| Joined: | Mon Apr 2nd, 2012 |
| Location: | South Lakeland, UK |
| Posts: | 4066 |
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The usual viewing distance from a screen tends to be around 600 to 700mm. At that distance I can't 'see' the detail that the extra definition provides, except the image looks crisper. I did take a look at these in the Apple store recently. My retina iPad which is viewed from much closer, say around 400mm seems pretty crisp.
What I am asking myself is when do I NEED to see that detail during processing?
The only time I really need to get down to pixel level editing is when I am cutting through layers to reveal other layers beneath, for example with the 'Oakdale' IR image which has about six layers. When I erased the top layer to reveal underlying layers around the rigging of the boat I did have to zoom in close, right down to maybe 400% or closer to keep the edit clean, other than that I don't think ultra high definition helps but even then I would have to blow it up even more just to see the image pixels.
Other than that I like to see the entire image at a reasonable size and assess the effect of any adjustments I am making across the entire image. Whether seeing the individual pixels at 1:1 helps that I don't know, I guess it can't do any harm, it's probably good when sharpening. I tend to sit right back when making adjustments so I see the entire image rather than focusing on the detail.
The ultra high def certainly produces a crisper image but for close in pixel level editing I don't see it as a solution, I would still need to zoom in to very high levels of magnification.
Other than that the iMac is a very capable machine for image editing, especially with a decent amount of RAM and a Fusion Drive.
I feel far more important is to have a second (cheap, smaller and low res) monitor for the tool pallets and other 'clutter' which otherwise obscures the image, no matter how large the main screen may be. This is a breeze with an iMac, a £25 adaptor and an old PC monitor does the job perfectly. Most households have old unwanted 17" screens lying about, they can get a new lease of life and become an inseparable companion for the main screen.
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Robert.