Spyder 3 Elite or Pro?

[ianhyk]

Hi guys,

I'm thinking of colour calibrating my monitor for a colour managed workflow. I'm new to calibration, and know very little. I'm thinking of getting the spyder 3, but not sure if i should go for the extra software features of the elite or the pro would suffice?

Any can share any experiences with using the spyder 3, and whether it is better than the eye one stuff?

And another side question: after I do my first round of calibration, how do I check that the colour is accurate and that the calibration is really doing its job?

 

[btrenkel]

If you don't know - then usually the cheaper one is good enough.

And bet you - you can see the difference. After calibration, the software will show you the before and after. You need to be blind to not see it ;-)

 

[Headshotzx]

Interested to know too.

If you don't know - then usually the cheaper one is good enough.

And bet you - you can see the difference. After calibration, the software will show you the before and after. You need to be blind to not see it ;-)

Now I think twice about buying cheaper versions instead of better ones. When I got into photography, I didn't know that ƒ/2.8 was important till I really began to shoot, and now I have to work around it with a ƒ/4 lens (standard zoom). Same thing here. Cathay Photo has the pro version @ S$255 and Elite @ S$400 'special offer' prices.

I'm gonna get it next week. Either one.

 

[limwhow]

I use the Spyder 3 Pro and I got it as mentioned by Zexun (Headshotzx) from Cathay Photo.
I serves me well. I use it to calibrate my laptop and desktops (although by right the Spyder people would frown on that).
So far, one thing to TS, after calibrating, you got to expect a warmer, more orangey look on your monitor because that is what it is supposed to look.
I was initially a little taken aback, but the experts here in CS reassured me that it is correct.

 

[C.Lai]

I agree with limwhow's comments. After calibrating with the Spyder 3 Pro, my MBP 17" LED Screen is slightly warmer, with a slight yellow/orange tinge. I then repeated the calibration, and the numbers came out with the same consistency.
Calibrating a Dell I9400 cfl lcd screen also resulted in a slight yellow/orange tinge. I then checked the skin tones on a friend's web gallery, and they appeared normal. The Spyder 3 Pro is user friendly, and should serve your needs quite well.

 

[Xiao_shin]

I use the Spyder 3 Pro and I got it as mentioned by Zexun (Headshotzx) from Cathay Photo.
I serves me well. I use it to calibrate my laptop and desktops (although by right the Spyder people would frown on that).
So far, one thing to TS, after calibrating, you got to expect a warmer, more orangey look on your monitor because that is what it is supposed to look.
I was initially a little taken aback, but the experts here in CS reassured me that it is correct.

How can an orangy look be correct?

 

[EiRiK]

How can an orangy look be correct?

their displays were probably too blue before calibrating and they were used to tat.
their eyes are not used to the new colours.

 

[viix]

Most people set their monitors to 9k color temperature and that usually makes the white appears brighter.. for accurate profiling, the temp will be set to 6.5k and hence result in a warmer overall appearance from the norm. The temps gives an overall more accurate color rendition for most gamut workflow.

I purchased my spyder pro from henessy's mo last time and have been profiling with coloreyes display pro. After calibrating, I find the monitor less fatiguing to work on because the default profile on the LCD was too bright.

Do note that once you profile your display, you must use application that support color profiles to accurately display the colors.. Apps like safari, firefox & preview on OSX do but I'm not too sure about IE and picture gallery on windows. Of course then there are the usual photo apps like ps, aperture and lightroom that do support color management..

 

[Xiao_shin]

their displays were probably too blue before calibrating and they were used to tat.
their eyes are not used to the new colours.

You are just guessing? At the end of the calibration process, there is a "button" for you to toggle the before and after.. Not sure if it is a gimmick.. ha.

 

[viix]

You are just guessing? At the end of the calibration process, there is a "button" for you to toggle the before and after.. Not sure if it is a gimmick.. ha.

I believe TS meant some people have theirs defaulted to a cool white temperature and are not used to the calibrated warm white color..

And the before and after picture is just simulated. If you want to see the before and after, just load the monitor profiles pre and post calibration and you will notice the difference.

 

[limwhow]

How can an orangy look be correct?

Hi Xiao_shin, that is a very good question you have raised.
According to industrial standard, yes, the warmer colour is the correct one.
If you do lots of self printing at home, set it to 6500K.
But if you send your photos for industrial printing, set it to a warmer 5000K.
I have given you the link to a detail discussion with the industrial expert:

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=528172

The original 9K setting on most screens are not accurate. Therefore once again, do not worry if Spyder gives us a warmer output. It takes a little bit of getting used to.

 

[SeAnCoLd]

The lighting of the room your monitor is in affects your perception of your monitors output too. Try a 6500K lamp. Its pretty affordable

 

[vocalmind]

The lighting of the room your monitor is in affects your perception of your monitors output too. Try a 6500K lamp. Its pretty affordable

brand and model bro?

 

[SeAnCoLd]

brand and model bro?

Erm... Any popular brands will do. Just make sure its 6500K. I'm using Osram bought at NTUC fairprice xtra. By the way, you can simply change the light tubes in your room. Much cheaper than buying a separate lamp, although hardcore enthusiasts recommend only a small light source near the monitor. Google for it. You'll find much information on this.

 

[Xiao_shin]

"Daylight" fl tube should be 6500K.

I always calibrated with 6500k profile for my monitor.

 

[Michael]

any comments on Color Munki versus Spyder?

 

[ianhyk]

Thanks guys for all the info and advice!

 

[lsisaxon]

any comments on Color Munki versus Spyder?

Expensive.. ;p But it's because it's spectrometer based.

 

[andeelym]

I have another monitor connected to my notebook. And i want to use spyder to calibrate both. Which version should I use so that my 2 different displays will keep their calibrated settings?

 

[viix]

I have another monitor connected to my notebook. And i want to use spyder to calibrate both. Which version should I use so that my 2 different displays will keep their calibrated settings?

All calibration software should be able to calibrate as many monitor as your graphic card can support..
Not sure how it works on the windows, on OSX you generate a profile for each monitor, shifting the application window and the calibration device.. then apply the monitor profile to each monitor in the preference..

That's where I realise even the ACD's IPS panel overtime also have different color that requires monthly calibration.