Pop0904 Loc: Jacksonville, Fl

a few questions for those who are “professionals”.

1.) Do you calibrate your monitor ?

2.) How often do you calibrate it ?

3.) What device do you use to calibrate ?

Haydon

1.) Yes
2.) Every 2 weeks
3.) Datacolor Spyder4PRO

I wouldn't consider myself pro but I care about accurate calibration for printing and sharing of pictures.

KennyMac Loc: Lynchburg, VA

Pop,
A few years ago, after struggling with "what you see is what you get (OR NOT)" when printing, I bought DataColor's Spyder 3. Since I several windows (with blinds) and diffused 5000K fluorescent room light, I usually edit in evening to always have consistent lighting. I "re-cal" every 2 wks in the evening for consistency . Spyder will measure ambient light and will present a target gauge for me to adjust brightness up or down. Gray scale is just as important as color.
Ken

BasqueLady Loc: Woodburn OR

Yes I use color munki display ever two weeks. I also calibrate my cameras with a color checker passport.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Do not qualify myself as professional.
I use a IPS calibrated monitor.
I have two other monitors I calibrate them rarely (every month) as I use the main display. I use, like many others, SpyderPro4.
I do not calibrate my camera (shoot raw - set kelvin value as reference)
I do not calibrate a printer (send out to their ICC specs)

In my opinion calibration is needed ONLY if you get into heavy duty post processing. If you are not into that it is possibly a waste of money but if you are a GAS sufferer by all mean get a device to your growing army of gadgets.

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

I use the ColorMunki also, along with the color checker passport.

My main workflow is for interior designers and I have to get the color and hue right on everything.

The Color Checker allows me to make a calibrated profile of each of my cameras that PS then uses. The profile adjusts what the camera sensor records to a corrected calibration. From there, I know my monitor will display the proper coloration. (in that sense, you are not calibrating your camera, only creating a calibrated profile of that camera to adjust colors in PP)

I shoot in RAW, so I assume that is the format we are all speaking about. I don't attempt color correction on jpegs if I can avoid it, too frustrating.

I usually do a custom Color Checker on each job/set up because it is so simple to do. However, on day to day shooting, I have created reference profiles for the standard types of lighting we shoot under and just use those generically. Then the PP for color and hue is adjusted to my taste.

A bonus of the Color Munki is I can make an ICC profile for the different papers I use for specific printers if there isn't an ICC profile to be found. I am not familiar with the spyder system to know if that is also an option.

Kevin.M Loc: Forked River, NJ

Great question. I just purchased the spider 4 because I see a big difference from my photo's on my monitor to the photo's I have printed. I installed the software today, I'm looking forward to see if it makes a difference.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

I don't earn money from photography. I do it for the love of the craft.

1. Yes

2. Monthly

3. Spider

Pop0904 Loc: Jacksonville, Fl

I had no idea this many folks calibrated the monitors. I guess it's not a gimmick !

Thanks so much for all of the responses.

Bluetick Loc: Flowery Branch, GA

This entire discussion is excellent. I am not professional but do care a lot about the appearance and correctness of my images. I need to learn about color profiles. I have calibrated my monitor but read somewhere that monitor calibration is of no value without the color profile. Given you are doing that, can you please:
1- elaborate on exactly what a color profile is and it's relationship to monitor calibration,
2- explain, in fairly simple terms how to obtain a profile or profiles,
3- explain if you have only one profile per camera or have to establish a profile each time you shoot,
4- explain whether profiles are used only by Photoshop in PP. I use Nikon's Capture NX2, and
5- can you refer us to an easy-to-understand article or other reference material or an Internet link that explains the subject of color profiling in simple terminology?
Again, thank you for broadening the subject question.

Bluetick Loc: Flowery Branch, GA

Sorry - my questions regarding profiling were for Jdubu and thanks, Pop for bringing up the subject. For me it is a valuable discussion.

Clarkster Loc: Germansville, PA

Yes
ColorMunki Display
Once a month or so.

anotherview Loc: California

Not a "professional" (one who earns money doing photography) but I calibrate my computer's monitor so my prints closely match the image on the monitor display.

The calibration software allows setting an alert to check monitor calibration. I selected once a month. I noticed, however, after my monitor settled down, it did not need monthly calibration.

I use the Spyder Elite calibration device from Datacolor.

Note that even with calibration, a monitor may need a manual adjustment of its brightness for the display image to match the print image.

Have a good day.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

You can start by looking at Xrites Colormunki web site to see what it's all about: http://www.xritephoto.com/custom_page.aspx?PageID=419

loveandpeace Loc: Southeast Iowa

I bought the Color Munki Display bundled with the Color Checker Passport from Adorama on Black Friday for less than the cost of the Color Munki alone. The Color Munki is faster and more intuitive than was my Sypder Pro. I usually recalibrate every two weeks.