What are Nits and how do they relate to Monitor Brightness?

AQCOLOR Monitor Resources Series

2024/05/22

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Monitor brightness directly affects the work of professional photographers, as each color space needs to be accurately represented by the percentage that’s supported and the brightness of the monitor. Monitor brightness is represented by Nits, which are the unit of measurement that refers to the amount of light that’s being emitted. Technology is getting brighter, so understanding the nits brightness levels of a monitor is crucial for photographers to select the right one that fits their needs. That leaves us with the question of, how many nits does a monitor need? In this article we’ll answer this question and provide some guidance for finding the right photography monitor for you.

What are Nits?

A nit is how bright a screen is perceived by the human eye. Nits screen brightness, or nits monitor brightness, is determined by the amount of nits on the monitor, so the more nits a monitor has the brighter it will be. Screens all have different amounts of nits, usually ranging anywhere from 200-1000 nits depending on the age of the technology and the implied usage. If a monitor boasts 400 nits, that means its peak brightness is 400 nits, but it may not always be displaying 400 nits depending on your settings.

Determining a good range of nits for a monitor is dependent on the location and usage of the monitor. A range of 200-400 nits is good for indoor usage, 400-700 is good for outdoor covered usage, and anything above 1000 is good for direct sunlight. A higher screen brightness can make it easier to see the colors of the images you’re working with and, depending on the color space in use, can emphasize the RGB scale.

What about nits vs lumens? Nits and lumens are fairly different, as nits measure the intensity of the light on the screen while lumens measure how much light is actually being emitted. Since both measure aspects of light for a screen, be sure to check both amounts when looking at monitor options.

Why are Nits important for photographers?

Nits are important because they help photographers know how bright a display will be perceived and what type of environment that monitor can be used in. Having a clear, vibrant screen will allow for more efficient editing, and combing the right color space with the right screen brightness will produce the best results. Brightness is related directly to color accuracy, and for photographers, color is everything. If the colors aren’t being displayed correctly due to low brightness, the editing process will become more difficult and images may not come out as they were envisioned. Selecting a monitor with the right amount of nits for you should be determined by the environment your working in and the color space in use.

What does BenQ have to offer?

At BenQ, we strive to reproduce accurate colors and strong screen brightness in every one of our professional photography monitors. AQCOLOR, a proprietary technology developed by BenQ, is built on meeting industrial standards, emphasizing display details, and providing an out-of-the-box guarantee. Monitor capabilities are backed by third-party qualifications such as a Pantone Validated Certificate and Calman certification. The goal is to create products that will deliver on the promise “Colors You Can Trust” and empower creative professionals in every aspect of their work.

Get the HDR quality color accuracy you need with BenQ PhotoVue Monitors, backed by AQCOLOR technology and Paper Color Sync, guaranteeing color accuracy from screen to print. Additionally, SW and PD series purchasers and existing owners can get one FREE year of the new Pantone Connect Premium to bring the benefits of your smart device to your computer.