Setting up a Monitor Using SMPTE Bars

1. Turn on the monitor and allow it to warm up (10-15 minutes).
2. Using a guaranteed source, display SMPTE color bars on monitor.
3. Turn the monitor's chroma off or down completely.
4. The pluge pattern consists of the three dark bars at the lower right - superblack, black, and gray. Adjust the monitor brightness until there is no discernable difference between superblack and black, but there is a difference between black and gray.
5. Adjust the monitor contrast until a smooth gradient of gray appears along the top bars.
6. Turn the red and green guns off (there may be a "Blue gun only" option to achieve this). If your monitor cannot do this, look at the bars through a blue filter.
7. Turn the monitor chroma up until the far left bar (white) and far right bar (blue) have the same brightness.
8. Adjust the monitor tint (hue or chroma/colour phase) until the third bar from the left (cyan) and the third bar from the right (magenta) have the same brightness.

Done!

SMPTE Color Bars

Gray Checker Chart

Gray Gradient Chart

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