monitor calibration????

[adam75south]

ok i did plenty of searches and have noticed alot of people from here have the pantone huey. i've also heard of spyder products and realize they range from 70 up to like 350.

just wondering what the difference is to make the range so big...and if the cheap stuff will be good enough. and which ones your guys own and if y'all are happy with them.

all i really want to do is edit photos accurately from my monitors at home. one is darker than the other and i can tell i'm not editing them well at all. also, will the calibration work for dual monitors or do you need to get one for each? and i would like to do some online printing but don't wanna open the mailbox to some bad prints. i do want professional results and am willing to spend for the max if it is needed.

i'm sure these are all stupid questions but i really have no idea how this stuff works.

thanks in advance.

[Honest Gaza]

I'm sure there are different methods and varying costs, but I have recently been involved in a project for a Family Portrait organisation that is moving to digital studios.....away from traditional "film" photography.

As part of the studio setup, all LCD monitors are calibrated individually with a "mouse tool" that is placed on each screen. While the mouse tool sits on the screen, software is run that sends coloured boxes all over the screen and the mouse tool detects the colouring and sets the calibration file accordingly.

The particular tool we are using for this is "Eye-One" by Gretag Macbeth......I'm sure that other companies supply similar tools....and for one-off calibratioin in a home environment...the costs are probably excessive.

[kgosden]

I have an older Monaco Spyder. It's current equivalnt probably runs right around $175 or so. It does a decent job aand the effect is obvious immediately on a never before profiled monitor. Certainly a good investment if you have multiple monitors and you want them to appear as close as possible in color and brightness. Contrary to the previous post it is recommended that you reprofile your monitr every month or so, personally I think 2-3 times a year is fine for average home users with age CRT's get less bright and LCD backlights dim.

[toriaj]

Here's a real newbie question ... is calibration intended for desktop monitors only? Because I have a laptop. If I lean it forward or backward, the brightness/contrast changes. I kind of find a sweet spot, I guess. So far, I've been pleased with the results, except with black & white. That always turns out too dark.

[kgosden]

Calibration works for both CRT and LCD displays. I have calibrated my laptop and current desktop LCD. However, one of the issues with LCD's is their lack of contrast and brightness consistency over baried viewing angles. Calibration is done with a device that touches the screen, so it is not dependent on the viewing position. Ideal viewing of an LCD is with your head centered on the display and looking at it at exactly 90 degrees from the plane of the LCD.