Best Monitor For Video Editing

Of course good video editing isn’t just about using a good camera and having great video editing software.  If you don’t have a top quality monitor for your video editing, it will all be for nothing.

But for those who want to ensure that they’re properly informed about what makes for a really good monitor for video editing, I’ve put this guide together for you.

I’ve done a bit of digging around, looking at the different monitors that are out on the market at the moment, and I’ve handpicked our top 5 monitors to tell you about.

My reviews on these are coming up first, and then after that I’ve got a handy buying guide for you to scan through and check that there’s nothing you’ve forgotten to think about before buying yourself a monitor for your video editing that you will enjoy for years to come.

5 out of the 6 monitors I’m showing you are stationary ones, but I’ve also included a portable monitor as well, for those who like to take their video editing on location. And if you’re on a strict budget, or if your video editing is just for personal use, then this monitor is by far the most affordable option.

And speaking of budget, I was also careful to ensure that all the monitors in my top 6 picks all come in at under $1000.  This is especially beneficial for those who like to use two or more monitors at time.

If in my product reviews you come across some jargon you’re not familiar with, don’t worry – I will explain everything in the buying guide.

My top 5+1 Best Monitors For Video Editing

Dell Ultrasharp U3219Q

Now, this is a monitor for video editing perfectionists!

It’s actually the world’s first monitor of this size and spec to feature HDR content playback support, so can offer brighter highlights and a wider range of color detail.

With a proper Ultra HD 4K resolution, at 3840 x 2160, which gives you four times more detail than Full HD!

You get stunning color and detail, with its impressive color depth of 1.07 billion colors!  And it has a high contrast ratio to boot.

And if that’s not enough, the monitor comes already calibrated, at 99% sRGB, so you get precise hues and lifelike color right out of the box.

We also love the Picture-In-Picture (PIP) and Picture-By-Picture (PBP) features which allow you to view content from two different sources simultaneously.  Which is fantastic for editing and adding additional content to your videos.

It’s also a good size for video editing, coming in at 31.5 inches, which should let you see still shots alongside each other AND your software’s menu bars.  And you can pivot, tilt, swivel and adjust the height to your heart’s content.

We also love the ComfortView feature, which is designed to reduce harmful blue light emissions, which is great news for your eyes if you like to spend hours in front of a screen.

Plus there’s a handy Auto-restore feature that remembers where you left off when you need to take a break.

It also offers great connectivity, with a whopping 11 different ports and slots, including HDMI, USB and USB-C.

Pros

• HDR content support
• Picture-By-Picture feature
• ComfortView feature
• 11 different ports and slots
• ready calibrated at 99% sRGB

Cons

• Premium product at a premium price (but worth every cent)

BenQ PD3200U

This video monitor is a video editor’s dream.

First off, it’s 4K Ultra HD 3840 x 2160 resolution offers amazing clarity of fine details.  And it really does make your video’s graphics look their best.

And you can have complete confidence in the colors on the screen.  The monitor uses its own AQCOLOR advantage, and you get 100% sRGB gamut of color, AND Adobe RGB, and Rec. 709, which is great if your client specifies a particular color space for their video.

And if that’s not enough, the monitor arrives at your door already calibrated for you and is both Calman and Pantone validated.

But what we really love about this monitor is it’s special modes – there’s Darkroom mode, to make it easier to work in the dark if you have to pull an all nighter, Animation mode, which enhances the clarity of darker areas in an image without making other areas too bright, and a CAD/CAM mode which is great for amazing contrast of lines in more technical images.

And with its DualView function, you can bring up images from two different design or color modes at the same time.

We also love how you can bring up content from 2 different systems – so handy.

You can tilt it 90 degrees, or swivel or pivot the monitor anyway you like, and adjust the height and it will automatically rotate your images as you change the monitor’s orientation.

And it doesn’t hurt your eyes to be staring at the screen all day, thanks to functions that eliminate flickering, and filters on the harmful blue light that can tire and irritate your eyes.

And if you need it to work with a Mac, you can buy it with a Thunderbolt 3 to connect it up.

Sometimes Amazon has really good deals on this monitor.

Pros

• 100% sRGB gamut of color
• Darkroom, animation & CAD modes
• It arrives already calibrated
• Tilts a full 90 degrees
• Filters harmful blue light

Cons

• Customers say the speakers aren’t too good

LG 27UK650-W

Here’s another great monitor with a fantastic resolution – Ultra HD 4K 3840 x 2160.  Guaranteed crisp, sharp images.

And with IPS panel technology, which means better color and contrast than most other LCD panel displays, wider viewing angles, outstanding color accuracy and screen consistency, and faster response times.

But that’s not all, the LG 27UK650-W is compatible with the industry standard HDR10 high dynamic range, supporting specific levels of color and brightness that go over and above  the capabilities of ordinary monitors.

You get highly accurate color too, because the monitor provides 99% coverage of the sRGB color space – the best color space for color reproduction.  But if you ever needed to, you can switch between sRGB and Adobe RGB.

It’s 27 inches large, which we feel should be big enough for most video editing tasks.  And it comes on a smooth curve base which provides that bit more stability.  You can tilt or pivot it and adjust the height as you please.

It offers great connectivity, and is HDCP 2.2 compatible as well as HDMI compatible.

And with it’s AMD FreeSync and Dynamic Action Sync, you get seamless fluid movement in your videos without screen tearing and stuttering.

We also love the Black Stabilizer function which reveals much more detail in darker scenes.

Amazon sometimes does great deals on this monitor, but even without a great deal the list price is still great value for money.

Pros

• HDR10 compatible
• Great value for money
• IPS panel technology
• HDCP 2.2 compatible
• 99% sRGB color space

Cons

• Some customers say they’d prefer the screen to be brighter

Phillips 276E8VJSB

When we saw just how well this monitor was selling we had to see what all the fuss was about.

Although it sits on the more affordable end of the spectrum in monitors, it ticks all the boxes in what you should be looking for in a monitor for video editing.

The resolution first of all is 4K Ultra HD, coming in at 3840 x 2160, so you get really detailed images in your videos that are real crisp and sharp.

It also has IPS panel technology so you can be sure you’ll have better color and contrast than most other LCD panel displays, wider viewing angles, outstanding color accuracy and screen consistency, and faster response times.

It’s color reproduction is superb, with rich 10 bit color depth that can display 1.074 billion colors, and with it’s 12 bit processing there’s no color banding or gradations.

We also love it’s MultiView function, which lets you bring up video and other media from different sources at the same time.

It also has technology to reduce eye fatigue after long hours of viewing, it regulates the monitor’s brightness and eliminates flickering.

The monitor comes complete with a whopping 4 year warranty, which is very reassuring.

If you follow through the Amazon link, you’ll find the page has several options to choose from.  Be careful that you select the options you want if you choose to buy.

Pros

• A best seller
• IPS panel technology
• rich 10 bit color depth
• Flicker-free Technology
• 4 year warranty

Cons

• Be careful about reading the customer reviews on the Amazon page because they aren’t all for the 4K Ultra HD version of this monitor, there are many other reviews there for other versions.

Portable Monitor From Lepow

For those of you who like to do a little video editing on location, or alternatively those of you who have a more restricted budget, then here’s a good and affordable monitor that’s well worth a look.

It’s 15.6 inches wide, which is about the usual size of a laptop, so you’ll have no problem fitting it into a laptop bag to carry around with you.

It may even fit in the same bag with your laptop inside too. And it’s slim and lightweight too, coming in at just 1.76 pounds, significantly lighter than an actual laptop.

Plus it comes with a screen protector and a PU leather smart cover, so you don’t have to worry about it getting scratched when you’re taking it from A to B.

It has a full HD display, with a sharp 1920 x 1080 resolution, so all your images will be nice and crisp.  But that’s not all.  It also has IPS panel technology, so you can be sure you’ll have better color and contrast than most other LCD panel displays, wider viewing angles, outstanding color accuracy and screen consistency, and faster response times.

You can connect your devices or desktop to the monitor easily, either via Type-c or Mini HDMI port.

And it’s not just a screen, there’s dual built in speakers on there too for any audio you want to check out, or you can use the audio port if you prefer.  

This is one of the best selling monitors with online retailers at the moment, which you probably would have guessed if you’ve clicked on the link and seen how many customer reviews there are.  And customer feedback has been really positive too.  After well over 3000 individual customer ratings, the average Amazon customer rating comes in at a whopping 4 and a half stars out of 5.

Pros

• Portable
• Very affordable
• 1920 x 1080 resolution
• IPS panel technology
• Best seller

Cons

• Screen is laptop size

best monitor for video editing Buying Guide

As promised, in this buying guide we try to cover everything you might want to think about before buying your monitor for video editing.

Monitor Size

What monitor size to go for depends on how many monitors you intend to use at any one time.  These days it’s normal for people to use 2 or more monitors, even when they’re not doing something so visually tasking as video editing.

But if you’re using just the one monitor then you will want the monitor to be big enough so you can adequately compare 2 still shots at the same time.

And of course, the bigger the screen, the more pixels you can get.  That said though, you shouldn’t need a screen quite as big as your flat screen TV at home.  

Of course, more important than screen size however, is screen resolution which brings us onto our next section.

Resolution

What screen resolution the videos are eventually going to be viewed on, your monitor resolution has to be at least as good if not better. 

And while this isn’t so much of an issue if they’re viewing the video on their smartphone, where there’s not too much to worry about, it’s a whole other matter when they’re viewing a video on a High Definition screen, which typically have a resolution of 1920 x 1080 or better.

So, we recommend that you go for a screen resolution resolution of 1920 x 1080 at the least.  And if your videos are going to be viewed on a 4K display, then you’re going to need a monitor with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 or better (Ultra HD).

You also need to consider the input resolution.  If the camera records in 4K video, it is only fair that you should be doing the editing in 4K resolution to do the video justice.

Comfortable for long use over long periods of time

It’s easy to get carried away with your video editing and find yourself sitting watching the screen for hours upon hours.  But you need to think about your eye comfort.

Too much of that harmful blue light can bring about eye fatigue and eye irritation, as can flickering.  So our advice to you is to look out for monitors that have built in features designed to tackle this very problem.

Panel Technology

In our top 5 picks, we focused on monitors with IPS panel technology.  IPS stands for In Panel Switching, and it has many advantages over the types of LCD monitors.

It gives better color and contrast, wider viewing angles, outstanding color accuracy and screen consistency, and faster response times.

Color Space and Depth

When video editing, you usually want super accurate reproduction of colors, and that means you’ll need to choose a monitor with a good color space, such as sRGB, and with good color depth.

Color depth, AKA bit depth, defines how much gradation the color space can have per channel.  The sRGB is such a popular color space because it has 8 bits per channel, which means that each of the primary colors can have 255 shades.

Calibration

Before you can begin any video editing, you have to ensure that your video monitor is properly calibrated.  But this can be a bit tricky if you’re new to doing it.

That’s why we love monitors that arrive already calibrated – there’s no tinkering for you to do it, you just plug in your inputs and you’re good to go.

Connectivity

Don’t get so caught up in the monitor’s specs that you forget or neglect to check the monitor’s connectivity.

You have to ensure that the monitor is compatible with your computer’s video output, whether it’s HDMI, Thunderbolt, DisplayPort, USB, or some combination of the lot depending on your client.

Adjustability

Even in the 1990s you could get monitors with adjustable height, but for a long time, you’ve also been able to get monitors that swivel and tilt.

Now you can get monitors that will turn a full 90 degrees. It’s one of those features that you don’t know you need until you have it.

Flat or Curved Monitor

In our top 5 picks, we just looked at flat screens, because that’s what we prefer to use. 

But if you prefer a curved screen, curved screens can be used for video monitoring, but they usually cost considerably more.