Spider Monitor Calibration

[Ron77]

I keep playing with my settings looking at those test charts.. I can't be sure I'm even close. I got to wondering what my photos REALLY look like after I edit them.. :confused:

How do those spider deals work, do you have to play with the buttons on your monitor according to what it tells you or does it have some kind of software that fixes gamma, contrast and brightness according to what that doo-hickey sees?

[sacstoy02gt]

With my Spyder2Express, I just set the monitor to the usual defaults (it tells you at the beginning of the calibration exercise) and the device does the rest, creating a profile that makes things perfect - adjusting everything so you don't need to tweak your monitor settings.

Just buy one :)

[l1lm1k3]

my only issue is i run windows seven and every time my computer sleeps it doesnt load my monitor calibration i may have to send an issue to ms

[sacstoy02gt]

That could be due to your video card and the drivers for it. Make sure they're the latest drivers provided by the manufacturer of the card (not from Microsoft).

That situation's gotta suck though; good luck.

[Ron77]

With my Spyder2Express, I just set the monitor to the usual defaults (it tells you at the beginning of the calibration exercise) and the device does the rest, creating a profile that makes things perfect - adjusting everything so you don't need to tweak your monitor settings.

Just buy one :)

Oh man it's THAT easy? I'm definately buying one. I'm going nuts trying to adjust myself looking at color charts. The worst thing is, my monitor has an adjustment for gamma and it goes from 0 to 100, so you really don't know what it means. when I changed brightness or contrast, it alters gamma, then I change gamma and the black and white levels change. Argh! :)

[Ron77]

So this looks as they describe you to guys with calibrated monitors?

http://www.displaycalibration.com/brightness_contrast.html

[JimL]

I have used Spyder 2 and managed to break my device by stepping on it and now use the ColorMunki Create which I prefer. I have noticed some great sales here lately and am going to get the ColorMunki Photo which calibrates my monitor to my printer output so what I see on screen is what I print. You may be aware that there are a couple of places which print photos on line which have their printer/paper profiles available for download (Adorama is one.) so you can match your monitor to their prints based on the print medium you choose when you order. You still need to calibrate your monitor then in your graphics program, under color management/controls, you set your monitor to match their profiles and your resulting print should be VERY close to what you see on your monitor. This is a good deal if you don't want to invest in a top line (and/or wide) printer now.
JimL

[loco-lobo]

They're great, and easy. Well worth the money.
Cheers!

[Ron77]

Thanks Jim, that's really good to know :)

For now, I'm just trying to know what I see on the screen is correct.

The problem I'm having, (probably just need a new monitor), is when I set the monitor visually to those test patterns, even other people's photos online look all washed out and my browser and email program look all nasty. But if I set things so those look good, then those profiles don't look right as I can't disguingish the darker greys, their all black.

[Ron77]

Hey tell me something, I just used that link I have up above and got it like they said to do, I'm sure it's not as good as with a calibrator but, now I can see the subtle differences between grey and black and white a very light grey.

Here is a photo I posted on here, now it looks kinda flat and not punchy like I thought it was, how does it look to you guys as far as brightness, contrast, etc.

http://www.photozo.com/album/data/8472/IMG_05251.jpg

[Ron77]

This looks right to me now, is this right or too much contrast and sat?? I feel like I can't even edit now, I don't know what's right and wondering if all my photos lately have been boring and flat :(

http://www.photozo.com/album/data/8472/IMG_05251r.jpg

[JimL]

Before you make any changes click on your posted photo to get the pop up. That should be a closer match to what you see at home because the different background DOES make a difference in how your eye perceives the colors.
The same is true when you calibrate your monitor. Do it in a dark room (no light) and then do it in a daylight lighted room and you will get a different calibration.
The mechanical devices compare what the device sees with a color that is generated and compares the values it sees in RGB (or in some cases CMYK) with what it was supposed to see. Your eye will not do as well.
JimL

[Ron77]

Yes, pop up looks nasty and plain. \


How did the first and second photos look to you guys who do have calibrated monitors?

[loco-lobo]

Number 2 is better.

[Griswold]

This looks right to me now, is this right or too much contrast and sat?? I feel like I can't even edit now, I don't know what's right and wondering if all my photos lately have been boring and flat :(

http://www.photozo.com/album/data/8472/IMG_05251r.jpg

This one has too much everything. No bueno.

[Skippy]

The answer is somewhere in between. The second one is just too much. Sky is too dark and so is the gull. How do they look when you print them should be question.

Skippy

[Ron77]

OK thanks for looking and letting me know :)...
... rats so right in the middle eh?
(I hardly ever print photos so only care how my screen looks right now :) )

[Skippy]

(I hardly ever print photos so only care how my screen looks right now )

Well that is a tough one. As all monitors can be different. Too many times I have read the comment that I am da da need to get home or get to work, so I can see it better.

If my picture printed pretty close then I know I should be in the ball park. Of course with the downsizing I usually run Landis action for downsizing and sharpen after.

Don't take all the fun out photography agonizing over this. If print isn't the end product, what heck are you going to do with hard drives full of pictures? lol

Skippy

[Ron77]

I couldn't post, I played with my CP settings but now I can post again and reply :)

Man I am agonizing over this :) Gotta have gamma right, boy does it change the contast of a photo a LOT, if it's wrong my pics could be all washed out or over the top. I gotta get a spider.. and probably a new screen when I can afford it :)

[Skippy]

Not me. I am going to stay with my CRT. I can't afford a good one. You might be interested in reading what Kim has to say about monitors.

http://www.komando.com/tips/index.aspx?id=7466

The other day I was at a friends house trying to help her edit a couple of photos. Just a few hints of what she could do.

Hated that flat screen of hers. Every time I moved in the chair the picture looked different.

Skippy

[Ron77]

That's the problem I'm having, I still have my Dell 17 CRT, I've been thinking about using it again instead. I did some reading and I'd have to get one of those (I think it was PPI or something) expensive ones that doesn't change hardly at all when you move. Mine changes all over the place, really annoying!

thanks for the link, I'll read that right now :)

[Rich]

So this looks as they describe you to guys with calibrated monitors?

http://www.displaycalibration.com/brightness_contrast.html

Ron, yes I can see all they are talking about.

I calibrated my new Dell 19 inch wide screen LCD with this procedure http://www.colorwizzard.com/lcdtest/index.html#_top
My printouts are very close to what I see on the monitor. You will never get an EXACT match.

Of the three photos shown I took #1 and #2 into PS and did a levels on them. I like #1 with a little levels bump in contrast. To me #1 looks slightly washed out and #2 has too much contrast.

The spyder system seems pretty easy, wish I could afford it! :)

Hope this helps.

Rich

[Ron77]

Hey Rich,

Thanks for the response, once I did some eyeball calibrating I see those photos that way too, 1 is too washed out, 2 was too much. I hope that means I have it close for now at least :) I see the spider has a cheap one that at least gets gamma right for about 70 dollars, I think I will get that one so I'm at least good for contrast :)

Thanks for the link, I'll check that out :)

[Landis]

Ron, to be honest, you can usually use some of the better on line calibration systems and get pretty close to the "real thing". However if you are serious about the printing aspect of photography, you are way better off spending some money and getting a Calibrator System: The ones I can recommend in order of preference are: X-Rite Display 2, or the Spyder2 system mentioned above.

The biggest problem with some of the newer LCD displays are that it's very hard to calibrate them properly. I calibrate my LeCie 321 LCD monitor (now about 4 years old and no longer made) to a Gamma 2.2, 100 lumens & 5000K. This monitor calibrates 100% accurate and gives me a straight line graph for R, G, and B. Now, I realize that 5000K is too warm for some people, but it was what I was taught in my class and it works perfectly for me. Most LCD monitors you get now are happier with 6500K, but you will just have to try and see what works.

Many of the LCD's simply will not calibrate correctly. I tried calibrating my friend's Apple iMac 24" monitor. On the lowest brightness, it will NOT go below 195 lumens. In order to print properly my friend has to get the photo the way he wants it, then before printing, he has to up the Brightness a certain amount otherwise his prints are way too dark. I've had the same problem with a HP LCD I have at my office.

A long time ago, I wrote a good thread called COLOR MANAGEMENT 101 (http://www.photozo.com/forum/showthread.php?t=884). I'm not going to say this is the only way to skin a cat, but I'll tell you I've been using this for over 5 years with super results. I get a image the way I want it on my monitor and I print it. The print looks within 99% of what it looks like on the monitor. That's good.

A lot of the older CRT monitors were quite good. Most of the newer LCD's are made to give you that "Holy Cow those are GRRRRREAT colors." Well, when it comes to photography, you don't want GRRRREAT colors.....you want Accurate Colors.

On your photos above, for me, you want something between #1 and #2.

[Ron77]

Thanks Landis, I rarely print photos and when I do, I don't mind doing some adjustments first, my main thing is how the screen looks for editing photos. Finding out gamma being off even a bit throws contrast off a lot really messed me up. I'll try your link there, thanks much for all the info. and the link :)

[WesternGuy]

I use Spyder3 Elite and run it about once a month to check calibration and recalibrate if necessary. I works fine for me and gives me great colours and it is pretty well menu driven and automatic. The software remembers your "calibration" and checks it and updates or modifies as necessary when I recalibrate.

To Michael B., there is an update to Spyder 3 Elite (if that is what you have - don't know about Spyder2 though) that makes it compatible with Windows 7. If you send them e-mail, they should send you the location of the upload to obtain the W7 compatible version. As I will be getting a W7 machine in the next couple of weeks, I will be doing that myself. HTH.

Cheers,

WesternGuy

[sacstoy02gt]

FYI - Spyder2Express with software version 2.3.6 is working perfectly for me with Win7.

...in case anyone needs to know :)