Advice on calibration

[caroleigh]

I just got a new computer and monitor and I want to calibrate it. What program do you suggest and is it easy to do? My last monitor was not calibrated and I ordered my first set of prints recently and I was wowed at the difference on my monitor and what the prints looked like (and not a good wow) so I am convinced that if I am spending all this time taking pics and editing them I need to make sure the coloring is correct.
Any help is greatly appreciated.

[sapearl]

The Eye One is an excellent hardware based monitor calibrator. Software alone usually is not quite enough to get close, and the really cheap h/w devices don't work that well. But the Greytag and XRite devices are quite good.

[René Damkot]

Click (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=3069030&postcount=4)

[Azzure_7]

I used huey.
I never used it for prints yet. But the weird things is that it gives a slight different result each time I calibrated. Surrounding area is the same. Lights is off.

I'm looking for something better. but if most of the people don't calibrate their monitor, then why should I?
Is it only affect when on prints?
Now, I don't use calibration as my huey can't be installed for some issue after formating my CPU.
And what I realized is that my pictures has more blue cast now. (when I edit it using calibration, it's tend to be slightly warm.

[equetefue]

Huey.

[Quad]

Xrite gretag and eye one is the same company. I have used the eye one display 2 and the spider pro. I much prefer the eye one (x rite) but it links through hardware to my monitor so maybe it just worked easier/better due to that. The software that the device uses makes a difference to how easily it all works and sometimes that is the difference between two seemingly identical products from one company.

If you do editing hardware calibration is a must and certainly makes things easier when it comes time to print.

[sapearl]

Azzure, if you're doing wedding, social event, fine art or any sort critical work where consistency and accuracy is a must, that's where a quality hardware calibration comes in. Since switching to digital, I do my own color correction ( easy when shooting RAW). But without having my monitor properly calibrated it would be difficult to accurately render the bride's white wedding gown as well as the dresses of her attendants.

But I agree, if you're just playing around with images for the web where accurate color is not critical then you're probably fine as is. However, most people who work with labs do calibrate their monitors.

I used huey.
I never used it for prints yet. But the weird things is that it gives a slight different result each time I calibrated. Surrounding area is the same. Lights is off.

I'm looking for something better. but if most of the people don't calibrate their monitor, then why should I?
Is it only affect when on prints?
Now, I don't use calibration as my huey can't be installed for some issue after formating my CPU.
And what I realized is that my pictures has more blue cast now. (when I edit it using calibration, it's tend to be slightly warm.