Monitor Calibration

[savona]

I was wondering if software calibration as accurate as external calibration tools??

[studio206]

you can always try the Spyder 2Pro by ColorVision... we use it at my school, it works well but if you change the lighting, it kinda throws it off. for example, if you like to work with the lights off 90% of the time, I'd say do it with the lights off because it changes with the lights on o.O if that makes sense. lol anyways you can find them at B&Hphoto: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=WishList.jsp&A=details&Q=&sku=426710&is=REG

[Ronald S. Jr.]

..and if you can't afford $260 for calibration, like me...o.O

..you can get the pantone Huey which does a great job and changes with ambient light changes. $60 at B&H. Made a world of difference in my monitors.

[studio206]

oh wow that's pretty cheap O.O and it has better consumer ratings too. :D

[savona]

So I guess you guys are telling me that software is not as accurate as hardware?

[Ronald S. Jr.]

Correcto, sir. Software can't tell what the ambient light is like. It's very important that it can.

[TX_Gulf_Coast]

True color management is expensive. It starts with the Video adapter all the way to the quality of monitor you buy.

With the decline of CRT monitors, it has REALLY gotten expensive, due to the cost of LCD's with the capability of being calibrated. Your better quality CRT's used to only run about 1K - 1.5K and were readily calibrated and later dropped to as little as 500-650.00.

LCD's that truely posess the abilty to be calibrated (Level II LCD's) are in the range of 1.5K for the smaller less dependable to as much as 3.5K each. We use EZIO FlexScan S2110W's and we pay about 1,650.00 Each. As far a quality and dependability goes, they can't be beat. Once calibrated, I never have any problem with them.

The things that set these monitors apart from the rest is the 14 Bit color processing, 1000:1 Contrast Ratio and 6 independent color control functions. You CAN calibrate this LCD monitor. (Even Apple monitors lack the true ability to be calibrated correctly.)

We use Matrox Graphics Video Board exclusively. They don't have 3D rendering capabilities, but if you are doing Photography, you don't need that. Matrox graphics cards really handle photoshop well, they work better than any of the other brands. (Nvidia, ATI etc.) They are pricey, but they perform and I have had minimal problems with them.

We Monaco Optix XR Pro to do our calibrations. CRT's are calibrated weekly. LCD's Monthly. You do not get the color shift in LCD's that you do in CRT's. CRT's have a limited calibration life, too...about 1 year in most cases. LCD's last much longer, in the range of 5-6 years.

If you have a good CRT Monitor, one way to extend the life of the monitor, is to set the BACKGROUND to an 18% grey. (It fires all three guns in the monitor at the same rate, when sitting idle.) It will help the consistency of the calibrations, too.

Bottom line, if you are a hobbist/serious ametuer, then Huey is great for you and will probably work well, since the alternative is quite expensive. (Still depends on where you print.) If you are a professional, you should be color managing your workflow completely, in order to turn out a consistent product without color issues.

[Ronald S. Jr.]

As long as my prints turn out the way they look on screen (which they do), I'm pleased. That said, my "PP Machine" runs an Eizo 1901. At around $800, it doesn't hurt the budget an awful lot, but it's significantly better than the 'average' lcd. My other machine runs a Samsung SyncMaster 204B, which I have to say, does a heck of a job at a mere half that.

[TX_Gulf_Coast]

Ron,

Very valid point.
As long as my prints turn out the way they look on screen (which they do), I'm pleased. If it works, don't fix it. That said, alot depends upon where you have your prints done and what you expect from your finished product. I don't advocate you change your process if it works, either. Don't get me wrong.

Fact is thou, color management is a very involved process and the simple addition of a Huey or calibration software /colorimeter alone isn't going to produce consistent results. The point of my post was to make it clear that your monitor has to have the capabilities of being calibrated. Most "consumer" monitors (monitors not intended for photography and graphics) do not have that capability.

Taking your SyncMaster for example, Odds are excellent that if it's connected via DVI you cannot calibrate it, all you can do is adjust the video LUT. (LUT = Look Up Tables; know ICC/color values.) If it's connected via VGA the odds are better that you can calibrate it, though usually you'll just be able to adjust contrast as well as brightness. Not a true calibration.

A few LCDs allow actually calibrating the monitor itself, by adjusting an internal LUT. The EZIO monitors support this. But of course, they cost. Fortunately, technology the way it is, LCD's improve daily and I see these issues as a moot point somewhere in the future.

Even if you can't calibrate the monitor itself, hardware calibrators are still a worthwhile investment. They will adjust the video card LUT, then profile the monitor.

[Ronald S. Jr.]

Fact is thou, color management is a very involved process and the simple addition of a Huey or calibration software /colorimeter alone isn't going to produce consistent results.

Oh no no, certainly not. I had to change settings on my camera, video card, monitor, and printer, as well as using different paper in order to get consistent results. Along with the Huey, that is. It's not a one-step solution.

[Adaptive]

I use Spyder 2, it's pretty sweet, atually I should probably run it again cuz I had some issues with my last shot.

[Ronald S. Jr.]

Doesn't your device tell you when to calibrate? I think mine automatically does every 15 days, and whenever I want otherwise.

[Adaptive]

Doesn't your device tell you when to calibrate? I think mine automatically does every 15 days, and whenever I want otherwise.

I hate those popups and all those "updates available" messages always poping up. so I always uncheck that option for every program I have. Windows still does that alot though... I can't stand it

[Hikariphoto]

Ron,

Very valid point. If it works, don't fix it. That said, alot depends upon where you have your prints done and what you expect from your finished product. I don't advocate you change your process if it works, either. Don't get me wrong.

Fact is thou, color management is a very involved process and the simple addition of a Huey or calibration software /colorimeter alone isn't going to produce consistent results. The point of my post was to make it clear that your monitor has to have the capabilities of being calibrated. Most "consumer" monitors (monitors not intended for photography and graphics) do not have that capability.

Taking your SyncMaster for example, Odds are excellent that if it's connected via DVI you cannot calibrate it, all you can do is adjust the video LUT. (LUT = Look Up Tables; know ICC/color values.) If it's connected via VGA the odds are better that you can calibrate it, though usually you'll just be able to adjust contrast as well as brightness. Not a true calibration.

A few LCDs allow actually calibrating the monitor itself, by adjusting an internal LUT. The EZIO monitors support this. But of course, they cost. Fortunately, technology the way it is, LCD's improve daily and I see these issues as a moot point somewhere in the future.

Even if you can't calibrate the monitor itself, hardware calibrators are still a worthwhile investment. They will adjust the video card LUT, then profile the monitor.

You know, I hear this all the time -- it's time consuming and expensive and you have to buy the most expensive pro gear and all that stuff. Maybe I've been lucky with my equipment, but I don't have any problem calibrating my monitors, from the cheapie CTX CRT I have on my kids' computer to the cheapie ViewSonic LCD I have on my main machine.

I've never used a Spyder or other external calibrating device. Here's how I do it:

I run a baseline print from my Epson R200. High quality, good paper. It doesn't matter what the image is. Then, I set the print under an Ott Lite (daylight balanced) and tweak the monitor settings until it matches the print. Takes all of ten minutes, including running the print.

Then I upload the image to my pro lab and when I get the print back, I save the Epson profile and then tweak the monitor to match the lab print. Ten more minutes, if that. My lab is pretty close to what I get from the Epson.

So if I'm printing something from my lab, I use that profile to edit the image, and if I'm just going to run an inkjet print, I use the Epson profile.

No biggie. I guess it comes down to knowing and trusting your lab.