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Archive 2013 · Talk To Me About Calibrating a Monitor

  
 
hulk2006
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Talk To Me About Calibrating a Monitor


Hi guys, I have a HP LP2465 Carbonite-Silver 24" 1920x1200 monitor and I would like to calibrate it so I can better use Photoshop and Lighroom. I've never done this before so I have been doing a lot of reading and I think I am going to go with the Spyder4Pro. I would like to know if this is a good product. I am not a professional so I can't see myself spending $300 for the X-Rite EODIS3CCPP i1 Display Pro and ColorChecker Passport Bundle.






Apr 08, 2013 at 01:29 PM
Mescalamba
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Talk To Me About Calibrating a Monitor


Its better than nothing probably.

Thing about calibration is that its useful when you print, if you dont and colors dont seem too "off", its probably ok.

If you print you need printer profiled too..

Tho ColorChecker is pretty useful thing in general, cause as far as I know most cams benefit from being profiled. Plus it helps getting things color consistent across various cams/lens.

Unfortunately there is nothing like "cheap" color profiling.



Apr 08, 2013 at 01:35 PM
ben egbert
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Talk To Me About Calibrating a Monitor


Calibration means setting to a standard, but there are many choices. When you get your calibration hardware and start the work, you have to make many choices. I can help with a few.

I think defualt "monitor contrast" is a good choice for LCD/s
Gamma is usually set at 2.2
6500 seems to be the choice for white Balance.
Brightness is the one hard choice so I will supply options.

For printing, I like a dark monitor, 80cd/mm^2.
For web presentation, you will want brighter, like 120 or even 150.

I use the McBeth color checker to make camera profiles and have paper profiles for my printer from the manufacturer. This seems to work well.

But if your monitor is wide gamut and you are not normally viewing sRGB, your web presentation may not look good in the sRGB world of web. And if you calibrate dark as I do, its almost a waste of time to show your work on the web.




Apr 08, 2013 at 02:06 PM
Smirre
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Talk To Me About Calibrating a Monitor


I use the Colormunki photo and i´m very pleased, now i can make custom icc profiles for any paper i use in my printer


Apr 08, 2013 at 02:36 PM
howardm4
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Talk To Me About Calibrating a Monitor


You dont need the Colorchecker (although they are damn handy but just not useful for display calibrating). You can use the Colormunki *Display* (there are several products in the Munki family so you're specifically looking for the Display. It's the same hardware as the Pro but w/ more limited & slower software.

I'd get either of those before the Spyder.



Apr 08, 2013 at 03:43 PM
dgdg
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Talk To Me About Calibrating a Monitor


I have the spyder4 and find it is wonderful to use and allows prints that match what I am seeing on screen. spyder adjusts for screen brightness and color. Wow, with my IPS monitor, I love it.


Apr 09, 2013 at 07:55 AM
sjms
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Talk To Me About Calibrating a Monitor


what you will find out is the limitations of your monitor real quick.

I finally broke down and got a monitor/cal system that I knew would resolve my somewhat hit and miss editing and printing adventures. it was a price in the end well paid on ink/paper/time. I never looked back.

just remember wait, at minimum, 30 minutes or more before doing a calibration so the screen and backlight stabilize.












Apr 09, 2013 at 09:21 AM
leethecam
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Talk To Me About Calibrating a Monitor


Brightness of the monitor is dependent on the environment you are viewing in rather than the intended use (ie print / web) of the image.

I use an Eizo CG211, calibrated at 6500K and 80Cd and I view in a darkened room with just a proofing light (also at 6500K) in the background to keep me company.

When working in a darkened environment it's important to let your eyes adjust, so 5 mins on the internet does it for me but I prefer a darker house anyway so not so much of an issue. I use a second monitor for putting folders etc and this is darker again so as not to distract from my main screen.

Higher Cd levels are for brighter environments, but then you have to think about ambient colours and how they effect your perception - hence my darkened room.

I calibrate before every important job. (The Eizo does it in about 2 mins, fully automatically so it's very easy).

Let your monitor settle for 20-30 mins and ensure it is clean (muck on the screen can effect measurements). I change my calibration tool every 5-6 years or so as the optical filters in them can degrade. (Not had an issue yet but taking no chances...!)

Also important to have your printer profiled correctly.

Decision to be 6500 or 5000 (D65 or D50) is usually based on print or photography backgrounds. As my proofing light is 6500K and in the UK our average daylight is about 6000-6300K then I prefer the former. (to be honest there;s not much in it in real terms).

For the record I use the i1 Display Pro and it works very well for me.



Apr 10, 2013 at 02:55 AM
leethecam
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Talk To Me About Calibrating a Monitor


Oh, forgot to mention...

If you are using a Macbook Pro, the best screen white balance to use is actually the "Native" option. Slightly different to 6500K (very slight - no real difference) but you'll get much smoother and accurate screen rendition top to bottom with regard to colour accuracy).

No idea why this is - just is...!



Apr 10, 2013 at 02:58 AM
Vesk
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Talk To Me About Calibrating a Monitor


I can't comment on the Spyder4Pro, but I'll put in another vote for the X-Rite ColorMunki Display (CMUNDIS). It's in the same price range, and it has worked very well for me. I have two different displays and it did a great job with the calibration and getting homogeneous output between the two.

It can also compensate for flare, or the ambient light that is reflecting off the surface of your display (in addition to adjusting for the ambient light levels). It's easy enough to use, just follow the on-screen prompts, there's not much to it. Whatever you decide to do, calibrating the display is definitely better than nothing at all - you will see a difference.



Apr 22, 2013 at 02:36 PM
Wayne Willison
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Talk To Me About Calibrating a Monitor


Another vote for a darker environment. I use Spectraview with iOne Display and calibrate at 6500K, and 90 cd. I found that calibrating at high cd levels often creates a risk of printing too dark prints.
I have 3 monitors, but one is color managed. When printing from it I install a homemade, 3 sided shield constructed of black foam board. This cuts down on light from the other monitors.

Wayne



Apr 22, 2013 at 06:38 PM





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