Table of Contents
People are enthusiastic about 4K now, and it is no longer a buzzword. You don’t need a 4K monitor for video editing. Actually, editing does not need a monitor that shows 4k or pixel-perfect high-quality images. A 4K display does not boost editing productivity and has no bearing on your editing performance. Even most video editing software lowers the quality of your video without your permission.
The fundamental reason is that they require them pixel-level precision to color-correct and manage their frame rates. However, if you’re only editing for the web or taking Go-Pro footage on the move, a high-resolution monitor won’t help you much. It is superfluous and would most likely be a burden rather than a help.
Do I Need a 4k Monitor for Video Editing Actually, 4K resolution will make text and icons too tiny to see, and it would be preferable to spend your money on panels that support a broader spectrum of colors? If you only have room for a screen smaller than 27″,
A 4k monitor for video editing is not necessary, but it will make it easier to see detail when zoomed out and provide additional screen area. Many people are excited about the upgrade from 1080p to 4K. But the only question is does the ordinary filmmaker need a 4K display for video editing? The solution is more complicated than you would expect. There are numerous ways for movie buffs and hardcore gamers to benefit from 4K technology.
If you are a developing editor with the resources, there is no harm in investing in a 4k monitor for video editing. Just don’t expect miracles. And don’t expect to save time by purchasing Full HD because that won’t help you. Instead, editors who wish to save time should invest in a faster machine or a better process.
Finally, for most editors, upgrading to a 4K resolution is a luxury rather than a necessity. And, happily, if you’re on a tight budget, you can still get your hands on one of the industry’s greatest displays right now. You must conduct preliminary research and thoroughly consider your options.
1. What is a 4k Resolution Monitor?
Pixels represent resolution, the resolution of the screen is 4K. And pixels are simply little colored dots that make up an image. In other words, 4K refers to the number of pixels on a screen. Specifically, the width in pixels. For example, a 4K screen is 4096 pixels wide and 2160 pixels high. Add those values together to get the total amount of pixels. This value is 8,847,360 pixels in this case.
Keep in mind that screen size has nothing to do with resolution. It all comes down to how many pixels are jammed into the screen itself. The greater the number of pixels on a screen, the greater the possibility of color and light change. Also known as resolution.
2. The Major Aspects of Buying a 4K Monitor for Video Editing
Therefore, the main aspects to consider when deciding if a 4K display for video editing is worth the investment are:
1.1. Video Editing is your job or a hobby:
It depends on your income from video editing. Then you should probably invest in 4K. Also, if filming movies provide you with a lot of joy in life, you should think about it.
However, it is entirely viable to be a casual video editor without a 4K editing display right now. In the second instance, it truly comes down to personal choice.
1.2. You are concerned about the quality of the image:
If blurry images, washed-out colors, and soft edges spoil your video viewing experience, 4K is probably for you.
This is especially true if you are currently working on a 720p video editing monitor. However, other video editors just like putting together stories. Others are very critical of the image itself. If you fall into the second group, you should consider upgrading.
1.3. On the Editing Monitor, you may see Ultra HD Movies:
Upgrade if you’re using the same display to edit video and view your favorite Ultra HD movies. And if you force your home visitors to watch anything on anything less than a 1080p display, please update immediately. 4K has a higher resolution than 1080p. But, to be fully honest, it can be difficult to discern the difference.
2. Advantages of 4K Monitor for Video Editing
The following are some advantages of a 4K monitor for video editing;
2.1. Widescreen:
For a video editor, a wide-screen monitor is a game-changer in terms of aspect ratio. A square screen displays more of the editing timeline in a single frame, eliminating the need for continuous cleaning.
The drastically reduced number of pixels per inch on the stretched screen implies visible pixels, particularly if the display is larger than 32 inches.
2.2. Color Grading and Keying:
Color grading would be ideal on a 4K monitor or higher quality screen. Keep in mind that pixel count has nothing to do with color fidelity. However, because 4K displays are very costly, the probability of the pricey monitor having a well-calibrated, color-accurate screen is higher.
More pixels for color in your frames arise from the increased 4K resolution. 4K allows for improved color differentiation and cleaner color grading. It also enables more accurate green screen input.
There are 1080p monitors available on the market that are correct. The downside is that they lose pixel density, negating the benefits of accurate colors.
2.3. Advanced Editing:
More pixel data means a greater resolution. During post-production, additional pixel information can be a great help for shot stabilization, 3D tracking, and other tasks.
4K and higher resolution formats are best suited for images that require a significant amount of visual effects work.4K provides you with more material to work with and the opportunity to add a significant camera shaking to videos that are generally frozen during post-production.
Although you don’t need a 4K screen to make these changes, the extra pixels make it much easier to identify objects on the screen.
3. Disadvantages of a 4k Monitor for Video Editing
Some may claim that a greater resolution is always better, however working with a 4k display has a number of disadvantages. Running a 4k monitor for video editing demands a lot of computer power, thus a high-end graphics card will be necessary to minimize performance degradation.
Small icons and text may necessitate scaling your OS settings, but that negates the purpose of having a 4k monitor in the first place. This is where a 2k might have produced a comparable result without scaling and at a lesser cost.
4k displays are also more expensive, and if money is a concern, it is best to invest in greater color accuracy rather than a higher resolution.
4. Who does not require a 4K monitor
Now, let’s look at the other side. Let’s talk about who probably doesn’t need a 4K monitor for video editing.
4.1. Who Isn’t Going to Need a 4k Monitor for Video Editing:
4K is excellent. However, it is not for everyone. there are certain situations in which buying a 4K computer monitor makes sense.
4.2. Video editing is just another hobby you like:
If you only edit one video a year, you can probably avoid upgrading to a 4K video editing display.
4.4. Don’t be worried about image quality:
Some inexperienced video editors enjoy telling stories. They enjoy hearing, seeing, and telling about them. When it comes to comprehending the details of the video, their eyes glaze over. That’s fine! Everyone is welcome here. If you fall into this category, your old 1080 monitor will probably suffice. Keep in mind, however, that image resolution may have a bigger impact on your experience than you think.
4.5. Videos do not have 4K resolution:
Videographers using pre-4K equipment are unlikely to require a 4K monitor to edit their footage. If you do decide to upgrade one (monitor or camera), you should also upgrade the other.
4.6. Don’t buy for the 4K hype:
4K is just a marketing ploy, Possibly, but I don’t believe it’s all hype. 4K is objectively superior. Even if you disagree about whether the resolution increase is significant, most 4K displays provide greater color space coverage and hence more realistic colors.
That alone is reason enough to upgrade. At least, not to me. However, in most circumstances, 1080p resolution is sufficient. For a visual comparison, see the video posted above this section.
5. Features of 4k monitor for Editing Video
When you decide to go with the 4k monitor for video editing, there are a few extra things to consider. Some of these are really more significant than photo editing resolution:
5.1. Brightness:
Choose 300 cd/m2 if you’re working in a bright setting. At high brightness settings, eye strain is a considerable problem, as is the fact that colors and blacks will appear completely different than in print.
If you’re not working in a bright area, 250 cd/m2 will be enough; but, if you’re intending to print your work, you may wind up lowering the brightness to 110 cd/m2.
5.2. Aspect Ratio:
If possible, use a 16:10 screen with extra vertical editing space, or the more usual 16:9 screen, but avoid super-wide displays, which, although popular for movies, lack vertical height.
5.3. Delta E:
Delta E will be indicated for displays particularly built for image editing, and a value less than 2 should offer professional results. Without going into too much detail, the lower the number is the better.
5.4. Panel type:
An IPS (In-Plane Switching) panel is the gold standard here since it provides the greatest color management and viewing angles. A VA (Vertical Alignment) can be used as a backup, but avoid TNs (Twisted Nematics), which have poor viewing angles and incorrect colors. They do, however, provide faster response times for games, although this is far less important for photo editing.
5.5. Clarity of Color:
A diverse color palette increases your chances of displaying the colors required by you or your consumer. This is especially important if you intend to print your work since you will be able to show colors that correlate with the printer. You will notice a better-looking sky and grasses with a wider color range.
Landscapes will suffer as a result of a standard color gamut’s inability to portray cyans (a greenish-blue color) and greens. Look for a screen that has at least 90% sRGB, which corresponds to web-based work, and 70 sRGB, which is ideal for printed images.
6. Curved or Flat monitor for Video Editing
As the video editing industry grows, an increasing number of individuals are turning to monitor panels that can display a greater variety of colors. Due to rising color reproduction difficulties, flat screens are becoming more inappropriate for this usage.
Curved Monitors, on the other hand, are more successful at presenting the wide range of colors required for editing since they have a better viewing angle. While you’re probably used to seeing a flat computer monitor that only shows straight lines, there are a few curved-side monitors on the market these days.
Some editors like this kind of monitor as well. The curved edges improve visibility and attention on the screen while editing photos or videos. However, flat-screen monitors are also available (also known as standard monitors). If you want to buy one of these displays, you should have no trouble finding one with a variety of display sizes.
7. Do I Need a 4k Monitor for Video Editing, Is important for editing
It’s not as simple as recommending that someone upgrade to a 4k monitor for video editing. A 4K display clearly has advantages over a 1080 model. However, the benefit may be in areas such as color space coverage rather than direct resolution.
4K is quickly becoming the industry standard, so upgrading to 4K makes sense if you want to stay competitive. I’m not certain that a 4K display is completely required for the ordinary video editor. Choose what is most important to you and go from there.
8. Size of the Monitor for 4k Photo Editing
If you’re short on desk space, a 24″ monitor is the way to go. Displaying 4k images on a monitor this size, on the other hand, will result in writing that is too small to read. At this scale, a lesser resolution, such as Full HD or 2k, would be preferable.
Although 27″ may be the ideal size for many, Full HD at this size will not yield the finest results. This screen size is ideal for 2k resolution, however, for 4k resolution, text may be too tiny and require scaling.
32″ might be too big for a normal workstation unless you put the screen more than 3 feet away, but it will benefit from 4k resolution. This big display will need more head scans, but depending on your application, it may be the ideal size for working in 4k.
So, for 4k picture editing, you need to use 32″ displays. If this is too big for you, a 2k screen would be a better choice.
9. Monitor is Required for Video Editing
A monitor is as important to a professional video editor’s setup or process as the machine itself. While laptops are powerful enough for resource-intensive and graphics-intensive operations, the broader viewpoint provided by an external monitor cannot be matched by even the largest laptop screens.
Also, 4K resolution is much more common on displays than on laptops. While television has the size of a monitor and as many, if not more, pixels as an external display, it is not designed for productivity tasks such as video editing.
10. Shoot in 4K Export in 1080p
The most significant advantage of 4K is that it provides significantly higher image resolution. Furthermore, because you filmed everything at the higher 4K resolution, if your final output is less than 4K, you should not lose any quality.. 4K video output at 1080p opens them a plethora of creative possibilities.
It is totally up to you whether to edit in 4K or 1080p. Depending on your editing configuration and preferences, you may have to select between the two.
If you filmed the footage in 4K but want to publish it in 1080p quality, editing it in 1080p is a no-brainer. Editing in 1080p would save you a lot of rendering time.
If the finished product needs to be delivered in 4K, you can still edit the video in 1080p and export it in 4K. Other than your personal preferences, the most important consideration when deciding between 1080p and 4K editing is whether or not your computer can handle 4K changes.
Processing and editing 4K videos require substantially more CPU and graphics capability than 1080p files. When editing 4K files, your editing speed will be significantly slowed if your machine is not 4K video editing-ready.
Whether your machine is capable of editing 4K files or not, it is recommended to stick to 1080p when editing vlogs or everyday projects that require fast turnaround.
If you’re new to video editing, it’s best to start with 1080p because speed and smoothness shouldn’t be an issue while you’re learning the ropes. For anything else, and if you have a capable machine, edit at 4K resolution.
11. Cost of a 4K Monitor for Video Editing
A good 4K display for picture processing will cost around $700/£500. Mid-range screens start at about $2000/£1500. High-end displays will cost roughly $5500/£4000. There are 4k displays to fit most budgets, but avoid inexpensive screens because they will almost surely sacrifice color fidelity for enhanced resolution.
12. sRGB for Editing
If you’re editing video and photos for web usage, sRGB will suffice. When selecting a monitor, ensure that it covers at least 90% of the sRGB gamut. Higher is usually preferable. After all, you want to use your Lightroom presets to edit amazing photographs that look great on any screen.
14. Difference between 4K and 1080p
When comparing 4K versus 2K computer monitors, a 4K monitor has double the horizontal pixels and vertical pixels of a 1080p panel and four times the overall pixel count.
To summarise, it depends. The distinction between 1080p and 4K is clear since a 4K screen can display four times as many pixels as a 1080p screen. It is nearly hard to notice the difference in quality between a 1080p and a 4K screen from a distance.
15. DCI-P3 vs sRGB
If you want to fully experience HDR, DCI-P3 is unquestionably superior to sRGB, and the greater the DCI-P3 coverage, the better. This will allow you to appreciate the additional colors that HDR content may provide. Furthermore, DCI-P3 may employ 10-bit color against sRGB’s 8-bit, which is required for HDR without banding.
15. Gaming Monitor for Video Editing
Yes, video editing displays are well worth the investment. There are several techniques to properly calibrate your video editing monitor to achieve a high degree of color accuracy, which is crucial to producing material that appears consistent every time you upload and that a gaming monitor just cannot do.
17. Frequently Asked Questions FAQs
17.1. Is FHD good for video editing?
For video editors, we recommend FHD at the absolute least, but for the greatest effects, choose QHD or UHD if you can afford it.
17.2. Why do people shoot in 4K?
The advantage of 4K recording is that the resolution is quadrupled, allowing you to zoom in cleanly because you have much better source footage to work with.
This is great for cutting close-ups, essentially removing any skipped cuts from the finished output.
17.3. How much can you punch in on 4K?
Whether it was shot in 4K or not, you can double the size (200% scale) without losing visual quality. You could also go a little further (about 15 20% more) with a slight deterioration.
17.4. What is better 4K or 1440p?
Pixels are measured to produce 4k. 4k resolution is sharper than 1440p since it has more pixels. A screen’s resolution is defined by its width and height in pixels. The width of a 1440p picture is 2560 pixels, while the height is 1440 pixels.
17.5. Is 8K much better than 4K?
4K monitors triple the number of pixels and double the resolution to 3,840 by 2,160. 8K more than doubles the resolution to 7,680 by 4,320. That’s four times as many pixels as 4K or 16 times more than a 1080p TV. It is far crisper than 4K and significantly sharper than 1080p.
17.6. Can humans see 8K?
When a person with 20/20 vision is too near to the display to view the entire image, the human eye can see an 8K image with clarity and precision. To tell the difference between two pixels on a 75-inch screen, the viewer must be less than 2 and a half feet away.
17.8. Which is better DCI P3 or BT 2022?
The contrast of the color spectrum between the two is striking: DCI P3: Brighter but more saturated colors, with a greener appearance. BT.
17.9. Is Adobe RGB better than P3?
Adobe RGB emphasizes blues and greens, whereas P3 includes more yellows and reds. An Adobe RGB display may have an edge over the P3 in covering some extreme cyan hues, but if you’re currently using an sRGB screen, a P3 screen will still give you more of the CMYK color gamut than you’re seeing today.
17.10. Is a curved monitor good for Photoshop?
One of the most significant advantages of curved displays for picture editing is immersive viewing. When utilizing an immersive monitor, the view from the display is closer to real-life vision than when using a flat-screen monitor. Because it matches how you see in real life, a curved display helps you feel like you’re a part of the situation.
Immersion. Curved displays, without a doubt, deliver a more immersive experience than flat ones. This is because humans see the environment in three dimensions, which curved displays better replicate by generating a sensation of depth. They also have a larger field of view and take up more of your eye movements.
17.11. Is it possible to use Photoshop on a curved monitor?
Yes, See all of the refresh rates: While a 30Hz frame rate is adequate for every day displays, video editors will want a refresh rate closer to 60Hz for speed and accuracy. If your camera records in UHD 4K (the more typical resolution is 38402160), you’ll need a UHD 4K display for video editing.
17.12. Is it possible to edit 4K videos on a 1080p monitor?
On a 1080p screen, you may edit 4K movies. As previously said, be sure the PC powering the setup can perform 4K video editing. Your computer must have a CPU with enough cores, a decent discrete graphics card, lots of RAM, and a robust cooling system to keep everything cool and quiet.
In general, a configuration that uses a 1080p display is unlikely to have the most powerful gear powering the presentation. You probably spent more money than the average Joe on a system capable of complex video editing and high-performance gaming. And if that’s the case, you wouldn’t have tried to save money on the monitor because a good display is essential to complete the high-end setup.
To summarise, editing 4K videos on a 1080p monitor is more likely to be a problem with your inadequate PC than with the display itself. Aside from that, if you don’t already have an IPS monitor with 100 percent RGB, you should get one to assure there are no color accuracy difficulties with a Full HD panel. As previously said, video editing does not need razor-sharp graphics. However, the colors should be accurate.
18. Conclusion
When creating videos, having the right monitor or screen is just as important as having the right video camera, editing tool, and editing equipment. You don’t need a 2K or 4K display if a 1080p monitor is your workflow. However, it may bring some considerable advantages, specifically if you have the means to spend on a good example and the space for the bigger screen size that the resolution justifies then you will buy the 4k monitor for video editing.
A 2k screen would likely be enough for smaller screen sizes and allow you to concentrate your money on characteristics that are more vital for your chosen application, such as color accuracy. If you decide to go with 4k, hopefully, this guide has given you a good summary of everything to think about.