monitor calibrtion

[sunlou]

HEllo Guys, I am PPing my pictures on a laptop and I find that if correctly exposed and with ok colors on my screen when i view tho on other computers they do not look good at all.

Is there something i can do or a way to test my monitor's colors...

Thanks

 

[Overread]

The best and only proper way to calibrate your screen is to use a hardward based screen calibration setup - a Spyder 3 is a good monitor calibration tool example. The reason you need to use a hardward based on like the syder, rather than the online "free" options is because the human eye is adaptive and subjective - ie our eyes will adapt to brightness and colour shifts which means that you cannot accuratly calibrate any screen with them.
Hardware there is not subjective and thus is an accurate and unbais way of calibration.

I should note though that laptop screens are not very good for calibration since they often have less control aspects and (you can easily see this for yourself) most will have a significant change in brightness and contrast if you change your viewing angle even a tiny bit. The best types of screen were CRT (the old big kind) but these days they are mostly off the market and the flatscreens (which all run way too bright out of the box for photography) also suffer form similarproblems as the laptop screens. A really good flatscreen though will not have the brightness and contrast shift based on your viewing angle - they do however cost a lot more.

A screen calibration though, even if limited, is advisable as it does help to give a more accurate image (though your eyes will have to adjust to it once done - things will seem really odd looking at first especailly when you compare calibrated to non-calibrated)

 

[Natural_Disaster]

When im working with my photos, i have to lean my head to the side, and then actually get up and look at it from the side of the screen.....ugggg...this is on my desk top monitor.

 

[sunlou]

Thanks overread

 

[sunlou]

hum but spider is a little costy still... I am really just playing around the picture for myself...

and how about plugging my Sony bravia with an HDMI wire?

 

[itznfb]

+1 for Spyder3. Honestly if I couldn't afford a hardware calibration device I would just use the .jpg from the camera as is; especially on a cheap monitor. Often the shot will end up looking worse.

 

[keith foster]

+2 for Spyder3.

 

[mrmacedonian]

-1 for Spyder3.. That price tag is ridiculous!

 

[dhilberg]

+3 for Spyder3 Pro. Well worth it!

 

[mrmacedonian]

I'm not the type to advertise everywhere but I check Woot : One Day, One Deal (SM) everyday and guess what just poped up.. limited time only though, it's a woot-off!

Pantone Huey Computer Monitor Calibrator

Edit: Sold out 5seconds after I posted..