PC monitors for photo editing must meet different requirements than, let’s say, gaming monitors. They must display colors accurately, have wide viewing angles, be gentle on the eyes, and have a large enough resolution for professional photo editing software such as Photoshop.
Product | Brand | Name | Price |
---|---|---|---|
ASUS | ASUS PA248Q 24\" ProArt Professional | Check Price on Amazon | |
ASUS | ASUS 27-inch 2k 144Hz WQHD FreeSync Gaming Monitor IPS | Check Price on Amazon | |
acer | Acer EB321HQU Awidpx 32 | Check Price on Amazon | |
Dell | Dell 34" UltraSharp Curved Ultra Wide Quad HD IPS Monitor | Check Price on Amazon | |
HP | HP D7R00A8#ABA Commercial Specialty 27" Z27x IPS Monitor | Check Price on Amazon |
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While it’s true that even some consumer-grade PC monitors meet these requirements, monitors that have been designed with photo editing and other color-sensitive work in mind generally deliver better and more consistent results. If you edit photos for a living, you should treat your monitor as an investment, and don’t be afraid to splurge a larger sum of money on it. But if you’re on a strict budget, this list of top 7 best photo editing PC monitors in 2018 will help you find something great as well.
Best Photo Editing PC Monitors
1. ASUS MG279Q
Don’t let the fact that the ASUS MG279Q is a gaming monitor scare you away. Despite its gaming heritage, this 27-inch 2K monitor has such amazing color accuracy that it’s suitable even for photo editing. Compared to Full HD displays, the ASUS MG279Q offers 77 percent more onscreen desktop space, and its IPS display technology covers 100 percent of the sRGB color gamut.
While most professional photo editing monitors prioritize color accuracy over fast response times, the ASUS MG279Q doesn’t make any compromises. Even though we can’t recommend it highly enough for any color-sensitive work, the monitor’s ultra-fast response time of only 4 milliseconds is guaranteed to prevent ghosting, streaks, and other visual artifacts caused by high display latency. Although you may not be able to experience the smoothness of the monitor’s 144 Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync technology when editing photos, you will be glad that you’ve selected this monitor when all work is done.
In terms of its price, the ASUS MG279Q is not far away from entry-level professional PC monitors, but its well-rounded set of features and gaming capabilities make it a much better choice for those who want to do other things besides photo editing on their computer.
Buy it now: here
2. ASUS PA248Q
The ASUS PA248Q is the cheapest monitor with professional-grade color accuracy on this list. It measures 24 inches diagonally and has a resolution of 1920 × 1200 pixels. Thanks to its IPS technology, the ASUS PA248Q covers 100 percent of the sRGB color space, which is a popular RGB color space on the Internet, computers, printers, scanners, and consumer-grade digital cameras. Unless you expect to have your photos professionally printed, we guarantee that the ASUS PA248Q will be good enough for you.
Besides its professional-grade color accuracy, this monitor is also the world’s first monitor with four USB 3.0 ports, all of which are conveniently located on the left side for easy access. In terms of connectivity, the ASUS PA248Q includes DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI, and D-Sub. The monitor protects your eyes with ASUS Eye Care technology, minimizing display flicker and helping to keep eyestrain at bay.
Even if you can afford to spend slightly more money than what this monitor costs, there’s no reason to do so. In this price range, you would be hard-pressed to find something better, which is why the ASUS PA248Q is our budget PC monitor for photo editing of choice.
Buy it now: here
3. Acer EB321HQU
The Acer EB321HQU, with its 32-inch display and resolution at 2,560 x 1,440, is an excellent option for photographers editing their photos. You’ll be able to see all of the little details, allowing you to perfect lighting, color, and more.
With an IPS panel, you should get reasonably close to real-life colors here. Colors are accurate, and monitor response times are quick at 4ms. There are 10-bits of color depth, which means the monitor is capturing 64 times more colors than 8-bit color counterparts. So colors are more accurate and close to real life.
Photo editing takes a long time, which is why the flicker-free technology is so lovely — it stays comfortable on the eyes.
Buy it now: here
4. Dell 34-inch UltraSharp Curved Monitor
Dell is well known for its UltraSharp monitors, which provides photographers with a wide color gamut and extraordinary detail. This 34-inch monitor is huge, and with a curved display, you get to see all of the intricate details involved in your photos.
It’s a Quad HD resolution, so you still get that great detail. And with an IPS panel, you get true to life colors. It has a near borderless display, so the monitor is also a little larger than it initially appears.
Buy it now: here
5. HP DreamColor Z27x
If you want best-in-class color accuracy, look no further: the HP DreamColor Z27x has it. Until OLED monitors become financially attainable for mere mortals, this professional monitor from HP is as good as it gets. While it’s corporate design probably isn’t going to make you fall in love with the monitor the moment you see it, wait until you learn what it offers.
To start with, the HP DreamColor Z27x supports the sRGB D65, sRGB D50, Adobe RGB, DCI P3 BT.709, and BT.2020 color spaces. It also features a 27-inch AH-IPS display panel with a resolution of 2560 × 1440 pixels. AH-IPS stands for Advanced High-Performance IPS, and it’s a variation of IPS display technology with improved color accuracy, more excellent light transmission, and better image clarity. In other words, everything you display on the HP DreamColor Z27x is guaranteed to look gorgeous.
This isn’t the monitor you want to buy if photo editing is just one of your many hobbies. This is the monitor you want to buy with photo editing is your passion, and you would like to take it to the next level and become a pro.
Buy it now: here
6. BenQ BL2711U
The BenQ BL2711U has been designed with CAD in mind, offering superior contrast on 3D color lines in its revolutionary CAD/CAM Mode. But this isn’t some one-trick-pony. The BenQ BL2711U also shines when it comes to animation, video editing, and, above all, photo editing.
With its 4K resolutions and 27 inches, the monitor renders even the most delicate details with 100 percent sRGB color space coverage and viewing angles of up to 178 degrees in both horizontal and vertical plane. 10-bit colors are also supported, which means that the BenQ BL2711U can provide smooth color gradations and natural transitions between hues. Despite its larger size and rugged build, the monitor is fully adjustable and can even be rotated 90 degrees for software applications that work better in a vertical orientation. BenQ protects your eyes with their BenQ Low Blue Light technology, which filters out harmful blue light to diminish eye fatigue and irritation.
The BenQ BL2711U is a highly recommendable professional monitor that should quickly satisfy the needs of a broad range of professionals who do color-sensitive work for a living.
7. LG UltraWide UM95
Ultrawide monitors are great for photo editing because they offer plenty of screen real-estate for professional photo editing software such as Photoshop. The problem with most ultrawide monitors is that they are curved. While great for gaming and movies because of the added immersion provided by the curvature, a photo editing monitor should be able to display straight lines accurately, and that’s not something you can expect a curved monitor to do.
Fortunately, not all ultrawide monitors are curved, and the LG UltraWide UM95 is one of them. At 34 inches, this monitor isn’t for people with limited desk space. But if you can find enough space for it, the LG UltraWide UM95 presents many compelling arguments why you should buy it. For starters, it has an excellent resolution of 3440 × 1440 pixels and 99.9 percent sRGB color space coverage. It can also display 10-bit colors, making it 64 times richer than 8-bit color displays. The monitor protects your eyes with LG’s new Flicker Safe technology, which reduces display flicker to almost zero.
Ultrawide monitors aren’t for everyone, but if you see yourself using one, the LG UltraWide UM95 is one of the best ultrawide monitors that you can purchase for photo editing.
Best Photo Editing PC Monitors Verdict
Most high-end monitors will work for any photo editing needs. You’ll want to make sure that you’re getting a great resolution with a large color gamut, otherwise, you’re not going to see all the details that you need to make great photos. That said, all these monitors fit that bill, so you’ll be safe with just about any of these.
Product | Brand | Name | Price |
---|---|---|---|
ASUS | ASUS PA248Q 24\" ProArt Professional | Check Price on Amazon | |
ASUS | ASUS 27-inch 2k 144Hz WQHD FreeSync Gaming Monitor IPS | Check Price on Amazon | |
acer | Acer EB321HQU Awidpx 32 | Check Price on Amazon | |
Dell | Dell 34" UltraSharp Curved Ultra Wide Quad HD IPS Monitor | Check Price on Amazon | |
HP | HP D7R00A8#ABA Commercial Specialty 27" Z27x IPS Monitor | Check Price on Amazon |
* If you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. For more details, please visit our Privacy policy page.