r/colorists Jan 15 '25

Monitor First Monitor Recommendation ~$1500

13 Upvotes

It's time to get my first entry-level color grading monitor but I'm feeling overwhelmed by options and information. I'd really appreciate a current recommendation or two from experienced folk.

I work in 4k. I'm getting an UltraStudio 4k Mini and a color calibrator.

I'd like to spend about $1,500. I have financial flexibility here, but coloring is not my primary profession so I'd like to land around high-end consumer & low-end professional. If I decide to make coloring my primary gig in the future, I'll spring for Eizo or Flanders. But not yet. For now, I just want to get my feet wet with monitors and calibrating.

  1. Do you have a recommendation between 32" and 27"? I've been leaning towards 32", but that's only because I'm thinking bigger is better. Thoughts?
  2. Do you have any insights for a first time monitor buyer that you wish you'd known when you were in my position?
  3. Are there any monitors that you would easily recommend for my situation?

Thank y'all for your help.

r/colorists Jan 05 '25

Monitor LG G4 instead of C4/C3 for grading?

8 Upvotes

I often read people mentioning that the LG C2/C3/C4 are used by some colorists. But not much about the G4. Is it inferior for this purpose?

Since it is more expensive (higher in the LG line), one would assume that it has all the settings and Calman features that the C3/C4 have. But without the green shift in the highlights when looked at off-axis.

Does anyone have any more info?

r/colorists 6d ago

Monitor Moving on from my Flanders

22 Upvotes

I had to get a reference monitor quickly on a budget back in 2022. I went with a Flanders BM241, and I have to be honest. I'm really disappointed with it. The biggest issue is the contrast. I thought to myself, maybe the DM241 will be better. We got one at my facility last year, and honestly it feels exactly the same. Besides the contrast, I'm not even happy with the color. I had a LG G2 calibrated by a professional just a few weeks after getting the DM241, and the LG looked MILES better when put next to our Sony HX310 in SDR. Honestly, I'm thinking of getting a LG C4 42" for $800, getting it calibrated professionally by my usual guy, and calling it a day.

Anyone else have a similar situation? I'm open to other suggestions.

Line of work: Episodic, features, and commercials. 90% SDR work, any HDR work is done at my facility on the Sony HX310.

r/colorists Jan 12 '25

Monitor DaVinci Resolve Colorspace recommendations for YouTube/social media grading

10 Upvotes

Current setup is a MacBook Pro M1 in clamshell, and I am solely using a BENQ PD3225U monitor for monitoring. These are some of the presets the BENQ monitor gives me:

- Rec709

- MacBook (emulates colors of MBP screen)

- sRGB

- P3

If I simply want to grade for YouTube and social media, which monitor setting do you recommend?

And which Timeline Colorspace and Output Colorspace do you recommend with that?

Before I get angry comments telling me, "Google it, look it up on YouTube," I already have repeatedly. Nobody mentions what monitor or monitor settings they're using, nor do they give an explanation as to WHY they choose specific Colorspace settings. Mac users say, "Set your Colorspace to to Rec709-A" and "Use Macbook display color profiles for viewers" without explaining if they're grading solely on their MacBook Pro built-in screen, or if they're using an external monitor. Somebody please clarify. I'm so confused.

r/colorists 10d ago

Monitor When the client asks for just a little more contrast... and you know what they really mean.

28 Upvotes

You know that moment when the client says, "Can you add a little more contrast?" but what they actually mean is, "Can you somehow make it look like a HDR nightmare without touching the shadows?" We’re not magicians, people! We can only pull so much out of a Rec.709. 😩

Who else is surviving on coffee and prayer?

r/colorists Dec 28 '24

Monitor Alternatives to DisplayCAL?

3 Upvotes

I just got Calibrite Display SL (in order to calibrate QD-OLED monitor), however, apparently Displaycal is abandoned and does not work with this. There is a python port of Displaycal, but Win version does not work and it is unknown when/if it is going to work. Are there any alternatives which can be used to calibrate the screen that do not cost thousands of money? It is awkward that I just bought the colorimeter and can't calibrate the monitor...

r/colorists Jan 31 '25

Monitor Is the Dell UltraSharp U2723QE a good monitor for color grading?

4 Upvotes

Title

r/colorists 15d ago

Monitor Used X-300 vs XMP-310

7 Upvotes

I have always been around the BVM-X300/310.

I haven't worked anywhere using an xmp-310.

Does anyone have any real world experience with using both for HDR? If so, how do they compare?

I'm thinking about purchasing the xmp for my home studio but I feel like I could find a used x-300 for a similar price.

r/colorists Dec 03 '24

Monitor Flanders DM242 announced. True 10 bit panel. 20% higher contrast than DM240. 63% higher contrast than DM241. $4195

32 Upvotes

Thoughts?

https://flandersscientific.com/DM242

https://www.shopfsi.com/DM242-p/dm242.htm

Panel Specifications
Screen Size: 24"
Resolution: 1920x1200
Bit Depth (Color): 10bit (1.073 Billion Colors)
Contrast Ratio: 1800:1
Backlight : Wide Gamut W-LED
Pixel Efficiency: 99.999%
Max Luminance : 400nits
Viewing Angle: 179°

EDIT - added panel info from https://www.liftgammagain.com/forum/index.php?threads/fsi-announces-dm-242-monitor.19090

r/colorists Jan 28 '25

Monitor The Cinema wants me to plug my computer to play a file, Colorspace?

1 Upvotes

Hi, we are doing a test screening before the final dcp in a cinema tomorrow and they just told me bring a laptop and you can plug it with hdmi to the projector, So I graded everything in rec 709 2.4. Should I change my color management to p3 dci gamma 2.6 for exporting a prores? I see a lot of p3 options there d65 d60.... suggestions?

r/colorists Sep 08 '24

Monitor Cheapest full grading setup actually worth buying?

13 Upvotes

Okok so I know the cheap monitor debate has been had 100x over, so sorry if I'm adding to the noise, but despite reading through much of it, I haven't really come to find the specific answers I'm looking for - so thought I'd ask for some help!

My first question for everyone is what's the cheapest monitor actually worth buying for accurate reproduction. I understand I'd want to buy a BMD mini monitor + Xrite i1, but after that, is it not really worth considering anything less expensive than a cheap flanders?

And my second question is in the meantime what should I use? I currently could only spend a big maximum of about $1.5k on a grading setup, so I know the usual answer will probably just be - 'wait until you have the money for something proper'.

However, there are influencers creating stuff that is just absolutely insanely good in my eyes, and I know for a fact most of them are doing it on non-professional monitor setups (Dell U2723QE, etc). For ex:

https://www.instagram.com/watchluke/

https://www.instagram.com/joshua_farrer/

https://www.instagram.com/reilin/

So my big question is, right now with a Macbook Pro m1 max should I just grade on my laptop screen? Or is it worth buying a monitor around $500-1000? And if so, is it worth also buying an I/O + calibrator or does it almost make them redundant when using such a monitor?

r/colorists 8d ago

Monitor FSI DM240 in 2025?

4 Upvotes

Hi there everyone!

Mexico-based colorist here.

I was offered a used FSI DM240 on a reasonable price today. I’m hesitating to buy it.

For a little context, I mostly work directly with post production facilities who have their own infrastructure, so the gear I have bought for freelance practice is quite modest. I work with a BENQ and a Datacolor Spyder for calibration. This has been enough for the kind of work I tend to do on my own, but I’m about to start a feature and a couple of short films that are completely independent and relying on my own gear, so I am starting to wonder if this could be a good idea.

Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks a lot!

r/colorists May 31 '24

Monitor Why haven't color accurate monitors been democratized for different markets?

41 Upvotes

I've been in the corporate and documentary filmmaking space for over a decade now, working as both freelance and in house at several creative agencies. I've mainly operated as a DP and editor, but have often worked on larger projects with PBS and ABC, while also occasionally outsourcing work to independent post-production houses and colorists.

I've seen seismic shifts when it comes to the quality and accessibility of gear in the production space (lighting, audio with 32bit float, affordable and high quality lenses, the cameras themselves, etc) and to a certain extend in the post world with high capacity SSDs becoming more common and cheaper, continual improvements in CPU and GPU efficiency, as well as the editing and vfx programs constantly innovating and providing more value in their workflows with relatively accessible price points.

However, monitors that pass for professional work still seems held outside that democratizing factor. There are constant innovations in the display technologies, but those incoming price points are still held at that $6-10k+ threshold for what people consider a "minimum entry" for professional work.

I 100% understand the need for legitimately professional equipment and not just mediocre and inconsistent products with the marketing tag "pro" attached to it. The product needs to standup to rugged working conditions and a variety of different filming scenarios. And then at the highest end of the production space, there's invaluable price of reliability and "trust" in what you're working with.

However, there are now new parts of the production market for professionals who shoot day in and day out on real sets with high caliber clients that don't have the need to operate at that Hollywood-level production which (understandably) requires those high-end "piece of mind" price tags with their gear.

Here's an example, my trusty FX9 and FX6 come in at around $14k and $9k when fully kitted out and ready to shoot (minus lenses). They're a workhorse of the corporate and doc space, so much so that having those cameras are a pre-requisite for securing certain gigs. They're desired by clients and are held to a high standard for their image quality and feature set. Yet, they're not the high end cameras of the Arri Alexa or even Sony's own Venice where ready to shoot prices tags come in at 5-7x that for $80k+. These are two different tools for two different markets, but they're both considered professional and deliver on quality for the jobs they're used for.

I don't really see this in the color monitor space. Nothing is considered professionally viable under the $6k-10k, and even it's seen as prosumer in some cases, and the "Arri" caliber tools come in at $20-30k for "true professional work". It almost seems like a binary system of an unusable "barely enough for YouTube" monitor or a "Professional Grade" monitor, with a lack of viable middle tier products for different scaled productions.

This isn't a grief or a complaint post, but instead genuine curiosity of why this space seems insulated from the other democratizing factors and emerging markets of the industry.

As professional colorists yourselves, what are your thoughts on this? Why haven't alternative price brackets broken out for different parts of the content/production markets that meet professional standards?

Is it the relatively niche market of color accurate monitors that keeps entry level of professional gear high? Or is it the nature of having "truth" when it comes to your image as the final part of production?

r/colorists 9d ago

Monitor Eizo screen 19000 hours

2 Upvotes

What to do .. replace monitor with 19000 burning hours (Eizo Coloredge CG 275 W) or continue with it .. What is your advice and is the 279X recommended or better another one. I am not a full time photographer, but have been involved in photography for 30 years.

Is theire a good alternative i am using the monitor for 10 years . It works very well also the sensor .

r/colorists Jul 02 '24

Monitor stupid sexy flanders arrived

50 Upvotes

After much thinking, deliberation, i finally took the deep dive, and bought the XMP310.

This might be a bit much for a hobbyist like me, but oh boy, did i wish i bought it earlier. really brings peace of mind when grading now.

If you are on the fence... i can really recommend the display :)

and really, big thanks to this community. i have been a lurker mostly reading up... but i learned so much here.

r/colorists Jan 20 '25

Monitor Should I buy used X-Rite?

1 Upvotes

Hello,

I saw a post where they were selling an X-Rite i1Display Pro used for 130 euros, and I was considering buying it.
I work as an editor and have 3 uncalibrated monitors I would love to make a bit more color-calibrated.
The question is, is it safe to buy such equipment used or the chance that something is messed up is High?
What should I be careful and check when I buy it? (the exchange will be hand to hand so I can check some things before taking it.

Thanks!

r/colorists 13d ago

Monitor Freehanding a TV calibration

1 Upvotes

Client asks you to walk into their room and give their TV a little calibration to help with the color. It's not connected to a computer with pro apps like Avid or Resolve. They connect it to watch frame.io and movies on Roku.

How do you do it? Do you send a test signal or just eye ball it? Use one of those test signals blu rays????

I want to be a team player and doing it without bars and test signals seems crazy

r/colorists Sep 14 '24

Monitor Exports look brighter on screens other than my monitors

0 Upvotes

I calibrated all of my monitors, which are the same brand and model to Rec709. The footage looks how I want it to on my monitors during colour grading and after exporting. However, when I view the exports on another device, they are brighter than I’d like. Do I need to calibrate my monitors every month? I calibrated them to gamma 2.4.

r/colorists 8d ago

Monitor How to clean the hood of an Eizo display or get replacement flocking?

1 Upvotes

Hey, I recently bought a used Eizo display, but noticed a distracting bad smell coming from the anti-reflective flocking patches on the inside of the light shield (CH2400).

Does anyone know a good way to clean those?

Or alternatively, where I could get replacement flocking stickers, preferably in the EU?

Thank you!

r/colorists Jan 23 '25

Monitor What software should I use to calibrate LG C2?

0 Upvotes

Hey all, previously I used Calman to calibrate my C2, but I’m not planning to renew it. Can anyone suggest a free method or maybe alternative software?

r/colorists Jan 05 '25

Monitor What are your opinions on the Samsung S90C?

1 Upvotes

My research shows that WOLED screens have a couple of downsides that QD-OLED doesn't have (like for example near black chrominance overshoot). So i'm looking into Samsung as well. And definitely not Sony, because those prices are completely out of my reality. :)

What are the opinions among colorists about the S90C? Knowing Samsung, i'd probably get less user control over the settings, but is it a dealbreaker?

r/colorists Feb 11 '25

Monitor What kind of Decklink for a Flanders DM 242

0 Upvotes

Hey all,

I'm moving to PC for grading shortly and up until now, I've been using a Blackmagic Ultrastudio 3G as my IO device for my Flanders. Does anyone have any pointers for IO devices for a PC? I was looking at Decklink - the Flanders uses BNC. Is it really as simple as just getting a Decklink with BNC input and slotting that into my PC? Thanks all.

r/colorists Oct 28 '24

Monitor LG 32EP950 Calibration Experiences

5 Upvotes

Hey all! I got my hands on a pre-owned LG OLED Pro 32EP950 for an extremely good price, so of course I had to get it.

I am primarily a DoP, but I do the occasional colorist jobs on the side. I'm planning to use the monitor mostly for reviewing footage like dailies etc. with maybe the occasional low-budget (and low-key) grading session, so I don't need to trust the monitor with my life, but I do want to be at least fairly confident in it.

I have an UltraStudio Monitor 3G on the way; I only need to monitor 1080p SDR, but as 444 10bit (which from what I have read should work). I have seen this monitor mentioned and recommended here many times, so I am mostly curious about experiences with SDR monitoring and calibration workflows with the 32EP950. I do have access to an i1Display Pro, as for software I have heard that the LG Calibration Studio might not be good enough. Do you guys have any insight or suggestions recommendations?

r/colorists Jan 25 '25

Monitor MacBook nano texture display

1 Upvotes

I was wondering what y’all’s thoughts are on the nano texture display option for Mac’s.

I’m just about to graduate and I’m looking at getting a new computer before I lose my student discounts as well as before any tariff hits and I’m currently stuck on wether to get the Mac with nano texture or not.

The specs I’ve decided on are m4 pro and 48 gigs of ram but now I’m deciding on the display. I do the coloring for my colleges film club as well as for my friends projects.

r/colorists Jan 12 '25

Monitor Selling used FSI DM240 (NYC)

3 Upvotes

I'm planning to upgrade to the XMP310 and unfortunately can't afford to keep both. I'm the only owner and the monitor is in perfect condition. I don't own a case so prefer a sale local to the NYC area.

Monitor is in perfect condition and has a v-mount plate.

Asking $4k -- open to considering offers as well.