SOT: Calibration software?

smashguy37 wrote on 5/31/2009, 5:11 PM
I'm overdue for a monitor upgrade, but I'm trying to figure out how to get a better picture. I'm using an older Samsung 712n model -- I realize we're not talking a proper production monitor here, but hey. My graphic card is a Nvidia 9600GT and I ran it's "calibration" test and I got the colours to be a lot better with my videos....but everything else on the computer is too dark and crappy looking. I was wondering why my DV tapes looked so...bright and washed out, so I'm trying to figure this out.

Is there any freeware or anything that does a good job of balancing out my brightness, gamma, colours, etc.?

Comments

JohnnyRoy wrote on 5/31/2009, 9:04 PM
A software solution is only as good as your eyes. You really want a hardware solution. I have a Spyder 3 and it's dead easy to use. Just hang it over the monitor, invoke the software and run it. All of the calibration is automatic and it creates a color profile for your monitor to correct it and loads that profile every time your computer boots. It even supports dual monitors and it loads a separate profile into each.

~jr
Harold Brown wrote on 6/1/2009, 5:06 PM
JR..which version of the Spider 3 do you have, Pro or Elite?
Thanks
John_Cline wrote on 6/1/2009, 5:11 PM
I'm with JR on this one, the Spyder3 is money very well spent.
blink3times wrote on 6/1/2009, 5:30 PM
I think the word here is FREEWARE... or at least this is what the OP mentions.

I have since removed windows7 from my machine but if memory serves me correct there was some sort of calibration software included with windows7 within the control panel. Download the windows 7 RC and check it out.

Adobe also offers some calibration software. I believe it comes free with photoshop... but that was a while ago and they may have changed this.
John_Cline wrote on 6/1/2009, 7:37 PM
The OP said that he had tried the nVidia calibration utility, which is pretty much as good as any free software calibration method. The Spyder3 isn't free and isn't even particularly cheap, but it works wonders. I have about ten computer displays here, four of them the identical brand and model, two others are identical but a different manufacturer and the rest are various individual brands and models. Running the Spyder3 on them makes them all look absolutely identical.

I have always wondered why someone would spend all that money on decent cameras, computers, editing and graphics software and then view it all on an uncalibrated monitor. It makes no sense.
Jøran Toresen wrote on 6/1/2009, 8:18 PM
Which version of Spyder 3 do you use?

Jøran Toresen
John_Cline wrote on 6/1/2009, 10:10 PM
I have the Spyder3 Pro, but even the Spyder2Express, with a list price of $79, works quite well.