The best monitors for photo editing in 2023

When you first see the clarity, vibrancy and brightness of an Eizo display, it's immediately clear why Eizo is recognised as the best professional photo editing monitor brand. It's also clear why photo editing monitors are significantly more expensive than those of competitors and more expensive than most computers.

The latest iteration of Eizo's leading 31-inch professional monitor, the Eizo ColorEdge CG319X supports 99% AdobeRGB, 100% Rec.709 and 98% DCI-P3 colour schemes and features a unique 24-bit look-up table for 10-bit colour depth. It also supports the professional DCI 4K standard used by certain professional studios with a slightly larger 4K resolution of 4096 x 2160.

Each time the monitor is switched off, a special built-in hardware colour calibration tool opens with a click, keeping colours in sync without the help of a third-party colorimeter. Hybrid-log gamma and perceptual quantisation for working with HDR video are also new in this iteration, features that will be of particular interest to studios and freelancers working with high-end photography. Teams can use ColorNavigator 7 colour management software to guarantee accuracy throughout a project.

When we tested the CG319X for ourselves, we found that while it doesn't look particularly exciting, it offers outstanding colour accuracy and excellent features in a rugged, durable build. It's designed and priced for a niche audience of professionals who need the best possible colour. Most of us would pass on this choice once we've taken one look at the price, but if money were no object, we believe this is the best image editing monitor money can buy, ranked third only because of price.

If the cost of a high-end monitor like the BenQ or Eizo displays below is prohibitive at this point in your photographic profession (or pastime), Dell provides several affordable monitors with excellent color coverage. If you merely edit photos for basic digital displays, such websites or social media, the Dell S2721QS offers 99% coverage of the sRGB color gamut.

It costs less than $400 / £400, which is a really good deal. Unfortunately, there is no USB connection, thus you cannot use this to charge your laptop. You'll have to reach up to the display at the top of our list of the best monitors for picture editing to do that.

This LG monitor has many positive aspects. It has a large 32-inch 4K display that's packed with pixels. Although the brightness is only 350 nits, it supports HDR and 95% of the P3 colour gamut, providing even and realistic images that look absolutely authentic. It also has excellent connectivity features such as USB Type-C.

However, it's the 'Ergo' part that makes it unique in our opinion. Thanks to the adjustable arm, you can position the monitor where you want it according to height, rotation, tilt and how far forward you want it. You really do have extra space on your desk because the column support attaches to the back. Whilst we accept that not everyone will benefit from this flexibility, we found it a pleasure to work with.

For most people, our top choice of monitor for image editing is this budget pick from Dell, as we think it provides the perfect mix between cost and image quality. This 4K monitor offers excellent colour coverage with 100% Rec 709, 100% sRGB and 98% DCI-P3 gamut, while professional image editing monitors such as the BenQ and Eizo displays below are extremely costly and excessive for most people's needs.

With a dedicated sRGB mode, 2000:1 contrast ratio, 400 cd/m2 brightness level, USB-C connectivity and a USB hub, it's a gem for frugal photographers. Even better, it features VESA DisplayHDR 400, so you can play games or watch movies while editing photos. Two of the three USB-C ports enable DisplayPort Alt Mode and 90W power output, enough to power most laptops. One of the three USB-C ports also supports KVM. Our sister site Techradar gave this monitor a very positive review, praising the clarity of the 4K resolution.

Overall, we think the BenQ SW321C is the best display for picture editing. It's by no means the cheapest display, but it's also not the most expensive, it's a fair compromise between cost and quality, and the quality is excellent. It has 99% Adobe RGB, 100% sRGB and 95% P3 gamut coverage, and thanks to a separate control unit you can convert between colour formats on the fly. Furthermore, the display is professionally calibrated and has hardware calibration that doesn't depend on your PC.

Paired with the resolution of the 4K display, we found the colour accuracy and uniformity to be almost perfect, making it a display that allows you to observe your work in excellent detail. There are plenty of other useful details too. M Book mode makes the display look more like a MacBook Pro to facilitate smooth movement between screens, while Paper Colour Sync mode lets you set a colour space based on your printer and paper type for more realistic preview. The monitor's USB-C compatibility with up to 60W power supply means you can connect a laptop and get power and data over a single cable.

You'll be hard-pressed to find a certified sRGB monitor for less than the ASUS PA279CV. 100% of the sRGB picture colour space and 100% of the Rec. 709 video colour space is represented in this 27-inch IPS panel. Delta-E colour accuracy is less than 2 and factory colour calibration ensures wide and accurate colours at an affordable price. There's also a respectable port selection with 65W of power for a connected laptop coming via HDMI, DisplayPort and USB-C. This versatile jewel of a display has the ability to tilt, swivel, rotate and change height thanks to the stand.

Since even some mirrorless cameras, such as the Canon EOS R5, allow 8K video recording, some consumers looking for a display for photography may want to upgrade to an 8K monitor. The Dell UltraSharp UP3218K is one of the few models on the market. While it's not the most expensive monitor on this list, it does have a high price. But it really stands out when it comes to details. Keep in mind that since it was built before HDMI 2.1 and 8K capabilities were released, two(!) DisplayPort connections are needed to power all those pixels.

Yes, it's a specialised panel, no doubt, but we were more pleased with what this panel could display than the pixel count. 98% DCI-P3 coverage, 100% Rec. 709, 100% AdobeRGB and 100% sRGB coverage make the Dell an ideal choice for photo editors who want perfect colour compatibility. In addition, at 31.5 inches in size, it's not completely ridiculous. As a professional Dell monitor, it has a very solid build and complete ergonomic adjustment options.

When we examined the new Apple Studio Display, we were quite let down. No HDR, only a 60hz refresh rate, and extra money is required for height adjustment. A built-in camera of any type on a display is also rather uncommon, but the one on the Apple Studio Display is only passably good.

Leaving that aside, this monitor is a decent alternative for editing images, especially if you're an Apple lover and looking for a way to increase the screen on your MacBook Pro or link it with a Mac mini. When it comes to picture editing, clarity, consistency of color and brightness, and a 5K screen are the top considerations.

It's great to see ViewSonic offering graphic designers a large 37.5-inch 21:9 display with the VP3881, because ultrawide monitors are usually designed for gaming or general computing use. With no bezel dividing the desktop space, ultrawide displays like this one are like having two small monitors side by side on a desktop. Being able to browse websites, file explorers and various editing programs at the same time can increase productivity. It provides space for multiple windows to be open at the same time.

Despite offering 100% sRGB coverage and a slightly narrower AdobeRGB conformance, the image quality is not as good as other displays on our list. It is also compensated by a 10-bit colour depth frame reference count. The VP3881 stands out from other ultra-wide displays thanks to the full range of visual customisation options available in the on-screen menus.

Why do I need to choose one of the best monitors for photo editing?

Displays vary in brightness, uniformity and degree of colour fidelity, which causes images to look different on various displays. If the screen you are working on has poor colour accuracy and coverage, your work may look significantly different on other screens or when printed.

The best monitors for photographers can ensure that your images look the way you want them to, whether printed or viewed on other devices. Good colour coverage is essential if you are making HSL adjustments and colour grading. Images can be over- or under-saturated as a result of editing on a bad monitor or a good monitor that has not been calibrated.

The best monitors for photography offer realistic colours, consistent brightness and contrast, and support wide colour spaces such as Adobe RGB. While it's impossible to predict which screen your clients or the general public will use to view your images, you can at least be sure that your own display offers you the best editing capabilities.

How do I choose the best monitor for photo editing?

When choosing a monitor for image editing, there are a number of factors to consider and pay attention to. Choosing the right screen size is among the most important. You should also check some minimum standards in terms of resolution and colour accuracy. Below, we will mention a few of such queries.

Which is the best monitor for photo editing?

At number three on our list above, the Eizo ColorEdge CG319X is, in our opinion, the absolute best display for image editing. Since we're also factoring in price, and many enthusiasts and even many professionals can't afford such displays, we only rank it third instead of first.

The BenQ SW321C is currently our top pick for picture editing monitor for people looking for a compromise between high-end features and a slightly more reasonable price.

What size monitor should I use for photo editing?

The size of the screen you want to work on is a very important factor to consider when buying a monitor for image editing. While a larger screen (or one that can be rotated, such as the LG Ultrafine Ergo in our list above) is useful for editing photos in portrait mode, many screens have a normal 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio.

While they're not always the best for intensive work, ultra-wide monitors will give you a lot more screen space to work on, so you can open several windows or panels. They also take up a lot of space. Most photographers, on average, prefer to edit on monitors ranging in size from 27 to 32 inches.

What monitor resolution do I need for photo editing?

Simply put, the better the resolution, the sharper and more detailed the image will be. But this depends on the size of the panel, and of course larger monitors are more expensive. If you can afford it, opt for a monitor with a resolution of 4K (3,840 x 2,160) when choosing the best for image editing.

While most of the displays on our list of the best monitors for photo editing are 4K displays (double check that your PC or Mac supports 4K resolution if it's an older device), we've also included QHD and FHD displays, both of which are significantly cheaper and still provide the high-quality colour reproduction you need for photo editing.