Sony monitor calibration ? for better colour representation ???

[mathew]

hi guys
iv never really bothered with calibrating my monitor before until i ran into an old friend yesterday who told me it should be one of the most important steps to take in photography ?
He went on to explain how his photos never really seemed to look the same when he was printing or posting them onto the web before he calibrated his monitor ,,, so guess what ? yes i brought a spyder calibrater lastnight and iv been watching afew you tube videos on how to do it ,, what do you guys think and any tips ? thank you

 

[bartjeej]

For printing, having a calibrated screen is vital to ensure that the colours you see on the screen are the colors you see in the print. Ideally you'd use a color profile in the printing process, too.

For sharing online, it only gives a "true" image to the extent that others have a calibrated screen too; your images edited on a calibrated screen might still look different than you intended on someone elses non-calibrated screen, and someone elses images edited on their non-calibrated screen might not look as they intended on your calibrated screen.

 

[Richard]

I'll be interested to hear how you get on. Over the years I have set up monitors a few times using test patterns and analysers. I always seem to reach a point where the monitor has (in theory) been correctly calibrated and yet I'm somehow unhappy with the results - maybe the shadows are too dark, the brightness is uncomfortable on the eyes or there's an overall colour cast. Then the urge to tinker with the settings becomes too much and all of that careful calibration goes out of the window as I tweak the picture until it looks right.

I think part of the problem is that we use our monitors for various things and not just for viewing still images. The monitor I use for editing images is the same monitor I'm looking at as I type this, and it's the same monitor I use when working on spread sheets or streaming video on YouTube.

Another consideration is that viewing conditions vary too. In my case the same monitor settings have to cope with bright sunlight coming through window blinds nearby on one side during the daytime, and with an artificial light overhead at night. Is it meaningful to carefully calibrate the monitor if the viewing conditions are very variable, I wonder?

Please let us know how you get on anyway.

-R

 

[mathew]

I'll be interested to hear how you get on. Over the years I have set up monitors a few times using test patterns and analysers. I always seem to reach a point where the monitor has (in theory) been correctly calibrated and yet I'm somehow unhappy with the results - maybe the shadows are too dark, the brightness is uncomfortable on the eyes or there's an overall colour cast. Then the urge to tinker with the settings becomes too much and all of that careful calibration goes out of the window as I tweak the picture until it looks right.

I think part of the problem is that we use our monitors for various things and not just for viewing still images. The monitor I use for editing images is the same monitor I'm looking at as I type this, and it's the same monitor I use when working on spread sheets or streaming video on YouTube.

Another consideration is that viewing conditions vary too. In my case the same monitor settings have to cope with bright sunlight coming through window blinds nearby on one side during the daytime, and with an artificial light overhead at night. Is it meaningful to carefully calibrate the monitor if the viewing conditions are very variable, I wonder?

Please let us know how you get on anyway.

-R

hi mate
think im going to give it a go tomorrow , im very scared to see the calibrated screen ,, but we will see , ill keep you guys informed

 

[bluzcity]

Well I think it's a good thing to do. I too have a Spyder and I'm generally happy with what I'm able to accomplish in post. I'm also usually happy with my work when I see it on different monitors. I'm certainly no expert and accept my limitations both as photographer and editor, but I believe having a calibrated monitor increases my chances of getting something I like.

 

[mathew]

Hi guys
I've just realised that my spider calibrator didn't come with the stand ? I've spoken to the chap I brought it off and he said it got lost ,, does anyone now where I could buy one from or has anyone got one for sale ? I've already looked on eBay and amazon but no luck , I've also sent adatacolour an email and I'm awaiting there response, but I'm sure you guys can help me out , cheers guys