Retina iMac 5K Display Yellowing

[redheeler]

I have noticed over the past few weeks that my Retina iMac's display is slightly yellowed. The yellowing is screen-wide, but slightly uneven.

I have tried to fix the problem by calibrating the color profile for cooler whites, and it did help a little. However, the areas that are slightly more or less yellowed now show up even worse, and I still haven't managed to produce perfect whites.

I have created this thread to find out if anyone is experiencing this issue on their iMac as well, and also to hear your advice. I know this issue is something that has been around for years.

I will add that both my rMBPs and the 2010 iMac have warm displays. My iPhone 5s seems to be the only device I have with a perfectly white display, and the difference is noticeable.

 

[forg0t]

Do you have any pictures? If our screens are yellowing over time evenly, most of us won't be able to tell unless we have another iMac next to it. So AFAIK, mine has either yellowed evenly or has not at all.

But now I'm curious to what you mean. Picture please.

 

[redheeler]

Here is the best I could come up with to prove there is yellowing.

iPhone 5s is on the left, iMac on the right. The iMac is on the default color profile.

 

[steve62388]

I have noticed over the past few weeks that my Retina iMac's display is slightly yellowed. The yellowing is screen-wide, but slightly uneven.

I have tried to fix the problem by calibrating the color profile for cooler whites, and it did help a little. However, the areas that are slightly more or less yellowed now show up even worse, and I still haven't managed to produce perfect whites.

The fact it's slightly uneven is an issue, but you also mention it's screen wide. You will be able to improve this with a calibration, but don't bother trying to do it by eye you won't get good results, invest in a colourimeter.

 

[Bryan Bowler]

You can't hold your iPhone 5s up to your 5K iMac and compare screens. Each one is very different. For example, your iPhone's color may be running slightly cool, which will make your iMac seem warmer, which usually translates to what most people refer to as yellowing.

Bryan

 

[ra004e]

You can't hold your iPhone 5s up to your 5K iMac and compare screens. Each one is very different. For example, your iPhone's color may be running slightly cool, which will make your iMac seem warmer, which usually translates to what most people refer to as yellowing.

Bryan

iPhones/iPads usually much higher white point.

Your iPhone 5s is like 7400K ( more blue )

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7335/the-iphone-5s-review/12

6502K is D65 standard most PC/macs shoot for.

http://www.normankoren.com/makingfineprints1A.html

However color temp "should be" consistent across the panel, and if not, it can not be fixed using calibration. You can try and calibrate with apple's calibration tool if you don't have access to calibrator. Then see if color still shifts. The i1 Display Pro can measure White Point uniformity across panel. See attached image. This is from a Dell P2415Q, you can see the area in red has much lower white point than the rest of the panel ( white is more "yellow" in that area, not much but there ). This is after calibration.

If it bothers you should exchange, as it is not the norm, my base 5k is pretty uniform and does not exhibit this behavior.

 

[carmona]

Like mentioned by other people, it's about to which screen your eyes are made to in the second you look at both.

Anyway, the iPhone calibration isn't reliable. If reliable colors are important to you, be sure you calibrate your iMac with a colorimeter (Spyder4, etc.) and only do color reliable work on your iMac.

 

[powerslave65]

Yellow on the edges usually comes from light bleed on an iMac because it's a backlit LED. It's a
technological limitation and the only thing you can strive for is less but there is a point at which it will
not get below. All of them have it.

 

[redheeler]

Sorry to bring back this older thread, but I thought I would post a photo of what I mean by uneven yellowing. The left side is slightly but noticeably warmer than the right:

This is my 3rd display, as I've already had it replaced twice for unrelated issues.

 

[Explorz]

Sorry to bring back this older thread, but I thought I would post a photo of what I mean by uneven yellowing. The left side is slightly but noticeably warmer than the right:
View attachment 599484
This is my 3rd display, as I've already had it replaced twice for unrelated issues.

I just received a new 2017 iMac 27 inch and this is exactly what my screen looks like too. Yellowish and dull in the lower right corner, brighter and with a slight pink in the upper left corner. Can't live with it. Calling to return it tomorrow.