Calibration Software under $150?

[zod96]

I'm getting my new U2410 Dell this week. And I would like simple yet effective color calibration software that I can use to make the colors correct. I want something that a beginner could use and wouldn't break the bank. Something under $150 and maybe even under $100. Does such software exist?

Thanks

 

[mmnno]

There's no such thing as calibration software without calibration hardware. The Spyder3 Express is under $150 and should be okay for a beginner.

 

[GoodRevrnd]

Once I get my monitor I'd be willing to pay someone $50 to "rent" theirs.

 

[NoQuarter]

I was considering doing this myself maybe we should make a pool

Does anyone know if the monitor calibration settings work on an Eyefinity setup? I seem to lose the ability to adjust the color on individual monitors through Catalyst when I switch to Eyefinity mode but if the monitor color profiles can still be used anyway it'd probably be fine..

 

[Yuriman]

Spyder3 is $90 on egg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-008-_-Product

I've been using the Spyder2 for years and am very pleased with it.

 

[VashHT]

It's only 70$ on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/ColorVision-S3...4715888&sr=8-1

I picked one up a couple weeks ago, works well and is really easy to use.

 

[zod96]

Do you have to have the calibration software running all the time? Or is it a one time deal..

 

[VashHT]

Do you have to have the calibration software running all the time? Or is it a one time deal..

You have to have it running all the time since it adjusts the settings digitally but it's really unobtrusive. It comes up with windows and comes on automatically so you don't really need to do much after that. It comes up instantly for me, I don't even notice it turn on the calibration settings, but I have a SSD so I'm not sure how much of a difference that makes.

 

[zod96]

I have an SSD as well....Does it really help to do this? I mean is spending the money worth it? I game and surf the internet...

 

[Martimus]

This is the primary reason I want to buy a ZR24W, since it has very good factory calibration. I do worry about the black levels, and the lack of HDMI though.

I just don't want to deal with buying a colorometer and calibrating a monitor, or I would more strongly consider the U2410.

 

[zod96]

Ouch don't tell me that :-( I had to choose either the Dell or HP and I went with the Dell I hope I didn't make the wrong choice...

 

[VashHT]

I have an SSD as well....Does it really help to do this? I mean is spending the money worth it? I game and surf the internet...

Well matters how much spare money you have and how much time you spend on your PC. I can tell you that it made a difference on both the monitors I have (one is a 26.5" IPS the other is a 22" TN). On my TN screen it made a HUGE difference, everything was tinted blue when I first set it up. On my IPS it was less of a difference, but it basically took out the over-saturation of the colors. In both cases I was happy with the results. Like Martimus said it matters a lot on how good the default settings are, my IPS panel had far better default settings but I still noticed a difference for the better after calibrating it.

Unless you have extra money to blow I wouldn't do it unless your screen really bothers you after you get it. It does make games look a lot nicer but it's really a luxury item.

 

[zod96]

Will the spyder 3 express do what I need its only $80...

 

[VashHT]

Will the spyder 3 express do what I need its only $80...

I know it seems a lot cheaper than the other options but you're paying for software with the more expensive packages. The spyder3express hardware is the same as their higher end packages but the software is far more limited. It's fine for one monitor that you just want basic calibration on though, and that sounds like all that you want.

EDIT: I just wanted to add that you should wait until you get your monitor before buying any calibration stuff. You could try tweaking settings using the windows calibration tool before spending any money.

 

[zod96]

Aw good idea thanks...

 

[PurdueRy]

Really if you load the color profile often supplied by the manufacturer and use color managed applications where you care, unless you edit pictures I really don't think you need a calibrator.

If you have decent controls on your monitor you should be able to get it "close" by using calibration websites allowing you to set black and white point correctly and then adjusting RGB values to remove any color cast. Is it perfect? No, but if you have decent ability to differentiate color casts you should be able to do it and its free.

Games aren't color managed so there is little point in getting their color perfect. Keep in mind the biggest difference will color management is the icc profile which adjusts images from one color gamut to another. Games won't pay attention to this.

The adjustment of gamma is the only thing that will affect the entire system. It should remove color casts and improve appearance of all images, but again, you can often adjust this manually and get close enough.

 

[zod96]

I went ahead and got the spyder3 express from amazon for $70. I figured I'd at least try it

 

[zod96]

Can I calibrate more than 1 monitor with the express version?

 

[VashHT]

Can I calibrate more than 1 monitor with the express version?

I don't think you can have more than one calibration profile loaded at once, but you can save profiles from different setups. So you can calibrate multiple screens but I don't think the express software would work for a multi-display setup. I'd check their site though, I haven't tried it so I'm not entirely sure.

 

[Dranoche]

I have never calibrated a monitor, wouldn't know what to expect, and I only game and browse the internet. I have a U2410 also but have never had any obvious color issues (have had some mild saturation issues, but they are rare), and would consider myself to be somewhat sensitive to them. I did a bit of contrast and brightness adjusting initally, a tiny bit with the color, everything looks about as good as on my old CRT and a couple TV's, colorwise at least, nothing that I think most people would notice without placing different units next to each other. I have yet to see any complaints about things like skin tones from actual users who aren't looking to do color-critical work on the U2410. Only complaints I have seen are over lighting uniformity (which can lead to perceived color uniformity issues), and a little bit over black levels and backlight bleeding, and even these issues shouldn't show up unless you look for them on all black or all white screens in a completely dark room.

Let us know how it turns out. I haven't seen any post-calibration comments about this monitor except in reviews, and in those cases they usually just compare color charts. I'm tempted to grab a colorimeter off ebay for cheap and calibrate mine just to see what happens. For those of us who just game though, I don't think we have much need for it outside of a casual interest.

 

[PurdueRy]

Can I calibrate more than 1 monitor with the express version?

I believe the express editions can only calibrate one monitor. Note however that by calibrate it means basically adjust the gamma curves. The other step of calibrating is measuring the monitor color profile and I am unaware of any application that will use more than more .icc profile.

 

[Modelworks]

Unless you are doing work in graphics calibration isn't needed. Using something like spyder to calibrate a monitor is for when you need to be sure that something like pantone color 225 M looks the same on your monitor as it does on paper, print or another monitor.

For gamers make sure you load the color profile for your monitor from the manufacturer and that you reset the monitor to factory defaults after doing it. Windows often uses a default sRGB profile and not the custom one for the monitor.