Keep in mind not all callibration tools are free though..

[maX_Andrews]

Yeah it's definitely the gamme that's giving you issues. The gamma is sort of the depth of the bright and dark areas of your monitor. If it's not optimized, the image will be too contrasty (you won't see detail in the darker or lighter areas) or it will be too washed out. You have to use your graphic card calibration settings or your monitors on-screen settings to expand the gamma of your display.

[moft]

I recently got a 21" monitor cheap and my friend got one aswell, identical. Got home - his is mega-faint (useless) and mine works fine. Spoke to a friend who fixes tv's etc. and he says that it was probably the power supply. When the capacitors wear out, they lose thier ability to store electricity, starving the tube of power. If this isn't the case and you've fiddled with the setting on the monitor and the video card, then it's a case of the phosphorescent screen deteriorating.

A note on CRT monitors though - older ones (pre 1999) tend not to be as safe as newer ones as a regulation was brought out restricting the amount of radiation that can be picked up by your head (some say it's why many computer-using people are balding).

I would suggest going to a local auction house and getting a new-ish one - I got a three year old 21" Sony G520 for AU$60 - retails on Amazon for ~$400 second hand. mmm. 1600x1280@100hz (http://forums.cgsociety.org/1600x1280@100hz)

[CGTalk Moderation]

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.