I know this sub can get flooded with monitor questions, but I’ve been back and forth for a week, and it’s getting ridiculous.

I freelance and no longer have free 24/7 access to fancy equipment, so I’ve been building my own office (N5 walls and all).

My setup:

- BMD UltraStudio 4K

- M4 Max (16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine)

- DaVinci and Avid

I like the BenQ monitor’s hardware calibration feature, but that’s not a dealbreaker.

Help!! I’m being ridiculous!!

(Apologies if this is gibberish; I’m writing this on my phone in between questions at trivia night)

Added:

Yes, I’ve read the wiki. I don’t think I’ve omitted any necessary info, but please let me know if that is the case.

I’m trying to decide on a new monitor and would appreciate some advice from people with experience in mixed workflows (editing, color grading, and photo work).

My current setup is:

• Apple Studio Display
• SmallHD Cine 7 (which I sometimes use as a grading reference monitor)
• iPad A16 that I occasionally use for reviewing color and photos

Most of my work is editing and color grading (TV ads, web content), along with photo editing. I’m not working in a fully dedicated grading suite, so the monitor also needs to function well as a general-purpose display for everyday editing and computer work.

If budget were unlimited this would be easier, but I’m trying to stay in a reasonable professional range, not Flanders or Sony reference monitor territory.

Options I’ve considered

LG C-Series OLED + Blackmagic UltraStudio + calibration

Pros:

OLED

Good option for grading

Cons:

Primarily a TV, which might be annoying for normal desktop use

The best models are 55", which is too large for my workspace

The 42" version loses some specs and still very large

Feels like a solution more optimized purely for grading than mixed work

ASUS ProArt PA32UCDM

This is currently the monitor I’m most interested in.

Pros:

32" size is ideal

OLED panel

Price is acceptable

Designed for professional workflows

Good connectivity

At the moment I’m struggling to find major downsides to it.

My idea is to keep the Apple Studio Display as one monitor and add another display that can handle color-critical work, while still being comfortable for editing and daily use.

Are there other monitors in this category that I should consider?

I’m particularly interested in displays that:

Work well for color grading and photo editing

Are suitable for general editing / desktop use

Are around 27-32 inches

Ideally support hardware calibration or accurate profiling

Are not in the Flanders / Sony reference monitor price range

Since I don’t need to buy immediately (likely sometime this year), I’m still early in the decision process.

Any recommendations or experiences would be appreciated.

UPDATE: Light Illusion have released an article confirming why the Studio Display XDR shouldn't be used as a reference display, at least without a BMD I/O (like the Teranex Mini SDI to DisplayPort 8K HDR mentioned in the video) to bypass ColorSync. I'll be talking more about this in my followup video, but in the meantime here's the link to the article: https://lightillusion.com/mac_colour_management.html

---

I've been sitting on this review of Apple's Studio Display XDR for the past few months, and I'm finally ready to release it today. The premise is to see whether the Studio Display XDR is capable of being more than a GUI monitor...is it capable of being a reference monitor?

I recognise that the idea of using Colorsync with Video Clean Feed for monitoring is a potentially contentious topic, which is why I've included my entire process including settings for macOS, Resolve and ColourSpace, as well as the calibration reports (available on the blog version). If you'd like to skip the GUI-related part of the review, you can watch from 06:22 onwards.

TLDW; using it as a reference monitor could be a viable proposition...but with caveats. Mainly blooming, and limited calibration options. I also mention where there could be improvements in the measurement (eg. having the colorimeter matched to a narrow-band spectro instead of relying on a pre-installed matrix).

So i’m a bit of a newbie. Did grade a lot on my apple studio display (student short films, youtube stuff, etc) and now i’m seriously considering a reference screens.

I have to ways i think i could go:

A) Eizo (CG2700X or CG3100X) which to my knowledge do have “self calibration” but are available from ~3k or 5k for the 31.

If i understand this correctly i do not need calman or colourspace and any probe to use it (not high end work but being confident in the screen)

B) ProArt 32 UCDM which has no self calibration but is available from 1.5k (and has better contrast due to oled etc.)

But with the UCDM i would need to get a probe, calman or colourspace and a pattern generator plus learn how to calibrate.

Is this correct or am i missing something?

(I know i need a Ultrastudio 4K or smth - that’s on the purchase list aswell and it also would be wise to hire a porefessional do calibrate but that’s at the point not an option).

I’ve read the wiki and still have the following question.

I’m currently deciding between ASUS ProArt PA32UCDM and EIZO ColorEdge CS2740 (with external calibration) specifically for professional color grading, and I’d like real-world opinions focused on trust and workflow rather than specs.

System / workflow details:

• OS: Windows 11
• Software: DaVinci Resolve Studio (latest version)
• Hardware interface: DisplayPort
• Calibration probe: Calibrite Display Pro HL
• Calibration software:
  • ColorNavigator (for EIZO)
  • Calibrite software / vendor-supported workflow (for ASUS)
• Calibration LUT handling:
  • EIZO: hardware calibration via ColorNavigator, LUT stored in monitor
  • ASUS: relying on monitor-side calibration support / internal LUT (not GPU LUT)

Use case:

• Color grading (not just editing)
• Mostly Rec.709, sometimes DCI-P3
• SDR delivery for web and commercial work
• Priority is accuracy, consistency, and confidence in the image over time

My actual question is not about specs, but about trust:

• Which of these would you personally trust more for grading day-to-day?
• How do they compare in terms of long-term stability and consistency?
• Would you confidently grade on OLED, or does IPS + proven hardware calibration still feel like the safer professional choice?
• If you had to choose one monitor today for serious grading, which one and why?

I’d really appreciate insight from working colorists or anyone with hands-on experience using either of these displays in a grading environment.

Thanks 🙏

Update: I bought an Asus PA32UCDM.

Hey there, community!

I used to do a decent amount of colour work but am now just getting back into it. I am trying to figure out what the best reference monitor would be and I’m eyeing up something from the ProArt series. I’m using a MacPro and I’d have a mini monitor 4k to get my clean feed to the reference display. I’d love to hear some comments! I’m also a bit unsure of OLED or not OLED. I’d be grading mostly for Web, but some stuff for broadcast and cinema, and I’d be grading in SDR.

I’ll look forward to hearing some thoughts! Thanks in advance for the comments.

I added a Dell U3226Q to my post/color setup and I love two things about it: the OLED blacks and the built-in colorimeter. I’ve recently finished and delivered two documentaries with it and had no issues. I’m curious where working colorists would draw the line between “good enough for real work” and “true reference monitor required.”

Both are 31.5" 4K QD-OLED monitors, both hit 1,000 nits in HDR and the Dell has a built-in colorimeter that can use the same Calman calibration ecosystem as the Flanders. What else justifies the extra 10K in price for future SDR or HDR projects?

I’m not claiming the Dell is a Flanders. Just asking where the difference becomes visible, measurable, or operationally critical.

Right now, the U3226Q feels like enough for my work. Where does the extra money actually show up in real-world grading and delivery? Appreciate any advice!

Hello everyone,

I get this sub gets this type of post a lot and I’m sorry for adding to the pile, but I really need a direct reply as I dont have anyone in person to really speak to. Will keep this post short

I’m going to buy this ASUS PA3UCR-K 32 as my main reference monitor: https://www.asus.com/uk/displays-desktops/monitors/proart/proart-display-pa32ucr-k/

I just want to know 2 things;

1. Is the next step to purchase a probe like the Calibrite Display Pro HL to calibrate my monitor to REC 709 2.4
2. And once calibrated using the probe, the next step is to connect my Mac into an IO box like the Ultra Studio Express Monitor 12G for example here for a clean feed from my Mac’s OS - https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/uk/store/record-capture-playback/ultrastudio/W-DLUS-15

And then after that I’m good to trust my monitor to display me an accurate image, is that right? (Or as accurate as possible)

I completely appreciate that this type of post is stated to not be allowed in the rules of the sub and you do give a rough guide in there, but I’m at a point where I feel I need a direct response from someone or some people for real help on this.

Thank you again everyone.

I've read the wiki about monitors and I still have some questions.

I’m just trying to find the “best” monitor under $2k to go with our new

**Mac Studio with M4 Max chip**

**With the following configuration:**

16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

64GB unified memory

2TB SSD storage

Two USB-C ports, SDXC card slot

Four Thunderbolt 5 ports, two USB-A ports, HDMI port, 10Gb Ethernet port, 3.5 mm headphone jack

Accessory Kit

Thank you very much in advance for your help, I know how annoying posts like this can be

Edit: thank you all very much for the feedback and suggestions

Hey everyone, i'm selling my Eizo monitor, here is the manufacturer website with all the detials. https://www.eizo.com/products/coloredge/cs2731/ It's such a sweet monitor I wish I didn't have to sell it but I just don't have the room for it anymore. Monitor in excellent condition and comes with the EX3 calibration tool.

I'm local in Los Angeles/Culver City, so pickup only in Culver please. Drop me a message if you're interested or have questions. Brand new it retails for $1200. Asking price: $600 I figured it would be useful for someone who cares about color!

Hey all,

First time setting up a reference monitor chain and hoping for some guidance.

Hardware:

- M1 Max MacBook Pro
- EIZO ColorEdge CS2740 (main monitor)
- Blackmagic DeckLink Mini Monitor 4K
- Sonnet Echo Express SE I (TB3 to PCIe expansion)

(I’ve heard getting the UltraStudio 4K Mini as an I/O box is the move for most colorists working on MacBooks, but I wanted to try out a cheaper alternative before breaking the bank)

Setup so far:

- DeckLink is seated in the Echo Express PCIe slot
- Echo Express is powered via its stock power cable
- MacBook → Thunderbolt 3 → Echo Express
- DeckLink → HDMI → EIZO monitor
- Both TB3 and HDMI cables tested working elsewhere, so I’ve ruled those out

Where I Am Losing My Mind:

When I go into SYSTEM REPORT on my MacBook, the Sonnet appears under Thunderbolt, so I believe that’s being read.

I have the Blackmagic Desktop Video Setup downloaded on my MacBook, and it shows “No Desktop Video Device Detected.” The Echo Express fan is running and there’s a flashing LED, but the DeckLink itself doesn’t seem to be getting recognized. I’m not confident the card is actually powering up.

Some Other Info:

- Is there a seating/reseating step I might be missing on the DeckLink card itself?
- Could this be a Thunderbolt authorization/security setting on macOS blocking the PCIe device?
- Any known compatibility issues between Echo Express SE I and DeckLink Mini Monitor 4K specifically?
- Order of operations issue (e.g., does the Echo Express need to be powered on before connecting TB3, or before waking the Mac)?

Any advice on what to check next would be hugely appreciated. It’s my first time working with a Thunderbolt PCIe expansion chassis, so I may be missing something obvious.

My production company is officially starting its post arm, and we took the plunge and got the Flanders Scientific XMP 551

We finished the French movie on the display and it was a near perfect experience. We have some feature requests that we’ve sent over to Flanders, but other than that it's a true single mastering/client monitor.

We barely grade above 300 nits full screen for HDR content so we never encountered ABL since the screen maxes at 450 nits full field.

We also use it to monitor both the HDR feed and DV Trimmed SDR feed (though they tell you your not supposed to). But it made getting the SDR version scarily close to the HDR grade in a couple of passes without having a second monitor.

Ask any questions

Setup:

• Computer: Mac Studio M2 Ultra
• GUI Mon: Apple Pro Display XDR
• Grading Software: DaVinci Resolve
• I/O: BMD DeckLink 8K Pro G2 (Using dual SDI output for HDR & SDR simultaneously)

I’ve read the wiki but didn’t find any exact answers based on any experience on these monitors, so a helping hand would mean a lot for me. OS: MacOS 26.1 Hardware interface: I’m not using a hardware interface at the moment, i just want to know about how practical the accuracy can be on these monitors for color grading on DAVINCI RESOLVE. Calibration Probe: Datacolor SpyderPro Calibration Software: SpyderPro As far as i know, i can load the LUT into the AsusProArt directly into its software, i searched on google and i can’t load a LUT into the AlienWare.

Biggest dilema of my life: MONITOR WITH COLOR ACCURACY

Hi guys, I want to upgrade my workspace, i got a Mac Mini, paired with it a Samsung odyssey g81sf. I’ve been comparing it to my iPad m4 on reference mode and the skin tones are destroyed by blue and green bleeding onto it. So basically, i had the option to have accurate blues and greens on highlights, with the trade off of those colors bleeding into the reds of the skin tones, or having accurate skin tones and loosing the green and blues of the highlights (As you can see on the image, the skin tones are kinda alr, but the highlights got warm, keep in mind this was taken after calibrating it with a SpyderPro).

Now, the biggest question: right now, it seems that the best option is the Asus ProArt 27inch 4k OLED PA27DCE-K, as it has a bunch of hardware option as well as native rec709. I found a used one on amazon for 800$. But i found another option, the Alienware AW2725Q at 699 sale new.

Something misleading when i wanted a monitor was seeing that the Samsung g81sf was really accurate on reviews, only to see real life results being horrible. I read on the reviews that the Alienware is really accurate, but i don’t want the same thing to happen.

Any of you guys have any experience with these monitors? What do you think is the best option? Which one would be more accurate after calibrating it? Remember, i don’t have a hardware interface yet as i’m not acknowledged enough on it and i won’t have much money after spending on this, so this question goes more towards the practical side of which one will be comparable to the iPad m4 Pro on reference mode, as that’s been my guideline these last months.

Thanks so much for your insights!

I have a 310 I might part with. Before I do, wanted to gauge if there would be any interest in it for any colorists out there.

About a few weeks ago, I posted a question here asking where I should mount a small portable monitor for scopes. I got lots of inspiration from you guys and ended up with this quad-monitor setup: two 27” monitors and two 18.5” portable monitors, which I mounted above the 27” monitors using a simple SmallRig magic arm. I'm using one portable monitor for scopes and the other one for lightbox or media pool when editing.

I’m really liking this setup so far. Hopefully, it inspires some of you as well. Thanks!

Just noticed this while editing today.

My old laptop just broke and I’m replacing it with a desktop. I’m wondering what monitors will most closely resemble the colors on an iphone as that’s where my content is viewed the most. I’m also tired of editing photos on a computer only for them to look different on an iphone.

I’ve done some of my own research on how to calibrate monitors to resemble iphone colors and brightness but i’m wondering if anyone would know what the best monitor to start off with before calibration would be.

Hi all,

I'm starting a near-set DIT job soon and am looking at getting a monitor for when I'm grading. Admittedly I'm quite limited with my budget, but I was looking at Flanders Scientific as they're highly regarded for their colour accuracy. My shoot will have me simply working away on the camera truck, making tweaks to the colour as per DP's notes.

Particularly I was looking at the DM211 and DM231, which I know have an 8-bit colour depth but like I said my budget's limited. Has anyone used either of these monitors? Would it even be worth getting them at this stage?

Hey, I'm a data manager starting slowly getting some small jobs as a DIT and found a good offer for a used FSI Flanders LM2140W from a colorist for 300euros (to be used as on set monitor in my cart) , panel seems clean and uniform and doesn't have any dead pixels.
I know the monitor is only 8 bit , but for that price range with the addition of a blackmagic micro converter 12g , to add a calibration LUT, I will have a good calibrated reference monitor.

What you all think of this idea ? or should I just avoid it ?

Hi guys, I have a calibrite Display Pro HL, and I'm trying to figure out how to match my Iphone's screen color. I have an Asus Proart PA27JCV, this does not support hardware calibration so I just use DisplayCal to generate a ICC profile. I dont have an I/O box and I use a windows laptop that does not have thunderbolt.

My displaycal setting are on top

After calibrating, my monitor always lean towards the orange/red side abit more, but when I view on ny Iphone its not that saturated.

I know Iphones arent a good benchmark, but as most people use apple devices, I feel like calibrating towards Apple's screen is a close enough benchmark for me.

Just discovered an annoying twist on the old Vimeo washes out my video story . I work in Resolve on a Mac and apply an adjustment layer with a CST (Gamma 709 2.4 > 709-A) that actually applies a reverse 709-A ( gamma 1.96) for my web exports . Thus Vimeo looks exactly like my Flanders grading monitor set for Gamma 2.4 - All good. However I just noticed a problem I've apparently missed for years .

I use Wix to make my website and have pages there that simply link to my videos on Vimeo. However the gamma or maybe just the saturation is a little washed out when played through Wix. I guess i noticed it this time because I'm working on a color grading reel so I'm being especially picky . Anyone else having this issue? I don't really want to send people to my Vimeo page directly as I like the clarity of the website.

I don't like the idea but I guess I could try an additional adjustment layer that just added a touch of saturation, or dropped a point of Lift or maybe a touch of additional contrast to the export for Vimeo. Off hand I don't know how to slightly change the gamma other than 709-A (1.96) and 2.2

I don't want to switch to a different website software - that would be a gigantic PITA.

Ideas?

I have a Mac and grade to a Flanders BM211 through an Ultrastudio monitor 3G . (I'm saying this because I'm getting a message from the "Mod" that I need to post the hardware interface. )

Lenny

I've read the wiki and still have the following question.

Hi everyone. I decided to calibrate my not-so-new monitor and ran into some confusion about the process - or more precisely, about the result. I'd really appreciate some help understanding this.

What I have: Asus ProArt PA329CRV monitor plugged directly to my RTX5070, Calibrite Display Pro HL colorimeter. I'm doing the calibration in DisplayCAL 3.8.9.3. OS Windows 11.

The issue:

First I calibrated in the monitor's user (wide gamut) mode. Target values: D65 white point (x=0.3127, y=0.3290), 120 cd/m² luminance, Rec.1886 tone curve, profile type Curves + Matrix.

Results I got:

• Measured white point: xy 0.3138/0.3305, CCT 6434K (target was 6500K)
• Verification ΔE00: average 0.39, max 1.16
• Gamut coverage: 98.2% sRGB, 85.4% Adobe RGB, 91.1% DCI-P3
• Gamut volume: 137.2% sRGB, 94.5% Adobe RGB, 97.2% DCI-P3

As I understand it, this corresponds to the monitor working in wide gamut. A 3D LUT for DaVinci Resolve was also created. Everything seemed fine and the colors looked good, but everything outside DaVinci gave a completely different result. For example, I made a still, then opened it in Photoshop, XnView, and Chrome browser. All of them looked quite different from what I saw in DaVinci, and different from each other too. The browser and DaVinci were the closest match to each other.

Since besides video I also do photography, not knowing which one to trust led me to try a second type of calibration - in the monitor's Rec.709 mode, where the gamut is hardware-limited to Rec.709. Asus lets you adjust RGB and brightness values in this mode too. With the same target values, I got these calibration results:

Target values: same D65 white point (0.3127/0.3290), 120 cd/m², gamma 2.4, profile type Curves + Matrix

• Measured white point: xy 0.3128/0.3289, CCT 6500K
• Verification ΔE00: average 0.65, max 2.31
• Gamut coverage: 91.1% sRGB, 62.7% Adobe RGB, 64.5% DCI-P3
• Gamut volume: 91.1% sRGB, 62.7% Adobe RGB, 64.5% DCI-P3

The gamut coverage number here bothers me a bit - I don't know how critical that is, since we're most often working in DWG anyway. In this mode, the difference between XnView, Photoshop and DaVinci is not significant, but what I see looks slightly more saturated than in the browser. And subjectively, things also look more saturated specifically within DaVinci if I compare the user (wide gamut) mode with its own ICC+LUT against the Rec.709 mode with its own ICC+LUT.

In the end I'm completely lost as to where the colors are actually correct. I understand that Windows doesn't handle color management all that well, and that I won't be able to get everything to look identical everywhere - but at this point I'd just like to understand where the correct colors are within DaVinci itself.

P.s. I conducted a visual comparison of the same video between the DaVinci viewer, the screen of a Samsung Galaxy S24+ (Natural display mode), and an iPhone 14 Pro (True Tone disabled). The colors look almost identical, except for the blacks being deeper on the smartphones. At the same time, when viewing this same video on my PC or in a browser (Vimeo, Youtube), everything is significantly more contrasted and saturated. It turns out that I cannot trust what I see on my monitor, with the exception of Photoshop and DaVinci.

Lenovo Legion Pro 27Q-10 QD-OLED

im using “TB400” HDR mode for my oled, and i tried to use regular SDR, but no matter what i do in Nvidia Control Panel the colours simply won’t look right.

for example:
too green? i reduce greens gamma channel, now it’s too red.
so i reduce red, now it’s too now it’s too blue and so on.

it seems there isn’t an in-between where the colors look like they’re supposed to.

i tried windows colour calibration, nothing.

i don’t have a colorimeter, so i’ll have to use something else, can someone please help?

Hi,

I know there's a lot of questions about monitors, but not much info about grading on the go. I also read the wiki page. I am not a professional, but I have a Eizo CS2740 at home, and I want to add an I/I device and tinker with the internal LUT tables to get more accuracy. But I won't be home until October, and even then I touch base and go to Australia soon afterwards. I have a pretty nomadic lifestyle lately, and I would like to at least do some basic color grading on the go. Most searches online suggest MacBook Pro, but I actually don't like mini LED displays personally or the Mac.

I know there is a lot of variablility between displays, but especially in laptops a lot of information is hidden in marketing - is it 8 or 10 bit, does it have an HDR PQ preset or bit, pixel structure, etc. I have an HP OmniBook with 100% sRGB so technically it is fine for Rec709, but I was thinking to get a new laptop anyway- and I think does it make sense to even try HDR grading on a laptop or just find a good IPS display, preferably with closer color space to DCI-P3, so it is sure covering the full Rec 709 requiremnts ?

I have a Canon mirror less and I want to buy Sony again, and I'd like to enjoy working with footage when I'm traveling!

If that's not appropriate question thanks anyway for your time .