Do you really need to calibrate a new Macbook Pro?

[dolina]

I recently bought a new 13-inch Macbook Pro which has LED backlight. I would like to know whether I should calibrate the screen using a hardware color calibrator like a Spyder 3 Pro?

Or should I leave it alone because all the Macs in the stores all look the same thus I assume are already calibrated.

Please give me the pros and cons of calibration. If I do not calibrate will this mean inconsistent colors if I plan to print photos in the future? If I do calibrate does it mean I am serious about consistent work and correct colors?

 

[wdEvA]

it's always good to calibrate it if you have the hardware to do so.
Factory calibration is only calibrated to the environment in the factory. which will differ in the environment that you are using it.
by just calibrating the screen alone, you will not get consistent colors in your print, unless you calibrate the printer as well, using the sypder3 suite.

 

[Octarine]

Or should I leave it alone because all the Macs in the stores all look the same thus I assume are already calibrated.

Logically speaking: all of them can be wrong in the same way. Still you would get the same impression in the shop. Apple is not free of faults, despite all attempts of their marketing department. Finally, they only use hardware components that are also used for other brands and products. All displays need calibration, the Apple logo doesn't change this.

Please give me the pros and cons of calibration. If I do not calibrate will this mean inconsistent colors if I plan to print photos in the future? If I do calibrate does it mean I am serious about consistent work and correct colors?

Can't think of any cons. It's the very basic thing to do if you plan to adjust colours. No point doing anything as long as you are not 100% sure that the display shows exactly what is coded in the file.

 

[erichen]

If you can then calibrate as for me it seem the screen color a bit on the cool side.

 

[K S Kong]

calibrating the computer screen is like setting white balance in the camera, it is very important, if not you are unable to adjust the colour right for any thing. If you changing the environment or lighting near you work station you also need to redo the calibration.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/kskong/

 

[night86mare]

yes, you should calibrate your laptop.

 

[Agetan]

First of all, yes you should calibrate your laptop.

Second, don't expect the MacBook pro has good enough screen for color accuracy retouching, for most laptop, they are build for portable use.

Ok, you could get an good monitor that hook up to your mbp and use it for more accurate color profiling.

Depending your usage and how critical u want to be, a calibration on a good monitor from a good graphic card is essential if u want to control your output.

If u don't print it yourself, build a relationship with your lab and work with them to get what you want.

If u r printing them yourself, printer calibration is also required.

Hart

 

[theRBK]

Mac screens are by default set at a gamma of 1.8, whereas there is a move towards a gamma of 2.2 in consumer and even pro colour management... so if you want to have a greater chance of colour consistency between machines and in reproduction in prints, profiling the screen to a gamma of 2.2 is probably a good idea...

besides, LCD screens are normally produced biased towards a gamma near 2.2, and it is probably a good idea to stick nearer to the screen's native gamma rather than pushing it, which might create the possibility of image degradation like banding... YMMV

 

[microcosm]

Yes you MUST calibrate if you are doing any serious color work.

Macs are primarily "factory set" for designing and layout work, not for serious colorists' work. While the Macs feature some of the better (not the best) screens in the market, their ColorMatch drivers for their colors aren't.

Look into EyeOne or any semi-pro/pro level calibration device/system, do it once and you will see quite a big difference.

 

[sfoto100]

Mac screens are by default set at a gamma of 1.8, whereas there is a move towards a gamma of 2.2 in consumer and even pro colour management... so if you want to have a greater chance of colour consistency between machines and in reproduction in prints, profiling the screen to a gamma of 2.2 is probably a good idea...

besides, LCD screens are normally produced biased towards a gamma near 2.2, and it is probably a good idea to stick nearer to the screen's native gamma rather than pushing it, which might create the possibility of image degradation like banding... YMMV

hi

i thought now even mac is using gamma 2.2? 1.8 is in the olden days...

 

[theRBK]

hi

i thought now even mac is using gamma 2.2? 1.8 is in the olden days...

my bad, I just checked up, and even the fruit company has shifted to 2.2 after all since Snow Leopard late last year... better late than never... but still a good idea to check that the relevant equipment has been profiled to a gamma of 2.2, and to do your own profiling rather than depend on the from-manufacturer settings if colour is a priority...

 

[sfoto100]

my bad, I just checked up, and even the fruit company has shifted to 2.2 after all since Snow Leopard late last year... better late than never... but still a good idea to check that the relevant equipment has been profiled to a gamma of 2.2, and to do your own profiling rather than depend on the from-manufacturer settings if colour is a priority...

ya .. i think at least for mundane ppl it is not so confusing now...

i was stunned when i read Michael Freeman's book and he mentioned mac need to calibrate to gamma 1.8... then i thought it will mean u need to specify when u upload your pics... "hey, pls use a gamma 1.8 monitor to view hor"... haha...

anyway, there is a technical reason behind all these 1.8 2.2 stuf... which i have read and now forgotten...

 

[undergrd]

Just want to ask, do I need to calibrate my monitor everytime I do editing work? I mean if I do editing work in the living room, I calibrate it. Next day I do editing work in my room with different lighting condition, do I need to calibrate it again to suit the room condition?

 

[theRBK]

Just want to ask, do I need to calibrate my monitor everytime I do editing work? I mean if I do editing work in the living room, I calibrate it. Next day I do editing work in my room with different lighting condition, do I need to calibrate it again to suit the room condition?

if you are using the computer in different lighting conditions and want to be colour correct in every lighting condition, yes, you would need different monitor profiles for each lighting condition... if your colour profiling solution allows you to keep seperate profiles and then load them manually as and when you require it, you can just switch between profiles when you switch locations... or you can just do basic corrections in various locations and only do final colour corrections from one location... YMMV

and of course, over time, each profile should be re-done to maintain accuracy...