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Calibrating Monitors
2/21/2012 7:58:43 AM
How do you calibrate monitors? A lot of what I googled didn't help much. I'm just a hobbyist, so I'd prefer to learn how to do it the free way. Will holding a print next to my screen and calibrating to the print get me close? Do I adjust the monitor itself, or the video card?
Any help would be much appreciated.
Any help would be much appreciated.
2/21/2012 11:34:21 AM
Unless you have eyes that can precisely determine light frequencies, there is no free way to calibrate your monitor.
You need a sensor and some software.
I've use color spyders and they're not too expensive.
http://spyder.datacolor.com/product-mc-s4express.php
You need a sensor and some software.
I've use color spyders and they're not too expensive.
http://spyder.datacolor.com/product-mc-s4express.php
2/21/2012 11:37:54 AM
Without the proper equipment, you will never get it exactly right. I have been able to get a screen pretty close through trial and error, but it took some time, and was a little frustrating. With that said, you can probably get it "close enough", for viewing (not editing) pictures on your monitor. But unless you just get lucky, it will never be "close enough" for editing and printing pictures. In other words, the picture you see on your monitor, will not have the same colors when printed out.
I use the Spyder, and the ColorMunki, and get good results with both.
Good luck.
I use the Spyder, and the ColorMunki, and get good results with both.
Good luck.
2/22/2012 12:29:34 PM
Spyder user here also, there's a rebate on the pro and elite models right now that end at the end of this month. Got the Pro model last month off amazon for 99 after rebate.
Couldn't believe how bad my monitor was.
Rebate Info
Couldn't believe how bad my monitor was.
Rebate Info
2/22/2012 2:11:09 PM
This is relevant to my intrests as i need to get my 3 about to be 4 calibrated!
How does it work? What is involved with it?
How does it work? What is involved with it?
2/22/2012 3:05:13 PM
Originally Posted By usmcrebel:
How does it work? What is involved with it?
How does it work? What is involved with it?
No two monitors are alike. They all have slight variations in color, and these colors can shift over time. That is why it is important to calibrate your monitor on a regular basis. I calibrate mine, each month. The purpose of calibrating your monitor, is to ensure that the color (digital file) your computer "sends" to the monitor (for lack of a better way of explaining it), is actually the color you see on the monitor. For instance, lets say you take a picture of a red firetruck, and download it to your computer. The color "red" is of course, actually stored as a digital number (file) in your computer. But, when that digital file is "sent" to the monitor, the firetruck might look "purple". That's because the monitor is not calibrated.
A monitor calibration system uses a software program to send a series of known colors to your monitor, and a colorometer to measure those known colors as they are displayed on your monitor. The software, then compares the two, and writes a correction program that is applied to every color that is displayed on your monitor. That way, when you are using (say) photoshop to edit a picture of a "red" firetruck on your monitor, you will know for sure that the image is stored as a "red" firetruck in your computer. Thus, what you see, is what you get. If you send that same digital file out to a professional printing company, you know you will get a picture of a "red" firetruck back, because the printing companies also calibrate their equipment.
Now, there is one last part to the equation. If you plan to print your own pictures, then you also have to calibrate your printer. Otherwise, you will run into the same type of color inconsistencies.
Here is a short video of someone using a version of the Spyder calibration system.
Calibration video
2/24/2012 8:52:59 AM
Originally Posted By Kekoa:
No two monitors are alike. They all have slight variations in color, and these colors can shift over time. That is why it is important to calibrate your monitor on a regular basis. I calibrate mine, each month. The purpose of calibrating your monitor, is to ensure that the color (digital file) your computer "sends" to the monitor (for lack of a better way of explaining it), is actually the color you see on the monitor. For instance, lets say you take a picture of a red firetruck, and download it to your computer. The color "red" is of course, actually stored as a digital number (file) in your computer. But, when that digital file is "sent" to the monitor, the firetruck might look "purple". That's because the monitor is not calibrated.
A monitor calibration system uses a software program to send a series of known colors to your monitor, and a colorometer to measure those known colors as they are displayed on your monitor. The software, then compares the two, and writes a correction program that is applied to every color that is displayed on your monitor. That way, when you are using (say) photoshop to edit a picture of a "red" firetruck on your monitor, you will know for sure that the image is stored as a "red" firetruck in your computer. Thus, what you see, is what you get. If you send that same digital file out to a professional printing company, you know you will get a picture of a "red" firetruck back, because the printing companies also calibrate their equipment.
Now, there is one last part to the equation. If you plan to print your own pictures, then you also have to calibrate your printer. Otherwise, you will run into the same type of color inconsistencies.
Here is a short video of someone using a version of the Spyder calibration system.
Calibration video
Originally Posted By usmcrebel:
How does it work? What is involved with it?
How does it work? What is involved with it?
No two monitors are alike. They all have slight variations in color, and these colors can shift over time. That is why it is important to calibrate your monitor on a regular basis. I calibrate mine, each month. The purpose of calibrating your monitor, is to ensure that the color (digital file) your computer "sends" to the monitor (for lack of a better way of explaining it), is actually the color you see on the monitor. For instance, lets say you take a picture of a red firetruck, and download it to your computer. The color "red" is of course, actually stored as a digital number (file) in your computer. But, when that digital file is "sent" to the monitor, the firetruck might look "purple". That's because the monitor is not calibrated.
A monitor calibration system uses a software program to send a series of known colors to your monitor, and a colorometer to measure those known colors as they are displayed on your monitor. The software, then compares the two, and writes a correction program that is applied to every color that is displayed on your monitor. That way, when you are using (say) photoshop to edit a picture of a "red" firetruck on your monitor, you will know for sure that the image is stored as a "red" firetruck in your computer. Thus, what you see, is what you get. If you send that same digital file out to a professional printing company, you know you will get a picture of a "red" firetruck back, because the printing companies also calibrate their equipment.
Now, there is one last part to the equation. If you plan to print your own pictures, then you also have to calibrate your printer. Otherwise, you will run into the same type of color inconsistencies.
Here is a short video of someone using a version of the Spyder calibration system.
Calibration video
AWESOME!
I will watch this as soon as I get home.
2/24/2012 2:53:35 PM
Something that a lot of photographers that focus on monitor calibration forget is also checking what you get from the printer. Use a calibration print to match the monitor to the printer if your end result is print production. Monitors are backlit so they are brighter to the human eye, vs reflected light from a print. So there is usually a difference even after using hardware calibration.
