tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post828879399197450611..comments2024-02-12T03:21:03.402-08:00Comments on Ron Martinsen's Photography Blog: Choosing The Right Display Calibration Device (Updated 2/9/2012)ronmartblog.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06815090271742112506noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-30034506814938031932015-03-01T11:06:37.036-08:002015-03-01T11:06:37.036-08:00Well crap, this where I'm really confused. I&#...Well crap, this where I'm really confused. I'm using an a Eizo FlexScan S2110W that was made in 2005 (bought new) and it has close to 10K hours on it and it's still as good as the day I bought it. The monitor is connected to a Mac Pro Quad 2.6Ghz with a NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 card . Last week I just bought a Canon Pro-100 printer and I figured a good measure would be to invest in the PhotoMunki Photo (bought from b&h). I read the instructions calibrated the monitor and to my surprise the calibration was muddy and lacking in contrast and added a cooler blue tint to the screen. It was actually depressing to look at it compared to the EIZO default profile. I repeated the calibration reseting the Eizo to default settings as the colorMunki photo says to do and calibration was still the same. When I opened the Mac's Color Sync Utility and overlaid the gamut profiles over each other the default EIZO ICC gamut was bigger (see the link below for the screen shots). <br /><br />Color Sync Overlay Profiles<br /><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/qds0vp4toykww32/Screen%20Shot%202015-03-01%20at%2012.41.48%20PM.png?dl=0" rel="nofollow">EIZO default ICC</a><br /><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/5n2xszey5cr593e/Screen%20Shot%202015-03-01%20at%2012.42.01%20PM.png?dl=0" rel="nofollow">EIZO calibrated with ColorMunki Photo overlayed on top of default EIZO ICC</a><br /><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/rcc2ce565ixoreb/Screen%20Shot%202015-03-01%20at%201.22.10%20PM.png?dl=0" rel="nofollow">Canon Pro-100 ICC overylayed on EIZO default ICC. </a><br /><br />Moving to the printer I created the ICC printer profiles using the Color Munki and it did a very good job of creating consistency between screen and prints however working on the screen is depressing - colors are muted and images have a cooler blue tinge to them. When I reverted back to the EIZO S2110W profile and printed on the Canon PRO-100 in Photoshop with the printer handling colors and with the Rendering Intent set to Perceptual the prints I got matched the screen to a level of 98+%. <br /><br />This is where I say I'm confused. I read about calibration devices and yet the default profiles produce a better result for me then when I spend additional money for modern day calibration tools and create a custom profile from them. Am I doing something wrong or maybe is my graphics card limited and I'm not seeing the benefit of the newer technology? <br /><br />Also I read about you using a top of the line EIZO and you calibrating it. The idea is baffling to me as I've been an industry graphic designer for the past 9 years and regardless of convention sized banners hanging from ceilings or small promotional prints that have been printed by pro labs my colors with the EIZO and this is from a 2005 FlexScan have always been dead on as far as eyes are concerned. Granted I print in the SRGB color space.<br /><br />Another example: Before, I had the Epson R1800 and I could only get good prints using correct paper profiles when printing in Photoshop and by selecting let Photoshop handle the colors with Relative coloring intent set. With the Canon it's the opposite. Last night I did many test prints with both Canon Pro Luster and Red River's Ultra Pro Satin and the best prints I got was using the setting in Photoshop, Printer Manages Colors which used Canon's default ICC profiles. Even telling Photoshop to manage colors and then selecting the specific paper ICC profile didn't produce the accuracy of what the EIZO displayed.<br /><br />If you read all of this and take the time to respond, thanks. By the way I'd love to go the route of the EIZO CG series but I strongly considering the CS240 for budget reasons.Seth-B-Parrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13685667303934085244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-81950998942352846512015-02-07T21:12:27.913-08:002015-02-07T21:12:27.913-08:00Ron, thanks for your great blogsite.
You mentione...Ron, thanks for your great blogsite.<br /><br />You mentioned that "NEC used to also offer a special version of the i1 Display that supported wide gamut display calibration".<br /><br />I have that wide gamut i1 Display which I use to calibrate my NEC 3090 monitor. <br /><br />I would like to know if there is some other equipment available that would enable my i1 Display to also function as a spectrophotometer so that I could also create printer paper profiles?<br /><br />Thanks very much, bbAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10309742653854980492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-49877654644632272032015-02-07T21:11:39.123-08:002015-02-07T21:11:39.123-08:00Ron, thanks for your great blogsite.
You mentione...Ron, thanks for your great blogsite.<br /><br />You mentioned that "NEC used to also offer a special version of the i1 Display that supported wide gamut display calibration".<br /><br />I have that wide gamut i1 Display which I use to calibrate my NEC 3090 monitor. <br /><br />I would like to know if there is some other equipment available that would enable my i1 Display to also function as a spectrophotometer so that I could also create printer paper profiles?<br /><br />Thanks very much, bbAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10309742653854980492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-15284354893443647802014-03-09T05:11:35.122-07:002014-03-09T05:11:35.122-07:00Hi Ron,
Excellent article. I've just bought t...Hi Ron,<br /><br />Excellent article. I've just bought two Dell U2414H monitors & would like to calibrate both if possible. <br /><br />I'm a keen amateur photographer - I'm trying to decide between the Colormunki dispay & the i1 Display Pro.<br /><br />Ignoring price, is there any reason to go for one over the other? Is the i1 Display Pro easy to use in Simple mode?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17329964638008696786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-64618573360952353412014-01-13T16:23:31.732-08:002014-01-13T16:23:31.732-08:00Camner,
Yes, you will need the SpectraView softwa...Camner,<br /><br />Yes, you will need the SpectraView software and a compatible colorimeter. X-Rite and DataColor make compatible devices, and the ColorMunki Display is one that would work.<br /><br />The NEC colorimeter (or puck as you call it) is not required. <br /><br />Hopefully that clears things up.<br /><br />Thanks,<br />Ronronmartblog.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06815090271742112506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-43112007806542789512014-01-10T22:57:50.956-08:002014-01-10T22:57:50.956-08:00I just want to double check something. I have a Co...I just want to double check something. I have a ColorMunki Display and will be purchasing a NEC PA 242 or 272 monitor. Are you saying that I do NOT need to get the SpectraView puck but can use the CM display to do HARDWARE calibration on the NEC?<br /><br />If so, I presume I WILL have to purchase the SpectraView software, yes?Camnerhttp://www.camner.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-8926866109628772622013-12-05T02:11:58.643-08:002013-12-05T02:11:58.643-08:00Hi Jim,
The Dell's don't calibrate super ...Hi Jim,<br /><br />The Dell's don't calibrate super well, but if you leave them running for one hour before calibrating then your best results will be with the X-Rite i1Display PRO.<br /><br />ronronmartblog.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06815090271742112506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-55760098656577363562013-12-04T19:08:17.236-08:002013-12-04T19:08:17.236-08:00Dear Ron, Wonderful blog, thank you. On Black Frid...Dear Ron, Wonderful blog, thank you. On Black Friday I purchased a Dell U3014 to go with a new Mac Pro that I plan to buy when Apple releases them some time this month. One reason I bought this display is that it has its own color calibration software, but imagine my disappointment when I discovered it doesn't work with Macs! Can I get by with a Color Munki Display, or should I buy the X-Rite i1Display Pro? Many thanks. Jim F.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-44716124417707260242013-10-31T12:03:03.576-07:002013-10-31T12:03:03.576-07:00Hi there
I was searching the whole internet for an...Hi there<br />I was searching the whole internet for an answer and I came across your post several times, firstly when deciding on monitor, then on calibration device and now... Maybe you could enlighten me as I failed to find any other solution to my problem. I have Eizo SX2462W and idisplay pro device. I managed to create the profile with the iprofiler but from what I red I should be able to actually perform the hardware calibration. I tried using EasyPix but for some reason it does not recognise the idisplay pro being plugged in and I am not sure if this is some error or it is just not designed to work with this device. I found an article that BasICColor Display software can also do the hardware calibration but the trial version did not recognise it either. Colour Navigator did not find any devices either (though not sure if error was referring to the monitor as I think normally it does not support flexiscan models anyway or the calibrator). Am I doing something wrong or how can I actually perform the calibration. After investing this amount of money on both the monitor and colorimeter it is just so damn frustrating. Any help would be much appreciated. THank you.sarvathnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-50153023578023438942013-08-08T14:52:42.039-07:002013-08-08T14:52:42.039-07:00https://www.byk.com/fileadmin/BYK/downloads/suppor...https://www.byk.com/fileadmin/BYK/downloads/support-downloads/instruments/theory/color/en/Intro_Solid_Color.pdfAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11757541807353822548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-57816972902967637452013-08-08T14:51:52.588-07:002013-08-08T14:51:52.588-07:00https://www.byk.com/fileadmin/BYK/downloads/suppor...https://www.byk.com/fileadmin/BYK/downloads/support-downloads/instruments/theory/color/en/Intro_Solid_Color.pdfAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11757541807353822548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-17901966990205182452013-05-13T14:25:44.200-07:002013-05-13T14:25:44.200-07:00That worked. Thanks!!
Previously I've just u...That worked. Thanks!! <br /><br />Previously I've just used one of the USB ports on the computer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-47615504993744620032013-05-11T17:47:07.948-07:002013-05-11T17:47:07.948-07:00Thanks, Ron. Thanks for the great website!!Thanks, Ron. Thanks for the great website!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-67965252306871551612013-05-10T15:53:23.689-07:002013-05-10T15:53:23.689-07:00Try plugging your ColorMunki into a different USB ...Try plugging your ColorMunki into a different USB port. USB 3.0 ports are garbage as they tend to be buggy on all computers - both Apple and PC.<br /><br />Generally speaking you want to plug your ColorMunki into the NEC display directly and use NEC's SpectraView software for the calibration.ronmartblog.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06815090271742112506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-79785955658214621732013-05-10T15:49:35.409-07:002013-05-10T15:49:35.409-07:00Ron: I've had a ColorMunki Photo for several y...Ron: I've had a ColorMunki Photo for several years. If used it numerous times to calibrate my NEC monitor. The last time I tried to calibrate my monitor I started the ColorMunki program and when I plugged in the USB cord the machine beeped indicating that a USB device had been plugged in. The ColorMunki program indicated that the ColorMunki was not plugged in.<br /><br />I've re-booted, reinstalled the software, etc. My PC runs on Windows 7 64 bit.<br /><br />Any ideas?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-50554649780186338642013-04-15T17:09:36.476-07:002013-04-15T17:09:36.476-07:00Hi Mike,
Well despite what people might think, NE...Hi Mike,<br /><br />Well despite what people might think, NEC doesn't give me free displays - I buy them from B&H just like everyone else. While I love my NEC PA Series, I can't afford multiple NEC's right now so I replaced my old Dell 2407WFPb with a U2410. It's my secondary display whereas my NEC is where I do my real color work.<br /><br />With that disclaimer out there, I think the cheaper monitors benefit more than the expensive ones from calibration. The reason is simple - good displays come from the factory pre-calibrated for photo editing, but consumer displays are pre-configured like TV's to be oversaturated and bright so that people will plug them in and go "oh, it makes everything look so nice". That's true if you don't edit your photos so they make your photos look better, but the data in the file itself is the same, so when you try to print them out they come out more flat and dark than what you saw on the screen. <br /><br />This is where calibration comes into play. Even if the cheaper displays can't be perfectly calibrated, usually you can get them a heck of a lot closer to reality so there's less of a surprise when your image is printed or viewed on calibrated displays. <br /><br />It's true that a wide gamut display can get you into trouble and the whole color management story for both PC and Mac is about 20 years behind where it should be (i.e., it's way more complicated than it needs to be). <br /><br />The wide gamut will get you closer to what you'll see in the print and if you use any color space besides sRGB you'll be able to accurately change the color in that file which has value. However, most output these days is going to be on the web or sRGB only printers, so it's true that one can survive on a sRGB only display. <br /><br />You would definitely benefit from a calibration device and if you are going to make the investment then get one that can do wide gamut for when you eventually upgrade. With 4k displays coming and HDTV being so common the industry is going to have to make the move away from sRGB soon, so leave yourself some options in case you end up with a wide gamut display. <br /><br />One thing to keep in mind though - it can be shocking going from the oversaturated bright display to a "correct" calibrated display that isn't as vibrant or bright. Let your eyes get used to the reality and trust the software. <br /><br />Ron<br />ronmartblog.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06815090271742112506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-48297998152351074442013-04-15T07:37:57.247-07:002013-04-15T07:37:57.247-07:00Hi Ron,
Thank you for a very informative article....Hi Ron,<br /> Thank you for a very informative article. It was a very interesting read ( even the geeky stuff ). My question comes from a non-professional perspective. Photography for me is a hobby, I just built a new comp. and I'm looking at displays and calibration equip. I can't justify a big $$ monitor, the only monitor with a wide gamut display I could afford is the Dell U2410, but, there are mixed opinions out there whether or not an amatuer without a good working knowledge of color spaces and gamma curves should even have a wide gamut monitor or could even use it properly so I'm also looking at the Dell U2412M. My question is would a U2412M even benefit from a calibration device ?<br /> I realize the "anyone" can say anything in these forums and the people that say don't buy a wide gamut display if you don't have a phd might not even be able to tie their own shoes ( j/k ), but, it does make me think. The cost difference is negligable (sp?) right now between those two monitors. I mainly do cad/cam work so I have a Quadro 4000 in my machine, but I don't even own photoshop or lightroom, I use the Canon DPP software that came with my camera.<br /> I send everything out for printing, but I am "picky" and I do want my colors as correct as possible.<br /> So, what do you think about non professionals and wide gamut ? and do you think a U2412M would benefit from a calibration device ?<br /><br />Again, thank you for the article and any advice you might offer.<br /><br />regards,<br />mikeMike Fnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-77492178836122794332013-03-02T14:42:12.339-08:002013-03-02T14:42:12.339-08:00Anonymous said...
I was told that it is not wise t...<b><i> Anonymous said...<br />I was told that it is not wise to edit on macbook pro because even if screen calibrated colors will be wrong</i></b><br /><br />Well that's a rather broad generalization that isn't entirely accurate. The reality is that it's true that MacBook Pros (pre-retina) have visually pleasing color, but not necessarily 100% accurate color. The lack of controls to work with the calibration software makes them impossible to calibrate for true accuracy (which is true of most inexpensive displays for all OS platforms). With this in mind, they aren't a suitable platform for work where color accuracy is critical. <br /><br />With that disclaimer you have lots of options though:<br /><br />1. You can do all of your non-color critical work just fine on your MBP (i.e., cloning, healing, cropping, etc...)<br /><br />2. You can get an external display like a NEC PA series and connect it to your MBP and do the color critical work on the external display (which is what I do when using my MBP)<br /><br />3. Not all work has to be color perfect. If the output is to your Facebook wall, personal photos for friends and family, etc... do you really need 100% color accuracy? No. Sometimes close enough is sufficient especially since online everyone's displays vary drastically from color perfect to horrifically uncalibrated, so even a color perfect file will look horrible on many displays (and displays include cell phones, projectors, etc...)<br /><br />With that said, when color is important - and it certainly is if your output is a file you've worked hard on in Photoshop or Lightroom and you wish to print it, then color calibration is a must. Otherwise you end up with the very common problem that what you see on your screen is nothing like what comes out of the printer. When both your display and printer can correctly render the color data in your files, then life is a much happier place! What's more, when you are in that scenario typically the images that you share with the world online will look as good as they possibly can within the limitations of the color accuracy of their displays. ronmartblog.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06815090271742112506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-88963834975565893982013-03-02T06:56:21.410-08:002013-03-02T06:56:21.410-08:00I was told that it is not wise to edit on macbook ...I was told that it is not wise to edit on macbook pro because even if screen calibrated colors will be wrongAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-21683907648090775552013-02-26T22:06:40.178-08:002013-02-26T22:06:40.178-08:00You've put so much work into this post, and it...You've put so much work into this post, and it's not only full of info but an interesting read. I look forward to learning more! Thank you Ron. <br /><br />GrahamThe Brithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15381645157151284393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-2558264101100165752012-11-03T17:46:30.518-07:002012-11-03T17:46:30.518-07:00Ron,
Thank you for producing this excellent articl...Ron,<br />Thank you for producing this excellent article.<br />I have been using a Colour Munki Photo for the past 2 years & I haven't had any problems with it. I have a Mac setup with a Nec Multi sync LCD2690wuxi2.& I print with an Epson 3800.<br />I would like to find out if it is possible to us the Colour Munki Photo to calibrate B&W printing? I Print with a number of papers, my favorite is Epson's Exhibition Fiber print.<br />Thanks,<br /><br />John Djfduftonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-3360725421202931322012-08-05T08:33:45.835-07:002012-08-05T08:33:45.835-07:00Jae,
I'd recommend the X-Rite i1Display PRO i...Jae,<br /><br />I'd recommend the X-Rite i1Display PRO if you'll be sticking only to those papers (and assume they have ICC profiles for your exact printer and paper combo).<br /><br />Ronronmartblog.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06815090271742112506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-83330571739190573292012-08-05T06:47:48.658-07:002012-08-05T06:47:48.658-07:00Hi Ron,
I'm a photographer that's just st...Hi Ron,<br /><br />I'm a photographer that's just starting to get serious, and have started getting hired for lifestyle photography. I use a macbook pro (for now) and have my own epson r1900.<br />I'll be printing some of my own prints for clients (as well as outsourcing for larger formats), using epson and hannemuhle paper. Because those two brands have their own ICC profiles available to consumers, is it necessary to get the ColorMunki Photo?<br /><br />If not, which one would be a good choice: CM Display or Display Pro?<br />I don't want to spend more $$$ right now if it isn't necessary and if the former does almost the same job. <br />I'd like a calibrator where I'd be happiest with the print results.<br /><br />Thank you!<br />JaeJaenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-22064372086407647072012-07-24T21:48:56.125-07:002012-07-24T21:48:56.125-07:00Tom,
I would encourage you to contact X-Rite sup...Tom, <br /><br />I would encourage you to contact X-Rite support as that sounds busted. <br /><br />Let me know how thing turn out!<br /><br />Ronronmartblog.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06815090271742112506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826231802859523569.post-60243470089344501942012-07-24T19:51:45.747-07:002012-07-24T19:51:45.747-07:00Hi Ron
I have an NEC LCD3090 (LCD3090WQXi to be ...Hi Ron<br /><br />I have an NEC LCD3090 (LCD3090WQXi to be exact) that I have calibrated successfully with the matched Spectraview II colour sensor that was bundled with the Spectraview II software.<br /><br />But now, after installing OS X Lion, and upgrading to the latest Spectraview software (compatible with Lion), any installation of the Spectraview software results in a nasty red cast to all skin tones.<br /><br />I can also see a pink tinge to the Apple grey screen when the computer starts up.<br /><br />I've deleted and reinstalled the software and tracked down and deleted as many invisible files as I can find.<br /><br />I've also rest the display to factory presets (and then repeated the uninstall, reinstall process).<br /><br />But nothing gets rid of the red cast.<br /><br />I should note that I'm looking at photos that looked and printed fine under the old calibration profile, and that returning to the old profile did not make the problem go away.<br /><br />Any thoughts?<br /><br />I've seen other posts of this happening to other people.<br /><br />Cheers<br /><br />TomAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com