Click-clack: The physical buttons on your phone can become less responsive over time. On an Android, skip the side button and double-tap the screen with your finger to wake it. Neat!
How to calibrate your PC monitor to get the best picture possible
Home computers have come a long way since the early days. Processors are much faster and storage size is incredibly large in comparison.
They have also come way down in price. You can now pick up a powerful desktop or laptop computer for a fraction of the cost that you would have paid for a lesser machine in the mid-1990s.
Peripheral devices have also made great strides. For example, you can purchase large, flat-screen HD monitors that are extremely lightweight with great picture quality. Many people use these wonderful gadgets to play video games or stream movies. However, if you buy a new monitor, its display settings might not be right for you.
That’s why you need to know how to test and calibrate your PC monitor. Before we tell you how to adjust your monitor’s settings, let’s define them.
What are monitor settings?
When you go to adjust the settings on your monitor, it’s a good idea to know what you are adjusting.
- Brightness – This setting is pretty self-explanatory. Adjusting this will make your screen brighter or darker, depending on what you like. Many people find that the 75% range is the most comfortable on their eyes. Try this setting with both the room lights on and off to make sure it works for either.
- Color – When you increase or decrease the color setting, you adjust the color saturation of the monitor. That indicates how bold and deep the colors are. Turn it all the way up and then turn it all the way down to see the color range. Set it where it’s most appealing to you.
- Sharpness – This setting is dependent on your monitor’s resolution and the quality of what you are watching. An HD movie will look different from a lower-quality video that you would find on YouTube. If sharpness is set too low, it could result in a softer, blurry picture.
- Tint – This setting adjusts the color hue, defined as the property of light by which the color of an object is classified as red, blue, green or yellow about the spectrum. This can vary depending on the monitor’s manufacturer. Many times this setting will impact the color and dimness of the display.
How to make basic monitor display adjustments
Depending on the ambient lighting at your home, the default display settings on your monitor might not be appropriate. You will need to adjust them manually.
First, go to a website like Netflix or Hulu that offers streaming in HD. You could instead play a Blu-ray Disk if your computer has a built-in Blu-ray player.
Watching an HD movie is the best way to see if the monitor is set up the way you like. If the picture is too bright or dark, you can adjust those settings to your personal taste.
Your monitor should have buttons located on the front that allow you to adjust the screen’s color and brightness. Check the owner’s manual for specific instructions, as these functions differ by brand.
Touch and go: The iPhone 16 has two new buttons, home appliances are returning to knobs instead of touchscreens, and carmakers are bringing back dials. Why? Well, we like the tactical feedback of a real button, and you don’t have to give them your full attention. Prime example: Car infotainment systems. Look away for too long and hello, fender bender.
Buttons are back: After nearly two decades of touchscreens, companies are going back to buttons, knobs and sliders. They’re in cars, appliances and personal electronics. Even the iPhone 16 has an “action button.” It turns out we like the feel of physical controls, and, bonus, they’re safer (paywall link). A volume knob is a lot less distracting than a car’s touchscreen.
Quick Android refresh: Hold the power and volume-up buttons simultaneously to do a soft reboot. Think of it as a fast way to end processes and speed up your phone.
Override your hotel thermostat: This site compiled videos of all the ways to hack the most common hotel thermostats. For some, it’s as simple as holding down a couple of buttons.
Too touchy: 97% of new cars come with touchscreens, which is handy … but distracting. AAA says messing with these screens takes your eyes off the road for 40 seconds. Starting in 2026, cars in Europe will need old-school buttons and levers instead of touchscreens to earn the highest safety ratings. Look for a similar move here in the States, too.