Don’t look now, but your monitor might be lying to you!!  It’s an interesting situation when we’re working with someone to design a website.  What looks good to us can look awful to someone else.  And, sometimes it’s not just a difference in color preference.

Sometimes, it’s because monitors do lie from time to time.

When a new computer arrives, people are often tempted to adjust the monitor until it “looks right”.  The fact of the matter is that monitors aren’t supposed to display things that look right to you.  They’re supposed to display true colors.

So, if you want to know what your visitors see when they view your website, you’re pretty much sunk.  You have no idea how their monitor is displaying your colors.  But, if you want to get your monitor’s colors as close to true as you can, there is hope.

The best way to get true color is to purchase an amazingly expensive calibrated monitor.  You could also acquire software that will calibrate the color.  Since those two approaches are really overkill for most people, there is a third alternative.

If you do a search on the Internet for something like adjust monitor color manually, you will find a number of websites that can help you determine if you’re seeing anything close to what you’re supposed to see.

I looked at a few and found this one from Bryce-Alive.net.   The site is evidently a resource for graphic artists.  But, if you follow the link above, you’ll find a page that has several ways in which you can test your monitor to see if it’s close to true color.

If you’re like me, messing with your monitor is a heart-stopping undertaking.  So, the best advice I can offer is this:

Write down your existing monitor settings before you do anything!

Most recent monitors have contrast, brightness and color adjustments.  Give it a try.  If your monitor is far off, and you’ve written down the current settings, you can always go back to viewing the Internet world through your rose-colored glasses!

And, by the way, if you can’t see the number 45 in the image above, don’t worry about your monitor – you’re color blind!