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View Full Version : Setting up a CC Monitor, should I use a hardware Calibrator?

leehenshall
07-05-2011, 05:31 PM
At work I have the privilege of using a 30 Inch NEC SpectraView 301 LCD Monitor. It was purchased so that I would have high quality and accurate display feedback when creating work for clients.

I love the monitor but I have absolutely no clue how to make it colour correct to an industry standard or even if such a strict standard exists. When I first turned the monitor on everything seemed very very dark and faded by default, I checked using the hardware menus and it's set to Adobe sRGB which is industry standard according to my best understanding.

As a temporary solution I have cranked the brightness way up to 400cd/m2 which makes everything look pretty normal but it is now flashing as if I should not have it that high.

I have read through the manual and instructions, but to be perfectly honest it's sorta going over my head and I don't have much time to teach my self how to manually calibrate a monitor at work.

The SpectraView Profiler software provided offers many differrent ways of colour correcting including "Software Calibration (Video LUTs)" which I don't understand and then all the other options point towards using a hardware calibration sensor (Not provided) which does seem quite appealing and it's looking quite likely that we will buy one.

Before I ask work to buy one though, I would like to ask if anybody out there has any experience or advice they would like to share on this subject and or whether a hardware sensor is the right way to go.

Cheers

Lee
Srek
07-05-2011, 08:17 PM
Get a calibration device if you want correct colors, everything else won't work.
I use this one
http://spyder.datacolor.com/product-mc-s3pro.php
cgbeige
07-06-2011, 01:28 AM
I have two spectraviews and you get a hw calibrator with it already. It's a customized i1 calibrator that works with the spectraview software/hardware. Don't buy a different calibrator for that monitor or it wont work with the awesome software, which you can use to match two two different screens

Generally, calibration only matters if you have a specific goal in mind. I use sRGB with a 6500k white point and 180cd because it's comfortable but when doing stuff intended for press, I use the much darker Print preset because it's more accurate for that. Calibration is overrated if you're just doing stuff for Web since not everyone is going to be matched but the difference is far less than it used to be with CRT screens, which were all over the map.
Srek
07-06-2011, 06:03 AM
I didn't know the spectraview came with a colorimeter, in this case forget what i wrote and do as cgbeige wrote :)
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