What calibration tool do you use?

*eadaoin

Hey guys, I'm finally going to pick up something to calibrate my screen! Every time I get something printed it always has a greenish cast that I've been compensating for by taking out some of the green beforehand. They are also always a little darker than I'd like so I usually up the brightness before printing too.

But now I've a little money to spare so it's time I got myself something to correct the colours properly.

I'm having a good long look through all the available tools, just wondering what do you guys use? I'm leaning towards Pantone Huey PRO but I'd like to hear opinions on tools from anyone here if you'd like to share.

Paulw

I have a Spyder Elite 3. Best thing I invested in. Colours on screen are almost exactly what comes out printed.

Kbeg3

I also have a Spider 3 Elite and its great:)

*eadaoin

Cool I hear a lot of good things about that model. Do you guys do yur own printing then or take it to a lab?

PCPhoto

I dont have monitors calibrated ..... 'cos I dont print anything.

but if/when I do start printing.... will get spyder thingy - never heard a bad report about it.

stcstc

i use a spyder elite but there is a new version of software, which is much more powerful


it costs 19 dollars to do the upgrade, well worth it


the brightness is actutally that your monitor is set to bright, most monitors are designed to do white white for the page of word of something, and if you set your monitor to about 25% brightness it will be roughly close to what you get out of a print

*eadaoin

stcstc wrote: »

the brightness is actutally that your monitor is set to bright, most monitors are designed to do white white for the page of word of something, and if you set your monitor to about 25% brightness it will be roughly close to what you get out of a print

Wow it's all spyders so far!

Thanks for that info about the brightness, I usually have the monitor brightness up quite high as I love working on a nice bright screen, but I guess it makes more sense to have it close to what it will look like as a print, then I'll have a much better end result I hope

Borderfox

Spyder Elite 2 here

Kbeg3

stcstc wrote: »

i use a spyder elite but there is a new version of software, which is much more powerful


it costs 19 dollars to do the upgrade, well worth it

Just bought and downloaded that upgrade. Software seems better alright

Effects

Pantone Huey Pro

Heebie

I've got a Colormunki which lets me calibrate screen and printers (printers have to be local, doesn't let give me a direct output I can use to do calibration for lab devices and such.) Works in Windows and Mac OS. (Haven't found any way to use it Linux thus far.)

ValueInIreland

The Eye One Display 2 is what I use and it's great. If you ask any of the "Colour Experts" it is the Monitor calibrator of choice.

stcstc

i agree the eyeone is the most accurate

i just prefered the software from the spyder, i found it much easier to use

Heebie

The i1 is an awesome piece of equipment.. but to get the license to be able to create customer PRINTER color profile is insanely expensive (like several thousand.)

I used to work with one..and I can say it is a wonderful piece of equipment.

I went with a Colormunki because it lets me to do both screen AND printers without enormously expensive licensing for like $399.95 USD

The reason the i1 is so much better, is that all the other ones on the market pretty much are spectro-colorimeters, or simply colorimeters. The i1 is a spectro-photometer. (this is also why it's so much more expensive.)

I couldn't recommend the i1 for anyone who isn't printing professionally.. it's just too expensive. (The less expensive versions will only calibrate your screen.)

The Colormunki also comes with the ability to point it at an object, and sample the color off of that object, in case you want to take "swatches" of the actual colors within a scene to match later on. That's a neat feature.

ValueInIreland wrote: »

The Eye One Display 2 is what I use and it's great. If you ask any of the "Colour Experts" it is the Monitor calibrator of choice.

stcstc

is the eyeone that much, i think its only 600stg or so for the basic version that allows you to make colour profiles for print

Heebie

This is the cheapest of the i1's that's actually a spectrophotometer:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/477395-REG/X_Rite_421740_Eye_One_Beamer.html#features

This is the cheaper i1, that only does monitors, and is actually a simple colorimeter:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/484457-REG/X_Rite_EODLT_i1Display_LT_Color_Management.html#features

Next step-up, also a colorimeter, and also only for monitors/flat panels:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/465156-REG/X_Rite_EODIS2_i1Display_2_Colorimeter_Monitor.html#features

This is the entry-level spectrophotometer model that only does "small" color charts for printing:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/568757-REG/X_Rite_EOBA_Eye_One_Basic_.html#features

Here is the least expensive "full" solution in an i1:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/583882-REG/X_Rite_EOXTRUV_i1XTreme_UV_Cut_Color.html

(It's a LOT less expensive than the last time I looked at it.) This one does full color-chart, rather than the "small" color chart.

For a bit more, you an actually get the gear to calibrate scanners and digital cameras.

Now here's the Colormunki (which is eithre made or at least distributed by the same company as the i1:X-Rite)

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/550833-REG/X_Rite_CMUNPH_ColorMunki_Photo_Color_Management.html

It's much better value for the money if you're not doing seriously hardcore printing.

stcstc wrote: »

is the eyeone that much, i think its only 600stg or so for the basic version that allows you to make colour profiles for print