Is photo editing better on OLED or IPS?

When choosing a display for photo editing, both OLED and IPS panels offer distinct advantages and drawbacks. The best option largely depends on your specific needs, such as color accuracy, brightness, contrast, and budget. Let’s compare both technologies to help you determine which is better for photo editing.

What is IPS?

IPS (In-Plane Switching) is a type of LCD panel that is known for offering better color accuracy, wide viewing angles, and consistent brightness across the screen. It’s commonly used in professional displays, including monitors used for photo editing, graphic design, and other color-sensitive work.

• Color Accuracy: IPS panels are well-regarded for their color consistency and accuracy, especially when used with a calibrated display. They offer wide color gamuts, meaning they can represent a large range of colors, which is important for photo editing.
• Viewing Angles: IPS panels have superior viewing angles compared to other display types like TN panels, making it easier to view and edit images from different positions without color shifts or distortions.
• Brightness: While IPS displays tend to offer good brightness levels, they don’t have the infinite contrast of OLED screens, as their black levels are typically not as deep.

What is OLED?

OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) technology differs from IPS in that each pixel generates its own light, allowing for deeper blacks and higher contrast ratios. OLED screens are capable of offering exceptional image quality with vibrant colors, deep blacks, and high contrast.

• Color Reproduction: OLED panels often display more vivid colors and better contrast than IPS panels due to their perfect black levels and increased color saturation. This can be appealing for photo editors who want more pop in their images.
• Contrast and Black Levels: OLED excels in true blacks, as individual pixels turn off completely when displaying black. This results in infinite contrast ratios and the ability to display very subtle details in shadows.
• Brightness: While OLEDs have fantastic contrast, they may not get as bright as IPS panels, especially in daylight or brightly lit environments. This can affect how well you see details in lighter parts of your photos.

Advantages of IPS for Photo Editing

1. Color Accuracy: IPS displays are known for their accurate color reproduction and are widely used in professional settings where color precision is essential, such as in photo editing and graphic design.
   • IPS monitors can cover a wide color gamut (e.g., Adobe RGB, sRGB, or DCI-P3) and, when calibrated, provide consistent, true-to-life colors.
2. Brightness: IPS displays generally have higher peak brightness compared to OLED displays, making them more suitable for environments where the screen is exposed to ambient light.
3. Wide Viewing Angles: IPS monitors don’t suffer from color distortion when viewed from off-angles, making them ideal for collaborative editing or working with a team in a shared workspace.
4. Lifespan and Burn-in Resistance: IPS panels don’t suffer from burn-in or image retention, which is a common concern with OLED displays, especially when static elements (like toolbars or UI elements) are displayed for long periods.

Advantages of OLED for Photo Editing

1. Superior Contrast: OLED displays can show true blacks, thanks to their ability to turn off individual pixels. This results in an infinite contrast ratio, which can make images pop and enhance the overall image quality, especially in darker scenes.
   • For darkroom editing or images that contain deep shadows, OLED panels provide a more dramatic visual effect with increased depth.
2. Vivid Colors: OLED screens can display more vibrant colors and have a wider color gamut compared to many IPS displays, making images look more lively and punchy.
3. Perfect Blacks: With OLED’s ability to achieve true black (as opposed to IPS’s grayish black), it gives you the full spectrum of colors, which is crucial for editing photos with strong contrasts between dark and light areas.
4. Improved Dynamic Range: OLED displays typically excel in presenting images with a higher dynamic range, which is great for editing photos that require subtle details in both highlight and shadow areas.

Key Differences for Photo Editing

Which One Is Better for Photo Editing?

• IPS (LCD) for Professional and Accurate Editing:

  • If you need the most accurate color reproduction, wide viewing angles, and consistent brightness over time, an IPS display is generally the better choice for professional photo editing.
  • IPS monitors, especially those with factory calibration (or those that can be calibrated yourself), offer precise color accuracy in a wide color gamut that is essential for photo editing. This makes them the go-to choice for photographers, graphic designers, and anyone working in color-critical industries.
  • Top Picks: The Eizo ColorEdge, BenQ PD series, and Dell UltraSharp monitors are popular choices for photo editing due to their color accuracy and calibration options.

• OLED for Enhanced Image Aesthetics:

  • If you are more focused on dynamic range and want images to look more vibrant and eye-catching, OLED can be a fantastic choice. It offers higher contrast and deeper blacks, which can give your photos a more dramatic feel.
  • However, because color accuracy can sometimes be more saturated on OLED (leading to potential color shifts), it might not always be the best choice for professional editing where true-to-life colors are required.
  • OLEDs are excellent for image review or creative work that requires a bold visual impact, but for precise editing, you might still need to rely on an IPS monitor.

Conclusion:

• For Professional Photo Editing where color accuracy and consistent performance are paramount, IPS monitors are typically the better choice. They offer superior color consistency, reliable brightness, and accurate color reproduction, making them ideal for precision work.

• For Creative Work or if you're editing images for visual impact, an OLED display could be appealing due to its high contrast, vibrant colors, and true blacks, but it may not offer the same level of color accuracy as IPS in professional editing scenarios.

In essence, IPS is better for accuracy, while OLED is better for vibrancy and contrast. If you are a professional photographer or graphic designer who requires color-accurate editing, an IPS display is the way to go. If you are more into visual aesthetics and editing for creative work, then an OLED display may be more appealing.