Monitor Calibration Programs - Recommendation

[Brownbear]

A member of CC was kind enough to take the time to let me know that monitors should be calibrated. This is something I was not aware of I would like to ask if anyone has any recommendations for a calibration program.

I have a Samsung Monitor... 22 or 24 inch screen.

Thank you as always.

[russellsnr]

Hi, If you want to do it right then calibration of your monitor is a must.
I before buying an NEC monitor and using there calibration kit made just for NEC monitors used the Spyder 3 Pro calibration system on a Samsung monitor with very good results, I no there is now the Spyder 4 system but as a starting point have a go with the Spyder 3 pro (very easy to setup and use), why? because if you search around you can pick up a used one for very little compared to what they cost when they first came out. There are other systems out there and sure someone will give you info on them but as I say I used the Spyder 3 to good effect.
Russ

[Brownbear]

Thank you

[Brownbear]

A CC member just referred me to this link which I found very helpful, as I did not realize the importance of calibrating ones monitor until I read this.

https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tu...alibration.htm

[Mike Buckley]

I also am happy with my Spyder system. I used Version 2 until recently upgrading to Version 4. That became a necessity when I purchased a computer that has Windows 7.

If I remember correctly, you don't need the Pro edition unless you are also calibrating your printer. The Express edition, which is less expensive, works fine if you are only calibrating the monitor. (I outsource my prints, which explains why I don't need to calibrate the printer.)

[Brownbear]

Thank you. I have windows 7, and I don't print my my own photos, so good to know.

[Simon Garrett]

I use the Color Munki Display, which seems to be quite effective for me, but definitely a good idea to use a hardware tool of some sort.

The tutorials on Cambridge in Colour are good - some explanations of colour management (even by otherwise good photography writers) are misleading and sometimes downright wrong.

[Brownbear]

Thank you. I will check it out.

[arith]

That and this:

http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/

[huggins37]

I have done a lot of research on calibration of monitors, printers, and cameras. I have the Spyder 3 Studio Pro and have had mixed results.

What I have found in my research is all the colors can be matched to a hexidecimal code, either 8, 16, or 32 bit. sRGB and RGB are only two of several color spaces that are standards. Color space standards map a color and its light intensity to a hexidecimal number.

When you use the Spyder system, the program generates colors and intensities that are measured by the sensor placed in front of the monitor. The sensor measures these standard colors and then the spyder program will take the results and make adjustments so that the colors measured are true representations of the standard colors. Any particular monitor and computer color card may or may not be able to accurately reproduce all these standards so you are then provided with a map that shows how your monitor compares to an sRGB or Adobe RGB color space. Most inexpensive monitors and color cards are lucky to reproduce the colors in sRGB color space. More expensive monitors and color cards reproduce colors beyond the Adobe RGB color space.

If you set your camera to work in the sRGB color space, it should look like how it was taken on any calibrated monitor. If you take pictures using the Adobe RGB color space, you may not see an accurate representation on your monitor, even if it is calibrated since the monitor/color card may have limitations that prohibit it from showing all the colors available from the camera.

When you print the image, you again have to work with a color space. If you take your picture using sRGB and edit in sRGB, then you should print in an sRGB printer or use a profiled printer. All printers should be able to reproduce the images in sRGB, but many printers do not have the range of Adobe RGB. Most commercial printers use sRGB as their color space, although you can ask your printer if they can produce images in an Adobe RGB color space. If unknown, assume they are using sRGB. I have asked many print houses, and most don't seem to know much about color space and only tell me they hear a lot about this, but don't really know. They tell me, to be on the safe side, use sRGB for best results.

If you take your image in Adobe RGB color space, and edit it in Adobe RGB color space, and print in sRGB color space, you will get a muddy looking image. The same will hold true if you look at an Adobe RGB image on a monitor that can only reproduce sRGB colors, your image will appear darker and more muddy than it actually is.

Hopefully this is not too technical, but I have the Spyder 3 system and love it. I have a large format HP photo printer Z2100 and have it calibrated and when using HP paper, the prints look good. I've gotten to where I shoot in Adobe RGB, edit in Adobe RGB, and save in both Adobe RGB and a converted file to sRGB. I use the sRGB to give to customers who may want to print from an unknown printer so it has produced the best results.

[Brownbear]

Thank you Rick for providing further insight as to why I need to calibrate my monitor.