Monitor Calibration Tool for Color Accuracy

I’m excited to talk about the Datacolor^® Spyder^®5PRO with you, it is a great monitor calibration tool that every photographer needs.

I bought my first Spyder at WPPI a few years ago when I edited on two monitors, before I bought my current desktop. Not calibrating your monitor is similar to looking at a photo on your iPhone but you dimmed the screen – you aren’t sure if it’s dark or if you need to lighten it.

Reasons you should calibrate your monitor

• Monitors don’t come calibrated from the factory and monitor colors and brightness can shift over time.
• Have you ever accidentally adjusted your monitor brightness or colors and completely messed it up? Eek!
• You can’t trust your eyes – the time of day and how much light is in the room can affect colors.
• Calibrating helps ensure what you see is what you and your clients get, saving editing time.
• As a pro photographer, the way we process our images is a part of our branding and style.
• You will never have to second guess your editing – what you see is what you will get.

Have you ever edited an image, sent it to be printed, and the image colors looked different? I had an order come back with a slight green hint so I had to re-edit, and resubmit the order which cost me time and money. I do place orders and see every print before I send it to my client to ensure images are perfect and consistent to my branding.

Keep in mind some public photo labs can be inconsistent with their quality which is why serious or professional photographers should consider finding the right lab to work with.

5 easy steps

1. Leave monitor on for at least 30 minutes to warm up
2. Install software
3. Plug in USB
4. Hang on monitor
5. Calibrate (takes less than 5 minutes)

The Datacolor^® Spyder^®5 can be used for laptop, dual monitors, and desktops.

There are three versions of the Spyder5 – EXPRESS, PRO and ELITE, starting at $129 for EXPRESS and up to $279 for ELITE. I used the PRO priced at $189 and it is ideal for photographers and creative professionals who want color accuracy.

Personal tip: When you first calibrate you may be surprised and have to give yourself time to adjust to the recommended results.  Keep in mind your eyes are used to a certain “white” on your screen.  I calibrated about half a dozen times only to get the same result (you don’t need to do this, I just had a hard time accepting it) and in shock that my monitor calibration was so off! Now, after an hour of working on my calibrated monitor, my eyes have adjusted and I can see exactly why I needed the the Spyder!

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Datacolor®. The opinions and text are all mine.