Question about iMac reflection and second monitor

[Flatz]

I will be getting my first Mac soon.... 27" iMac.
I'm a professional artist (mostly painting), I also do some work in Photoshop, and edit lots of photos of my work.
I will also be experimenting with some video.

I have heard many talk about the large amount of reflection people get from iMacs.
Some have said that when working with an image with lots of dark or black areas it's like looking in a mirror.

Now, the monitor I'm using for my current PC is the SyncMaster T220.
It seems to be pretty good, only one dead pixel that I see, and I don't get reflections on it.

My plan already was to use the T220 as my secondary monitor on my iMac.
But I'm wondering, should I actually be using the T220 for editing my images?

I'm curious what the photo editing experience has been for you iMac users.

Any advice?

 

[Kebabselector]

I'm curious what the photo editing experience has been for you iMac users.

I only had an iMac for a week, It had a few issues so it went back. The reason I didn't get an exchange was purely reflections. Some don't mind the reflection, but I hated it. As I had the 21.5" version I had no external monitor option, that said I wouldn't like one gloss and one matte screen either. So I went back to my old Samsung and MacMini.

 

[Ruahrc]

I only had an iMac for a week, It had a few issues so it went back. The reason I didn't get an exchange was purely reflections. Some don't mind the reflection, but I hated it. As I had the 21.5" version I had no external monitor option, that said I wouldn't like one gloss and one matte screen either. So I went back to my old Samsung and MacMini.

Unless I am mistaken the 21.5" iMac has the port for a 2nd monitor as well?

To the OP: I would not use the T220 as the primary monitor for editing. It is a TN panel which will have inferior color response compared to the IPS panel of the iMac's own display. If you can, try to control the lighting around your work area to minimize reflections, if you don't put it next to a window or something, then you will should not have too many issues with reflections.

Ruahrc

 

[Kebabselector]

Unless I am mistaken the 21.5" iMac has the port for a 2nd monitor as well?

I think you're right. I was thinking about input, only the 27" can be used as monitor source.

Still the reflections were an issue, I couldn't reconfigure my house around the iMac so it had to go. I found I got reflections at night also, though hiding a light source and dressing like Steve Jobs might have helped. My fault entirely for wearing Adidas. The stripes show up quite clearly on the iMirror.

 

[davegregory]

I have a 27" iMac that I use for photo editing and I use it paired with a 24" LED Cinema Display, also glossy. I don't have any issues personally with glare from either screen. What I do when I want to do really intense colour work is, turn off all the lights and then put a night light, or I use a LED usb reading light, behind the monitors and then I can see what I'm doing but there's no light to reflect off the screens at all. Works great for me.

 

[Eaton Photos]

Here is my experience. Fall 2008, I bought a 24" iMac for the purpose of editing photos. Initially I was hesitant b/c of all negative views regarding the glossiness of the display. After I got it setup, and started using it, I did end up needing to do, what others' have suggested; close the curtains, turn off the lights, etc etc... By doing all those things, it did make it easier to use, but was also a hassle at the same time. So my solution came in Spring of 2009, when I bought a used 23" ACD. I bought the DVI to Mini Adapter, and thus I solved all my problems. The ACD became my editing screen, and now I do not have any glare or reflections. Plus, I don't need to turn off the lights, close the curtains, or do anything else.

Having two same sized screens, is definitely a bonus, BUT, even more important is having two color accurate screens. While the Cinema Display is older tech, it still gives me extremely accurate results. I'll use the iMac for browsing online, and anything that is not important for color accuracy, but when it comes to photos, the Cinema Display is the Primary.

As has been pointed out. Avoid TN Panels at all cost'. IPS is good, but S-IPS, are even better panels to buy, when it comes to getting proper color rendition.

Hope this helps.

 

[OreoCookie]

While I don't have an iMac, I've recently gotten a new MacBook Pro with a high-res glossy display. It's my first glossy display. I really like the display. I have external monitors at work and at home with high-quality panels.

I don't mind the glossiness in 90 % of the situations. In the remaining 10 %, I can often avoid these spurious reflections by tilting the monitor a little bit. The colors are vibrant and nice -- although not as saturated as on my external Eizo lcd (which is matte). On the other hand, the ProBook's screen is brighter.

I say: go ahead and don't worry. And don't use a monitor with a TN panel as your primary monitor, the iMac's panel is much superior to any TN panel.

 

[Flatz]

I have read that some people remove the glass panel from the front of their iMacs to reduce glare.

Anyone here tried that?
It looks pretty easy, but I wonder how much of an improvement it is, and is it risky to leave the monitor unprotected?

 

[OreoCookie]

It looks pretty easy, but I wonder how much of an improvement it is, and is it risky to leave the monitor unprotected?

The monitor is perfectly well protected: there is a glass on top of the panel which protects it much better than the plastic sheets of matte displays.

So if you add a pane of glass, it's purely to make the surface more matte.