monitor calibration?

[flyinion]

I know this is the Help section and I already posted this in the computer hardware forum but I'm thinking that doesn't get much traffic like here. Hoping someone has some info about what version of the Spyder calibrators would be best for me. Spyder3 express, pro, or?

[Anbesol]

Honestly, what you can afford. I used the cheap-o one on my monitor way back when. I don't have experience with the pro, but from what I gather i seem to remember the difference being a practicality and not qualitative.

Since I switched OS from XP to 7, rather then calibrating with spyder I used Win7;s calibration. I was actually planning on getting the spyder when I switched to Win 7, but my monitor matches my printer now, so I have no need for it.

It helps most of all having a good monitor, that will do a lot more than spyder ever could. As cheap as LCD's are nowadays, you may just want to invest on one specifically tuned for color accuracy. Or maybe you already have a kicka** monitor.

I know there are many who swear by calibration hardware, but the purpose is to get your monitor to match the print output. First try calibrating it with either win7's calibration, or free BW/White charts found online (if you dont have win7). If they can do the job for you, why bother? Save your $50-$150, buy a lightstand, or something else worthwhile.

*edit - not sure if Vista has the same calibration utility..

[flyinion]

Yeah I'm on Win7, I'll try out it's cal thing first then. Quick question since you've used it, if I don't like the results can I back them out somehow? I'm actually not as worried about printing, I don't really print much. I mostly have been keeping everything on the computer and editing for online and slideshow video things. I'm guessing if I had something I really wanted printed it would probably be in a bigger format than I could print anyway and end up taking the file somewhere. My printer isn't that great anyway, just a cheap low end HP originally designed for XP.

[Anbesol]

Yes you can, but whatever difference it makes would only be for the better. In the display properties you can select the colorspace you want to use, after you run the spyder program, it simply maps a custom colorspace for your monitor and your display driver defaults to that.

The reason to 'match to print' as I say, is because, with proper print procedure - printers are more accurate than monitors are. So the prints aren't just 'for prints' but as a reference point.

It is important to have a calibrated monitor if getting prints elsewhere. I refuse to get something printed from some place unless they turn all of their automated adjustments off, because I can produce better color and contrast then some cheap auto-fix. Having an accurate monitor was the only way I could trust the output.

For the purpose of piecing together slide shows and web images, the spyder route seems excessive. I think the important part is to find out how good your current monitor is, if its a junker, put the money towards another better monitor.

If you're monitors good, maybe get yourself a good printer instead of the spyder. You can really produce lab quality photos, with the right workflow in place.

[OldClicker]

To me, the primary purpose of monitor calibration is to match other moitors (or at least try). I learn by others critiquing images and want to see what they see as closely as I can. - TF

[flyinion]

Well, I may still grab the cheap Spyder3 Express, but for now I'm running on the Win7 calibration. It was really hard to tell if the colors were off at all, it seemed like maybe the grayscale was just slightly red but if I moved the slider then it would seem like maybe it was a tad green. So I gave up on that and left them. It did help dial in the contrast/brightness a bit but even that didn't totally match up with the instructions.

[gryphonslair99]

To me, the primary purpose of monitor calibration is to match other moitors (or at least try). I learn by others critiquing images and want to see what they see as closely as I can. - TF

Then how do you edit your photos??? If the monitor isn't calibrated the red you see may actually be a rich shade of pink. That is the purpose of color calibrating a monitor, to have the true colors accurately reproduced.

[gryphonslair99]

I know this is the Help section and I already posted this in the computer hardware forum but I'm thinking that doesn't get much traffic like here. Hoping someone has some info about what version of the Spyder calibrators would be best for me. Spyder3 express, pro, or?

The advantage of the spyder 3's over previous versions is the puck's ability to read ambient light and allow the software to make adjustments for that ambient light in the room. The previous versions did not do this. Check out the different versions and see which one meets your needs. If you are doing your own printing or want to calibrate you flat screen tv's then you will want something other than the express.

[OldClicker]

Then how do you edit your photos??? If the monitor isn't calibrated the red you see may actually be a rich shade of pink. That is the purpose of color calibrating a monitor, to have the true colors accurately reproduced.

Don't understand the question??? Like I said, I calibrate my monitor. - TF

[gryphonslair99]

Don't understand the question??? Like I said, I calibrate my monitor. - TF

To me, the primary purpose of monitor calibration is to match other moitors (or at least try).

What threw me was your above statement. For me the primary purpose of calibrating my monitor is to see the true image, so I can make the proper adjustments before printing or using the image in some other form.

[flyinion]

Well, I finally got my monitor cal'd. Asked "Santa" for a Spyder3 Express and got it Just used and there is definitely a noticeable difference. It seems my monitor was a bit too orange/yellow or maybe reddish/orange. So it seems like it turned out to be a good investment.

[Greg McCary]

I just noticed that Mpix will sell you a CD that will calibrate your monitor to their prints for just a couple of dollars, Maybe a cheap way to get a calibration.

[WesternGuy]

flyinion, if you are only calibrating one monitor, then the Spyder3 Express is quite sufficient. If you want to calibrate more than one display, you will need the Spyder3 Pro or the Spyder3 Elite versions. If you want a "Studio Match", so that the two, or more, monitors display the same colours as close as possible, then you will need to have the Spyder3 Elite version. For example, I run a two monitor system for my image processing in Lightroom and CS5, so it is necessary that I can be assured that both monitors display, as close as possible, the same colours, so I have and use the Elite version. Hope this helps clarify the various versions, and yes the "Studio Match" works very well for the two monitors that I have, HTH.

Cheers,

WesternGuy

[flyinion]

Yep I only have one monitor. I had originally thought about Pro so I could do my laptop as well, then I realized I'm never ever going to use my laptop for photo editing. So the Express is really actually perfect for me it looks like. Also as I said a couple days ago in my last post, ended up receiving it as a gift for Christmas and having already used it I'm very happy with the results. I always felt something was off on my monitor but couldn't tell what for sure. Well, now I know and it's been fixed .

[OldClicker]

Yep I only have one monitor. I had originally thought about Pro so I could do my laptop as well, then I realized I'm never ever going to use my laptop for photo editing. So the Express is really actually perfect for me it looks like. Also as I said a couple days ago in my last post, ended up receiving it as a gift for Christmas and having already used it I'm very happy with the results. I always felt something was off on my monitor but couldn't tell what for sure. Well, now I know and it's been fixed .

May be confusion - the two-monitor feature means two connected to the same computer. The express will calibrate as many as you want otherwise. - Terry

[flyinion]

May be confusion - the two-monitor feature means two connected to the same computer. The express will calibrate as many as you want otherwise. - Terry

Oh really? Well in that case I guess I'll do my laptop anyway. I guess I assumed that with that activation thing once you do it it's locked to one machine at a time. I'm guessing that for any other machines I use the license code that it returned after I used the activation code the first time. It will be a long while before I have a desk at home with room for more than one monitor on it.