Glossy vs. Matte Laptop Screens

I'm looking for a new laptop.

I do intend on using the machine for photo-editing. Should I get the glossy or matte screen and why?

Does anyone use the Dell e1505 glossy or matte? Any comments are appreciated!

Thanks!

Frank

I have a Dell E1705 with the best (glossy) screen. As long as you don't position it where it gets a light source reflecting in it there is no problem at all. The detail is great. I use PS CS2.

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(See profile for equipment)

Frank,

I opted for the Truelife [glossy] on my E1505 six month ago. I like it. Black screens, DPReview, will show reflections but not white. So unless you plan to use it outdoors, go for Truelife. For grins I tried the Truelife on my deck in the shade, couldn't see a thing.

Hermit

NikonFrank said:

NikonFrank wrote:
I'm looking for a new laptop.

I do intend on using the machine for photo-editing. Should I get
the glossy or matte screen and why?

Does anyone use the Dell e1505 glossy or matte? Any comments are
appreciated!

Thanks!

Frank

Click to expand...

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Lost in the Colorado Mountains!!!

I currently have five Dell laptops we use.. two with truelife screens and three with matte screens.

The glossy truelife screens are cr*p where colour accuracy is concerned, more cr*p to examine an image in any real detail. What they excell at is displaying a very bright and contrasty image that people often mistake for a "good display" for image processing. Sorry, but it isn't. Because of the high contrast they're also prone to reflection, but they also make the best a great outdoor monitor as you can shift it around for the "perfect view" and get a better image than the matte screens which will provide a better outdoor all around view.

The best graphics workstations (Precision Mobile Workstations and Latitude Notebooks 'best screens' are all "Ultra Sharp" models) don't even come with Truelife displays, only the cheaper Inspiron and XPS models as they're designed for home use and gaming vs. graphic professionals.

Out of all of them (> 10 I've owned from Dell over the years) the M90 is the only laptop that has a screen I'd trust for colour accuracy anyway.. and I have no idea if the same panel is on the current Inspirons and XPS's.. but my Inspirons and XPS models from as early as last year don't compare.

The biggest draw to the truelife screens is the high contrast and extra brightness making the images appear more saturated and sharp.. on poor light. Indoors with no glare the matte screens will be more accurate and show more detail.

Enjoy whatever you get..

BKKSW

BKKSW said:

The biggest draw to the truelife screens is the high contrast and
extra brightness making the images appear more saturated and
sharp.. on poor light. Indoors with no glare the matte screens
will be more accurate and show more detail.

Click to expand...

First, I don't consider any LCD on any laptop to be a serious contender when it comes to the context of "accurate" color. I've supported thousands of laptop in my career, and my generic 19" Polyview desktop LCD at home blows the best of the mobile garbage away. Laptop displays are designed for power saving, low cost, being dropped and surving, impressing midgets and NBA stars on airplanes, and other considerations that degrade their performance for critical color work.

Next, all laptop LCD displays, and the majority of desktop video subsystems in general are stroked to make Doom3 and XMen DVD's look better than Photoshop. Contrast ratios are hyped as much processor clock speeds, and I don't recall being in an Apple store or CompUSA lately where computer displays are viewed in a perfect, 5000k low lux room where you can judge the skin tone renderings prior to soft proofing.

Next, a glossy screen does not increase contrast nor does it distort. If it were the case, then I'll take fine grit sandpaper to all my lenses and my TV screen because buffing them will make them more accurate displays, right? While glossy screens are pain in the neck in terms of bright room reflections, it's matte screens that distort, not the other way around. Glossy screens show better black detail than matte, and they are sharper. This results in a better ability to see noise in shadow areas and correct it, and spot processing artifacts. If a glossy LCD is honestly too 'contrasty' for you, then learn how to lower the contrast via the LCD controls or the video properties and THEN run your profile software.

For instance, my 'matte' screen polyview has a mediocre contrast ratio and is outdated in terms of brightness levels, and it's also set for 25% of it's ultimate contrast and brightness. Yet if I had a glossy option I'd take it in a heartbeat because I'd just calibrate accordingly. With a few other calibration tweaks my color and gamma accuracy is so bloody good I no longer bother soft proofing because what I see on screen is nearly a dead ringer for LightJet or ink-jet printing.

Unfortunatley, there has been an increasing trend towards working on hyper-bright LCDs and displays and letting your device profile compensate. Most of the Dell displays I've worked on lately if loaded with a 24 point grey step can't distinguish between the end wedges at all. A glossy screen certainly doesn't help that problem, but diffusing the display doesn't either.

"First, I don't consider any LCD on any laptop to be a serious contender when it comes to the context of "accurate" color. I've supported thousands of laptop in my career, and my generic 19" Polyview desktop LCD at home blows the best of the mobile garbage away."

Then I suggest you've never experienced some of the better laptop displays. I felt the same way until I did. And no, in my experience cheap desktop LCD's aren't any more colour accurate than your average laptop display..

" Laptop displays are designed for power saving, low cost, being dropped and surving, impressing midgets and NBA stars on airplanes, and other considerations that degrade their performance for critical color work."

In general yes. Some are designed as very serious stand alone graphic workstations and equipped with the appropriate screens.

"Next, all laptop LCD displays, and the majority of desktop video subsystems in general are stroked to make Doom3 and XMen DVD's look better than Photoshop. Contrast ratios are hyped as much processor clock speeds, and I don't recall being in an Apple store or CompUSA lately where computer displays are viewed in a perfect, 5000k low lux room where you can judge the skin tone renderings prior to soft proofing. "

I'd agree with this in general. But certainly not "all."

"Next, a glossy screen does not increase contrast nor does it distort. "

Actually it does, and it does it by focusing the viewing angle to concentrate what contrast and brightness it does have.

"If it were the case, then I'll take fine grit sandpaper to all my lenses and my TV screen because buffing them will make them more accurate displays, right?"

Very poor metaphor.. but now that you mention it you'll find the most accurate HDTV's to have matte screens.

"While glossy screens are pain in the neck in terms of bright room reflections, it's matte screens that distort, not the other way around. Glossy screens show better black detail than matte, and they are sharper. This results in a better ability to see noise in shadow areas and correct it, and spot processing artifacts. If a glossy LCD is honestly too 'contrasty' for you, then learn how to lower the contrast via the LCD controls or the video properties and THEN run your profile software."

My.. do you always talk down to people in this tone? Sorry, but you're just plain wrong about all of this. I suggest you do some more research.

" Yet if I had a glossy option I'd take it in a heartbeat because I'd just calibrate accordingly. With a few other calibration tweaks my color and gamma accuracy is so bloody good I no longer bother soft proofing because what I see on screen is nearly a dead ringer for LightJet or ink-jet printing. "

What? I thought All laptop screens were garbage and couldn't be counted on for colour accuracy?

"Unfortunatley, there has been an increasing trend towards working on hyper-bright LCDs and displays and letting your device profile compensate. Most of the Dell displays I've worked on lately if loaded with a 24 point grey step can't distinguish between the end wedges at all. A glossy screen certainly doesn't help that problem, but diffusing the display doesn't either."

I don't think you read my post very well at all and I think your experience is limited and what experience you do have is just plain wrong. If you read my post I agreed with many of your points and in fact said most all laptop displays are not colour accurate. However, some are and just because you haven't run across one doesn't mean they're not out there. There's a reason Dell's best screens designed for graphic workstations are matte and not glossy, and why "truelife" glossy screens are offered on all the cheaper models.

In fact.. ALL of the serious graphic desktop displays are matte and not glossy. The only glossy desktop displays are the cheap designer models made for general use.. and they're pretty few in number. Perhaps you might want to call up Eizo and Viewsonic and Sony and let them in on your view of glossy vs. matte screens because they must be doing it wrong. After all, people paying over 2k for a professional graphics monitor should expect the best right? And if you think glossy screens are the way to go then perhaps you should tell them? Hell, they might even stop laughing long enough to explain things to you.

btw - The M90's screen shows clearly all 24 steps. It's an amazing screen that blows the Apple MacBooks and most others I've see right out of the water. You might want to

Gents,

Thank you very much for your comments. It seems that you have presented some differing points of view and I appreciate it. I am in that kind of situation that I am not able to easily set up high quality monitors [LCD or CRT] and work from my laptop.

In the past I have used the most basic laptop for photo-editing and have found decent results as long as I have a fairly decent photo to start. That makes it easy. Now, I have another year or so and I will set up a high quality display with a desktop model computer and away I'll go.

I'm definitely not inclined for the glossy screens and will look to see where my advantages are within that arena.

Thanks!

Frank