Most monitors are adjusted at the factory but do not necessarily mean they are set for optimum viewing of photographers web sites.  Take a few moments to go through these exercises for the most enjoyment.  Thank you.
 
Setting Gamma
(brightness and contrast)
Step back from your monitor or squint.
One of these numbered boxes is about the same shade as the surrounding grid.
This is your "screen gamma".

Most photographer's web pages are designed for 1.8 Gamma
(TV monitors are calibrated for 2.2 Gamma).

If your monitor is much off from 1.8 Gamma, you can adjust your contrast control to bring it closer. You can juggle the brightness and contrast to get the correct gamma while getting the brightness you want.
Monitor Adjustment Target
This target was designed to allow computer users to adjust the contrast and brightness of their computer monitor so that graphic images, such as scans of photographs, textual documents, or maps, look their best. After making the gamma adjustments above, the target below should be clear.

The target consists of two scales of shades of gray ranging from white to black. The top scale illustrates the full range of tones that a computer monitor can represent when set to 256 or more colors (8 bits or higher). The lower scale consists of three sets of shades, including two dark shades, three middle gray shades and two light shades. The shades in each set on the lower scale should be just distinguishable from the adjacent similar shade(s).

The contrast and brightness control on your monitor adust the appearance of the top scale. You should see a broad range of shades from white to black and all seven shades on the lower scale should be distinguishable.

 

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