1. SMPTE

• Adjust the brightness and contrast.
• Check and fix corner colors.
• Check and fix the size, shape, focus, resolution, convergence and colors.

1. Adjust the brightness & contrast.
   • Set a comfortable contrast.
   • Tuneup the brightness.
     There are 10 blocks inside the frames. Their brightness is from 1% to 10%.
     Each block has a bright spot above it - it helps to locate the block on a dark screen.
     • Increase the brightness until all blocks become visible.
     • Then decrease the brightness until 1%-3% blocks just disappear.
     • If you are writing or reading text only, try to hide the 4% block too.
   • Tuneup the contrast.
     There are 10 frames - each one inside another. They are formed in a "bottom-right" shape.
     Their brightness is from 5% to 50% in step of 5%.
     There is a bright spot above most internal frame.
     • Adjust the contrast until the frames become visible and clearly distinguishable in intensity.
     • If you are writing or reading text only, try to make the most internal frame almost invisible.
2. Check the gray scale - it's from black to white.
   • Check the gray gradient.
   • There are 21 gray blocks - the step is 5% brightness.
3. Check and fix basic colors.
   Tune up the RGB controls until all the RGB and CMY are OK.
   • Check intermediate colors.
4. Check and fix corner colors.
5. Check RGB gradients.
6. Check and fix the shape and linearity of the whole image.
   Observe the grille and the central circle. There is a dashed line at image's periphery.
7. Check and fix the shape and linearity in image corners.
   Observe the grille and circles in image corners.
8. Check and fix the convergence.
   
   • Quick check:
     Preview the markers in central part of the image and in its corners.
   • Detailed check:
     Preview the grille about any convergence evidence.
     Change the color of the grille (WCMY) and check again.
9. Check and fix the resolution.
   Observe the line and chessboard templates until you tuneup the resolution.
10. Check and fix the focus.
    Observe dots and small rectangles in central part of the image and in its corners.
11. Check the readability.
12. Finally adjust the brightness & contrast once again.

	The brightness & contrast template.
	The gray scale template.
	The basic colors and the intermediate colors templates. Intermediate colors are available in test step #3.
	The corner colors template. Corner colors are available in test step #2 and #3.
	The RGB color gradients template.
	The convergence template.
	The resolution template.
	The focus template.
	The readability template.

2. Eye moiré

• Find out the First moiré zone.
  Run 1x1 moiré patterns.
  Move your eyes close enough to the screen (a span or less) until pixels become visible.
  Start moving your eyes away from the screen slowly.
  At some point "A" the moiré effect will occur - this is the beginning of the 1st moiré zone.
  Continue to move away from the screen until the effect disappears - this is the end of the 1st moiré zone - point "B".
• Find out the Second moiré zone.
  Run 2x2 moiré patterns.
  Move your eyes at the end of the 1st moiré zone.
  Start moving your eyes away from the screen slowly.
  At some point "C" the moiré effect will occur again - this is the beginning of the 2nd moiré zone.
  The end of the 2nd moiré zone (point "D") is not interesting.
• Mark or remember these three points/distances from the screen.
• Work zones.
  • Main work zone - between point "B" and point "C".
    This is the normal working zone. Try to keep your eyes in this zone only.
  • Details zone - between the screen and point "A".
    Position your eyes in this zone only when hunting pixels or micro scratches.
• You should never position your eyes in moiré zones.

• Higher brightness.
  This zone is 2-4 times closer to the screen than the Work zone. As a result the brightness is 4-16 times higher.
• Mosaic view.
  Pixels are visible and the image appears as a mosaic. The mosaic is a "difficult" image and you should look at it for a short time only.

3. Brightness & Contrast

1. Set a comfortable contrast.
2. Tuneup the brightness.
   There are 10 blocks inside the frames. Their brightness is from 1% to 10%.
   Each block has a bright spot at its center - it helps to locate the block on a dark screen.
   • Increase the brightness until all blocks become visible.
   • Then decrease the brightness until 1%-3% blocks just disappear.
   • If you are writing or reading text only, try to hide the 4% block too.
3. Tuneup the contrast.
   There are 10 frames - each one inside another. Their brightness is from 5% to 50% in step of 5%.
   • Adjust the contrast until the frames become visible and clearly distinguishable in intensity.
   • If you are writing or reading text only, try to make the most internal frame almost invisible.

• The Brightness control.
  It adjusts the low-level of the light output to tuneup the black color on the screen.
  Use it to adjust the black color according ambient light.
• The Contrast control.
  It's used to set the amplification of the light output - this is the ratio between the low and high level of the output. I.e., how brighter is the white color compared to the black color on the screen.
  Use it to set a comfortable output from the monitor. This "comfortable" level depends both on the ambient light and the colors shown on the screen.

• Sometimes it's better to set the brightness a bit low and to lose some of the darkest shades. This way you'll get a better contrast and more natural black.
• The light output can be affected by current resolution of the screen. If so you should tuneup the brightness and contrast settings.
• If there is a lot of white color on your screen, just decrease a bit the contrast. This will protect your eyes.

4. Moiré

• Look for waves, wisps, ripples, bundles, shimmers, etc. of intensity variations.
• Use all patterns and colors.
• The moiré varies with template, color and intensity.

• Adjust focus.
  Defocus the image slightly.
• Increase the contrast.
  Add some contrast. This will increase the beam current level and the focus spot size. The result is a defocused picture.
• Change the output image size.
  Make the picture bigger or smaller. This will change the ratio between the resolution and the shadow mask thus avoiding the interference.
• Reduce the resolution.
  This one always works.
• Avoid gray and dark gray backgrounds.
  Use white or almost white background. This will increase the projecting beam level and defocus the picture.
• External filters.
  Some external "low radiation" filters generate or increase the moiré. Check to output picture with and without the filter.
• Moiré controls.
  Use H-Moiré control to fix vertical lines and V-Moiré control to fix horizontal lines.
• Use defocusing techniques under control of the focus & readability tests.

5. Resolution

• Check the signal with the Grid template.
• Check the horizontal resolution with the V-lines template.
• Check the vertical resolution with the H-lines template.
• Use other Dots templates (chessboard, aperture, grille) and check the image.
• In a common case the 1st and 2nd tests (Grid & V-lines) are important, others "just confirm" the image is sharp & focused and without effects.

• The white lines are visible.
  The resolution is OK.
• The image is an interference pattern.
  Probably the dot pitch is too coarse for this resolution. For example, the monitor is running in a non-native resolution.
• The image is just a gray color.
  Either the video card or the monitor's video amplifier is too slow for chosen combination of resolution and refresh rate.

The vertical lines are gray instead of white. Check the monitor's interface cable. Solution: replace the cable. Check the video card. Such an output image is a common problem for cheap video cards. The monitor cannot fix the signal in this case. Correct solution: use better video card. Cheap solution: use a lower resolution. Finally the problem is a poor video amplifier inside the monitor, or the combination of resolution and refresh rate is outside its performance. Correct solution: upgrade/repair the monitor. Cheap solution: use a lower resolution.

If there are shadows behind the white lines on black background (or vice versa), then it's may be an overshooting problem. In most cases the source is the video card - the output is increased so much and it starts to oscillate. Check the monitor's interface cable. Solution: replace the cable. Check the video card. Such an output image is a common problem for cheap video cards. The monitor cannot fix the signal in this case. Correct solution: use better video card. Cheap solution: use a lower resolution. Finally the problem is a poor video amplifier inside the monitor, or the combination of resolution and refresh rate is outside its performance. Correct solution: upgrade/repair the monitor. Cheap solution: use a lower resolution.

6. Focus

• Adjust the focus.
  The pattern should be as sharp as possible.
• Decrease the contrast.
  This will reduce the thickness of the beam.
• Adjust the picture size.
  Shrink the output image size if the focus in corners is still bad.
• Use complementary colors.
  Draw output images with complementary colors and decrease the contrast level.

• Resolution.
• Convergence.
• Blooming.
  When the brightness is increased, the beam current level is increased too. As a result the focus spot of the projecting beam is enlarged. When the focus spot becomes bigger than the pixel, the monitor appears unfocused.
• The bandwidth of the video amplifier.

Focused	Unfocused

7. Convergence

• Degauss the monitor.
• Try to put the red, green and blue lines into a single white line.
  The plan is:
  • Make the center perfect.
  • Improve the corners as possible.
• Some aberrations are tolerable.

Perfect convergence	Vertical misconvergence	Horizontal misconvergence

Theoretical convergence	Vertical misconvergence	Horizontal misconvergence

8. Readability

• Check the text to be readable in all areas: center and corners.
• There should not be colored ornaments of character glyphs.

9. Display Luminance

10. Complementary colors - uniformity to gray

• Open at least two tests per monitor - use video wall settings.
  This way, complementary colors templates can be compared each other.
• Change the "test step" to find the right pattern.
  For example, set the Black & White pattern in the first test,
  then set the Red & Cyan pattern in the second test.
• Move away from the display.
  The goal is to get the chessboard pattern to look like a homogeneous gray block.
• Preview how close both templates are.
• Compare other templates.
• Tune up the deviation on both tests and compare templates again.

11. Complementary colors - difference from gray

• Open at least two tests per monitor - use video wall settings.
  This way, complementary colors templates can be compared against the gray.
• Set the "test step" to the Gray pattern in the first test.
• Set the "test step" to one of complementary colors templates in the second test.
  For example, set the Red & Cyan pattern.
• Move away from the display.
  The goal is to get the chessboard pattern to look like a homogeneous gray block.
• Tune up the "Fix" in the Gray template until both templates look closest.
• Remember the Fix value.
• Compare the Gray with other templates and remember the Fix values again.
• The Fix values in all comparisons should be (almost) the same.

12. Color recognition level

• Tune the opacity.
  The goal is to "get the green" color. Your color recognition level is the opacity percentage.
• Compare the result with your étalon values.
• Common mistake is to register the change of the base color shade instead of the appearance of the green.

• Ambient light.
  The light reflects from the image surface and according the surface's glossy and diffuse factors forms the output image. While the glossy and diffuse factors are constant, the ambient light can be changed dramatically: from a sunny daylight to a dark room.
• Monitor's brightness and contrast.
  As there is no perfect display the output image will be perceived differently.
• Eye fatigue.
  It varies during the working day (and other health factors) and affects the perception of colors.

1. Basics.
   • The level is measured on two backgrounds: white and black.
   • Base colors: the spot colors inside the circle.
2. Measure the étalon values.
   • Divide your working day on periods according the light.
   • Decide about target monitors. For example, monitors on which you process images/colors.
   • Check the monitors' positions during one working period.
   • Measure the "color recognition level" for each period, target monitor and position.
   • The best scenario is to process the étalon measurement in both condition:
     • When your eyes are relaxed.
       
     • When your eyes are tired.
       
     This way you will know your personal threshold (the color level equivalent) of eye fatigue.
3. Determine your current color recognition level.
   Be aware of it anytime you run after colors. If the level differs too much from the étalon then it's better to relax your eyes or to get a better light.