Displays Preference Pane
The Display tab is the default tab for this prefence pane, and in the Resolutions window you can see the different resolutions the screen can display. In this case, a resolution of “1024 x 768” is selected.
Notice that the Colors are set to Millions. This controls how many colors your display is currently showing you, a function of the display, video card, and operating system drivers utilized. Selections of 256 colors, Thousands and Millions are on the dropdown menu, though one or more of them may be greyed out and unselectable.
Refresh Rate allows you to set the rate that the monitor uses to vertically scan the screen. Setting an incorrect refresh rate can cause text and graphics to look distorted or can cause a noticeable flicker on the screen, especially if you’re using a CRT monitor. (The screen shot above was taken from my iBook. Notice that a user selectable refresh rate is not available. This is also true for my 20 inch Apple Cinema Display (LCD). For these LCD’s, the operating system knows what refresh rate to use and sets it automatically.)
If you check the box next to Show modes recommended by display, the Resolutions window will only show the resolutions that the connected display can display, even if the video card is capable of generating more. Unchecking the box will likewise put all resolutions in the Resolutions window that the video card is capable of generating whether the display is capable of running them or not. Why would you need to use that? Well, if you hook up a display and the operating system doesn’t correctly identify your it, then it won’t make the correct recommendations. This can be especially inconvenient if you hooked up an LCD and the LCD’s native resolution is not displayed with the “Show modes…” box checked. You can “force” the operating system to run what you know to be the correct resolution. Of course, the danger with this much freedom is that you can force your monitor to run a resolution it wasn’t built for, which on a really unlucky day could damage it. Be sure you understand what you are doing with those selections.
Show displays in the menu bar selection will put a small “display” icon in the upper right corner of Finder’s menu bar. Subsequently clicking on the icon will drop down a menu containing the “Detect Displays” command, the list of resolutions currently displayed and selectable in the Resolutions window, the available Color selections, and an Open Displays command. This puts all your display controls on the desktop, instantly available to you.
The Detect Displays button forces the operating system to try to detect the display you’re running on. It will force the operating system to recheck and refresh any connected displays. Use this function if the operating system either didn’t detect your display when you hooked it up or didn’t correctly detect its resolutions.
Brightness lets you adjust your monitor’s brightness by moving the little blue slider left or right (left for less and right for more). (On Apple Cinema or Studio LCD’s, it will be the only control you have or need.)
The Color tab lets you pick a display profile for the monitor to use. If your monitor is detected and is supported by the operating system, then you’ll see an entry for the monitor in the Display Profile window. If not, then you can try various generic profiles to see which one works the best with your monitor.
The Calibrate button runs the Display Calibrator Assistant. The Assistant will walk you through the options you can use to set brightness and contrast on some displays, the display’s gamma (color contrast), white point (degree of whiteness) and other display characteristics. Clicking the Expert Mode button will ensure you get the most options available to adjust your display. Just click on the little arrow at the bottom right of the window to continue through the Assistant when ready.
