In most cases, liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are used in monitors. This type of display shows content and colors directly. Nevertheless, there are differences in the pros and cons of different LCD panels, and, as a result, these differences have an impact on the final result and the accuracy of the display.
There are a number of LCD panel types that are commonly used. The most common of these are Twisted Nematic (TN), Vertical Alignment (VA), and In-Plane Switching (IPS).
In this article, we will specifically talk about VA and IPS panels and figure out the answer to the question Is VA or IPS better for photo editing?
Let’s first look at the both one by one; then, we will conclude on a statement.
Vertical Alignment (VA) Panel
In terms of white-to-black contrast, VA panels are known to be among the best in LCD panels. Particularly VA panels have an outstanding capability to display black, which is excellent.
Additionally, the native 8-bit VA panel can also display a maximum of 16.77 million colors (8 bits for each of the red, green, and blue colors), a significantly higher number of colors than the native 6-bit TN panel, which can only display 260,000 colors.
However, there are two disadvantages of VA panels that few are aware of: a slow response time and a viewing angle that is wider than that of TN panels but narrower than that of IPS panels.
In-Plane Switching (IPS) Panel
The monitors used in professional image processing are most likely to be In-Plane Switching (IPS) panels. With their 178° viewing angle, IPS panels are notable for consistently reproducing colors no matter what position the viewer sits in.
So, the benefits of this product can be seen as effectively reducing the problem of color shifting that is common among TN panels. Also, some professional image processing monitors are even designed with 10-bit IPS panels, which can display 1.07 billion colors and cover 99 percent of the Adobe RGB color space.
That ensures a good representation of colors while still offering exceptional viewing levels.
Is VA or IPS Better for Photo Editing?
There is no comparison between VA and TN monitors when it comes to response time, but VA monitors offer good viewing angles, accurate color reproduction, greater brightness, as well as deeper black levels.
Because IPS monitors generally offer the best viewing angles and precision colors when it comes to editing photos, they are generally the most recommended display for photographers.