Calibration software

[Cavy2]

Can anyone recommend an easy package?
Thanks,
Kathy

[paradise]

kathy, I still use the original Spyder. Works fine.

[alanhill]

I use MonacoOPTIXPro. It's a bit of a hassle the first time you use it - which is probably true of all these systems - but I wouldn't be without it.

Alan

[PaulB]

Has anyone used / can recommend the ColorVision Spyder2 Express Monitor calibration kit. Can it be used to calibrate more than one monitor or is it a single user license and is it worth the expense?

[Dracofish]

Guess I'm still in the dark ages. I've never used anything besides the Adobe Gamma software that came with my computer and I've never had any issues with my prints being off color whether I'm printing at home, at a store kiosk, or even with online printhouses like Mpix. :)

[paradise]

Melissa, it depends on your monitor, too. I have not used the spyder in a while, and went back to the default settings on my LCD, and it works great. The prints are dead on. The older monitors, specially CRTs really needed adjustment.

And it's not even just color, brightness and contrast are also important. I used to have this problem, and I see others have it too. The monitors are not bright enough, so some of the edits people do, look great to them, then show up like crazy on other monitors. I still check myself by doing a curve adjustment layer on almost any image I process.

[Dracofish]

My monitor is a CRT at least 5 years old (I soooo need a new computer because mine can't even support the XP serivce pack 2 so I can't even upgrade to CS3). I definately have calibrated it to have brightness higher than that of other uncalibrated ones. Like when I look at my stuff at work (or anyone else's) it's waaaay dark. But, with just the Adobe Gamma and my ancient monitor, my prints are dead-on. The best test for me was when I used Mpix for the first time and checked the selection box for them to not color-check the file but to rather print it as is.