Are 4k displays harder on the eyes?

[rainer]

I've had a Dell UP2414q 4k for a couple years and it is the most stunning image quality I have ever seen on a monitor. Recently I was given an old Apple Cinema Display 23" (M9178LL/A) for a second display, and I have to say, it is much easier on my eyes. It is a very warm monitor to look at. I've messed with the color temp on the Dell and just can't get it or my other 4k HP z27 to have the view-ability of the 8 year old Apple FHD display.

I wonder if it is the lower resolution? If not what makes Apple monitors look so nice, I understand it's a TN panel.

 

[Solandri]

Apple's primary market is graphical artists, publishers, photographers, and videographers. Consequently, their hardware comes pre-calibrated for sRGB color gamut and 6500K white point. Most PC hardware doesn't bother becomes only a tiny fraction of PC users need it.

Trying to adjust color by eye is usually a lost cause. Your brain is excellent at compensating for wrong colors (that's why daylight, incandescent lighting, and fluorescent lighting all look fine to the eye but very different in photos). Find a friend with a colorimeter and try generating a color profile for your monitor. Depending on your video card and version of Windows it may be as simple as that. Unfortunately, some versions of Windows are bugged and will reset the color profile every time the screen changes state (resolution change, UAC popup, etc - anything that grays out the screen or temporarily causes it to turn black). See above about only a tiny fraction of PC users needing this stuff, so Microsoft hasn't bothered fixing these bugs. In that case you'll need the software which came with the colorimeter, whose license is usually limited to a limited number of computers, so your friend may not be so willing to help you. (A color profile doesn't just correct color casts, it also corrects brightness curves thus allowing you to see more detail in shadow and/or highlight areas.)

 

[rainer]

Thanks. In addition to messing with the temperature which the monitor offers, I reduced the contrast and noticed it helps a lot. I suppose lower contrast is technically inferior but it is easier on the eyes especially at night.

 

[Solandri]

Most people set their monitors too bright. Your pupils then have to dilate and contract every time you look at the monitor or away from it, because of the difference in brightness.

To reduce eyestrain, you want the maximum brightness of the monitor to be about the same brightness as a white sheet of paper in the room. Maybe a tiny bit brighter. This will allow your pupils to remain the same size whether you're looking at the monitor or around the room, reducing eyestrain and fatigue. You can accomplish this by lowering the monitor's brightness, or increasing the room's brightness (put in more / higher wattage light bulbs).

 

[Suzuki@1473780084@1473780163]

I find it hilarious that Apple are selling glossy screens. They can't display accurate colors... The old cinema display could, but none of their recent can. Apart from Apple, only pro LCD's come pre calibrated. All the other ones are far too cold. First thing to always do is to enable the cinema/theater/movie picture preset, then proceed to calibrating. You can also just use a warm temperature, but calibrating takes longer, because the movie mode is pre calibrated even for consumer LCD's.