lxu532 Loc: Cherry Hill, NJ

Does everyone calibrate their monitor every 6 months or so? If so, what "tool" do you use? Spyder4, Color Monkey, etc. Thanks.

breck Loc: Derbyshire UK

I do it at least every 3 months and am amazed at the subtle but noticable difference in the picture I see .
I use a spider 3, it has made a world of difference to my prints

Sheila Loc: Arizona or New York

Check my monitor every month using Color Munkie.

tusketwedge Loc: Nova Scotia Canada

whenever I think of it ,probably 2 months or so.Color munkie,Like it better than Spyder.JMO

JR1 Loc: Tavistock, Devon, UK

There is a search tab above the replies there may help

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/search.jsp?q=monitor+calibration&u=&s=0

lxu532 Loc: Cherry Hill, NJ

Thanks everyone! I appreciate all your responses.

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

Wow! I use a ColorMunki also, but I calibrate my monitors every 2 or 3 weeks. I couldn't trust the colors if it were 6 months since a calibration.

I set it to remind me every 2 weeks. Depending on my workflow at the moment, I may not do it for another week or until I need precise coloration.

Musket Loc: ArtBallin'

I calibrate my UltraSharp panel about every 30-45days. I use a Spyder 4.

CanonShot Loc: Lancaster County, PA

Every 2 months I calibrate with Spyder 4. It does make a difference.

jjestar Loc: Savannah GA

Ditto!!!

OnDSnap Loc: NE New Jersey

every 2 weeks...Spyder 4 Elite

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

lxu532, if you have already bought the gizmos, fine. But, if not why waste the $ just to be part of the calibration religion ... bow to monitor three times a day if that floats your boat. Oh, yes, have your camera calibrated, and make sure your flash is calibrated... perhaps you will have time to take photos and actually do some post-processing. Cartier-Bresson became famous with minimalist equipment and B/W film. It is the timing/subject/composition that counts not the exact calibration of the monitor...yuck.

Graphics cards have built-in calibration programs they work. People speak of subtleties... uh-ha, sure! For what? You have limited response of the camera, the printer/inks/paper or projector, and of course the ambient light in which your print is viewed. Of course, the viewers prefer vivid, kick in the fanny colors, red is a winner.

Color gambit, range, is important....But, Ken Rockwell says "Ignore desktop armchair hobbyists who bleat on about the broader color gamut of Adobe RGB. I've created and printed 100% chroma grads in Adobe RGB and sRGB and saw no difference when printed either on Inkjets or on the $250,000 Lightjet 5000 on Fuji Supergloss. Oh well! Using Adobe RGB is asking for trouble unless you really know what you're doing and have complete control over your process. If you have to ask, don't use Adobe RGB."

"There's nothing wrong with the dummy modes; use them if they save you time. I use the PORTRAIT mode for people since I usually have my camera's colors cranked up."
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d50/d50-settings-menus-shooting.htm

Question: Why would you worry abut subtleties when your going to kick the colors, use "Fuji Bright Film" setting, high gloss paper, and view under tungsten light...????

strikerazde Loc: Phoenix, AZ

Once week for me!

DebAnn Loc: Toronto

I use a Spyder 4 and calibrate once a month - it reminds me to do it. The only issue I have is that my new monitor and the old one make it really difficult to change the brightness setting when prompted. The controls are ridiculous on the monitors.

jeryh Loc: Oxfordshire UK

If you have a Mac, you can avoid a lot of expense by calibrating manually- it is simple, and takes about 10 minutes.