dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

Sure, I will go along with that.... we live in a do-gadget world. Did you find that the poor man's calibration worked reasonably well? Could be rpavich that me-ol' eyes are a not as crisp as when younger.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Well...it worked better than nothing, I'll say that.

I was shocked when I saw a really accurate calibration by the Spyder though...I thought something must be wrong with my monitor...lol. I thought that something must have happened! I ran it twice and each time it came out the same.

After a few days, my eyes got used to seeing it and now when i see the typical "monitor bluish" tint that manufactures set them at I cringe....

So...while it's better than not caring, it's certainly no match for exactitude in Calibration.

It's sort of like trying to manipulate your white balance of an image based on what you remember that color was like a week later...sure, you'll not be completely wrong...but you can bet you won't nail it...that's just life, if you want accurate color that's REALLY accurate, you need to use a color target when shooting in that particular light.

I've cheaped out on many things...but I figured that I just spend $17.00 at Denny's for breakfast with a tip...and if I can spend almost $20.00 to eat just one meal...then putting it in perspective, getting good calibration for $100.00 isn't that big a deal.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

What version of Spyder do you use?

Mauilover Loc: Northern VA - DC area

You only need to calibrate your monitor if you are going to do any type of post processing of the photo from your camera. Your camera, for the most part, is calibrated to give you sRGB or AdobeRGB color space if you shoot jpeg. If you shoot RAW then that is another subject, you must do post processing. Either way, if any type of post processing is done, you need to ensure that the color space your monitor is displaying matches the color space your post processing software believes you are using. Sounds trivial but its not. If you don't do this, you run the risk of making something look marvelous on your screen but will not necessarily look good on anyone else's - not to mention when it is printed.

If you print your own photos, calibration is not strictly needed if you are using the jpeg photo directly from your camera. Most printers are properly calibrated to sRGB and so if your camera jpeg does that correctly, it almost doesn't matter what it looks like on your screen, the print will be OK.

However, if you do want to do post processing, calibrating your monitor and printer (if you want high end results) is a must. There are many good devices to do this and they are quite simple to use. The Spyder brand is good - I used to use them. For the past few years I've moved to the x-rite color munki and have been quite pleased with it. However, it is a little bit expensive.

Oh, my experience with OS, at least on Mac, is that it never has mattered. If something changes, the vendor of the color calibration system will almost always give you an update to your software to work with that OS for free. At least that has been my experience. I've used my Color Munki since Snow Leopard on my Mac and now use Mavericks without any problems.

Good luck with your new expanded hobby!

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

I use the Spyder4Express I believe.

Darn it! I spent $114.00 and it's $79.00 now!!

http://www.amazon.com/Datacolor-Spyder4Express-S4X100-Display-Calibration/dp/B006TF3746/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386437738&sr=8-1&keywords=spyder4express

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I'm going to wait till it's $19.99, plus some extras for ordering right away. :D

Edmund Dworakowski

I've used the Spyder 4 for over a year. It's simple, easy to use, well made, complete and does a fantastic job. Buy it and use it.

Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

I use Spyder 4 Pro and am more than happy with it.
Yes, I very strongly advise using a calibrator, my rating for Spyder 4 Pro would be 10 out of 10.
I don't do my own printing, just send the images to a local lab. They do a good job, but if I checked "do not adjust" the colours always seemed a bit off. If I did not check that box when ordering, the colours were better, but I always felt that I had no control over the final product.
Since using Spyder, I check "do no adjust" and I get my pictures back as I made them and want them to be.
I was especially impressed when recently I had a photobook printed through Blurb. The colours in the book are exactly the same as they were on my screen.

Hankwt Loc: kingsville ontario

ok Dumb question of the day - Does the spyder work for a laptop monitor Ive heard conflicting opinions due to the variations in viewing angle of laptops . Thoughts ??

Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

No dumb question, of any day!!! Only dumb people that don't ask the questions they don't know the answer to.

Yes, it does. At least for some laptops.
Mine is a DELL XPS.
Make sure the screen is always at the right angle for viewing (90 degrees from your line of vision), and use it in the same ambient light conditions.
When I get home, I quickly check the photos on my desktop before shipping the files off for printing.

redrocktom Loc: Sedona

Thanks for the great response M/L. You answered all of my questions in a thorough manner. Appreciate it.

And thanks to all of those who responded and who participate in this forum. I've learned more here in 2 mos. than any other source that I have.

redrocktom Loc: Sedona

Thanks M/S. That's exactly what I needed to know.

redpepper Loc: Central NY

Rpavich, I see that you utilize the Spyder4pro? I just rcvd mine and performed my first full calibration on my MacBook Pro, non retina anti glare monitor. I based it off the calibrated LCD profile, which I believe is the factory default, and the colors across the board are a little punchy and contrasty. Does the spyder also adjust the monitor's contrast? I have to say that I don't care for how "edgy" everything looks. I'm just wondering if the view will be like night and day after one calibrates? Thx in advance.

redpepper Loc: Central NY

Rpavich, I see that you utilize the Spyder4pro? I just rcvd mine and performed my first full calibration on my MacBook Pro, non retina anti glare monitor. I based it off the calibrated LCD profile, which I believe is the factory default, and the colors across the board are a little punchy and contrasty. Does the spyder also adjust the monitor's contrast? I have to say that I don't care for how "edgy" everything looks. I'm just wondering if the view will be like night and day after one calibrates? Thx in advance.

redpepper Loc: Central NY

Oops sorry for double post.