LED displays continue to be a massive influence in many industries worldwide. It’s a market that produces and develops innovations quickly, expanding its reach and coverage. This is one of the reasons why LED screens come in high prices too. So, once you invest in it, you need to make sure that the screen is operating at its optimal potential. And you can do this through LED calibration.
When it comes to LED screen calibration, everything may seem more technical and complicated. Considering it’s a vital aspect of owning an LED display though, it’s worth learning and looking into. LED color calibration can particularly help your LED screens display consistent colors and avoid possible distortions.
If you want to learn more about LED calibration and all the factors connected to it, this is the best place to go. Before jumping to applying this process, the first step is to learn about its definition and check out the most effective LED calibration tool to assist you.
What is LED Calibration?
LED calibration refers to the process of ensuring that the images shown on the screens are of high quality. This means that there are specific factors that are looked into before saying that an LED display is properly calibrated. Here are some of the signs that will tell you if your LED screen calibration is successful:
- No moire effect (distortion) on the screen
- Consistent colors using a uniform temperature
- Balanced white color
LED calibration is an important step in the maintenance of LED displays. When a screen is well-calibrated, viewers are guaranteed a satisfying visual experience. It is an entirely different thing when the screen does not display uniform and correct colors. Without proper calibration, the LED display will be considered low quality and appear distorted at all times.
Getting the habit of LED calibration for your displays will help you save time and money for repair and maintenance in the long run.
Types of Image LED Calibration
When conducting image LED calibration on displays, there are two major types you can use. Screen uniformity LED calibration and Absolute LED calibration are the two types with different ranges and coverage of the calibration.
Screen Uniformity LED Calibration
Screen uniformity LED calibration or relative calibration refers to the process where either the brightness or colors are adjusted and calibrated. Most of the time, when you get LED screens, they have already undergone this type of LED calibration.
- Brightness – The brightness of the LED screen is calibrated based on a specification sheet that often comes when you buy the LED display. Most of the LED screens mounted higher tend to easily depreciate in terms of heat. Their panels are affected more and would need to be calibrated regularly compared to the LED displays installed indoors.
- Color Display – RGB LED calibration is the one that deals with the color contrast in your LED display. It is more challenging compared to calibrating the LED screen’s brightness. You will need to deal with the total number of pixels used in the LED display, including each pixel for the colors red, green, and blue.
Absolute LED Calibration
Absolute LED calibration refers to the more costly process of calibration often conducted by manufacturers. It will deal with both the brightness and color contrast of the LED displays to make sure that they have a uniform look and quality.
Benefits of Calibrating Your LED Screen
Calibrating your LED screen is a habit you need to make sure that your investment is taken good care of. There are many benefits you can take advantage of when you keep a habit of LED calibration. Some of these are the following:
More Consistent Image Quality
When you calibrate your LED screen, you will enjoy a more consistent image quality. This is particularly relevant if your work involves images that are detailed and meticulous.
Increases LED Screen Lifespan
Regular LED screen calibration also helps increase your display’s lifespan. Making sure that the LED screens operate at balanced colors and correct levels of brightness and color contrast can help the device perform in its optimal condition. Your LED display can only operate in the optimal state if it is well-calibrated. This is how LED calibration can extend the lifespan of your device.
Decreases Power Usage
LED screen calibration can also help reduce power usage when the display operates. Since calibrating the LED display means averaging the screen’s average, you will only use the needed brightness and not waste any power and electricity. This means savings for your power use and expenses for the electric bill.
Better Image Quality in LED Screens
More than just consistent image quality, you can also expect better image quality for everything displayed on your LED screens. LED calibration makes sure that the screen has balanced brightness and colors, which help produce high-quality images. This means that the images are more detailed and have more depth in them.
What Are the Signs That Your LED Display Needs Calibrating?
LED calibrating should be a habit integrated into your LED display maintenance. But if you somehow tend to forget to do it on a scheduled basis, you can also look for signs on your LED screens. To know if your LED screen needs calibrating, here are some of the signs you should look out for:
- Has jumps in tones
- Possible visible color banding
- May look a bit odd
- Unbalanced and inconsistent color and light
- Shows moire effect or distortion
- Features some sort of odd pattern on the screen
Why are you experiencing these issues with your LED screen? There are several possible causes why your screens need LED calibration some of which are the following:
- Old LED display
- Differences in the screens’ production time and cycles
- Issues in the LED module driver IC
- Flatness in between the modules or before the LED display cabinet
How Do You Calibrate Your LED Screen?
LED calibration is a task typically given to experts, especially because of the technical aspect of it. But if you’re up to the task, you can start by assessing your LED screen.
Try using an image-viewing program that offers color management as one of its features. Specifically, use the grayscale gradient in the program to check out if you have an LED display that needs calibrating. You just need to check for the signs listed above. Regularly assess your LED screens at least once a month and make a habit of it. This will make sure that your displays are operating at their full potential.
Once you find out there’s a need for LED calibration, there are two options you can do. You can either take the LED screen to experts for LED screen calibration or you can work on it yourself. Here are some things you can do:
Types Of Relative LED Calibration
Brightness
The trick for the LED calibration through the display’s brightness is to use the LED with the weakest brightness as the ceiling. After that, adjust the brightness of the rest of the LED displays to match that brightness. Look at the brightness of the LED screens measured in nits when adjusting the brightness of your displays.
Color Display
When it comes to color display, color mixing is the right way to go for this LED calibration. In terms of colors, the trick is to adjust the other colors towards the color where it’s shifting, turning into the same color. The amount needs to be almost microscopic so that the other color will seamlessly mix with the pulling color.
LED Calibration Through Two Ways
A colorimeter is a device with special cameras that can work with the light spectrum of your LED screens. More advanced than conventional cameras, the device has pre-established image patterns that are used to assess the brightness and color levels of an LED display.
The images will then be analyzed in real-time by a computer system and you will have some diagnostics results and the possible issues you need to fix. The computer system works together with software that can interpret the assessed data to command the hardware to be corrected accordingly. You can calibrate your LED display in two ways, depending on the computer you’re using.
Using Windows
One of the ways to calibrate your LED screen is by using a Windows computer. Follow these steps:
- Go to your Desktop settings and choose Display settings
- Choose advanced display settings options and then color calibration
- From there, you can adjust the brightness, color balance, contrast, and gamma settings
- When you’ve set it to the levels you want, click Finish
Using Mac
If you are using a Mac computer for LED calibration, you will follow a different set of steps. Follow these steps:
- Locate the Apple icon on the upper part of the screen
- Choose System Option
- Click on Display and then Color
- Choose Calibrate then Screen Calibration Assistant
- Follow the example shown on your screen and adjust the white point
- Input your preferred color profile
- Finally, finish calibration
LED Calibration Tool: The Best Options for Your Needs
One of the best things about LED calibration is that there are prepared tools you can use for convenience. If you want to calibrate the color contrast or brightness levels of your LED display, you can check out some of the built-in LED calibration tools that computers have or some that are available online. Some may depend on what type of LED calibration you’re dealing with.
For example, if you dealing with novastar LED calibration, you can check out this page. Here are some of the most popular LED calibration tools you can use for your displays:
- Windows 10 Color Calibration Tool (Basic Calibration Tool)
- W4zt Screen Color Test (Online Web-based Tool)
- Calibrize 2.0 (Advanced Calibration Tool)
LED Display Calibration FAQs
LED calibration is something that may sound too technical for beginners but it’s also a necessity to keep your LED displays in top shape and get your optimal investment from its usage. To help you with it, here are some of the FAQs you might need answers to:
When Is the Best Time for an LED Screen Calibration?
The perfect time for an LED screen calibration is when you notice that your LED display is losing its charm. This may mean either the colors on the display have become dull or the color consistency is not accurate. So instead of waiting for the signs that your LED screen needs calibration, it is important to form a habit of it as part of your regular maintenance.
Do You Need To Calibrate Brand New LED Screens?
Yes, LED calibration is vital even if the LED display is brand new. The good thing is that manufacturers often calibrate LED displays before delivering them. Just to be sure though, ask your provider if the screens have already been calibrated. If not, you can ask if it’s part of the package or if you need to pay a fee for the service.
Should You Calibrate Your Old LED Display?
Yes, especially if it has been a long time since you calibrated your LED screens. While it would be better to regularly calibrate your LED displays, it is a must to do so for old LED screens, especially when there are already signs of distortion and color inconsistency.
Conclusion
LED calibration is a vital part of LED display maintenance to make sure that your investment is taken care of. While you can always consider upgrading your LED screen, the most practical thing to do is to check if your screen is still operational and can still function effectively. If there are signs of distortion and color inconsistencies, you can try to calibrate the device first. If it still doesn’t work, that’s the time when you can consider getting a new one.
LED screen calibration is a habit you need to include in the regular maintenance of your LED display. This saves time and money on your part. You will also be able to always use your LED screen at its optimal performance since the brightness and color contrast levels will be perfectly set.
