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New iMacs too shiny for graphics?
- Thread starter zarusoba
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I used to think that they were way too shiny, but with somewhat decent placing our office iMac is used for graphics and haven't seen any issues to deter from it's purpose 
I got the 20in iMac and bought a 24in LCD to attach to it because I personally don't like the super gloss but I saw a friends 24in iMac and they loved the thing. If you can get to a Best Buy or Apple store and play with one I would highly suggest it.
Afterwords if you don't mind the gloss make sure you get the cheapest 24in model because the screens are much higher quality. My 20in is a very cheap TN panel and if you make a solid gray background you can clearly tell the top is darker than the bottom making it look like a gradient. (More light is hitting the bottom 1/3rd than the top)
One last thing though if you have no choice but to have the iMac facing a large window you will have issues with reflections no matter how bright you make your screen. I made sure mine is in the corner facing away from a window, otherwise it can get pretty distracting.
Hope this helps.
I won't go into another "Why do you hate me Apple for only glossy MBP options!?" but you really have to ask yourself if the glossy is going to bother you or not. I won't sugar coat it, anything 'black' will reflect your face/room/window/lamp unless the room itself is pitch black and if you are just web surfing/word/excel who cares but if you watch movies/touch up photos etc it can be very distracting to some people. (like me).
I will full admit the screens on the 24in are beautiful but if you have poor eyesight, bothered by reflective surfaces or easily prone to eye strain headaches etc it may not be the best choice. Only you can know that though. Some people swear they have no issues with it and wouldn't go back to another non-glossy screen but again it's all about what you like.
I've got a matte LCD right next to a glossy CRT and personally prefer the LCD. With CRT monitors you're more looking "into" rather than "at" the monitor and it obviously has a glossy sheen to it because it's basically just a huge light bulb with a matrix of pixels in front.
Does the glare really make a difference for graphics work when it's being the norm for decades before LCDs came out?
Does the glare really make a difference for graphics work when it's being the norm for decades before LCDs came out?
But you're going to have trouble with perceiving accurate colour in such conditions regardless, but to be fair, this is a problem that affects all screens, makes you wonder how we managed with CRT's for all those years really.
True but CRTs after awhile had all sorts of anti-reflective coatings on it to try and reduce glare (darkened glare etc) but the iMac is just glass with no obvious treatment to reduce reflections/glare so there is a pretty big difference.
Yes it does, and professional CRT's came with large hoods that surrounded the screen to help cut back on any light sources bouncing off it. Plus at my last corporate job I had a desk with a floor/ceiling window behind me and it made my life miserable until I finally convinced them to move me to a darker spot in the office. (thankfully)
I even had some video editor/design friends who basically worked in home made caves with windows blocked out so they could turn everything off and the only real light was from their duel/quad CRT's. (how they didn't go blind is beyond me)
The glossyness is overrated. Unless you work in a really bright room you will rarely notice reflections. Its not nearly as big a deal as the TN panel in the 20" imac, that will genuinely screw your work up. I dont know why people make such a fuss over the glossy screens when youre stuck with a TN panel.
To YOU it is overrated but guess what? Other people disagree, I know shocker. The OP stated clearly that it does bother them and wanted to know if it is that bad at home/office and it really depends on the lighting. That is why I made it clear that I couldn't stand it but others I know are fine with it in a controlled environment, and that the OP needs decide if it bothers them enough to stop them from purchasing it.
Depends on the lighting. We have 12 foot windows in our office, so the glare sucks. You can even see it on some photos I took for our site. http://www.chicowebdesign.com/images/main/web-services.jpg. It bothers me when I work on it, which isn't very often. It's one of my employees computer.
I have a 24" iMac that I use all the time for design. The screen faces a window, so there is obviously some glare, but it's never really bothered me. I have a secondary monitor with a matte screen but actually prefer the glossy one of the iMac.
Weird, I know.
Weird, I know.
I personally have not used the new glossy iMacs extensively, but my coworker has a glossy iMac. I spent a couple of hours in front of that iMac and the glare still bothers me: all black objects seem like they are mirrors where you can see stuff behind you as well as get all the glare from whatever sources of light straight into your eyes.
I am sure one can get used to everything and learn to live with any inconvenience. After all, humans are very adaptable beings. However, I am going to wait for matte option before I buy my next Mac. Today's only option (laptopwise) is the new 17'' with antiglare option. I am hoping that other laptops will have the same option. If not, then Lenovo + Hackintosh it is.
I am sure one can get used to everything and learn to live with any inconvenience. After all, humans are very adaptable beings. However, I am going to wait for matte option before I buy my next Mac. Today's only option (laptopwise) is the new 17'' with antiglare option. I am hoping that other laptops will have the same option. If not, then Lenovo + Hackintosh it is.
Wait MB or MB PRO? I gotta say the screen on the new MB is the cheapest TN screen I've ever seen. Please tell me if you are doing color critical jobs you plug it into a better screen? Not trying to be rude but even hooking it up to a cheap 22in LCD would help.
It's really not this bad. I have a glossy MB and iMac and it's the same thing with both: if there's a light source behind you, or above and behind you, you'll likely see a reflection. If your light sources are off to the side, or just not too bright (about 25 fc or so) you won't have a problem.
If there's a light source behind your screen you're probably going to have trouble seeing the screen well anyway.
Glossy 24" iMac can be used for graphics with a caveat: it depends upon where you place it. If a window is behind or on either side of you, daylight glare is most distracting. With a solid wall behind you in a dim room, you have a better chance. If glare cannot be avoided you can add an anti-glare film or hook up a second monitor. Film may affect color fidelity. Invest in calibration hardware/software.
Thanks for linking to my post on the glossy iMacs. I also posted a followup review of sorts of the NuShield anti-glare film (link) after installation in case anyone is interested. In short, the film works to reduce glare, but if you're picky about how your Mac looks, you may want to think look around a bit. Because of the iMac's design and some shortcuts NuShield has taken in manufacturing the film for the iMac, it's not exactly a clean installation. NuShield could make some minor modifications to improve the aesthetics, but that may end up affecting price too.
I do use a NuShield AG film on my PowerBook, but that's more for scuff protection. One thing that I wonder about with the film on the PowerBook is that putting anything over the screen is going to reduce the amount of light coming from the screen. On a desktop machine with a tether to an AC outlet that's not much of a concern, but I regularly use my PowerBook on battery power, and find that I need to run the screen a little brighter than before, which affects battery life.
you could always go through a process of replacing the glass over the screen with a matte finish.. Don't ask me how
I also found this, to the point where I thought it was close to unusable (or just unbelievably annoying) for imaging/design work.
S
I have worked on a new generation iMac 24" and even in a room with significant lighting, the screen is very viewable, even in daylight. As long as you don't have the bright sun directly shining on the screen you really have nothing to worry about with the glossy screen. It looks beautiful, and you get deeper contrast with the glossy screen which in turn gives you a better impression of what you are working on.
I've never been a fan of All in Ones because I'd like to pick my own screen out. (Hopes for Mid Range Apple desktop). I don't own any desktop lcds with glossy screens, but from what I've read hardware calibration is near impossible on a glossy screen. So until apple comes out with an affordable mac pro or a mid range desktop, I am gonna hang onto my hand me down Powermac G5 which has treated me well.
