Best $70 I have spent on digital photography

[dxqcanada1]

For those of you that are really getting into Digital Photography ... buy a monitor calibrator.

I use laptops ... yeah, not the best thing to use ... and I had a heck of a time visually calibrating the colour.

I decided to spend the cash and get a calibrator ... so for $70.00 I picked up the Datacolor Spyder 3 Express from B&H ... now I don't see everything in blue.

It made a big difference when editing.

 

[H4X1MA]

Proof! Re-edit an old pic taht you have already done and let's see the difference

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Old: old monitor whichnhad brightness maxxed, making white look gray, or even under exposed on a calibrated monitor.
Old New: new monitor, pre calibration, notice the greenish bluish tint?
Newest: calibration success. Notice the white background matches the forum background?

 

[H4X1MA]

Is that one really after calibrating? Maybe I have to do this >.<

 

[dxqcanada1]

Old image that I tried to colour balance when LCD was blue.

After calibration ... this was under a bright blue sky in the shade so it should have a slight blue cast.

 

[dxqcanada1]

I will have to admit that I am not the best at colour balancing.

 

[H4X1MA]

and the investments keep adding up lol

 

[KmH]

Many of the top print labs recommend the i1 Display 2, for a reason.

 

[BlackSheep]

Off topic (apologies), but I have to say - Bitter, that ring is gorgeous!

 

[Garbz]

Many of the top print labs recommend the i1 Display 2, for a reason.

Discontinued.

Probably good too. I'm on my second i1 Display 2 and it's on the way out. It's picking up a purple cast.

 

[dxqcanada1]

As we have multiple computers here, it became evident that colour / contrast / brightness balancing was required as the same image looked very different on each screen.
This puts question into what it should be looking like, thus the need for a calibrator ... now we see things the same way (well at least concerning the images).

That is also one of the reason's why I never really gave C&C about those aspects of the image on the forum ... I could not trust what I was seeing on screen.

 

[MADphoto]

My friend just picked up one of the Datacolor Spyder 3 Express from B&H and I have to say it's a great investment!

 

[dakkon76]

dxq, it looks like there's a hell of a lot more going on between those 2 pictures than just color correction. The first looks much flatter and washed out than the second. Is the first unedited, or an attempt at correcting without your monitor calibrated?

 

[molested_cow]

Funny how mine looks bluish after calibration, but it's definitely a big improvement from before.

 

[12sndsgood]

ive thought about montier calibration and am thinking allot more about it. i have two moniters side by side at work you look at the pic on one it looks brownish u slide it to the other and it looks red. when your color is off on your moniter what you think your editing to look right can be coming out all wrong.