Thread: laptop calibration?

i tried the spyder2express and it did a terrible job, have any of you had any success calibrating your laptop monitors?

Originally Posted by grapedrink

i tried the spyder2express and it did a terrible job, have any of you had any success calibrating your laptop monitors?

LCDs often offer less control over the key parameters for calibration.

in my experience, the monaco optix xr (not sure what the current model is) does a better job than the spyder tool.

If you're serious about color, buy a seperate monitor and hook it up to the laptop and calibrate that. Don't expect precise color from a laptop, unless you bolt it to the desk, set it up, and don't screw with it. Maybe. But, then, why? A more serious tool is a good high end monitor (the Apple 20 inch is OK) hooked up and calibrated to a desktop. At least once a week.

Buy a good flatscreen CRT Monitor if you're really critical of your monitor, because they have a FAR greater contrast ratio than any LCD (which is what your laptop is.)

it's the monitor, not the spyder

Originally Posted by cj001f

it's the monitor, not the spyder

yes, but a certain degree of calibration can be performed with some LCDs (and some laptops).

of course, as soon as you move the laptop to another environment, the calibration (whatever could be performed) is meaningless....but that's every bit as true if someone has a CRT monitor in a room that gets natural light during part of the day and has a user with lights on/off. par for the course.

the monaco tools (in my experience) have been better than the spyder (the one timei used the spyder).

it IS possible to improve upon what he's got -- and you're right, the monitor is likely the key limitation for the O.P. than the spyder.

the spyder gave the display a slightly reddish hue and was clearly inaccurate. i just want something that will give me an accurately calibrated display, i don't mind having to re-calibrate everytime i'm working on photos..

<shrugs> I've had no problems with my Spyder2 "Suite", hence my comments on the monitor. Buy a Monaco if the Spyder isn't working. Or you could change the environment, try it again, or any of a number of other things to see if it's really working.

Originally Posted by upallnight

of course, as soon as you move the laptop to another environment, the calibration (whatever could be performed) is meaningless....but that's every bit as true if someone has a CRT monitor in a room that gets natural light during part of the day and has a user with lights on/off. par for the course.

This is why retouchers work in windowless, grey to black rooms.

I haven't purchased a new monitor in 5 years (just what came on the laptop). I know my LCD sucks.

But nobody makes aperture grille CRTs anymore!

So are high contrast ratio LCDs the way to go for editing now?