Help with dual monitor color profile matching on mac

I just got a Mac book pro c2d and a samsung 225bw for when @ home.
I can't get my Samsung anywhere near the color of the mac, which I think is much closer to correct. Can anyone recommend a color corrector that will do both my monitors and not cost a ton of $$. Seems silly to have to shell out an extra few hundred to get the right colors. Isn't there a site to download color profiles or something? Thanks!

I use the Spyder 2 Express for my Samsung monitor on my Mini and iMac.

learjet035 wrote in post #2342664
I just got a Mac book pro c2d and a samsung 225bw for when @ home.
I can't get my Samsung anywhere near the color of the mac, which I think is much closer to correct. Can anyone recommend a color corrector that will do both my monitors and not cost a ton of $$. Seems silly to have to shell out an extra few hundred to get the right colors. Isn't there a site to download color profiles or something? Thanks!

I hedge my bet before the following by saying I have no idea whatsoever how different the mac graphics rendering engine is than an IBM pc. That being said, this debate went on a while back and after calls to tech support of the calibrator (Monaco/Optix) and multiple calls to nvidia, I learned that at least on an IBM you cannot run two different color calibration profiles on a two monitor system.

I tried with both setups: two different graphics cards, and a graphic card with dual outputs (digital and analog). At least in a Windows system, the graphics drivers and/or the windows OS is not capable of handling two different profiles. In windows, you choose one profile or the other, and that profile is applied to both monitors. Probably because windows treats the second monitor as an "extended desktop" of the first. If you can achieve two totally different profiles on two monitors on a mac, please let us know. my next system for photo processing may very well be a mac. /Dan

learjet035 wrote in post #2342664
I just got a Mac book pro c2d and a samsung 225bw for when @ home.
I can't get my Samsung anywhere near the color of the mac, which I think is much closer to correct. Can anyone recommend a color corrector that will do both my monitors and not cost a ton of $$. Seems silly to have to shell out an extra few hundred to get the right colors. Isn't there a site to download color profiles or something? Thanks!

Have you tried using the Display Calibrator Assistant (accessible from System Preferences > Displays > Color tab > Calibrate button)? If you don't want to pay for a calibration hardware, this is the next best way to calibrate your monitor. And it's free.

I'm sure there are a lot of monitor profiles out there but they won't really do you any good since your monitor is unique (at the color management level) and different from any other monitor out there. AAMOF, your monitor profile is always changing so you may need to recalibrate your monitor periodically. I calibrate mine about every month or so.

CannedHeat wrote in post #2342883
I hedge my bet before the following by saying I have no idea whatsoever how different the mac graphics rendering engine is than an IBM pc. That being said, this debate went on a while back and after calls to tech support of the calibrator (Monaco/Optix) and multiple calls to nvidia, I learned that at least on an IBM you cannot run two different color calibration profiles on a two monitor system.

I tried with both setups: two different graphics cards, and a graphic card with dual outputs (digital and analog). At least in a Windows system, the graphics drivers and/or the windows OS is not capable of handling two different profiles. In windows, you choose one profile or the other, and that profile is applied to both monitors. Probably because windows treats the second monitor as an "extended desktop" of the first. If you can achieve two totally different profiles on two monitors on a mac, please let us know. my next system for photo processing may very well be a mac. /Dan

Multiple monitors and multiple profiles for those monitors is not a problem on the Macs and it's been that way for a while now.

Thanks... Yeah Pac I did the color calibration but the two are so different. I adjust via lightroom or PS on the laptop, then drag it over to my monitior and it looks WAY off. I guess I'm gonna have to man up and get a spyder or something.
Heat, I can confirm too that you can have multiple profiles, I just need the right one.
Any tips on the use of the "Magic Color" setting on the Samsung?
I'm guessing leave it off, but I'm guessing...

Tony-S wrote in post #2342747
I use the Spyder 2 Express for my Samsung monitor on my Mini and iMac.

The express allows 2 monitors? I thought I had read only the pro allows that. Good news though if not true, thanks.

CannedHeat wrote in post #2342883
I hedge my bet before the following by saying I have no idea whatsoever how different the mac graphics rendering engine is than an IBM pc. That being said, this debate went on a while back and after calls to tech support of the calibrator (Monaco/Optix) and multiple calls to nvidia, I learned that at least on an IBM you cannot run two different color calibration profiles on a two monitor system.

I tried with both setups: two different graphics cards, and a graphic card with dual outputs (digital and analog). At least in a Windows system, the graphics drivers and/or the windows OS is not capable of handling two different profiles. In windows, you choose one profile or the other, and that profile is applied to both monitors. Probably because windows treats the second monitor as an "extended desktop" of the first. If you can achieve two totally different profiles on two monitors on a mac, please let us know. my next system for photo processing may very well be a mac. /Dan

PSSS I ran into this if it helps ya
http://www.northlight-images.co.uk …_monitor_calibr​ation.html

PacAce wrote in post #2342908
Multiple monitors and multiple profiles for those monitors is not a problem on the Macs and it's been that way for a while now.

Heck, even my G3 could do that

learjet035 wrote in post #2343066
The express allows 2 monitors? I thought I had read only the pro allows that. Good news though if not true, thanks.

Ooops. I didn't know that. I just use it on one monitor for each of my two computers. Sorry about that.

T.