Question Do you use the "Calibrate display" feature on your system?

Please provide comments and solutions that are helpful to the author of this topic.
What timing you have, I just lowered the gamma on this laptop about an hour ago, to get better black contrasts for this screen :)

Screenshot 2025-11-19 102757.png
 
Do you use "Windows Calibrate Display" or "Intel Graphics Command Center"?
I didn't even realize that was an option, but have only done it through Windows Calibrate Display. I'll look into this. Thank you for mentioning it :)

 
Never. My laptop's screen was calibrated in factory.
With my Surface 5 laptop 2256 x 1504 screen resolution, the colors and contrasts are so nice, compared to my HP Envy 1920 x 1080 screen that I try to tweak it to look as good as the Surface 5, at least for more contrast/gamma to help clean up the light gray look, to be more black :)

I have a color correct Dell (tower PC) monitor that I've never adjusted from the factory settings, as that looks true to life.
 
I believe "Windows Calibrate Display" is superior to "Intel Graphics Command Center." WCB adjusts the laptop panel's backlight, enabling control over the screen's "blue" light exposure. In contrast, IGCC adjusts only the overall brightness or darkness of the content displayed on the screen. Wot say @Bot?
 
I believe "Windows Calibrate Display" is superior to "Intel Graphics Command Center." WCB adjusts the laptop panel's backlight, enabling control over the screen's "blue" light exposure. In contrast, IGCC adjusts only the overall brightness or darkness of the content displayed on the screen. Wot say @Bot?
You’re right that they behave differently, but not quite in the way you described.

Short answer:
Windows “Calibrate Display Color” mainly creates/adjusts a color profile (gamma, brightness, contrast) at the OS level.
Intel Graphics Command Center (IGCC) applies driver-level tweaks (brightness, contrast, color temperature, etc.) for Intel GPUs.

Neither one directly “controls the backlight’s blue light” in a special hardware way; they both mostly shape the signal sent to the panel.

What Windows Calibrate Display actually does
• Walks you through gamma, brightness, contrast, and color balance.
• Saves an ICC color profile that Windows uses system‑wide via color management.
• Aims more for accuracy (neutral grays, correct gamma) than for “punchy” or “eye‑comfort” settings.

It does not usually talk directly to the backlight hardware. Blue light is only indirectly reduced if you end up with a warmer (more yellow/red) white balance, but that’s not its main purpose.

What Intel Graphics Command Center does
• Works at the Intel driver level for supported displays.
• Lets you adjust brightness, contrast, gamma, saturation, and often color temperature (cool ↔ warm).
• Can be used to warm the image (less blue-ish) for eye comfort, similar in effect to Night light / “low blue light” modes.
• If pushed too far, it can override or degrade a good ICC profile from Windows/factory calibration.

Which is “superior”?
It depends what you’re after:

For more accurate, consistent color (photos, design, “true to life” image):
– Factory calibration or hardware calibration →
– Then fine‑tune with Windows Calibrate Display if needed.
– Keep IGCC close to default to avoid fighting the ICC profile.

For quick, subjective tweaks (stronger contrast, darker blacks, more pop):
– IGCC is often more convenient (and more granular) than the Windows wizard.
– But stacking big changes in both IGCC and Windows calibration can crush detail or distort colors.

For blue‑light comfort:
– Use Windows Night light or the display’s own “Low Blue Light” / “Warm” mode first.
– IGCC’s color temperature slider is also useful.
– Windows Calibrate Display is not really designed as a blue‑light filter.

My take
If you care about picture quality/accuracy, I’d treat Windows Calibrate Display (or a proper ICC profile) as the foundation, and only use IGCC for mild, final tweaks.
If you mostly want comfort and contrast, IGCC (plus Night light) is usually the more practical tool, while leaving the Windows calibration close to default.

So I wouldn’t call Windows Calibrate Display strictly “superior” to IGCC — they’re better at different jobs, and ideally you use them in a complementary way rather than as competitors.
 
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– IGCC’s color temperature slider is also useful.
The IGCC color profile shows the following values:

Brightness Enhancement: RGB; value 38 each.
Contrast Enhancement: RGB; value 17 each.
Hue: The slider is in the middle; value 0.
Saturation: The slider is in the middle; value 50.

What adjustments should I make to change white to off-white and black to light gray?
 
The IGCC color profile shows the following values:

Brightness Enhancement: RGB; value 38 each.
Contrast Enhancement: RGB; value 17 each.
Hue: The slider is in the middle; value 0.
Saturation: The slider is in the middle; value 50.

What adjustments should I make to change white to off-white and black to light gray?
You’re basically asking for a warmer, low‑contrast look: whites not so harsh, blacks not so deep. That’s doable, but it will make the picture less “accurate”.

Important: I can’t see your screen, so treat the numbers below as starting points and fine‑tune by eye. Also, make sure you know how to hit “Restore defaults” in IGCC before you start.

1. Make white look off‑white (warmer)

The cleanest way to do this is with color temperature or blue‑light reduction:

• In Windows:
• Turn on Settings → System → Display → Night light and move the strength slider until white looks slightly creamy/off‑white.

• Or in IGCC (if available on your system):
• Go to Color / Display and look for Color temperature or Warm/Cool presets → choose a warmer setting.

If you only have the per‑channel “Brightness Enhancement” sliders (R, G, B):

• Start from your current: R=38, G=38, B=38.
• Try something like:
Brightness Enhancement: R=42, G=38, B=32
This increases red a bit and reduces blue a bit → whites become more off‑white/cream instead of pure cold white.
• Keep Hue = 0 and Saturation = 50; moving Hue to change white will usually give ugly color casts.

Adjust in small steps (2–3 points at a time) while viewing a white background (e.g. an empty Notepad window).

2. Make black look light gray (lower contrast)

You want to lift the darkest tones and reduce overall contrast:

• In IGCC, on the same profile:
Lower Contrast Enhancement from 17 closer to 0 (e.g. 5, then 0 if needed).
– This reduces how deep blacks get and compresses the dynamic range.
Increase Brightness Enhancement a bit for all three channels equally (to avoid color shift), e.g.:
– If you set R/G/B like above for warmth, try:
– R: 45, G: 41, B: 35
– If you don’t care about warmth, just raise all three equally, e.g. 38 → 45.

This will make dark areas (including black) more like dark gray/light gray instead of deep black.

[If IGCC has a Gamma slider:]
• Increase gamma slightly (usually moving the slider to the right) – this brightens shadows/midtones and helps push blacks toward gray.
• Don’t overdo it; too high and everything looks washed out.

3. How to test and fine‑tune

• Open:
• A pure white window (Notepad, blank browser tab).
• A dark wallpaper or website with a lot of black.
• Make a small change → look at both white and black → adjust again.
• Stop when:
• White looks pleasantly off‑white, not yellow/orange.
• Black areas are clearly gray, but text is still readable and not too washed out.

4. Alternative (simpler) approach

If your only real goals are “less harsh white” and “not‑too‑deep black”:

• Use Windows Night light to warm the image.
• Lower the panel contrast and/or raise brightness from the laptop’s own display settings (or the monitor’s OSD menu if it has one).
• Leave IGCC mostly at defaults; it’s easier to undo.

If you share a screenshot of the IGCC “Color” page (with all available sliders/sections), I can suggest more precise directions for your exact layout.
 
With my Surface 5 laptop 2256 x 1504 screen resolution, the colors and contrasts are so nice, compared to my HP Envy 1920 x 1080 screen that I try to tweak it to look as good as the Surface 5, at least for more contrast/gamma to help clean up the light gray look, to be more black :)

I have a color correct Dell (tower PC) monitor that I've never adjusted from the factory settings, as that looks true to life.
You could try to get more black, but bad screen panel can't be fixed with display calibration I'm afraid.
 
When I bought the Samsung 32" monitor a couple years ago it was way over bright, I did set the settings up manually (as I've done for years) & it looks great now, I have not used a calibrate system as I don't feel I need to - I didn't actually know there was a calibration feature on Windows & as it looks good I'm not going to faff with something that looks OK.

Edit: Just run it & it was OK a it was so I MAY have run it in the past ???:oops::oops::oops:
 
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