Finally got it.

[Craig]

After a LONG time of promising myself I have finally got my first monitor calibration gear from Santa this year.

WOW! what a difference it makes once you have a calibrated screen!

 

[Graham]

Hi Craig, good to see someone from sunny Peterborough! Which calibration kit did you get?

[Craig]

Hi Graham,

Got the Spyder 4 makes such a huge difference once the screen is calibrated.

[ChrisLumix]

After a LONG time of promising myself I have finally got my first monitor calibration gear from Santa this year.

WOW! what a difference it makes once you have a calibrated screen!

 

 

I've seen quite a few threads on this recently. I do agree that new computer displays are horrible (usually geared far too much towards red and blue) ... which is why I recalibrate straight away using the Mac calibration dialogue.

 

Will someone please explain to me why a 3rd-party device is superior to one's own eyes? (Bearing in mind that we all see colour in slightly different ways, and what seems "right" to one person will seem equally 'wrong' to someone else).

[JHFoto]

My camera club has a spyder which we all can borrow from time to time, but I do think you can get paranoid on this subject.............

[Black Pearl]

I've seen quite a few threads on this recently. I do agree that new computer displays are horrible (usually geared far too much towards red and blue) ... which is why I recalibrate straight away using the Mac calibration dialogue.

Will someone please explain to me why a 3rd-party device is superior to one's own eyes? (Bearing in mind that we all see colour in slightly different ways, and what seems "right" to one person will seem equally 'wrong' to someone else).

Exactly because we all perceive colours differently so if you set your screen for you it could still be technically wrong. A calibration device will set it right regardless of viewing preferences.

[Leon]

would it make a difference on a laptop screen?

[Craig]

well it certainly has on mine Leon

[Black Pearl]

Yes - BUT - most laptop screens offer very poor performance when it comes to photo editing. It might still be worth doing but if your screen alters brightness/contrast/colour when you change your viewing angle then you're figting an uphill and almost pointless battle. If you have a high quality IPS screen with a wide viewing angle (like those in a MBP for instance) you will get better results.

Personally I'd say you would be better investng the cash on a decent monitor to plug into the laptop than spending it on a calibration device.

[Craig]

I use my laptop connected to a external monitor when using photoshop. Just saves investing in a stand alone PC. But you are right the problem with laptops as a rule is the angle of the screen can drastically alter the colour,brightnes and contrast of the image. But.... calibrating a stand alone monitor at least gives me peace of mind and the prints especially using photoshop in a WYSIWYG way has made a real difference.

[ChrisLumix]

Exactly because we all perceive colours differently so if you set your screen for you it could still be technically wrong. A calibration device will set it right regardless of viewing preferences.

 

Two responses to that :

 

1. I want my screen to be right for ME!!

 

2. I once took part in an online experiment, where you were presented with 5 or more rows, and you had to sort each row into its correct sequence - each row consisted of around 30 small blocks that shaded from, e.g., blue to green, or peach to pink; but they were all mixed up and you had to drag them into the correct sequence. I scored 100% which apparently was pretty rare, so I do trust my eyes.

 

Bottom line - I don't want a device that calibrates my screen to something that simply doesn't look right to me.

[Black Pearl]

Which is fine until you share an image with anyone or send it somewhere to be printed - if you are happy with those potential problems great but s correctly calibrated screen is still the better option.

[ChrisLumix]

Which is fine until you share an image with anyone or send it somewhere to be printed - if you are happy with those potential problems great but s correctly calibrated screen is still the better option.

 

I don't print. And comparing the 99% of the time I look at my images onscreen compared to the 1% I share ... well, you get the picture (no pun intended).