Monitor Calibration Systems and you!

feo said:
What he said was right, whether you calibrate your LCD or not and post a screenshot it'll look the same to us. The only one who's gonna see a difference on your desktop is YOU. To give US an indication of before/after you gotta take an actual pic of your LCD with a camera. :rolleyes:
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Again, I already posted that I did not have before and after pics so why the regurgitation?
The reason why I posted the wallpaper was simple. I never saw the image on the building until after I calibrated the monitor. Something I didn't see before and I had that wallpaper for months.
 
I also have a Spyder2Pro and it seems to work ok. Not having experience with other calibrators I don't know that I'd recommend it, but if you decide you want it it should do a good job. When I had a CRT (LaCie Electron22Blue IV) it made very minimal changes to the monitor and said the colour was almost dead on (which it should have been). On my LCD (BenQ FP241W) it makes a noticeable improvement. A grayscale gradient is no longer 100% smooth at the low end, but the over all colour of the display is much nicer.

So shop around for others, but if you decide this is the one you want, it should do a good job.
 
Eastcoast...I see you found out the hard way that if you don't do the calibration properly the results can be worse than before. First of all...completely disable or uninstall Adobe gamma because it will conflict with the Spyder profile trying to load. I find that my best results come from calibrating in a completely dark room (I have a glowing keyboard) and tilting the monitor back so the Spyder2 lays flat on the screen with no gaps. Hope this helps with future calibrations.

edit- where can I get that awesome wallpaper?:D
 
joemama said:
Eastcoast...I see you found out the hard way that if you don't do the calibration properly the results can be worse than before. First of all...completely disable or uninstall Adobe gamma because it will conflict with the Spyder profile trying to load. I find that my best results come from calibrating in a completely dark room (I have a glowing keyboard) and tilting the monitor back so the Spyder2 lays flat on the screen with no gaps. Hope this helps with future calibrations.

edit- where can I get that awesome wallpaper?:D
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Good points which I believe is found in the manual as well. How to place the device on your monitor takes some creative thinking. And, keeping the room dark seems to work a whole lot better then trying it in a sunlit room. This particular issue maybe isolated to this brand though, don't know for sure. Check your PM
 
Eastcoasthandle said:
As I already post that I did not have before and after shots so why are you regurgitating that? I play BF2 and I do notice a difference in the game. And, there is both software and hardware corrections made. I am not sure why you don't know about the monitor menu correction (which can be considered hardware) but they do exist .

The reason why I posted the wallpaper was simple. I never saw the image on the building until after I calibrated the monitor. Something I didn't see before and I had that wallpaper for months.
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You've got a nice sized chip on your shoulder.

Maybe you notice an effect and its all placebo in games, glad it works for you.

Do a search, it is a problem with calibration software suites. I think the solution is out there, but I definitely don't know it.

Why buy a software suite and then make hardware changes to your monitor? :rolleyes:

Ducking out of this thread, nothing else to learn. Post what you want ECH, I ain't reading it.
 
I use a Pantone Huey every few weeks. But when calibrating multiple monitors it gets screwy. Guess I dunno what I'm doing.
 
Liver said:
Anywho, before you flame me. I use a Spyder2PRO. I used AVIA before, but the Spyder took the guess work out of it and honestly it looks better.

On my HTPC it works great. Video really looks nice (off of HTPC).
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In this post you indicated that you use a Spyder2 Pro.


Liver said:
Calibration data is stored in the computer, like under the nVidia control panel for color adjustment.

All the color corrections are done on the software level, no hardware corrections....

However, I may not have said this earlier, upon exiting of the game. Everything reverts back to corrected.
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In this post you suggest that all color correction is done on software level, no hardware correction. Yet, I know that you do in fact tweak some hardware settings as you are instructed to by the program.


Liver said:
You've got a nice sized chip on your shoulder.

Maybe you notice an effect and its all placebo in games, glad it works for you.

Do a search, it is a problem with calibration software suites. I think the solution is out there, but I definitely don't know it.

Why buy a software suite and then make hardware changes to your monitor? :rolleyes:

Ducking out of this thread, nothing else to learn. Post what you want ECH, I ain't reading it.
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No, it's not placebo in games. I am not sure why this bothers you so much to create these posts however, it's not called for. It's very possible that my setup is different then yours. In this post you ask why buy a software suite and then make hardware changes on the monitor? You talk as if you really don't own the Spyder2 Pro after all because the option is there to use. Honestly, this post is not created to flame you but I did want to point out some concerns in some of your posts that really make no sense. Let me explain that when calibrating the monitor you are not limited to software profile alone (depending on the package purchased). With you having the top end monitor calibration package it's hard to not see this. However, I do agree with one thing maybe it's best that you do stay away from this thread as there is no need to argue.
 
Meh. I just got my Eye-One Display 2 and I have to say the improvements are minor to marginal. This is the results after spending 1 hours doing the calibrations over and over to make sure I did things right.

Sadly, I'm not impressed...:mad:
 
AboveBeyond said:
Meh. I just got my Eye-One Display 2 and I have to say the improvements are minor to marginal. This is the results after spending 1 hours doing the calibrations over and over to make sure I did things right.

Sadly, I'm not impressed...:mad:
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It's too bad that what you paid for didn't make much of a change. Did the colors look off in the first place? Do they look accurate now? Did it technically do its job?

You never indicated what kind of monitor it is you have. I am not sure how the Eye-One Display 2 adheres to your monitor, but did you tilt your monitor backwards (to allow the calibrator to rest on the monitor via gravity) and in pitch black environment?
 
Samsung 226BW.

There's certainly more contrast and clarity but I feel that with the $200 price tag, it should have elevated my monitor to a much richer experience...and it has not.

Also, I don't' know why at the RGB settings part, why I got all different values all 3-4 times I did it...:confused:



UPDATE: I'm an idiot, I had custom settings in the NVIDIA control panel. After I turned it to default, I recalibrated the monitor again and this time around, it definitely looks much better. The washout look I was getting is no more and everything is crystal clear and sharp.

The calibrations does work for games. In CS, prior I was getting washout brightness, but after, everything looks like my CRT. The brightness and colors are finally the way I want it. For Warcraft 3, prior in the minimap there was terrible washout effect, but after its clear and sharp.
 
Awesome. In the back in my head I said to myself, "He can't be doing that right and is going to find a fix through frustration." Glad to see it came through. :)
 
zigaroo said:
Awesome. In the back in my head I said to myself, "He can't be doing that right and is going to find a fix through frustration." Glad to see it came through. :)
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Hey, it only took me like 7-8 attempts before I got it right :D
Now its time to do it for my dad and brother's LCD. :cool:
 
AboveBeyond said:
Meh. I just got my Eye-One Display 2 and I have to say the improvements are minor to marginal. This is the results after spending 1 hours doing the calibrations over and over to make sure I did things right.

Sadly, I'm not impressed...:mad:
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The funny thing is...to some peoples eyes a properly calibrated monitor may not look as good as what they did manually. Calibration tends to mute the colors to more natural hues....most people are used to unnaturally garish colors from years of watching uncalibrated tv sets and the like. I was the same way at first..;)
 
joemama said:
The funny thing is...to some peoples eyes a properly calibrated monitor may not look as good as what they did manually. Calibration tends to mute the colors to more natural hues....most people are used to unnaturally garish colors from years of watching uncalibrated tv sets and the like. I was the same way at first..;)
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That's me right now. Just got my Spyder2 today and calibrated my monitor before I left for work. It seems too green, but that's probably because I'm used to seeing it with too little green. OTOH, before the monitor was usually too dark and I had problems getting the black levels right. Now it's fine and I can finally see different shades of black.
 
balthan said:
That's me right now. Just got my Spyder2 today and calibrated my monitor before I left for work. It seems too green, but that's probably because I'm used to seeing it with too little green. OTOH, before the monitor was usually too dark and I had problems getting the black levels right. Now it's fine and I can finally see different shades of black.
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Unless you got up really early for work or you have blackout blinds in the room with the monitor...you really should try it again tonight in a completely dark room. Tilt the monitor back so the colorimeter sits flush on the screen...set the brightness to your preferred level and then turn out the lights and let the Spyder do it's thing.
 
Eastcoasthandle said:
Wow, you mean to tell me that people are willing to spend $600+ up to $900+ for a new WS monitor but won't invest in a $100 calibration system to get the best quality possible out of their monitor?
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Spending 10-20$% of the price of a monitor for a possibly negligible increase in performance isn't very smart. People like to know that it will do something first.
 
Obi_Kwiet said:
Spending 10-20$% of the price of a monitor for a possibly negligible increase in performance isn't very smart. People like to know that it will do something first.
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If you read the prior posts you will read that people are getting noticeable difference when using a monitor calibration system. As joemama has posted it's best to use the CMS at night any sunlight may alter it's performance. Something I learned myself. Also, you have to reset any color profiles or color alterations that maybe active in Nvidia or Ati's Cat programs. For me, using Spyder2 Suite, Cat's color profile was disabled. I urge you to invest in the middle to high end CMS (calibration monitor system...not sure what else to call them) just for the better software package that allows you other funtions within the colorimeter/photometer.

If you read below you will clearly see another satisfied person who invested in a color/photo meter.
AboveBeyond said:
UPDATE: I'm an idiot, I had custom settings in the NVIDIA control panel. After I turned it to default, I recalibrated the monitor again and this time around, it definitely looks much better. The washout look I was getting is no more and everything is crystal clear and sharp.

The calibrations does work for games. In CS, prior I was getting washout brightness, but after, everything looks like my CRT. The brightness and colors are finally the way I want it. For Warcraft 3, prior in the minimap there was terrible washout effect, but after its clear and sharp.
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Eastcoasthandle said:
After2.jpg


The reason why I posted the wallpaper was simple. I never saw the image on the building until after I calibrated the monitor. Something I didn't see before and I had that wallpaper for months.
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ECH,

That is one beautiful wallpaper... Would you mind telling me where I can get a hold of it? I need it at 1920x1200.

Thanks.
 
Actually I realized that before my calibration, the building in that pic was nearly pitch black w/ no contrast. But now I can actually see the shades of black. :D
 
yogiB said:
ECH,

That is one beautiful wallpaper... Would you mind telling me where I can get a hold of it? I need it at 1920x1200.

Thanks.
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The place that I recall getting the wallpaper from I can no longer find. I am not sure any more as it was sometime ago. Sorry about that.
Here is one place that you may like link
 
FloppyDrive said:
On the Spyder2 review I prefer the "before" image rather than the "after" image. Personally I think these devices are for people who are either lazy or have eye problems. :)
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Oh, flame baiting I see. It's obvious that those individuals who use the monitor calibration system correctly actually do notice an improvement.
 
FloppyDrive said:
On the Spyder2 review I prefer the "before" image rather than the "after" image. Personally I think these devices are for people who are either lazy or have eye problems. :)
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Let your eyes adjust for a few days. Most likey, you will prefer the "after" image by then.
 
I've scanned through the posts, I'm just looking for some more positive reinforcement before i purchase Spyder2Express. I know the software is different but I'm pretty sure the same hardware is used for the suite, and the pro. I own a Samsung 226BW (a), and being a TFT/TN panel, everything changes slightly with head shifts. I don't know where to start with calibrating from monitor manually. I fudged around with the colors and have found an acceptable setting i guess. I just would rather have my eyes get used to a more accurate setting. There is a significant price difference in the Express and Pro models. Is the Express model adequate enough for color calibration.
 
Collardgreens said:
I've scanned through the posts, I'm just looking for some more positive reinforcement before i purchase Spyder2Express. I know the software is different but I'm pretty sure the same hardware is used for the suite, and the pro. I own a Samsung 226BW (a), and being a TFT/TN panel, everything changes slightly with head shifts. I don't know where to start with calibrating from monitor manually. I fudged around with the colors and have found an acceptable setting i guess. I just would rather have my eyes get used to a more accurate setting. There is a significant price difference in the Express and Pro models. Is the Express model adequate enough for color calibration.
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I have the that model and you should notice a difference. One of the difference is more natural color then the over-saturated colors that we can get accustom to. For example a person's face will show less reds and more of a natural tone for example (if that makes any sense). Here are some pointers to make sure that things go well:
-only use it at night or in a dark room
-make sure you select all the OSD options in the calibration program. Grab your owners manual to verify them. For example RGB selection, Gamma selection, etc.
-You will be asked to adjust for Red/Green/Blue on your OSD. This is the longest process in the calibration IMO. You want to even out those colors as best you can and get as close to 6500K as possible.
-When using the colorimeter make sure you rest it on he screen. Do not leave any gaps between the screen and colorimeter. I've used the box that the Spyder2 Suite came in. Others have tilted the monitor back far enough to allow the colorimeter to rest on the screen.

In all honesty you will see a difference so no need to worry there.
 
Is the Spider2express geared more towards computer monitors like 22" and lower, and laptop screens?

Do you think this would make a noticeable difference in calibrating my Westy 37"?


I like the price on this one, only thing.. I read it didn't pick up gamma/temperature of the screen, would I be throwing my money away, trying to dial my Westy in for PC Games/Movies/Xbox 360?

TIA for information! :D
 
Collardgreens said:
I've scanned through the posts, I'm just looking for some more positive reinforcement before i purchase.
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With the "express" software the gama choices and color temperature choices are fixed. Not sure what that means but it doesn't sound good.
 
I've used several monitor calibration packages. I've gotten the best results so far from the ColorEyes package, but the software is buggy as all hell. I can't argue with the results, though.

You guys that are saying that you don't see a difference before/after, you are all missing the point. The goal is to get color accuracy between output mediums, be it between monitors or between monitors and print. It is also needed if you interchange graphics files between shops with different equipment than yours, to guarantee color fidelity. It doesn't matter if it "looks better" to you or not. If you want "looks better", forget calibration altogether and jack up your display saturation or something.
 
So basically to the average user or gamer, these monitor calibration packages aren't worth the money. Sounds like only people who need color accuracy and matching colors between "output mediums" would need this calibration packages.
 
I purchased the Pantone Huey recently. I chose it over the Spyder because it received better reviews, has a light sensor to adjust settings automatically to ambient lighting and because the software can be used on more than one computer. The point being important because I wanted to be able to adjust all of the PCs in my house rather than having to buy one for each monitor.

Regarding the last post, no I would disagree. The Spyder and the Huey are for the average user. Models for pros start at around $200 and go way up from there. The point being if you are going to spend change on your monitor, why not have it calibrated right? If you look at the before and after is a pretty major change. Sure some of folks don't care about accurate color or may even prefer over saturated images. Sony banks on that fact. But then some folks buy Celine Dion CDs, so what are you going to do?!?:p
 
Bones said:
I've used several monitor calibration packages. I've gotten the best results so far from the ColorEyes package, but the software is buggy as all hell. I can't argue with the results, though.

You guys that are saying that you don't see a difference before/after, you are all missing the point. The goal is to get color accuracy between output mediums, be it between monitors or between monitors and print. It is also needed if you interchange graphics files between shops with different equipment than yours, to guarantee color fidelity. It doesn't matter if it "looks better" to you or not. If you want "looks better", forget calibration altogether and jack up your display saturation or something.
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Any monitor reviewed will indicate the color representation is always off out the box be it to much red, blue or green, etc. Using the colorimeter or photometer helps obtain proper color, gamma, etc that can benefit anyone. It is not limited between monitor and printers (there's another software for that as well). The goal is to get an accurate color representation on your screen bottom line. I mean lets be honest here, if you are going to spend time manually tweaking the OSD settings why not do it correctly?
 
I mean lets be honest here, if you are going to spend time manually tweaking the OSD settings why not do it correctly?
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Yes, lets be honest. It depends on how much disposable income you have. If you can lay out the money for it, good for you, but don't pretend that it is necessary to get the most out of a monitor. Color calibration is not a requirement to properly use a display for non-color-managed work. Close enough is good enough, and that depends on the eyeballs of the end user.
 
Yeah, it's a matter of disposable income. I had just enough for the monitor. A calibration system didn't even come to mind when I purchased the monitor and I didn't have the money for one anyway if I wanted to get one.

Anyway, the best color representation(s) is what looks best to each individual user which I believe can be achieved even without a calibration package.
 
IsLNdbOi said:
...

Anyway, the best color representation(s) is what looks best to each individual user which I believe can be achieved even without a calibration package.
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This is true, but you have to remind yourself there are a lot of people who value perfection in certain fields rather than others.

Some people seek accurate color reproduction to what is the most natural and realistic. Whether it's for WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) printing or for sharing photos with family members. Then there are those who don't care at all or can't be bothered and are pleased with what they get out of the box with those quick changes to brightness/contrast.

Same with cars. You could just drive the car and get from A to B or you could make your ride into something different, faster, better looking, etc. Still gets you from A to B but in this case it's how you get from A to B.

I guess that makes sense, prolly won't. Just my $0.02.
 
Valid points but in all honesty a person shouldn't go out their way because they have no interest in buying it (regardless of the reason). It shouldn't even phase you that this thread exist or the fact that someone has an opinion different from your own. It's like going into a Benq or Dell thread and expressing your malcontent (when you don't have the product) to wards people who do favor/like the product. That's why I call post like that flame bait.
 
A good calibration product is an indespensible tool for those who value detail and color accuracy, especially black levels, and is most indespensible for a CRT owner. Personally i notice a night and day difference when i calibrate by eye, and when i use a calibration system. Unfortunately i've lost or misplaced my calibration tools so i'm currently in the market for something that works well, and doesn't break the bank ;)

Those interested in further research ought to hit up AVS's display calibration forum. There are a couple of free (and popular) calibration systems available there also, can't remember what they're called but i'll be researching them real soon...
 



As you can see the first print screen, pic is no different then the 2nd taken with a camera to reflect that all shades of gray are in view. If anything the camera is slightly off as I used ISO 800.
 
SJetski71 said:
A good calibration product is an indespensible tool for those who value detail and color accuracy, especially black levels, and is most indespensible for a CRT owner. Personally i notice a night and day difference when i calibrate by eye, and when i use a calibration system. Unfortunately i've lost or misplaced my calibration tools so i'm currently in the market for something that works well, and doesn't break the bank ;)

Those interested in further research ought to hit up AVS's display calibration forum. There are a couple of free (and popular) calibration systems available there also, can't remember what they're called but i'll be researching them real soon...
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CalMan is one...and it's designed to work with the Spyder2 colorimeter and possibly others by now. It's the best from what I hear but it isn't free..
 
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