Monitr Calibration

[KiwiRob]

I thinking about purchasing a calibrating devise for my monitor. I have no knowledge on them so has anyone here got any recommendations.

[slejhamer]

The ColorVision Spyder with PhotoCal software (or OptiCal if you want a little more juice) is a popular and economical choice.

But you should also consider GretagMacbeth's "Eye-One" which is getting good reviews.

Both companies make software to calibrate your printer, too, if needed.

[CoolToolGuy]

I thinking about purchasing a calibrating devise for my monitor. I have no knowledge on them so has anyone here got any recommendations.

Make sure you get a good one - the better ones will make it easier for you to tell the difference between Glamour photography and gay kiddy porn... :twisted:

[karusel]

LOL

I was considering getting a spyder, but I'm not really sure that a monitor would need to be calibrated monthly and even so, $150+ is a few bucks more than I'd be prepared to pay since I'm not a pro.

[scottbergerphoto]

I use the Colorvision Spyder and Optical Software. I'm not a pro(yet 8)), but I want what I print to look like what I worked in post processing to achieve. It does that for me. I print 8x10 on an Epson Stylus 2200, and people are shocked that it didn't come from a lab.
Scott

[tracyh]

I purchased the spyder and calibrated my monitor... and things look great on the monitor, but pictures printed on my printer still do not match what I'm seeing on the monitor (there's always a slight green cast). I've also taken pictures that I've processed with PS 7 on my laptop (which has not been calibrated), saved them on a CD and brought them up in PS 7 on the p.c. attached to the printer to print them... and those always seem over-saturated and too magenta on that monitor... and those prints don't match either. It's really frustrating. I haven't been able to figure out what it is that I'm doing wrong. You mention a printer calibration.... could that help me?

[karusel]

Yeah, you can get a profile from your manufacturer's homepage, or you can fiddle with it on your own, at least this is the casae with Epson.

[msvadi]

I wonder if it's possible to rent a calibrating device from some place.

[petiot]

Hi. i am also in the process of buying a calibration system

the cheapest i found so far is here http://www.colorvision.com/profis/profis_view.jsp?id=281 colorPlus from colorvision. (it was just release few days ago)

howver it is not available in europe yet. I also wonder if there is any difference betwen ColorPlus and more expensive systems such as spider pro for instance, or if the software is just better in managing multiple ICC prfiles etc

anyone one's opinion with knowledge or experience would be appreciated!! :)

thanks

Dan

[dn7elson]

I also wonder if there is any difference betwen ColorPlus and more expensive systems such as spider pro for instance, or if the software is just better in managing multiple ICC prfiles etc

Take a look at the following page and click the "Compare Tab" to see a chart that explains some of the differences.

http://www.colorvision.com/profis/profis_view.jsp?id=241

[robekert]

But you should also consider GretagMacbeth's "Eye-One" which is getting good reviews.

I use the Eye-One and I am very pleased with the price $225.00 and the results.

Rob

[mcneguy]

I purchased the ColorPlus yesterday and calibrated my monitor today. I paid $99 for the thing at Comp USA and it worked great once I installed a patch. Apparently there was an issue with LCD monitors and the software which has been fixed with this patch. Tech Support was very easy to reach and had the file emailed to me in minutes.

The main difference is that there is no Mac support on the ColorPlus, it seems to suit my needs so far.

[ejwebb]

Can anyone provide some more guidance on the difference in the colorvision products. From the website and a forum search I can see the differences and have formed the following conclusions/questions:

1. Colorplus has preset gamma (I assume 2.2) and Photocal has 2 options (I assume 1.8 and 2.2). Here I think Colorplus would be fine since I am using a windows computer and CRT monitor.

2. Colorvision has a preset white balance (I assume 6500) and Photocal has 2 options (I assume 6500 and ??). Here, again, I think Colorplus would be fine since I usually set the monitor to 6500 anyway.

3. Colorvision does not have the Precal function and Photocal does. Here is where ?I think Photocal has a distinct advantage based on Colorvision's description of this function. However, I am not sure how much of this function is real benefit and how much is marketing hype - any experience on what this actually does and how much difference it makes? Is there a similar free software utility that can perform the same function?

Any thoughts are appreciated! Thanks.