Monitor Calibration

OK so I'm just starting to get used to the idea that people want my pics. But keep getting bothered by the variation between monitor and printer!

"Calibrate your monitor first" I hear you say!

$300 I reply! (for the software/hardware)

Is there a cheap(er) was of doing it that this?

Sorry if this is a dumb question - but I'm still very much a dumb kinda person at this malarky!

The Colorvision Spyder doesn't cost $300 and is adequate enough.

Jesper wrote:
The Colorvision Spyder doesn't cost $300 and is adequate enough.

I have the Colorvision Spyder Pro which I got last year. Up until now, I've only been using it on a single monitor so it seemed to work fine.

But now that I have two monitors (LCDs) plugged into my PowerMac G5, the results from the Colorvision Spyder seem to be inconsistent. I can't get the two monitors to even come close to matching each other in color. I finally ended up using the ColorSync program that built into the PowerMac and calibrating both monitors that way and the colors are a lot closer to each other than when I relied on Colorvision to do it.

Have you tried Adobe Gamma (installs with Elements or Photoshop)? I tried originally to use it without success and blew it off as not helpful. However, as I have come to understand color management a little better and what impact the settings in Elements and on my printer mean, I recently used it again and have gotten my monitor to match pretty closely to the prints. While it is not perfet, it did not cost any extra dollars and it is at least more predictable.

What software/printer are you using? What settings are you using within the software and print driver? What papers are you printing on?

Answers to these questions can help determine what you might try to get a better match - if you use Elements and a Canon printer I can tell you what settings I use. Calibration of the monitor and printer is obviously the best option but the cost is a limiting factor for some of us - hope this helps.

PacAce wrote:

Jesper wrote:
The Colorvision Spyder doesn't cost $300 and is adequate enough.

I have the Colorvision Spyder Pro which I got last year. Up until now, I've only been using it on a single monitor so it seemed to work fine.

But now that I have two monitors (LCDs) plugged into my PowerMac G5, the results from the Colorvision Spyder seem to be inconsistent. I can't get the two monitors to even come close to matching each other in color. I finally ended up using the ColorSync program that built into the PowerMac and calibrating both monitors that way and the colors are a lot closer to each other than when I relied on Colorvision to do it.

UPDATE: I just recalibrated my two monitors again with SpyderPro but this time, I ignored the doc that says to use "native white points" and instead set both white points to D65 (6500 degrees K). This time the monitors are very close to matching each other. Still not perfectly matched but I can live with the very slight difference in color temp.

BTW, as an FYI for you Mac users, the Mac's normal gamma is 1.8 but for Photoshop work, I set my gamma to 2.2 to be compatible with PCs.

ejwebb said:

I use both Elements and a Canon i860 printer - I'd love to know what settings you're using as I'm in the process of trying to get my monitor/printer set up.

Thanks,
TA

Have a look at the documents on Computer Darkroom. They explain you how to set up colour management in Photoshop properly, and how to use colour management when printing. These docs talk about Photoshop 7 & CS, but the principle is the same for Photoshop Elements.

If you use someone else's settings for elements and the printer you might get good prints but you will not get what you see on the screen unless you calibrate it. I also have the Colorvision Spyder and my only regret is that I did not get it sooner. I did a shoot for some actors in a play once and they needed the pics quick. I did not have a decent light setup and over exposed a few girls. After spending a few hours fixing the pictures in photo shop and then printing out something that looked worse than what I started with I realized it was time to calibrate and take color management seriously. I am so happy I did. Now I print what I see except of course for some luminosity differences.

Mark Rogers
http://www.framedestin​ation.com
http://www.pbase.com/l​ila161

As others have stated, you will probably get better matching if your monitor is properly calibrated - but you are asking for a cheaper solution so I offer up what has worked for me. You might get better results if you do the following - or you might not!!

1. At least use Adobe Gamma to initially calibrate the monitor - go through the wizard steps.

2. Under edit/color in Elements select the "full color management" option

3. Open a photo to be printed

3. Under print/preview select "printer color management"

4. Use the applicable color settings in the print driver for the paper you are using (I recommend Canon paper for the initial testing) and do not select ICM or any other other print settings - let it do auto color at first and then try other settings if you like - mine works well on auto so I have not fooled with anything else

5. Keep the photo open in Elements, open Adobe Gamma to the control panel view and adjust the red/green/blue gamma controls to match the screen to the print. Save your new settings.

You might have to experiment with settings some but you should be able to get close - not exact. I will say that most of my photos are shot in JPEG fine mode in the sRGB color space - photos with other color profiles may not work the same. I am not pro and am sure you will get better results if you decide to spend the $ as others recommend and I don't dispute what they say. I'm just sharing what works for me.