Should I use hardware calibration for my LG 27UD88?
Best answer: This depends on how you plan on using your monitor. If you're primarily a gamer, hardware calibration probably isn't necessary. However, if you're more of a creative type, calibration is always worthwhile.Amazon: LG 4K UHD 27UD88 ($474+)Amazon: Datacolor Spyder5Elite ($280)
What's calibration?
If you're a photographer or other creative professional, it's crucial that the images or videos you take from your camera or smartphone are accurately represented on your display during post-processing. In other words, you want to make sure the colors, saturation, contrast, and other characteristics captured by your camera are closely duplicated on the monitor.
The LG 27UD88 has built-in calibration tools, or you might want to consider buying a color calibrator machine.
Yes, you can calibrate using built-in software
The LG 27UD88 is packed full of calibration options worth considering. These include standard settings, such as sharpness, black stabilization, and RGB balance, plus more extensive ones like Super Resolution+ (for optimizing upscaled images) and Ultra HD Deep Color. These built-in options are probably enough for most users. Don't buy extra hardware unless you're convinced the color isn't quite right to serve your purpose.
What do color calibrators do?
To take calibration to the next level on your LG monitor, consider buying a hardware calibrator. Products like the Datacolor Spyder5Elite use ambient light measurement, monitor profiling, and other tools to identify the correct color matches. In this case, the software creates a unique color profile for your monitor that you can use going forward to see the true colors, both on screen and in print.
Incredible 4K display
The LG 27-inch UD88 is a well-received 4K monitor solution worth considering, regardless of how you want to use the display. If you're a photographer, you should still consider purchasing a separate color calibrator, because it certainly won't hurt.
A workhorse
Datacolor and Adobe work hand-in-hand to offer the complete package for your photography workflow. As such, each Datacolor Spyder5Elite comes with a 90-day trial of the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan.
