calibrating monitor

[markyb]

ive read many articles on calibrating monitors, ive also posted a few threads myself on the subject.
always get told to use the adobe one in control panel, however this never seemed to work very well.
the other day i read somewere that this does not work with flat screen monitors.
so if this is the case how do we calibrate .
im fed up of seeing different coloured pics than my screen is showing.
that also makes photo edditing useless if im not getting on paper what my screen shows.
what is the best (free) way to do lcd screens, without having to buy very expensive software/hardware

[erichlund]

I'm not an expert, but here's my stab at it from what I've read on the subject.

If you have a good eye, the cheapest way is incredibly simple. Print (from you target editor) something out with a good color range. Set it up near the monitor in your normal working light, and adjust the monitor to match the photo. It's the cost of the printout and some time. It's not very sophisticated, and another program may not produce the same results, but you can't get any cheaper than that.

I haven't really messed with color profiling in software. I've had incredibly good luck, in that the output from my Epson printers has closely matched what is on my screen, so I've not worried about it. OTOH, I don't absolutely require pro results, so take that with a grain of salt.

You can use matching color profiles between screen and printer, but that's no guarantee that the colors you see will actually match, because the profile is applied to the output to the screen and printer and what they do with it is up to them. The printer is likely to match the profile. The screen may need adjustment.

In order to automate the process, you need hardware that can read from the screen. The Spyder hardware is just one brand of such hardware. It adjusts the output from the computer so that the screen displays the corrected profile. I've not used it, but I have heard it works well. Still, it doesn't do anything you cannot do yourself. OTOH, I'm not sure how you go about adjusting a color profile so the output from your video card matches the output from your printer. Like I say, I've not needed to do it.

Cheers,
Eric

[D Thompson]

ive read many articles on calibrating monitors, ive also posted a few threads myself on the subject.
always get told to use the adobe one in control panel, however this never seemed to work very well.
the other day i read somewere that this does not work with flat screen monitors.
so if this is the case how do we calibrate .
im fed up of seeing different coloured pics than my screen is showing.
that also makes photo edditing useless if im not getting on paper what my screen shows.
what is the best (free) way to do lcd screens, without having to buy very expensive software/hardware
I used the eyeball method and managed to get it pretty close. First I downloaded the "printer test file" from http://www.digitaldog.net/tips/index.shtml and had a 8x10 printed where I normally get my prints done. Put it beside my lcd and adjusted till I got it close. It's not perfect, but it works for me. Hope this helps you.

[Gampa]

I use SpyderPro in conjunction with the Adobe Gamma panel. I used to use the Adobe Gamma panel alone but was never able to get an exact match (or even a "close enough" match) between my printer and monitor. The colors I am now getting from my Epson 2200 printer are right on what I see on my Sony LCD monitor.

My method for getting a color match between monitor and printer is as follows:
1) Reset the monitor adjustments (in the monitor Menu panel) to factory defaults.
2) Run through the procedure in the Adobe Gamma panel to get everything as close as possible.
3) Use SpyderPro to make additional adjustments and create a custom profile for the monitor.
4) Choose the custom profile and go to work.

You may have to re-adjust your contrast and brightness to your liking but the colors should remain the same. I've been using this method since I got my Spyder last year and the colors in my prints have been right on the money every time. No more trial and error printing!

FYI: You will get the best results if you make your adjustments in a darkened room. Shut off lights and close curtains. It shouldn't be pitch black but you don't want the room to be well lit when you make any of your adjustments.

Also, when you do print, choose "No Color Adjustment" in the Color Management section on your printing panel. If you choose "ColorSync" or "Color Controls" you will probably get a color shift when you print. Try it out and see if there is a difference.

Hope this helps.

Gampa