Calibration - what's current? I'm annoyed. My monitor visibly changes color on me from time to time (it's trippy watching the WB fade from obviously blue to obviously yellow and then...

nikonnate Loc: Woodbury MN

I'm annoyed.

My monitor visibly changes color on me from time to time (it's trippy watching the WB fade from obviously blue to obviously yellow and then waver in between a bit) and my printer is printing my not-very-pink kid in shades of deep pink. Note, he's not pink as a rose in real life. I haven't printed a good photo in nearly 2 months as a result of this.

So, beyond obviously needing a stable monitor, what's the good calibration software these days? I'm a hobbyist, I'm not going to dump a grand in to it, but I can easily come up with a good sum in a jiffy.

RichardSM Loc: Back in Texas

nikonnate wrote:

I'm annoyed. br br My monitor visibly changes col... (show quote)

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Check the connection - I had an HDMI input to a TV get disturbed/dirty and the picture was kinda pink/red.
Removing the connector, blowing out, re-connecting it fixed that one.

How old is the monitor?

nikonnate Loc: Woodbury MN

The system is less than a year old so I hope my card isn't already dying! It's a super cheap monitor though, I intended to use it as a first monitor and have the big glorious one handle the Lightroom split screen.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

I use the Spyder 5 from Datacolor. The ColorMunki from X-Rite is the other popular calibration package. No need to spend a mint - these are in the $150-$200 range, but you can spend more on various options.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

nikonnate wrote:

The system is less than a year old so I hope my card isn't already dying! It's a super cheap monitor though, I intended to use it as a first monitor and have the big glorious one handle the Lightroom split screen.

My monitors are inexpensive also (<$100-150)... They work great.
Love dual screens. They are excellent for working on genealogy also.

ggab Loc: ?

nikonnate wrote:

I'm annoyed. br br My monitor visibly changes col... (show quote)

Check the cable. If that doesn't' fix the issue, replace the cable.
Truly stable monitors are expensive, cables are cheap.

Bayou

Try another cable as a test. I've seen VGA cables do this, color shift just from touching or wiggling the cable. Do the digital connections (HDMI, DVI) do this? I don't know, but this sure sounds like the experience I had with a VGA cable once upon a time.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

nikonnate wrote:

I'm annoyed. br br My monitor visibly changes col... (show quote)

If after purchasing and using a profiling tool you determine that the display is incapable of the performance you wish, then you should look at a new display.

Using an 8 bit display with a 12 or 14 bit LUT is a way to get reasonably wide gamut color without spending $$$$.

I would advise against getting Datacolor products or the ColorMunki - these are not capable of addressing a programmable LUT. The least costly device I have come across that can is the Xrite i1 Display Pro for around $240. It's worth every penny!

morkie1891

The Display Pro is excellent!

ggab Loc: ?

Bayou wrote:

Try another cable as a test. I've seen VGA cables do this, color shift just from touching or wiggling the cable. Do the digital connections (HDMI, DVI) do this? I don't know, but this sure sounds like the experience I had with a VGA cable once upon a time.

Yes, HDMI cables. or connectors, fail and cause color shift.

SNicker317 Loc: North NJ

If you can see the colors changing before your eyes, then that's a voltage issue within the monitor and no degree of calibration will solve that issue. IMHO... it's wiser to save up for a new monitor.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

By all means try swapping the cable and wiggling the connectors before blaming the monitor. If connectors or cables are under stress, you can easily experience intermittent color shifts.

John O.

Make sure your "super energy saving" is turned off on your monitor. I have an LG and noticed the problem you mentioned. I resolved the problem by switching off the Super Energy Saving mode.

Angel Star Photography Loc: Tacoma, WA

nikonnate wrote:

I'm annoyed. br br My monitor visibly changes col... (show quote)

There have been several good suggestions regarding the cabling and I will that I have encountered similar issues if the HDMI cable is seated completely. If you have any devices between your computer and your monitor such as a KVM switch, audio extractor, etc., temporarily remove them from the path and go straight between your computer and monitor. Another item I would check is the night light setting on your computer. In most cases, schedules can be set based on location causing a change at sunset/sunrise for a given location. Additionally, a color temperature can be set. The night light feature will cause the colors to be off a bit to a lot depending upon your settings and whether it is functioning properly.

Before considering a new monitor, assuming you have proven the cable is not the issue, test your computer against a known good monitor or television. If the problem persists, then it is likely you have an issue with either your video card or drivers. If the problem disappears, then I would check the monitor against another device such as another computer, a streaming device (Roku, AppleTV, etc.) just to validate that it is truly the monitor.

As for calibration, I use the xRite i1 Display Pro, but there have been suggestions previously for others that are a bit less expensive and all have had good results for others in the field.

Good luck and feel free to send my a private message if you wish some help in troubleshooting.

Sincerely,

Charles