Trying to make a PC look exactly like a screenshot of OS X

spindlerspindler
Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
I want to buy a very nice quality 20+ inch LCD display for a good price. I am not an expert in image quality, but I know it when I see it. The problem is that when you go to a CompUSA and see all the displays, they are running Windows. Windows uses dull colors so it is hard to see if I would like it when running OS X.



So I want to go to the store, grab a screenshot of OS X from my Yahoo mail, and display it to see how sharp the display would make OS X look. But there are several problems:



- I am unclear of how the gamma display property would affect it. Windows uses a different gamma value than OS X.

- When I take a screenshot of OS X, it is only a 240k file. This obviously in not large enough to be capturing 1024x768xmillions of colors.

- When I open the PDF screenshot on the PC in Adobe Reader, it is grainy, as if it is not mapping the pixels one to one.



So what are all the factors involved? I want to save a screenshot on my Mac with several windows open and then display it on a PC to look exactly as if OS X was running.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 5
    mr. hmr. h Posts: 4,870member
    Are you using 10.4? The default screen-shot format should be PNG. If you are using 10.4, consult this MacOSXHints hint (including the comments thread).



    Having said that, don't compUSA sell Macs? It would be a much better idea to hook the monitor up to a Mac.



    Additionally, it's a good idea to test a number of different images and videos. Choose files with reds and oranges (to test colour accuracy), and dark areas (to test contrast) and high-motion video to test for ghosting or blurring.
  • Reply 2 of 5
    benzenebenzene Posts: 338member
    You're probably better off reading technical reviews of various monitors online. Several online mags go through testing that even under the best of circumstances you couldn't replicate at CompUSA, like backlight consistency, true response times, and so forth.



    Additionally, purchasing one online will be much cheaper (usually) then buying from a B&M store anyway.



    Just my thoughts.
  • Reply 3 of 5
    gregmightdothatgregmightdothat Posts: 1,709member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by spindler


    I want to buy a very nice quality 20+ inch LCD display for a good price. I am not an expert in image quality, but I know it when I see it. The problem is that when you go to a CompUSA and see all the displays, they are running Windows. Windows uses dull colors so it is hard to see if I would like it when running OS X.



    So I want to go to the store, grab a screenshot of OS X from my Yahoo mail, and display it to see how sharp the display would make OS X look. But there are several problems:



    - I am unclear of how the gamma display property would affect it. Windows uses a different gamma value than OS X.

    - When I take a screenshot of OS X, it is only a 240k file. This obviously in not large enough to be capturing 1024x768xmillions of colors.

    - When I open the PDF screenshot on the PC in Adobe Reader, it is grainy, as if it is not mapping the pixels one to one.



    So what are all the factors involved? I want to save a screenshot on my Mac with several windows open and then display it on a PC to look exactly as if OS X was running.



    Two suggestions:



    1) Zip the PDF first. Gmail will shrink oversized images put through it, I'm guessing Yahoo does to.



    2) Make sure you're viewing the PDF at 100%.



    Also, keep in mind that Windows doesn't have ColorSync or, afaik, an equivalent. So, even though the display may be capable of displaying great colors, Windows may very well screw it all up, anyway.
  • Reply 4 of 5
    spindlerspindler Posts: 713member
    Thanks for the suggestions.
  • Reply 5 of 5
    gwoodpeckergwoodpecker Posts: 367member
    To look how the colors look like on a Mac, you must have it connected to a Mac. Windows screws up everything color-wise when you try to open a picture (or screen shot) taken on a Mac - because of the different gamma settings.



    Also be aware that the displays at those stores are just taken out of the box and usually are set to their maximal brightness level - something you will never use at home because such a display is waaay too bright. Under normal lighting conditions, anything brighter than 100 cd/m2 is not good for your eyes. Some displays can be as bright as 400 cd/m2...
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