How do I calibrate my display ?

[calypsonick]

I just bought a laptop and noticed that a whole batch of photos that I had worked on my traditional desktop monitor were washed out when viewed on my laptop screen.

How do I know which calibration is correct ? Any hints out there ?

Thanks
Nick

 

[dbh]

I use Color Vision Spyder (which happens to be on sale)

Color Vision Spyder

 

[Scubatooth]

nick depending on the monitor screen, your laptops LCD may not be calibratable as it doenst have those controls, but check with the manufacture first to see if you can.

my rule of thumb is that on my laptop i only look at them for clearing the bad ones out and do the main editting on my computer at home that is calibrated and profilled

FWIW

Tooth

 

[Charlie99]

Try Adobe Gamma. It walks you through the steps to manually calibrate your monitor.

You might already have it on your system if you have installed Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.

 

[alcina]

A friend of mine uses his laptop all the time for photo work. I hate to work on photos on my laptop - depending on what angle the screen is on and the lightling in the room, the photos look totally different.

He's visiting next week and I am going to pick his brain on this issue and I'll let you know what I find out.

Just remember that you have to match your monitor AND your printer for it to make any difference for output if you are printing at home. If one is off it won't matter that the other is "right"

 

[PapaBob]

Everyone is giving you good advice. The Adobe Gamma routine is in your control panel if you have some version of Photoshop, as Charlie suggests. Personally, I could not get anything to work the way I wanted until I got a color management system. I bot the Monaco EZ Color. I have heard good things about the Color Vision Spyder. Unless you work photos only on one computer and will never print or share them (ever) then buy a colorimiter. It is worth every penny.

---Bob

 

[Charlie99]

Adobe Gamma was an easy way to get my monitor to match up with what comes out of the Fuji 350 and Fuji 370 printers that are common at 1 hour photo labs, drugstores, etc.

A google on Macbeth Color Chart should come up with a good test file to send to your printer / photo developer to compare hardcopy with what is on your monitor.

I printed the Macbeth Color Chart at several different drugstores and 1 hour photo shops. All but one were very close to another in color, so I just treat the local drugstore prints as the reference for all my color adjustments.

 

[PapaBob]

Adobe Gamma was an easy way to get my monitor to match up with what comes out of the Fuji 350 and Fuji 370 printers that are common at 1 hour photo labs, drugstores, etc.

A google on Macbeth Color Chart should come up with a good test file to send to your printer / photo developer to compare hardcopy with what is on your monitor.

I printed the Macbeth Color Chart at several different drugstores and 1 hour photo shops. All but one were very close to another in color, so I just treat the local drugstore prints as the reference for all my color adjustments.

Charlie:

That is a brilliant idea! What a great way to get your pinted output to match your adjustments. We have had a few discussions where people have complained that the pics on their screen did not match what their photo processor produced. Your method would save them a lot of headaches.

Nick:

Here are a couple of older threads that discuss monitor calibration issues. You might find something further of use in them. Try This One and This One

---Bob
Happy easter to all.

 

[calypsonick]

Thanks to all for your help!