Monitor Calibration - Spyder 2 Express

Good Day...
I'm a little nervous in my 1st attempt to calibrate my Dell Inspiron 9300 lab top using Spyder2Express. Any suggestions from those that perform monitor calibrations?
~ Much Thanks ~

...of course. What I meant to point out was just the small disadvantage of using a laptop screen vs. a good desktop system.
But the calibration itself went very well, and I was impressed by the color consistency between the two systems after calibration.
One thing to note, however, for those who consider getting a Spyder: The Spyder2express won't handle a dual monitor setup, or a second monitor attached to the laptop. For that you'll need the PRO.

Similar Messages

  • S50-B-15F screen calibration Spyder 4 express settings????

    Hello, Recently bought this  laptop . Love it but have some issues with the screen.  I do a lot of photo editing so I calibrate it . The Spyder 4 asks serveral questions about the screen but I can't find all the answers .  First does this screen have a normal or wide gamut ?? And is it an  white LED screen , fluorecent (CFFL) or a RGB LED??  I called the support line but the guy couldn't answer those 2 . Bit weird but well:-)  Another thing is that out of the box the  screen has a kind of yellow warm tint to it . But once I calibrate it it becomes way darker .So dark that whatever is a bit dark blue grey or black is very hard to see. The screen has 300 nits of brightness. Anyways I now turn off the calibration when I don't edit any photos . But still wonder what other people experience with this screen. I'm a little confused to if the Spyder 4 is not calibrating the screen well of if the screen of the laptop out of the box is very off.  Hope you guys can help . Regards .  Grigor 

     
    Satellite S50-B-15F (PSPQEE-00400JEN)
    Probably the best you can do is follow these instructions.
       Get the best display on your monitor
    See Calibrate your display for Windows' color calibration.

  • Monitor Calibration & Lightroom 2

    Hello, I have a problem. Normally I shot in RAW, edit the image, save a jpg (with sRGB Color space) resized for an on-line printing service and another jpg in full size and resolution.
    Recently I bought a Spyder express monitor calibrator, so I have my calibrating profile called "spyder2express.icc" and I configured in windows xp my display to read this profile.
    I edit a raw file with lightroom, but when I export to jpg and I look it with another viewer it doesn't look like the edited raw file, but it is mure saturated and different.
    The same thing happened with Photoshop, looking the photo with the software is ok, but the jpg looked with xp viewer, ot faststone capture, or irfanview the jpg is different.
    I'm sure that the profile is sRGB, so why this difference?
    Is there anyone who can explain me what to do, and how to configure my computer?
    Many thanks in advance

    Just to clarify above the explanation by the others. Monitor calibration consists of two parts. One part is the calibration of the gamma curve. Gamma basically corresponds to contrast. This part is picked up by all applications and is handled by a correction table (called a LUT for LookUp Table) that is sent to your videocard. The second part is the correction for the gamut of your monitor. The gamut is basically the range of colors it can display. The gamut is determined by the actual wavelengths of red, green, and blue your monitor uses to mix the colors. This is different for every monitor out there and often quite different from sRGB. Some monitors have a much narrower gamut (most laptops) and some have a much wider gamut (the wide gamut displays that lots of people have now made by NEC, Samsung, Dell, etc.- my guess is that you have one of these). So even if you use sRGB, you still have to correct for this in order to display the right color on such displays. ONLY color managed apps do this. Lightroom is color managed as are many other apps such as Photoshop, Firefox 3.5, Safari, etc. However, many apps on windows are not, such as internet explorer, image viewer before vista, etc.

  • New monitor/calibration; now colors won't display correctly in ACR and Elements

    Just got a new ASUS LCD monitor, and calibrated it with the Spyder 3 Express. 
    Now when I open a .CR2 file using Elements to edit the RAW image, the color is displayed as yellowy-gray and dull.  It looks the same when I pull it into Elements 7, unless I remove all color management (which, if I save the image, actually then renders the image colors neon and oversaturated with lots of pink and red tones).
    I also use Lightroom 3 and I am having the same problem there.  Upon import of either an edited Jpeg or a .CR2 RAW file, the color in Lightroom is displayed as dull, grayish yellowy-green. 
    If I export and view the very same image in GIMP, Picasa or on the web, as long as the colorspace is intact (sRGB), the color is accurate.  Not so in Elements or Lightroom.
    If you have experience with this problem is it the monitor, the calibration, or Elements and Lightroom.  I am beyond frustrated and need to see my colors properly.  I have not had this problem before.

    I don't use Spyder to calibrate my monitor; instead, I use the software and tool that X-Rite makes and it came with my NEC wide-gamut monitor. I suspect that the tools are similar.
    First, make certain that you're using your Spyder spectrometer and the accompanying software correctly. Although I consider myself relatively computer saavy, I find that I have to follow the instructions carefully.
    Then, calibrate your monitor so that the colors and brightness the monitor displays are correct for your printer setup. In my case, the tool uses ICC color standards to set the colors. And, I tell it I want the monitor's brightness to be 90 candelas per square meter (cd/m2), which is about the same brightness as a blank white piece of photo paper. With the monitor brightness set at 90 cd/m2, I avoid getting prints that are too dark. If you calibrate the monitor correctly, the colors should look good and you should have a white that looks white and a black that looks black - that is, you shouldn't have any colors that don't look right.
    Second, when you use Elements (PSE) or Lightroom (LR) to print, be sure to indicate that you want PSE or LR to control the colors and not the printer. It's very important, too, that you have the correct printer-paper profiles downloaded into the printer driver and that you select the correct paper profile. I have an Epson 3880 printer and I use Epson papers (mostly); so, I tell PSE to use the profile that fits the paper I'm using - for example, Epson Premium Glossy. When I downloaded the printer driver into my computer, it also downloaded the Epson paper-printer profiles and they appear in the print dialog boxes used during the printing process. (Other paper manufacturers, such as Ilford, make profiles available for downloading on their website.)
    I hope this helps; if it doesn't let's go into some more.

  • MBP monitor calibration

    I've decided to get more serious about monitor calibration. I've calibrated my MBP by eye, but my colors are yellowed in photo samples from my lab of choice. So I am going to purchase a Spyder 2 Express for my MBP.
    I'm curious how people deal with the automatic screen dimming that late 2007 and up MBP do to compensate for ambient light conditions. Do you turn that off while working with photos? The dimming must effect screen colors.
    Also, should I re-calibrate my screen often for different ambient light conditions? My MBP is in the kitchen with many windows, so light conditions vary throughout the day. I know that optimal conditions for a digital "darkroom" are a dark room with consistent light conditions.
    Thanks for any advice.

    Well, it is worth calibrating the screen, but a laptop is always going to be a compromise. There are degrees of calibrated workflow, from nothing at all, to compromise, to perfection. Very few people attain perfection, and really you only need this where absolute colour accuracy is required (fashion, product, etc, usually). In most cases, calibration is more about getting a consistent and predictable behaviour from your system, and not getting too stressed about it all. Unless you're going to work in a grey painted cell with regulated illumination and a locked down monitor, then I don't think there's a lot of point bothering with ambient light. As far as the MBP's reaction to light is concerned, certainly you should turn this off when calibrating, and probably when working as well, although I rarely bother. My eyes adapt too

  • Color Calibration Spyder Reccomendations Please

    I've sifted through this forum & goggled Color Calibration Spyder Recommendations as I need a cheap no brain required to operate spyder for setting up my Dell 2407.
    I'm looking for a general purpose device -- not one that will cost hundreds, require a masters to operate or give me press run results.
    Does anyone on this forum have a recommendation for me?
    Thanks in advance!

    A while ago I bought PrintFIX Pro from ColorVision, which includes hardware and software for both monitor calibration and paper profiles for inkjet printing. I haven't made to many paper profiles, but I've had good results with monitor calibration. Not sure if they've come out with a newer version.
    Best, David.

  • Monitor Calibration for Photobook

    Hello Forum:
    I going to work on a hardcover photobook using Aperture 2.1 on my 2nd generation Apple MacBook (2 GHz Intel Core Duo)
    1. Which monitor calibration product do you recommend?
    2. What adjustments in Aperture should I make to my images to ensure best results?
    +Info about images:+
    Camera: Canon 30D (8 megapixel)
    File type: JPEG (at the largest JPEG mode)
    Color Model: RGB
    Pixel Size (prior to cropping): 3504 x 2336
    Thanks,
    Steve

    I've heard good reports about Colorvision Spyder 3 Pro and I was impressed at a recent demonstration of the product. Also, it does not seem too expensive (about £100 here in the UK). There is also a higher spec version called Spyder 3 Elite.
    I find it hard to answer your second point. Once you are happy that your monitor is giving you faithful colour representation, colour management is in the hands of the the processing lab that Apple has chosen to use, and this varies with region, of course. if it's any comfort, I have always been very happy with the results that I get back. However, the Photobooks that I have put together have all been for non-critical social and family purposes, rather than for any serious or professional use.

  • Spyder 4 Express Settings

    I am new to Mac Mountain Lion and have purchased a Spyder 4 Express to calibrate my screen. Can anyone please tell me what the Gamut setting should be and is Mountain Lion backlit? Also where can I find the Factory settings?

    What Gamut should I set? I have Unknown, Normal and Wide.
    That's a pretty odd choice to have. Gamut is the maximum fully saturated color of whatever profile you're talking about. It isn't necessary for the user to know what that is beforehand (mainly, because it isn't possible for you to know). It's the software's job to measure that for you. So I'd select Unknown.
    What Backlight should I set? I have Unknown, Fluorescent (CCFL), White LRD, RGB LED.
    Check the specs on your monitor. Either in its manual, or online at the vendor's site. It helps the software to know what type of source the lighting is as each produces a different type of light. You'll get a much more accurate gray balance if the software knows what type of light source it is measuring.
    Also, how do reset to Factory Settings?
    All monitors, whether they're separate external devices, or built-in (such as a laptop or iMac) have a factory default profile in its firmware. OS X (and Windows) locates this profile and puts it in the /Library/ColorSync/Profiles/Displays/ folder. When you're in the System Preferences and choose the Displays icon, then Color tab, it's the one at the top listed above the line.

  • Question about monitor calibration

    I'm hoping someone can tell me what role the monitor factory settings play on monitor calibration.  My Spyder 3 Elite calibration device tells me (before I start calibration) that I should reset the factory settings on my monitor.  On my old monitor I didn't know what the factory settings were and couldn't find a way to reset them.  My new monitor just arrived today with a brightness setting of over 90 (on a scale from 0-100, and the contrast setting was around 80.  The first thing I did when I turned the monitor on was to change that because the display was so bright I could hardly read the forum on it.  I can't imagine that those are the "factory settings" that I am supposed to use!  Thanks!

    This is actually a VERY good question, because the initial settings will affect, to some extent, how you'll see all things that are not color-managed.
    Things get even more complicated if you're going to maintain two monitors and would like them to more or less match.
    What I'd do is spend some time, before firing up the profiling device, to try to set the on-monitor settings so that you have a comfortable brightness level and get the response as close as possible to gamma 2.2.  Then the video card curve cablibration process won't have as much to change.
    There's a chart I like to use to see if the gamma is close to 2.2:
    First, make sure any remnants of a monitor profile from your old monitor are removed, and that you're back to defaults (e.g., sRGB IEC61966-2.1).
    Make sure and view the above chart at 100% full size, and using your on-monitor controls try to get the gray bars in the left column to seem as one smooth gradient, the same brightness from side to side.  Also, you should barely be able to see dark gray on black squares in the top-right black bar on white background.
    Depending on your monitor gamut, you may not be able to get all the color out of the center column, but get it as close as possible.  Then you'll leave the calibration/profiling process a good starting point, and you shouldn't be hugely disappointed in what you see from your non-color-managed applications.
    -Noel

  • How can I tell when my monitor calibration is "right"?

    I have had good success with the built-in Mac calibration routine in the past with my Viewsonic CRT. It seems to work OK with my 20" Cinema Display, and another flat screen, but I have trouble with the first step of the calibration settings - there isn't any position on the left slider that looks right. I recently got a Spyder 3 Pro monitor calibrator and the results are SO different from my Mac calibration I don't know what to do next. I had good results before.
    How can I tell if the Spyder profile, or the Mac profile is "right"?
    Does the Spyder work properly with the Cinema Display?
    With the Spyder I am using 2.2 and 6500 as starting points. I have important projects going to press so I need to know that I am sending out good files.
    What is the final standard of "rightness" when it comes to monitor calibration?

    Brian Townsend wrote:
    I have had good success with the built-in Mac calibration routine...How can I tell if the Spyder profile, or the Mac profile is "right"?
    Does the Spyder work properly with the Cinema Display?
    With the Spyder I am using 2.2 and 6500 as starting points...
    What is the final standard of "rightness" when it comes to monitor calibration?
    There is not one standard because it depends on your output. For you, it sounds like the standard is that your screen gives you a rendering as close as possible to the press proofing standard that your company and your clients sign off on. In other words, a neutral gray and certain colors look the same on screen and on the print on your proof under your standard lighting. Your starting points sound OK, but for example, they would be wrong if your lightboxes are D50.
    It's highly unlikely that the built-in profile is better than the Spyder. A hardware sensor is far more objective and accurate than the human eye.
    I'm mostly repeating stuff I read in Real World Color Management so if your paycheck really does depend on this stuff you might read it or any other color management book. ColorWiki and the Chromix newsletter are other good resources for this.

  • Help with monitor calibration - simulating NTSC on computer monitor

    I know the proper way to monitor video is using an external NTSC production monitor. Since I don't have one I'm wondering how I can get the closest to simulating an NTSC monitor on my Apple Cinema Display. I have made a monitor calibration using gamma 1.4 that seems pretty good except the shadow areas are too dark. If I can resist the temptation to lighten the dark areas, based on what I see on my computer monitor, my results look pretty good on a TV played from a DVD. If there was some way I could set up my Cinema Display to be closer to an NTSC monitor it would help me a lot. Any ideas?
    As a related question: If my video project is not destined for TV but played on a laptop and shown on a screen using a projector maybe I can use my computer monitor as more of a guide to what it will look like on screen.
    Another related question: How do the modern flat screen TVs relate to the older CRT variety in terms of calibration. Do the new flat screens still use the same NTSC calibration? The flat screens seem more like computer monitors to me.

    If there was some way I could set up my Cinema Display to be closer to an NTSC monitor it would help me a lot. Any ideas?
    The Matrox MXO: http://www.matrox.com/video/en/products/mxo/
    If my video project is not destined for TV but played on a laptop and shown on a screen using a projector maybe I can use my computer monitor as more of a guide to what it will look like on screen.
    If the program won't be viewed on TV, using the computer monitor should be fine ... but keep in mind that Windows system's use a different gamma.
    How do the modern flat screen TVs relate to the older CRT variety in terms of calibration. Do the new flat screens still use the same NTSC calibration? The flat screens seem more like computer monitors to me.
    They aren't. They are designed to reproduce the NTSC/ATSC color space and gamma. However, like most later model consumer CRTs, flat panel TVs have built-in circuitry designed to artificially enhance/correct the image. That's the primary reason to use a professional monitor, be it a flat panel or an older CRT.
    -DH

  • I have been having a issue with getting the colors on my monitor to match the colors fro my print lab. I now have the monitor calibrated to match the prints but when I open elements it doesn't use the same colors. If i have it use the calibrated profile b

    I have been having a issue with getting the colors on my monitor to match the colors fro my print lab. I now have the monitor calibrated to match the prints but when I open elements it doesn't use the same colors. If i have it use the calibrated profile by changing the color management settings, the color picker no longer shows true white or black. How do I get elements 12 to honor the new calibrated settings?

    Ok so I've done what you said and this is what it's come back ....
    I don't know that these are the errors , but they're the things which don't look right ...
    Throughout the shut down there is a recurring line ;
    It says ;
    Com.apple.launchd 1 0x100600e70.anonymous.unmount 301 PID still valid
    Then there are 2 more which I think are related ;
    Com.apple.securityd 29 PID job has I overstayed its welcome , forcing removal.
    Then the same with fseventd 48 and diskarbitrationd 13
    Oh and on Launchd1 : System : stray anonymous job at shut down : PID 301 PPID13 PGID 13 unmount...
    Then the last process says "about to call: reboot (RB_AUTOBOOT).
    Continuing...
    And stops ...
    Hope this means something to you ... Thanks again for your help so far :-)

  • 24" iMac - Dual monitor calibration

    Just curious...
    I have a 24" iMac Core 2 Duo 2.16Ghz, I am thinking of attaching an extrenal monitor to the system (non-Apple) and also borrowing a friends monitor calibration unit.
    I've never had an external hooked up before and before I go buying one... my question is...
    If I have a dual monitor setup (non-mirrored) can I assign each monitor its own monitor colour profile? or would I only be able to pick one and it applied it to both?
    Thanks

    Hi 75
    Yes! Open the Display Preference and go to the NTSC/PAL panel for the attached display, then calibrate it just like you did the Internal.
    Dennis

  • LCD Monitor Calibration

    There is an vast amount of information on this topic, that topic being LCD monitor calibration.  Some LCD have presets, theatre, games, etc.  I want to calibrate my LCD so that if someone else is viewing my work on their monitor and they complain it is too light or to dark, I can say it is your monitor.  One of my LCD has two presets that are of interest 'standard' & 'sRGB' my other LCD doesn't have any presets.  What is the best or near best calibration I can manually set both monitors too, if this is even possible on LCD, I hope it is, atleast I hope they have matured from the past.

    I get into trouble with everyone when I suggest using a gamma calibration target and using on-monitor and video card controls to get the monitor calibration close to 2.2 gamma, so I probably shouldn't do it.  But hey, it's not absolutely necessary to spend money to get closer to your goal.  It really boils down to how good is good enough for you.  Better color accuracy than what you have now could be a stepping stone.
    One approach - and I'm not saying it's the best one, but it'll get you closer to your goal without spending money - is to set your monitor to the sRGB preset, set your monitor profile to sRGB IEC61966-2.1 in Windows, then adjust the video driver controls so that the gradients in this target, when displayed at 100% zoom, appear like neutral gray gradients.
    This is what you want it to look like:
    I wish I could say it's simple to get it to look like this, but unfortunately it's not.  However, if you have the ability to set gamma, contrast, brightness for each of the three color channels in your video drivers (ATI Catalyst drivers offer this ability), then with a little elbow grease it is possible.
    -Noel

  • LCD Monitor Calibration Needed

    I just purchased a 3rd party 19" LCD monitor, and noticed the the thing is freaking bright!
    I need to calibrate this thing before it melts my eyes. I'm looking for either a tutorial on how to properly do this, or a program that will help me with this.
    Any help is greatly appricated. Thanks!
    --alan

    if you've got the money for something worthwhile, the sypder2pro is an excellent monitor calibration tool. it calibrates crt's, lcd's and projectors. it actually allows me to use my 23" cinema display by removing most of the "pink" that the screen evolved to right after it went off of warranty, making it the most overpriced lemon i ever bought ($1799 before taxes).

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