Gamma settings on older monitor

[Bruce Pollock]

I have an older LG Flatron LCD monitor. I've been playing with the settings in some initial attempts at calibration, but the gamma settings don't relate to anything I've read. I know I should be aiming for a gamma of 2.2, but the only settings it allows are: -50, 0, and +50. I currently have it set at 0.

Can someone help me translate this three-point system into a gamma of 2.2 or ??? I realize it may be time to buy a new monitor, but that's not going to happen for a while yet.

[pherold]

Hi Bruce,
My guess is that your setting of 0 is what's intended to be 2.2, and the other settings allow you to go higher or lower than that. Even without knowing what this does, you should be able to do your calibration to 2.2 just by following the procedure with your monitor calibration software. In most cases, the software will adjust your levels so that you hit 2.2 if that is what you're set at.

It's helpful too to remember that if you are using color management-aware programs (like Photoshop) then the gamma setting is irrelevant to what you see on the screen. The program sort of 'cancels' that out when it makes use of the monitor profile to present your image to the screen.

[Bruce Pollock]

Thanks, Pat.