How to calibrate the screen in Windows 10

 What is screen calibration and what is it for?

If you already have a new monitor but want to get the most out of it, there is nothing like a good screen calibration to obtain true and intense colors either for work or play. Windows 10 includes a tool that allows us to calibrate the screen without the need for any additional software or hardware.

The process of calibrating the screen helps us to obtain colors on the monitor as similar as possible to those we can see with our eyes , for this we will use specific software that will allow us, by regulating the primary colors (red, green and blue), brightness and contrast , modify the color settings to get as close to reality as possible.

For professional environments the calibration process is carried out to obtain printed colors as we are seeing them on the screen, in these cases it is more advisable to make these adjustments using hardware instruments such as a spectrometer or colorimeter , these are much more precise, but also much more expensive.

We will perform a screen calibration with the tool that includes Windows 10, so we will not need to install any type of software or use hardware to perform a calibration as our colleague did with the Cooler Master GM27-CF monitor that he analyzed , with quite enough results. good if our monitor manufacturer hasn't done a decent factory calibration. Let's see how to do it.

How to calibrate the screen with the built-in tool in Windows 10

Let's see how to use the Windows 10 utility to calibrate the screen and achieve much more realistic colors simply by making a few clicks with the mouse, in a few minutes we will have a new profile with the necessary configuration to enhance those colors that we had previously dominated by red, green or blue.

Before making these adjustments, it would be highly recommended to have the monitor turned on long enough for it to reach the ideal working temperature, in addition we will have to reset the monitor settings to factory values so as not to interfere with the calibration. In Windows, it would be ideal not to have any special settings that interfere with colors, such as Night Light , enabled.

1. First, we will have to open the Windows 10 screen calibration utility, for this we can write calibration  in the magnifying glass or right-click anywhere on the screen and select Screen Settings.
2. A little further down we will have the option of  Advanced screen settings.
3. Now we click Show display adapter properties 1.
4. We go to the Color Management tab and click the Color Management ... button.
5. The Color Management window will open   and we go to the Advanced Options tab.
6. Now we click on  Calibrate screen  to open the Windows 10 screen color calibration tool. In this way we will also leave the Color Management tool open   to be able to see the new profile once it is finished.
7. The screen color calibration tool will open and we click next to start, we will see a warning that will indicate what we previously warned, it will be necessary to restore the factory settings of the monitor values . As it will also be necessary to have the OSD open with the monitor settings, it would be advisable to put it in a position that does not bother us.
8. We will start by adjusting the gamma value , we have to adjust the bar on the left to adjust the image as in the central sample. If we are not satisfied with the result, we can click  Reset  if we want to start over.
9. Now we will have to adjust the brightness so that it is the closest to the central image , in this case we will have to make use of the monitor settings to increase or decrease the brightness and distinguish the shirt, jacket and the X from the background.
10. The next thing will be to adjust the contrast , making use of the monitor settings we will have to increase the contrast to the maximum value without stopping to see the buttons and wrinkles of the shirt . If we cannot see them with the current configuration, we will have to lower the contrast until we achieve it.
11. The next step will help us correct the dominant colors to obtain a neutral gray scale, we can look at the examples to get an idea of ​​which color to lower or raise depending on the scale on our screen.
12. Once the calibration is complete, we can see the previous settings and compare them with the current ones by clicking the Previous Calibration and Current Calibration button . If we don't like the result, we can re-calibrate and set other values.

We have already done the screen calibration.

How to optimize text with ClearType

Once the screen calibration is finished with the built-in Windows 10 tool, we can give it one more twist by making the text easier to read on screen . From the screen calibration tool, when finished, it offers us the possibility of starting this utility called  ClearType Text Optimizer , which is highly recommended to use.

If we leave the box checked and click on finish, it will open automatically when the screen calibration utility is closed , let's see how easy it is to see the clearer and clearer text on the screen.

1. Click on next to start the ClearType text optimizer.
2. It will verify that we are in the native resolution of the monitor for a better experience.
3. Now we simply have to select the sample that best looks in the 5 windows that offer us with options.
4. By selecting these 5 samples, we will automatically optimize the text to show it smoother and better, we just have to click Finish to finish.

How to download and install profiles in Windows 10

We can also download profiles already configured and add them to use them in specific situations. All monitor manufacturers have the profiles of the monitors they sell available to their users, so it would be ideal to download the profile and install it to have an optimal color configuration.

Sometimes the result of the manufacturer's profiles is not as expected, so we can make the color adjustments using the Windows 10 screen calibration utility as explained above or we can use already created profiles that we can download from the internet.

To add a downloaded profile we will do it from the same Color Management window  , to access it if we have closed it, we can write  color  in the Windows 10 magnifying glass and click on Color Management.

1. In Device we must select the monitor that we want to apply the downloaded profile.
2. We must have the option Use my settings for this device checked.
3. Now we click on the Add ... button.
4. If we want to use a profile that we already have on our team, we select it from the list of ICC profiles.
5. If what we want is to add a new one that we have downloaded, click on  Browse ...  to find it on our computer and click on  Add.
6. Now it will appear in the list of profiles associated with this monitor, to activate it we must click on the button  Set as default profile.

Now we have active the profile that we have downloaded to work with it.

Calibrate screen or apply profiles for all users

We have to remember that the configuration of these profiles is stored individually for each user that we have on our PC, if we share the computer with other people and we want to apply the changes for all users, we have to  change the system default values.

For this, and from the Color Management window   we go to the Advanced Options tab , at the bottom we have the option  Change the system defaults ...  and if we click on it, we will open the Management system defaults window  color , in which in a similar way as we have done before, we can Add a profile, Set it as default, or in the Advanced Options tab   we can calibrate the screen. Don't forget to check the Use  Windows 10 screen calibration box  to perform the calibration.

Once these changes have been made, we will modify the Windows configuration and they will be available to all active users , ideal if we share the equipment in a work environment where the real representation of colors is an advantage for our day to day, although for professional environments it is ideal is to use a spectrometer or colorimeter , create a specific profile with real colors and enable it for all users.

Conclution

With the screen color calibration tool we will get much more vivid and real colors on our monitor , so when watching movies we will gain realism, or if we are going to work with colors we can have a much more real representation of them. In games we will get more striking colors and that will allow us to distinguish between neighboring colors.

In addition, the text will be displayed in a clearer and smoother way thanks to the optimization that Windows 10 offers us with its ClearType text optimization tool , together we will gain image quality with the same monitor as always thanks to these simple adjustments without the need for any extra software.

If we have a specific profile for our monitor or if we download one already configured from the internet, we can also add it as a default profile, in this case the work will be done and we only have to add it to start working with it .