monitor hardware calibration

by beAsty • 2 Nov 2011, 21:13 • Journals
Anyone has done that already? which tool do you recommend? Spyder Elite 3 looks decent?

Anyone knows if this works:
Buy calibration tool from amazon, calibrate screens, send it back? :P
Comments
19
▼
ag0n 2 Nov 2011, 21:18
print a quality picture , put next to screen, calibrate :>
▼
beAsty 2 Nov 2011, 21:19
Ye thought about that solution.. but then you also need a calibrated printer :P
Parent
▼
ag0n 2 Nov 2011, 21:22
max quality shall do the trick...
Parent
▼
beAsty 2 Nov 2011, 21:24
Mhh not really? If the printer isn't calibrated then it will simply paint with wrong colours and the outcome can look as fucked as a non-calibrated screen? Atleast that's what I read in some 780000000 pages tutorial/guide about monitor calibration :D
Parent
▼
ag0n 2 Nov 2011, 21:28
set the right color profile at printer, shall be okey i guess.. but then again, i don't care about it.. thats very little details..
Parent
▼
Mica 2 Nov 2011, 21:35
Hahaha i really liked the idea though :P but that won't work without a self-made ICC profile
Parent
▼
ag0n 2 Nov 2011, 21:40
never tried neither read about it, i've no idea about the problems related to it, but if the wants good colors -> ips screen...
Parent
▼
beAsty 2 Nov 2011, 21:42
Ye it's a common solution for calibrating a screen.. But it requires a very good (and calibrated) printer and a very good picture. If the printer isn't calibrated it won't make any sense.
Parent
▼
kot 2 Nov 2011, 21:48
Then take a photo of something on your desk :D
Parent
▼
beAsty 2 Nov 2011, 21:54
Ye and then? :P I don't have a calibrated printer.. plus it has to be a very decent camera to shoot the picture with. But the pic isn't the problem.. there are some nice ones you can download & print.. getting my hands on a calibrated printer is hard. And I think I also read smth about the camera & printer having to be calibrated to each others profile :S Just gave up reading about all that when I found out that there are tools that can do it for you much more accurate.
Parent
▼
kot 2 Nov 2011, 22:47
If you take a photo of something you already have there's no need to print it... Open up the photo on your PC and compare it to the real object.
Parent
▼
rsp 2 Nov 2011, 23:02
mind = blown
Parent
▼
beAsty 2 Nov 2011, 23:17
Ye thats the "basic" calibration I always did.. but it's nowhere near accurate as a real hardware calibration. And to do it right it takes ages :( A printed picture would be easier for comparing tho. Also you could add some color patterns.
Parent
▼
HellKn1ght 2 Nov 2011, 23:33
I've tested the Spyder 3 and it sucked. The results were very inconsistent and often there was way too much red.
I'd recommend Quato Silver Haze Pro or i1 Display Pro. You could send it back, but the characteristics of your display will change over time. That's why displays should be recalibrated after ~4 weeks.
It depends on what you're trying to do: If you have a "cheap" (<500 Euro) TFT and only want accurate colours for your private prints, calibrate once and send the device back. (Careful: you need to install the software in order to use the colorimeter. Most shops refuse to take back opened DVD-cases)
If you're serious (print a lot and/or get paid for your work), it's worth keeping it. Oh and if you plan to print photos on your own printer, prepare to pay A LOT more for a good calibration system (~1000+ Euro) :D
▼
beAsty 2 Nov 2011, 23:40
Thanks, great answer. I already read a few things about the i1 Display Pro.. never heard of the Quato Silver Haze pro. Ye I know that you should re-calibrate every month or so.. but I'm not sure if I will really need this. I lived 10 years without any calibration :P

I mainly want to calibrate my Laptop screen (LG-D02C5, 120Hz, 3D, Matte, 72% Gamut) and my Samsung SyncMaster BX2250. Maybe also my Plasma-TV :o Its just that without any calibration (especially on those new LED screens) the colors are fucked up.

I thought about just downloading the cracked software and use the hardware with it. Need to do some googling first.

So which one do you use? The i1 Display Pro ? First time I hear something negative about the Spyder 3 :P
Parent
▼
HellKn1ght 2 Nov 2011, 23:54
No, I have the Quato Silver Haze Pro. The i1 Display Pro is not a colorimeter, but a spectrophotometer(?!) iirc spectrophotometers can't measure black points accurately, that's why I chose the device from Quato.
You'll be fine with calibrating your displays once, just make sure to backup those ICC Profiles :P
Oh and you can also rent those things (will cost a bit more than buying and sending them back though)
Parent
▼
beAsty 2 Nov 2011, 23:56
Didn't know that you can rent them :o Thanks, guess I will try to find someone who can borrow it to me, or rent it or order it and send it back :P

Actually I already have a .icc file for my laptop (from some guy who has the same laptop + screen and a spyder elite 3) :P
Parent
▼
HellKn1ght 3 Nov 2011, 00:02
It's better than no profile at all, as long as you use the same settings! :D
Parent
▼
jnz 3 Nov 2011, 12:11
calibration equipment is expensive
Back to top