Screen calibration

Patrice · Jan 19, 2007

The Spyder2 calibration tool and software arrived yesterday. Installation was pretty easy. Actual calibration took a couple of tries to get it right but easy enough after that. There is no written documentation with this, it's all in the help file. Whatever happened to written books where you can paper clip the helpful parts?

Ran the calibration on the MACBOOK screen and on the VIEWSONIC that I use as a viewing screen. The changes are no less than dramatic! Images now look the same on either screen.

The package contains a CD for PrintFix-Plus. Again no documentation so I don't know what that does.

Next step is to find some paper profiles for the R1800 printer.

Shooting raw and then "processing" is indeed a learning experience, helps keep the brain excercised.

ksmattfish · Jan 19, 2007

I'm using the Monaco Optix XR calibration system. I don't know how I lived without it. I couldn't believe how much it changes my monitors. Now when I get prints back from the lab there are almost no corrections. A color calibration device/software isn't as exciting as a new lens, but it sure has improved my digital photographs.

markc · Jan 19, 2007

Ditto. It think it should be fairly high on people's photographic "to get" list.

Print-Fix creates profiles for your printer, which is the other half of the equation.
http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/reviews/printfix_plus.html
Or you can usually get some profiles from the paper manufacturer.

Big Mike · Jan 19, 2007

A color calibration device/software isn't as exciting as a new lens, but it sure has improved my digital photographs.

Ditto.

:thumbsup:

Cuervo79 · Jan 23, 2007

I join the band wagon, deffinetly a great buy, no thinking (will the tones look the same? what about the contrast?)

The only thing I'm not sure about is what do you do when your monitor is really old and doesn't reach the desired contrast levels, so you dim the lights more to get a lower level, now on some photos the skin tones sometimes look greyish any ideas? (by the way that's not the monitor I use for contrast and color adjustment, but its where I am more comfrtrable working)

fmw · Jan 24, 2007

I think these calibration devices are no brainers. Every Photoshopist should have one. Mine is the Pantone Huey and it also works great.

Bsmith196 · Mar 9, 2007

sorry to bring this back up but I have a few questions. I'm new to color calibration. so...

1. What would be the difference if I got spyder2 PRO compared to spyderExpress?

2. I understand these products calibrates the moniters, but doesn't the printers need calibrating too? Do these programs do that? What if you aare using a photolab printer thats not your own?

thanks

Brandon

markc · Mar 10, 2007

You don't really calibrate your printer, but it's good to profile it and the ink/paper combination you are using. You use the profiles to proof images while you edit them. You can see what it will look like when printed on that printer and make adjustments based on that. Many labs have profiles available you can use while editing.

JohnMF · Mar 10, 2007

Patrice said:
The Spyder2 calibration tool and software arrived yesterday. Installation was pretty easy. Actual calibration took a couple of tries to get it right but easy enough after that. There is no written documentation with this, it's all in the help file. Whatever happened to written books where you can paper clip the helpful parts?

Ran the calibration on the MACBOOK screen and on the VIEWSONIC that I use as a viewing screen. The changes are no less than dramatic! Images now look the same on either screen.

The package contains a CD for PrintFix-Plus. Again no documentation so I don't know what that does.

Next step is to find some paper profiles for the R1800 printer.

Shooting raw and then "processing" is indeed a learning experience, helps keep the brain excercised.

did you have any problems in the fact that you were calibrating a laptop? I read somewhere that laptop monitors don't lend themselves well to calibration, and in some cases impossible

dewey · Mar 10, 2007

JohnMF said:
did you have any problems in the fact that you were calibrating a laptop? I read somewhere that laptop monitors don't lend themselves well to calibration, and in some cases impossible

I calibrate both my mac and my pc laptops with the Pantone huey and have never had an issue :thumbup: