Monitor calibration

[dakotapod]

Anyone have any experience with various calibration products?

Color Vision Spyder or whatever.

I have a triple display setup with a high end 22” CRT monitor that’s flanked buy two 17” But the 22” is almost 4 years old (ancient in tech terms :'( ) and was wondering if I’m not getting as good an image on screen as I could. The image from the three monitors is noticeably different. Not necessarily looking for a good enough image for color correction but the best image would still be nice.

I’ve tried some software only and onscreen calibration but not sure if that does s*%t or not.

Any input would be groovy!

[taubkin]

If you want them to be close between themselves, just try to mess with their control knobs and settle for the best you can. If you want them to look like an external source, as a printer, then you should try calibration systems. If you want to color correct, them for video, forget it (although there is some stuff you can do with the colorbars and a blue filter (If you know what you're doing)...

[dakotapod]

Not looking for printer match per say. Printing is at the bottom of the calibration list. I just notice the colors and look is different from screen to screen. A fair difference. ??? If I have the same image open in each screen it looks completely different in each. I can adjust the screens to match each other but the question is… which one has the best color, contrast, gamma, etc? :-/ When looking at video or images from other people I have no idea if what I’m looking at is even close to what was created.

Plus, when I edit video, work in Photoshop, Illustrator or whatever - is what I see on screen all that correct? :-/

Was hoping some have used hardware based calibration and had either great or useless results.

[taubkin]

I am not very used to publishing, but here's my take:

To edit video, you have only one resource to say if your image is close to the signal and it's the colorbar. Using a Colorbar generator, being your camera or your NLE should bring up a reference NTSC Colorbar. If you could be so lucky and adjust your Monitor settings so the colorbar appears right, there you have it, you'd have a reference image. That should bring two problems: First, your monitor will not have all the necessary adjustments, and second, every other thing you'd do in your computer could look way off (as in graphics work). The only viable alternative to this, is using a reference NTSC monitor side-by-side to your computer's. Then you just adjust your computer monitors to look the same and get used to the difference.

Color Calibration tools will work for prints, or for CG work, but won't work as great for video, simply because the PC's CRT or LCD monitors function differently from a NTSC monitor, and will not be phisically able to emulate the other perfectly.

You could try to use a software NTSC monitor emulator as DVRack's and use that. It may work. But the definitive answer is: Get a Reference NTSC monitor.

[Bill_Bolton]

There is a device (forget who makes it) that suction cups to the corner of your screen and it adjusts the gamma to a standard level. Adobe used to have a gamma corrector program that was used for a similar purpose.

[HansK]

Here some articles on setting up a monitor by "eyeballing" it with colorbars:

http://www.cybercollege.com/montsetup.htm
http://www.wideopenwest.com/~wvg/color%20bar.htm

[dakotapod]

[quote author=Bill_Bolton link=board=Links;num=1099325581;start=0#4 date=11/02/04 at 15:59:40]There is a device (forget who makes it) that suction cups to the corner of your screen and it adjusts the gamma to a standard level. *Adobe used to have a gamma corrector program that was used for a similar purpose. [/quote]

Ya that’s the Color Vision Spyder I was referring to but I was unaware it had no use for editing video. :-/

taubkin

Thanks for the info - I will try you're suggestions


Hans - Thanks for the links! 8)