Glossy vs. Matte
I get a lot of emails from frustrated Mac users who are disappointed with how their prints are turning out. They all say the same thing, “My images started looking so much better when I got my Mac, but the prints look off”. My first question is always whether or not they got a glossy screen. If they say yes, which they always do, then I have to break the news to them that their images didn’t get better with their new computer. They just got a monitor that makes everything look prettier.
See, glossy screens make everything look over saturated. They make your colors look more vibrant. Your blacks look blacker. Everything looks better on a glossy screen. But, it’s hard to accurately edit your images. Your prints will not look like what is on your screen. And that’s frustrating.
And the even more frustrating part – You have to buy a more expensive Mac to get a matte screen (or “antiglare” as they call it). The cheapest Mac that offers the antiglare screen is a 15″ MacBook Pro. It comes with a price tag of $1799 plus an additional $150 charge for the antiglare screen. Both the MacBook and MacBook Air do not offer the antiglare screens. And the only desktop that offers antiglare is the Mac Pro (which is a pricey computer, but worth it’s weight in gold if you are pro).
Do I think the additional cost is worth it? If you are a pro or thinking about going pro, absolutely. Besides just having a better and faster computer anyways (you will get very sick of editing lots and lots of images on a MacBook), you will you be able to work anywhere with your computer without having to worry about glare and you will also have an accurate screen to edit on. I’ve never calibrated any of my Macs and the printing has always been great. If you are a Mom*tog with no intention of going pro, you’re probably fine with the glossy. Just be aware of the issues you will have when printing your picture. It will save you a lot of ink, money at the lab, and frustration.
Already have a glossy screen? Don’t want to spend the money to upgrade to antiglare? Don’t fret. I know several photographers who have the glossy screen and do just fine with it. Just be sure to calibrate to your lab and that should help a lot.
About DrewB
I’ve started this blog as a way to connect with other moms who love photography. Whether you are a professional photographer who is looking for advice on how to manage your own business and your family or if you are a mom who is looking for tips on how to take better pictures of your kids, I hope that you can find some good information and be inspired!
I have a friend who was wondering about this very topic! Thanks!
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Thanks for the info, I did not know that! Now…how to calibrate to your lab?
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How do you calibrate to a lab?? I am sure it isn’t the easiest to explain… can you point me in the right direction at least? Thanks for this post. It helps a lot.
I was actually looking into getting a large Mac monitor to plug my 17″ MacBook Pro (matte screen) into so I could have a larger editing surface. But since they got rid of the “30 inch Apple display (and replaced it with the 27″ Apple display), Apple no longer offers a matte screen in a desktop. You can still buy them with the MacBook Pros, but as of now, that’s the only Apple matte screen option. At least as of late last year.
I will be waiting until they come out with one (hopefully soon).
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Jen – I’m sure you could buy an refurbished screen from a computer store. There’s one in Anaheim that I’m sure would sell them.
I LOVE my iMac, but struggled with matching my monitor with my prints for a long, long time. I actually just got a set back from my lab yesterday, and they’re the first ones I’m actually happy with. Thanks to some very patient customer service reps, I learned: 1) I have to turn the Brightness down on my monitor A LOT. It’s at about 25% on the slide bar. 2) They actually had me calibrate the monitor within the Mac OS and THEN calibrate again with my Spyder. This made NO sense to me, and still doesn’t, but seems to have worked.
Where’s the like button? Thank you again for your help and insight! :0D
Thanks for the info! I have been having problems not so much with how my prints turn out-although intially i did before I turned my brightness down, but how my photos look on PC computers. When I see them on my mac (27 in IMAC) I think they look good or acceptable, obviously I wouldn’t publish them if they didn’t. But then on my husbands work laptop PC and other peoples PC’s the colors look more drab a bit cooler and too bright. Any insight into the general settings on CS4 that would help me in this area? specifically, i’m wondering if my color settings are being changed when being viewed on PC’s or internet explorer maybe…………
I have a brand new 27″ desktop Mac, and it’s a glossy screen. I tried to order a ‘matte’ screen, but was told by Apple that it doesn’t come on that size. I don’t mind the glossy – I can’t see my reflection in the screen when I’m working. I will say that I hated the glossy on my PC laptop…it easily collected finger prints, which my Mac does not.
Interesting and insightful… thanks!
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I’m so happy that you have posted this. I just got my new MBP Monday and thankfully I ordered the antiglare screen. Its always good to have someone confirm that I made the right decision.
This could not be more timely! My current imac g5 is about to croak, and I’m just waiting for my tax return to get a new one. I had not even considered the downsides of a glossy screen! So so good to know.
All I can say is, “Damn you Apple for saddling us with these “mirror” screens. Horrible. –Mac user since ’86.
I just got my first Mac as a surprise from my husband, and I love it! But i am having a problem with editing my images. He did not consult me before buying one, so he didn’t know about the anti-glare… Unfortunately, when I edit photos on my Mac they look great, but not so great on my pc… Photos I edit on my pc looks great on my Mac though. Is there anything I can do to fix this? I want to strictly use my Mac for editing, but I am afraid when i post on websites they wont look as great… Any help would be appreciated!
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