Step by step calibration of my LCD with Eye One Display 2

[jmik26]

I am by no means a expert at color management. However, I have managed with the help of POTN members to get my Samsung 245T LCD calibrated pretty good and my prints match my monitor perfect. So I thought it may be useful to post the process with screen shots to help others.
(I had to keep the post to 8 pictures so some images had to be 1500 long, sorry.)


1. First start of by launching the software, I am using Version 3.6.1 on Windows XP. Graphics card is a 6600GT using DVI hookup.
2. I always choose to do a advanced setup, select whatever works best for you then click the next arrow.
3. Choose LCD, click next arrow.
4. I choose Medium White 6500K, Gamma 2.2, and check to do a ambient light test, click next arrow.


5. Mount the ambient light head onto the calibrator as shown, click the calibrate button.
6. Once it performs its calibration it will give you a confirmation then click next arrow.



7. Face the calibrator out like shown in picture and click measure. The goal is to have the black slider in the middle of the green. If I adjusted my illuminance so it was in the middle the the color temp would drop so I tried to pic a happy medium. Once your done click next arrow. Also note that I have special 5000k Craft CFL bulbs for lighting in the room.



8. Remove the ambient light head and place on screen as shown. Make sure it is up against the screen, mine I have to press lightly on it. You may also want to place the calibrator off to the side instead of in the middle of the screen. It makes it hard to do adjustments reading through a calibrator and when you adjust the controls the pop up box from lcd may throw off the calibrator? Click the next arrow.



9. Set the contrast on the monitor to 100% as shown, then click start. The boxes will blink around trying to center the calibrator on the screen, do not move the calibrator or it may fail the test. Once the slider is in the middle click stop. Sometimes you have to move the mouse around for a second or two for it to appear.



10. On my monitor I have independent RGB controls so I select that option and click start.
11. Make your changes to the monitor until the sliders are in the middle then click stop.
12. After your done with RGB calibration it will kick you back to that screen, just click next arrow.



13. Now it will go through a bunch of colors for 2-7 minutes, keep calibrator stuck to screen and do not move around.


14. After its all done this screen will pop up, click next arrow.
15. The next screen will pop up asking you to save your ICC profile, click OK.




16. Last step for me is to verify that the ICC profile saved and is selected. Go to your desktop and Right click > Properties Tab > Advance > Color Management tab.



All monitors will be different, especial with different ambient lighting. In the end my monitor was set to:
Contrast 93
Brightness 0
Red 48
Green 50
Blue 48
Gamma +0.3
Saturation all colors set to 50
Hue all colors set to 50
MPA Off

Hope this helps...Jeff

[Damo77]

Thanks for the post, jmik. I'd like to add a few things, if I may ...

Originally Posted by jmik26

1. First start of by launching the software, I am using Version 3.6.1 on Windows XP.

Version 3.6.2 is now available for download from here, with Vista support.

Originally Posted by jmik26

4. I choose Medium White 6500K, Gamma 2.2

You haven't mentioned luminance. It's generally agreed that 90-120 is preferable, although I've read other opinions as well.

Originally Posted by jmik26

7. Face the calibrator out like shown in picture and click measure. The goal is to have the black slider in the middle of the green. If I adjusted my illuminance so it was in the middle the the color temp would drop so I tried to pic a happy medium. Once your done click next arrow. Also note that I have special 5000k Craft CFL bulbs for lighting in the room.

It needs to be clarified here that the ambient light test has absolutely no effect on the monitor calibration process - it's just provided as information, as far as I'm aware.

Originally Posted by jmik26

You may also want to place the calibrator off to the side instead of in the middle of the screen. It makes it hard to do adjustments reading through a calibrator and when you adjust the controls the pop up box from lcd may throw off the calibrator?

I'm not sure what you're getting at here. I've rarely come across a monitor that doesn't allow you to move the OSD to one side. It's the first thing I do. I believe it's considered best practice to place the puck in the centre of the screen.

Originally Posted by jmik26

9. Set the contrast on the monitor to 100% as shown, then click start. The boxes will blink around trying to center the calibrator on the screen, do not move the calibrator or it may fail the test.

Occasionally the puck will fail to identify itself even when it's stationary. If this happens, double-check that the Contrast is at 100%, and if necessary increase the Brightness setting a bit, until it finds itself successfully.

Originally Posted by jmik26

Once the slider is in the middle click stop. Sometimes you have to move the mouse around for a second or two for it to appear.

On very cheap (gaming-oriented) monitors, the slider will not be centred, and you'll need to reduce the Contrast from 100% until it is. This doesn't happen with decent monitors, though.

Good point about moving the mouse around. The mouse is damned hard to control when running this software, isn't it??

Originally Posted by jmik26

10. On my monitor I have independent RGB controls so I select that option and click start.
11. Make your changes to the monitor until the sliders are in the middle then click stop.
12. After your done with RGB calibration it will kick you back to that screen, just click next arrow.

If you have selected "Native" white point, you won't get this part of the process.

If you have set a luminance target (which is advisable) you will be prompted to adjust Brightness at this point.

It's worth pointing out that this is the end of the "calibration" process ...

Originally Posted by jmik26

13. Now it will go through a bunch of colors for 2-7 minutes

... and this is the "profiling" process.

Originally Posted by jmik26

15. The next screen will pop up asking you to save your ICC profile, click OK.

This is where we find, in my opinion, the silliest failing of this otherwise very good software from Xrite. There is ABSOLUTELY NO POINT in saving your profile by date. A monitor profile is a description of your monitor at that exact point in time. You will never need it again. By saving profiles by date, all you're doing is filling your system up with useless out-of-date profiles each month.

I advise saving like this: WhitePoint_Gamma_Luminance.icc - eg 6500_2.2_100.icc. This way, you can just save over the profile each time, PLUS you have a very easy way to check what targets you profiled to (in case you forget, which is easy to do, unless you write it down somewhere).

[jmik26]

Thanks for the corrections, it will help others and myself....Jeff

[jmik26]

Originally Posted by Damo77

I'm not sure what you're getting at here. I've rarely come across a monitor that doesn't allow you to move the OSD to one side. It's the first thing I do. I believe it's considered best practice to place the puck in the centre of the screen.

Huh, I have the option but it don't let me change it.

[Damo77]

I calibrated my friend's 245T recently, and I could move the display without any troubles ... ?

[Lowner]

I just lift the optical head out of the way while I'm adjusting the screen brightness and replace it each time. It does not upset the software in the slightest.

I dont bother with the ambient lighting check. I know the lightings all wrong anyway!

And Damo's point about the date in the file is a good one. I make regular visits to the profile file and remove old calibration files, otherwise it gets full of junk.

I wish my chanel graph was like yours. My RGB lines are close at the bottom left of the graph, but spread out like tree branches seeking the light at the top right!

[Damo77]

Originally Posted by Lowner

I make regular visits to the profile file and remove old calibration files, otherwise it gets full of junk.

Gee mate, just name your profile like I suggested, and save over it each time - much less hassle!

Originally Posted by Lowner

I wish my chanel graph was like yours. My RGB lines are close at the bottom left of the graph, but spread out like tree branches seeking the light at the top right!

Good point, I forgot to mention that. Yes, Jmik's graph is great. Richard, have you played around with various white targets to see which gives you the best graph?

[Lowner]

Damo77,

No, in my innocence I assumed that was the best it could do with the monitor and left it at that.

So tell me more. You think I might be able to improve things by trying what exactly?

I's very happy to experiment, cos I's iggerant!

Richard

[Damo77]

Well, I just mean that you'll get different results depending on whether you choose Native or 6500K. I suspect you'll even get different results if you calibrate once to 6500K (using your R G and B sliders), then go back and recalibrate to Native, leaving the sliders where they are. You may also have "Warm", "Cool" and "sRGB" presets that you can dabble with.

Each of those methods will give you a different Gray Ramp, and a different appearance. If you have time, it'd be interesting to experiment and take screenshots of the Gray Ramp results each time.

[Lowner]

OK, understood, I will go exploring! Thanks.

Just in passing, I did originally use Native white point as suggested by Greta McBeth, but changed to 6500, at X Rites suggestion this time, after having problems with my current printer.

When I first started calibrating, my graph was getting more and more "tree like" with every calibration. I was told to reset everything to factory defaults before each calibration and have stuck to this routine ever since. It keeps the branches becoming roots and tunnelling out.

[Damo77]

Originally Posted by Lowner

When I first started calibrating, my graph was getting more and more "tree like" with every calibration.

That's interesting ... I wish I understood why exactly ...

[Damo77]

Originally Posted by Lowner

When I first started calibrating, my graph was getting more and more "tree like" with every calibration.

Was that when you were calibrating to Native, or 6500?

[gooble]

Subscribing

[Damo77]

Originally Posted by gooble

Subscribing

Phew! Somebody else cares! I thought Richard and I were just nerding away in our own little world here ...

[D.C.]

The screen shots are great. I have the eye 1(now) and new 24" HP coming Friday. Will be looking back at this a few times. Have calibrated my old 19" CRT with fair results(I think). Prints are a little darker that monitor, but the light in my room is very yellow. Will be trying to get it closer after Friday. All this help is appreciated. Color management baffles me!