The 6 Best Monitors For Photo And Video Editing - Fall 2022 Reviews

The best monitor for video editing and photo editing that we've tested is the Dell U2723QE. It's a good 4k monitor that focuses on photo and video editing and productivity. It has a dedicated sRGB mode that limits the colors to the standard sRGB space used in most web content, resulting in excellent out-of-the-box accuracy, meaning you won't have to get it calibrated unless you need perfect colors. Connecting to it is also easy as it has a massive USB hub with five USB-A ports and three USB-C ports. One of the USB-C ports supports DisplayPort Alt Mode with 90W of power delivery, so you can display an image from your laptop and charge it at the same time, even if it requires a lot of power.

The 4k resolution is great for editing because it allows you to see more detail at once, and the 27-inch screen is big enough to work comfortably with two windows opened side-by-side. If you find that screen size too small, the Dell U3223QE is pretty much a larger variant of this monitor. However, it isn't as good for video editing in HDR because it under-saturates colors, so if you're a dedicated photo or video editor, it's best to go for the U2723QE.

If you find the Dell U2723QE too expensive, there are mid-range options that you can get for cheaper with great performance. If that's the case, the Dell S2722QC is the best monitor for photo editing and video editing in the mid-range category we've tested. It has the same 27-inch, 4k screen and is impressive for content creators. However, it's cheaper because it doesn't have an sRGB mode, meaning it has worse out-of-the-box accuracy, and you'll need to get it calibrated if your work requires perfectly accurate colors. However, the accuracy is still decent without any calibration. While it has fewer USB-C inputs, it still has one with DisplayPort Alt Mode and 65W of power delivery, so you can easily connect a laptop.

It's a great choice if you need to use your monitor in a bright room because it has great peak brightness, enough to fight glare, and the reflection handling is good. It has wide viewing angles if you need to share your work with someone next to you so they see the same image, and the excellent ergonomics make it easy to share your screen as you can swivel it or rotate it into portrait mode if you need to use it in the vertical orientation.

The ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV is the best budget monitor we've tested for photo and video editing. It's designed with a focus on content creation, but unlike the Dell U2723QE and the Dell S2722QC, it has a lower 1440p resolution and not 4k. It means that images aren't as sharp, but the text clarity is still decent overall. It displays a wide range of colors in SDR and has amazing out-of-the-box accuracy thanks to its sRGB mode, so colors look accurate before calibration, which is great for a budget monitor. The gray uniformity is also impressive, which is important if you need to edit photos or videos with large areas of bright colors.

While it's a bit more costly than some other budget-friendly monitors, this is what you should expect when looking for a photo editing monitor because cheaper monitors usually lack a high resolution or accurate colors. It also has remarkable ergonomics with a really wide swivel range and a large tilt range, so adjusting the screen is very easy. It has wide viewing angles that make the image remain consistent as you move off to the sides, which is great if you often have to share your screen with a coworker or client.

If you're just getting into media creation, or you do it on the side and want something cheap, then the Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx is the best photo and video editing monitor that we've tested. At 24 inches in size, it's smaller than the ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV and has a lower 1080p resolution, but that means it has a similar pixel density and the image clarity is still decent. The smaller screen is also ideal if you have limited desk space or want a second screen for photo editing. Although this monitor is mainly designed for gaming, it has a fantastic SDR color gamut, and the out-of-the-box accuracy is great, thanks to the sRGB mode.

Like the more expensive ASUS, it also has remarkable ergonomics, as you can swivel it a full 360 degrees, and it has wide viewing angles. It has low input lag that makes your mouse movements feel responsive, and large areas of uniform colors look good, thanks to the good gray uniformity. Thanks to its good reflection handling and great peak brightness, visibility isn't a problem if you want to use it in a well-lit room.

If you're a content creator with a Mac, then the best monitor for video editing and photo editing is the Apple Studio Display. Specifically designed for macOS devices, you need a Mac computer to take full advantage of the monitor's capabilities. It has an even higher 5k resolution than the Dell U2723QE, delivering exceptionally clear text. It has a remarkably accurate sRGB mode that you can only access with a macOS device. It has full coverage of the sRGB and DCI-P3 color spaces, and while the Adobe RGB coverage is also great, some reds and greens appear off.

The peak brightness in the sRGB mode is low, but that's also how the sRGB mode is meant to be used. If you get it calibrated or use another picture mode other than sRGB, it has excellent peak brightness, and the reflection handling is fantastic, so visibility isn't a problem. It's very well-built, but the variants that come with stands have limited ergonomics, so they're harder to place in an ideal position; however, you can also get the variant with the VESA adapter instead to mount it on an arm with easy adjustments.

Ultrawide monitors offer a few advantages over standard 16:9 displays when it comes to video and photo editing. If you want an ultrawide display, the best monitor we've tested for content creators is the LG 40WP95C-W. With a 21:9 aspect ratio and 40-inch screen, it offers plenty of screen space to open multiple windows at once, and it's ideal if you need to view your entire video timeline without scrolling much. It has a 5120x2160 resolution, also known as 5k2k, and has the same vertical height as a 4k display with more horizontal pixels, resulting in fantastic text clarity and image sharpness.

Like the Apple Studio Display, it's targeted at professional content creators as it comes factory-calibrated with excellent accuracy. It also uses LG's Nano IPS technology to display a wide range of colors in the sRGB and Adobe RGB color spaces. It has a good selection of inputs, including two USB-C ports that support Thunderbolt 4, which offer even higher power delivery than DisplayPort Alt Mode, which is great if you have a power-hungry laptop. If you find this monitor too expensive, the Gigabyte M34WQ is a cheaper alternative with a smaller screen, but it has lower power delivery and worse out-of-the-box accuracy.