The 5 Best Monitors For Photo And Video Editing - Spring 2022 Reviews

The Dell S2722QC is the best monitor for photo editing with a 27 inch screen and 4k resolution that we've tested. It's a good all-around monitor that delivers crisp images thanks to its high resolution. It's designed with productivity in mind, so it has many features for that.

The large 27 inch screen and 4k resolution allow you to view your video timeline without scrolling too much. It has perfect coverage of the sRGB color space used in most web content, but it doesn't have an sRGB lock to limit the colors to the sRGB color space, so some colors appear over-saturated. If you want to connect your laptop, you should be happy to know it has a USB-C input with DisplayPort Alt Mode, so you can charge it with up to 65 W of power delivery and display an image on it at the same time.

Sadly, it's not ideal if you work with HDR content because its HDR color gamut is only okay because it doesn't display a wide range of colors in HDR. Also, it doesn't get bright enough to make highlights pop, and it lacks local dimming, meaning you won't get a true HDR experience. If this isn't a problem for you, it's the best photo and video editing monitor we've tested.

If you're a content creator with a MacBook or Mac Mini, then the best monitor for photo and video 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's very well-built, but the variants that come with stands have limited ergonomics, so they're harder to place in an ideal position.

The Studio Display has an exceptionally accurate sRGB mode that you can only access with a macOS device. Colors are extremely accurate and you won't need to calibrate the monitor, but the peak brightness in sRGB is low. It has full coverage of the sRGB and DCI-P3 color spaces used in SDR, and while the Adobe RGB coverage is also great, some reds and greens appear off. If you get it calibrated or use another picture mode other than sRGB, it has excellent peak brightness and the reflection handling is fantastic.

Sadly, it doesn't have any HDR support which is disappointing if you need HDR colors for your photo and video editing. It also has a slow response time that makes motion look blurry, even when scrolling through web pages. If that isn't a problem for you, it's one of the best monitors you can get for photo and video editing on macOS devices.

The best monitor for video editing and photo editing that we've tested in a 32 inch size is the Gigabyte M32U. It's a great 32 inch, 4k monitor with a fast 144Hz refresh rate. The large, high-resolution screen makes it much easier to see more of your work at once, and the high pixel density delivers sharp images and clear text without having to zoom in. It has wide viewing angles and good ergonomics, so you can easily share your screen with someone else.

It has excellent accuracy out of the box, with accurate colors and great white balance. It has an excellent SDR color gamut, with complete coverage of the sRGB color space, but its coverage of the wider Adobe RGB color space isn't enough if you use that color space. It also supports HDR if you choose to master in DCI-P3 and Rec. 2020. It can display a wide color gamut, but overall, its coverage of HDR color spaces isn't the best out there.

Unfortunately, like all IPS monitors, it has low contrast, and the local dimming feature is terrible, so it's not a good choice for a dark room. Despite these flaws, it's an impressive monitor that should please most users, and it's the best 32 inch monitor for photo editing and video editing that we've tested.

The best ultrawide monitor for photo editing that we've tested is the Gigabyte M34WQ. Ultrawide monitors are good if you need to see more horizontal space at once, like if you need to view your entire video timeline without scrolling or if you want to open multiple windows side-by-side while working. The 21:9 aspect ratio offers more horizontal space than typical 16:9 monitors.

It has many features designed for productivity, like a keyboard video mouse (KVM) switch that allows you to connect your keyboard and mouse directly to the monitor and control multiple sources with them. It's good if you have a desktop and a laptop, and you don't want to constantly disconnect and reconnect your peripherals. Picture quality is good too because it has great out-of-the-box accuracy and near-perfect coverage of the sRGB color space, but it has limited Adobe RGB coverage. It also supports HDR and displays a wide color gamut if you need it.

Unfortunately, because it has a 3440x1440 resolution, text clarity isn't as good as the 4k monitors mentioned above, but it's still good enough for content creation. Also, because its HDR peak brightness is just okay, the HDR color volume is a bit limited. If this doesn't bother you, it's one of the best monitors for video editing.

The best budget monitor for photo editing is the Gigabyte M27Q. It's a solid all-around option with great performance for content creators, and it has many of the same productivity features as the Gigabyte M34WQ. It's well-built with a sturdy plastic body, but its stand doesn't offer the best ergonomic adjustments.

It offers great value for its price, especially for photo and video editors. It has near-perfect coverage of the Adobe RGB color space and, combined with its excellent out-of-the-box accuracy, it displays colors as they should appear. It also has incredible gradient handling, meaning you won't see any banding while photo editing. If you want to use it in a well-lit room, visibility won't be an issue because it has high peak brightness and decent reflection handling.

Sadly, it uses a BGR subpixel layout instead of the typical RGB layout found on most monitors. Although this doesn't directly affect text clarity, not all programs support BGR subpixel layout, meaning some text and images won't look as sharp in certain programs. Also, because it has a lower 1440p resolution, the overall text clarity is only decent, so some text looks a bit blurry. Overall, if you're on the market for the best budget monitor for photo editing, you should enjoy this one.