I photoshopped a few photos, the color look slightly different between my laptop, monitor and iphone.
I know there is a device spyder to calibrate monitor. However I am just hobbyist and photos are not sending for prints. Is there other ways to sync color across device?
Today, there's a variety of monitors are out there like CRTs, LCDs, LED, OLED..etc. each has reproduction traits unique to manufacturer, screen type, finishing..etc.
Even without a calibrating tool, your monitor may come with a CD that has on-screen color calibration and even Windows or Mac themselves has some basic color adjustment s/w built-in. They allow you to adjust color saturation, contrast level and brightness etc. Just using general adjustment alone, you can get color calibrated to quite an acceptable level. Don't get too concern that colors will be so far off that you really need to spend money buying a calibration too especially if you are not making prints often or professionally. Know who you are showing those photos to in the first place. Imagine your photos on Facebook or Flickr eg... how to control other people's monitor viewing your photos sites? Also your color is base on a monitor set to Adobe RGB or sRGB? You choose either setting depending one what color space you shot in. That will influence how big a range of colors you see on your screen.
Modern monitors are not so bad till all of them exhibit weird color reproduction and require calibrating out of the box. Example like slight color tint between notebook vs monitor is expected, image look more punchy on a glossy screen compared to matte or semi-matte screen, limited color adjustment on your smartphone's screen, screen has an inherent warmer or cooler pitch..etc For sure there will be minor different even if it you spend a long time adjusting. How far you willing to go to keep perfect color and tone control over your devices? Not like you going to show off your work on the phone, screen and notebook all at the same time that people will notice right?
I do digital graphic design work for decades and in more then half the time, I did not own or use a screen calibration device. I rely on professional color separator to produce proofs for my review if I need to. Presently have for the last 6 years a Dell 30" that came calibrated which I still had to make minor adjustment base on my room ambient and angle of using the screen and set to Adobe RGB. ( too bad for my friends who view my photos online with a sRGB set monitor as they see only a limited range of color then what i see and shot) And the colors are fine as I also use my own eyes to help me make color adjustment.
Only photographic pixel peepers will be yakking about die die any good photographer own it to themselves to have one blah bla blah heh. Just use the basic screen calibration that comes with your monitor driver if it has one or use window/mac's generic own and you should be fine most of the time. Contrary to popular belief, a lot of people has survive not have a calibration tool. I have seen people who own calibration devices and still got some really weird color. Why? They are lousy at color editing, so when they tweak they make green look funny or they add too much blue to the sky..etc. some people are just bad at looking at colors and over do editing it. But that also is their taste lah.
Compare to buing a calibrating device? I rather buy a reasonably reputable monitor that has good review for good color rendering, popular with people who do photo editing work at entry to mid level price point..etc.
