One suggestion I would like to add is to cover a substantial portion of the wall area with dark grey anechoic foam panels. A room full of computers and perripherals has many small cooling fans (mine has 19 units with fans) all of these emit a substantial ammount of high frequency white noise which over time can lead to hearing loss and in the short-term is stressful. I purchased zig-zag cut anechoic panels from an audio sound studio products catalog and covered my upper walls with 2ft x 4ft panels spaced about 6" apart. Besides substantially reducing the noise it looks way cool and high tech. And, yes, it is neutral gray ...but somewhat darker than your specification. It is a bit pricy..but all the good stuff is.
Submitted by outofgamut on Fri, 03/30/2001 - 08:58.
Your observation about declining eyesight is an issue, but some things, like aging, are unavoidable. I'm a 48-year-old Mac user and my eyesight deteriorated to the point that I needed glasses by the time I was 43, which my doctor said was 'normal' in today's population. While I have some trouble with bright lights or discerning shadow detail these days, the fact remains that lowering the lights in my editing room has dramatically improved my ability to work with images on computers. Do I keep a flashlight handy to find something dropped under a table or occasionally turn up the lights to do routine tasks like filing? Yes -- whatever is necessary to make things work.
I understand the need for the correct lightin conditions coming from a background of photography, but what about my eyes? I have been using a computer for my artwork for over 2 years now and have noticed my eyesight suffer, won't these new measures (if implemented) be bad for us?
So, would you say it would work best for over-all lighting control to simply perform digital editing in a completely dark room (no lighting other than the monitor light)? And if doing this would it then be best to also calibrate your monitor under these same blackout conditions? I have read much, maybe too much, about digital dark rooms and optimal lighting that my head is spinning. I'd appreciate insight into my thoughts on a editing under complete darkness. Thanks! Colorado Photo Newby
Thank you SO very much for your accuracy and (especially) information on where to purchase the D50 flourescent bulbs. Makes me appreciate that Nikon called a camera the D5000, when searching.
I have your site marked and will be sharing with others in the printing field(!).
Note that you can purchase bulbs from Pantone.com - but they don't have these on their website - have to call 866-PANTONE & ask for assisitance (pre-paid orders ONLY).
anechoic wall covering
One suggestion I would like to add is to cover a substantial portion of the wall area with dark grey anechoic foam panels. A room full of computers and perripherals has many small cooling fans (mine has 19 units with fans) all of these emit a substantial ammount of high frequency white noise which over time can lead to hearing loss and in the short-term is stressful. I purchased zig-zag cut anechoic panels from an audio sound studio products catalog and covered my upper walls with 2ft x 4ft panels spaced about 6" apart. Besides substantially reducing the noise it looks way cool and high tech. And, yes, it is neutral gray ...but somewhat darker than your specification. It is a bit pricy..but all the good stuff is.
Lighting levels and eyesight
Your observation about declining eyesight is an issue, but some things, like aging, are unavoidable. I'm a 48-year-old Mac user and my eyesight deteriorated to the point that I needed glasses by the time I was 43, which my doctor said was 'normal' in today's population. While I have some trouble with bright lights or discerning shadow detail these days, the fact remains that lowering the lights in my editing room has dramatically improved my ability to work with images on computers. Do I keep a flashlight handy to find something dropped under a table or occasionally turn up the lights to do routine tasks like filing? Yes -- whatever is necessary to make things work.
Good article, but one question...
I understand the need for the correct lightin conditions coming from a background of photography, but what about my eyes? I have been using a computer for my artwork for over 2 years now and have noticed my eyesight suffer, won't these new measures (if implemented) be bad for us?
Despite this article being 8
Despite this article being 8 years old, It is still spot on. Thanks for the education.
Digital Darkroom Setup
So, would you say it would work best for over-all lighting control to simply perform digital editing in a completely dark room (no lighting other than the monitor light)? And if doing this would it then be best to also calibrate your monitor under these same blackout conditions? I have read much, maybe too much, about digital dark rooms and optimal lighting that my head is spinning. I'd appreciate insight into my thoughts on a editing under complete darkness. Thanks! Colorado Photo Newby
Thanks!!
Thank you SO very much for your accuracy and (especially) information on where to purchase the D50 flourescent bulbs. Makes me appreciate that Nikon called a camera the D5000, when searching.
I have your site marked and will be sharing with others in the printing field(!).
Thanks (again)
"Me" again:
Note that you can purchase bulbs from Pantone.com - but they don't have these on their website - have to call 866-PANTONE & ask for assisitance (pre-paid orders ONLY).