Question: Somehow the monitor colors on my classroom computer have changed. Now photos and other images do not look as good as they used to. How do I fix this?
The IT Guy says:
Some programs require that the computer be set to 256 colors, and may automatically change this setting. If the program does not restore the colors to the previous settings, you have several options to reset this.
On a Windows-based computer you'll need to access the DISPLAY control panel. Choose START, then SETTINGS, then CONTROL PANELS, and finally DISPLAY. A faster way is to right-click the desktop and choose PROPERTIES. Click on the SETTINGS tab in the DISPLAY control panel and choose the color settings you want. 16 bit color means thousands of colors will be displayed, 32 bit color means millions of colors. Most newer monitors will support 32 bit color, so that is probably what you want to select. Click OK and you are done!
If you need to frequently change monitor colors, you can click the ADVANCED button in the SETTINGS tab of the DISPLAY control panel and click the button to show the monitor settings in the system tray. Then you can right click that icon in the lower right corner to switch between monitor resolution as well as color settings.
For Mac users: If you are using Macintosh OS 9, you need to go to the Apple menu, select CONTROL PANELS, and MONITORS to change colors. As a shortcut, you can use the control strip to quickly change monitor colors, similar to the system tray monitor icon on Windows systems. In Macintosh OS X, choose the Apple menu and select SYSTEM PREFERENCES, then choose DISPLAYS. Again you can either choose selected monitor colors there, or click the check box beside "Show displays in menu bar" to allow fast resolution and color switching. This is particularly useful if you have a laptop and connect to external monitors and/or LCD projectors that have different allowable video settings.
Next Tip: Apply versus the OK button
