Monitor calibration software

[qbfx]

Hey gang,
I recently got my Samsung 245BW and I love it. I recommend it to everyone who's on a tight budget and want to get a good TN and the most for their money.
Thing is, I work with Photoshop quite often, not color critical work, but accurate colors would be a plus. However I don't want to spend money on a calibrator which I'll use once or twice... So, can anybody recommend a good software calibration utility ?
Thanks in advance.

 

[MadScientist]

My son, a graphic designer, has the same Samsung monitor, and I have a Chimei. Both use the same TN panel. We both use the Colorvision Spyder2 Express Colorimeter to calibrate our monitors. It's quick, easy, and accurate. Only con I had was it didn't ship with the latest software, but that can be downloaded from their website.

 

[qbfx]

Originally posted by: MadScientist
My son, a graphic designer, has the same Samsung monitor, and I have a Chimei. Both use the same TN panel. We both use the Colorvision Spyder2 Express Colorimeter to calibrate our monitors. It's quick, easy, and accurate. Only con I had was it didn't ship with the latest software, but that can be downloaded from their website.

Thanks for the input but I was talking about a calibration program, not a colorimeter...

 

[corkyg]

The gold standard for monitor color calibration has been Pantone.

Pantone

The consumer version is Huey.

Huey

 

[MadScientist]

None of the software calibration programs are as good as a colorimeter/software combo. That's why I and Corkyg recommended them, and the consumer versions of the Spyder and the Huey are not that expensive.
Since you have photoshop you already have Adobe Gamma, but it was made specifically for CRTs not LCDs, and your Samsung came with MagicTune.

DisplayMate has received good reviews. I personally have not tried it.

In the free section, I've tried Monitor Calibration Wizard, Quick Gamma 2.0, Nokia Monitor Test and some online calibration test images. Link. If your work is not that critical one of these may be sufficient for you. I just find it so much easier to let the colorimeter, not my eyes, calibrate my monitor.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Originally posted by: MadScientist
My son, a graphic designer, has the same Samsung monitor, and I have a Chimei. Both use the same TN panel. We both use the Colorvision Spyder2 Express Colorimeter to calibrate our monitors. It's quick, easy, and accurate. Only con I had was it didn't ship with the latest software, but that can be downloaded from their website.

Costco's website has it for $60 I think.

Anyway, OP, if you insist on software, the Adobe Gamma Loader is, IMO, as good as any other software calibration tool. It should have come with photoshop.

 

[qbfx]

Originally posted by: Gooberlx2
Anyway, OP, if you insist on software, the Adobe Gamma Loader is, IMO, as good as any other software calibration tool. It should have come with photoshop.

It's not that I insist on software, I live in France and here even the Pantone Huey is expensive, at least for me .. As I said, I do not need accurate colors, I just want to get the most IQ of my monitor for free

Thanks MadScientist for pointing out these programs.

 

[QuixoticOne]

Try using an ICM/ICC profile created by someone else with the same model of monitor and use the same color temperature / brightness settings on your monitor as they did on theirs.

I think there is even a "Monitor profiles" thread here on AnandTech (Video Cards / Graphics section?) that people share ICM profile files within.

Secondarily, use the monitor's sRGB preset configuration if it has one, otherwise choose a color temperature preset near 5500K. Then adjust the brightness / contrast manually in conjunction with an online Gamma, Black Level, and grey patch test image collection so that your Gamma = 2.2, the black level is appropriate for your room's background lighting, and so that the contrast / brightness lets you distinctly discern each of the grey levels in the grey level chart.

If you do that "by manual sight" calibration of grey levels and gamma / brightness, there will be no real reason your colors should be very far off from correct and your grey levels and white balance should be appropriate also.

http://www.normankoren.com/makingfineprints1A.html

http://www.normankoren.com/makingfineprints1B.html

http://www.normankoren.com/color_management.html

http://www.normankoren.com/color_management_4.html

here is one thread for sharing profiles:
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...y&keyword1=calibration

 

[qbfx]

Thanks very much QuixoticOne. I've been looking in this thread for profiles created by using a colorineter but never found one, just brightness and contrast values that don't look good on my monitor.