Dan's computer work station, as of July 2010, where he edits his digital photos. If you care, it's an Apple iMac 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, with 21.5" screen. In fact, that's what it is even if you don't care.
A calibrated monitor is important for color photo editing. You can buy, for between 80 and about 300 dollars, a real calibration system. I bought and tried an inexpensive one called a Pantone Huey, but I'm not real satisfied with it, so I've gone back to doing it manually. Your computer (Mac or Windows) comes with a built-in calibration program you can use; for my Mac, I use an inexpensive program called SuperCal.
Here's the most important part: set your monitor to sRGB color space. If you don't know what that is, don't worry. All you need to know is that sRGB is what's used by most cameras, by the internet, by your software, by your printer, and even by the huge printing machines used at WalMart or other photo labs. Whenever I have a choice (e.g., a setup menu on my camera) I choose sRGB. Normally it's the default. Then everything works right. Only pick something else if your really know what you're doing (I don't). I use sRGB, and all my photos turn out fine. If you need something other than sRGB, you'll already know it.
How to set your monitor to sRGB
In your calibration program, use these two settings:
- Color temperature of 6500 degrees Kelvin. You may see this named "D65," too.
- Gamma of 2.2
When you first set your monitor to this, it may seem darker and more orange, but it's really closer to natural than the blue-ish default screen settings (9300 K or so) of most monitors. It'll match your camera and your prints better. Try it for a while with your photos and your web surfing and see how you like it!
Another thing to be aware of, if you use an LCD screen, is they tend to be way too bright. If you edit your photos, and they look good, but your prints come out too dark, it's likely your screen is too bright. I have my new iMac LCD screen turned down to about half brightness for that reason.
Enjoy!