Monitor Calibration in Leopard

Hi all - thought my experiences here might be of interest to some as I'm pretty much stuck here a bit till I get a reliable monitor calibration.

For a year now I've been using the little Huey Pro on my macs - G4 and then my new MacBook Pro. To make a long story short my MBP has crashed and gone in for repair 2X as it developed a dark screen that made my desktop inaccessible. On booting from another HD during two separate repairs my mac guy thinks it is not a hardware video card issue but that the Huey Pro was crashing my MBP running Tiger 10.4.11. I'm not sure but he is a certified repair-guy and I can't risk using the Huey now so it is relegated to other macs and is working perfectly on our other two old mac G4s.

I always liked the profiles I got from the Huey on my Apple 20" Cinema display and it matched my Epson r1800 prints almost exactly (except for those tough cyans that the printer can produce but the monitor cannot).

So two days ago I got the newer Spyder 3 Pro and worked with it on my MBP that was recently upgraded to Leopard 10.5.2. I got the Spyder 3 instead of the Xrite Eye Display 2 because supposedly the Spyder 3 was Leopard compatible and the Xrite Eye One is not supported for Leopard. The Spyder did seem to work on and off and even loaded at startup (sometimes...???) but despite trying different calibrations and settings - calibrating in a dark room, etc. the Spyder's calibration was really flat and dull, especially in the cyans.

I thought my previous Huey profiles (that also matched my Epson r1800 BTW) may have been faulty and "overcooked" and maybe the Spyder profile was correct and I've been editing my pics too "dull". But then I checked out Eric's manatee pics and his looked quite dull on my Apple Cinema monitor with the new Spyder 3 profile so I thought maybe its not my pics but the new Spyder profile in Leopard?

As said I tried all different temps and gamma, etc with the Spyder 3 and still got flat and dull profiles generally and really poor in the unusual cyans that are so common in the Florida springs.

I'm going to return the Spyder 3 as it might just be defective and I've got the Eye One Display 2 coming. I'll try that now and I hope it is compatible with Leopard. I've heard mixed things on it, some people have problems some don't.....

I'll let those who are interested know how the Eye One works for me - hope it does as I miss trusting my monitor.......

Any suggestions appreciated......

Thanks a lot, Carol

My 15" MBP (latest model) works ok for color. Maybe this can be of help..

Cor

Thank you for posting your experiences with monitor calibration. I just switched back to a mac and I need to calibrate too. I am looking forward to your insights on which hardware to use.

-Jim

Carol,

Can you locate the previous profiles in your user Library / Color Synch , or have they been overwritten?

Carol,

Can you locate the previous profiles in your user Library / Color Synch , or have they been overwritten?

Jeff, do you mean the previous Huey profiles that were accurate (I think?). Nope we trashed all those while we were booted from an external drive to get the mac able to display its screen again and also my cinema display - we deleted all the Huey stuff and I uninstalled it as my apple tech guy said that was the problem (he thinks).

We also did a clean erase and install of leopard, etc. Now I just have the basic apple cinema display calibration profiles which is better than nothing but not by much. The Spyder 3 calibration after leopard - as I said - there was something wrong with it, dull, flat, lacking contrast and saturation in a big way, not just a little.

Thanks for all the advice so far, I'll investigate and let you all know which calibration pgm I end up with. Jeff, I'll be in touch....

Thanks tons, Carol

PS - If I sound a little confused, even my Apple repair tech was confused and it took lots of time to bring the screen of this MBP and also its ability to run my cinema display back (for the second time - this also happened in December). He said it was tough and a strange problem so its not just me who was confused.....

Update -

I've decided to give Xrite's new Color Munki a go also, just ordered it. EEK!, it is 2X the price of the Xrite Eye One Display but there are videos on YouTube that show the Color Munki monitor process and the printer calibration process. Looks interesting....

Best thing about Color Munki is it is officially supported for Mac Leopard with their new update.

It is one of the only color mgmt softwares (at this moment in time) that I could find that is definitely supported if running leopard. Also it has a lot of interesting and illuminating bits and data for someone relatively new to color mgmt (like me). And it is much less $$$ than Xrite's more professional series of Eye One products that aren't supported for leopard (at this moment - but I'm sure that will change.....)

I'll find out as soon as CM arrives next week.

Carol

But then I checked out Eric's manatee pics and his looked quite dull on my Apple Cinema monitor with the new Spyder 3 profile so I thought maybe its not my pics but the new Spyder profile in Leopard?

Maybe my image was just dull and lifeless?

Calibration is a pain, and you should read a bunch of reviews to see which one the people out on the interwebs like the best.

I read this old review before I bought my Monaco Optix XR Pro:

http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/monitor...ation_tools.htm

It seems to work fine on my Mac Pro / Dell 30" display, but it is a few years old and probably needs to be refreshed. I look forward to reading about your experiences with the new Monaco solution!

Uh, has anyone out there been able to decipher the Xrite product list? I gave up.

Pretty confusing to say the least; hard to make head or tail of which is the most appropriate for my purposes. The ColorMunki looks almost too simple and easy to be true.

The Farnsworth Munsell test is pretty cool though. What's your score? I was a 4

http://www.colormunki.com/article/hue_test

I read this old review before I bought my Monaco Optix XR Pro:

http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/monitor...ation_tools.htm

 

It seems to work fine on my Mac Pro / Dell 30" display, but it is a few years old and probably needs to be refreshed. I look forward to reading about your experiences with the new Monaco solution!

That's funny Eric cause when I was at a photo seminar, early in 2003 I got a "prize" copy of Monaco Optix - just the monitor calibration pgm w/device. It was pretty expensive then. So "been there done that"..... ..., but maybe not exactly the same as yours.)

My G4/old Cinema Display was new then and when I took an u/w photo course in Key Largo the instructors told me my laptop profile with Monaco was really, really awful (and it was it was green & ?, etc.). I actually read after that there were some of the Monaco hardware devices that were defective and read colors incorrectly. I still have it but gave up on it - probably should have sent it in for replacement but its been years now....?

I know it is a pain to calibrate, but it must work somehow? I was really happy with the small and simple Huey and the results till the apple tech swore it crashed my system twice - so what is a gal to do????

I wanted to like the Spyder 3 - maybe there was a new driver I didn't locate on their site for Leopard? Possibly, I wouldn't write Spy3 off as I know it is a good product - but I sent it back already. The profiles really weren't right at all that I got despite lots of different settings, etc.

I actually think the ColorMunki has the most "future", even though I've read the software may be a bit buggy currently. Supposedly CM will be bundled with some large-format printers in the near future and it is the pretty much the only one that Xrite has the guts to say is Leopard compatible and will be officially supported in the future. But again their product list is pretty much still greek to me.

I just want something to work reliably. I'm really not involved in this just because I can't think of anything else to do..... Carol

The Farnsworth Munsell test is pretty cool though. What's your score? I was a 4

http://www.colormunki.com/article/hue_test

I also scored a 4. I spent only a few minutes on the test but don't know how much the results might have changed with more time (if any at all).

OK guys, a quick color test for me too, I'd estimate about 3 to 5 minutes (it should be timed though).......

Figured no one would believe it so here it is (and my husband wouldn't even help me - he said that would be "cheating" and continued to watch Jessica Alba in "Into the Blue...."

And you wonder why I bellyache about colors?? I guess I see a lot of them.... B) But I did XXXs over the age range.......

Here is the header for the "test" we are all taking on a Saturday night........! (Actually my husband probably sees colors better than us all by refusing to help with the test and continuing to watch Jessica Alba...... )

Cheers, Carol

Took the test again, this time sober with all windows closed and the test window centered on my monitor. This time the test took 8 minutes:

Yes sober, and on the Eizo, made a difference

Good Guys - I'm proud of you! Yes, I'm sure "sober" helps...... I was sober but was very distracted watching TV and talking to my husband at the same time I did the test....... I'd probably do a little better myself too - concentrating.....

But you know there is another, larger 15 minute test?

I haven't taken it yet.......

Carol

Concise Summary of calibration software I've tried (aka "color-calibration soap opera")

1) Monaco OPTIX - Early 2004. Won this device at a photo seminar. Downloaded up-to-date everything, calibrated repeatedly. Was told by photo professionals in 2005 my monitor profile was terrible. Gave up on it. (Probably should have returned the device as I read some of these spectrometers were hardware-defective).

1A) Interim - color calibration shy - just tried to get by with Apple Cinema Display monitor and various Adobe sRGB-like profiles and adjusting printer as best I could. Of course this didn't work well either.

2) Huey Pro - Aug 2007 - purchased Huey Pro after review in an Apple publication I think. I loved it. So simple and profiled all my monitors great - plus my monitor then matched my Epson r1800 prints quite well. Simple but seemed accurate. Worked well on Mac G4s. Unfortunately Apple Tech repairman says it crashed my Intel MacBook Pro running 10.4.11 2X necessitating professional repair - no idea why and my tech even contacted Xrite tech support. Also Huey Pro not officially supported for my current OS 10.5.2. Huey is currently working great with our two Mac G4s.

3) Spyder 3 Pro - Apr 2008 - Seems like a good product. But I couldn't get it to give me a good monitor profile despite everything I did. Profiles were flat and lacking contrast in a big way and some colors were very off. Sent it back right away so I could get a refund. Maybe it isn't fully compatible with Intel Macs running Leopard 10.5.2?

4) ColorMunki - I've started a new thread on this device. I so want this to work but.....?

Thread: http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...mp;#entry168217

Optional: I've also ordered Xrite Eye One Display 2 but not opened the box. I want to send it back unopened if ColorMunki works. I have heard great things about the Eye One but I'm concerned as again Xrite says it isn't officially supported for Leopard and I wonder if that device has any future? It is expensive at almost $200 if it isn't going to be supported in the future by Xrite.

I tried to be methodical as I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea about these fine products. Others have gotten them to work and why I've had trouble is beyond me.......

I have a Spyder 2 Pro, and it's been working fine for many years. It has calibrated my 2 Dell screens great, on XP, Vista and OSX 10.5.2. It also did fine on my Sony Vaio laptop (XP), and Julie X60 thinkpad laptop (XP). On the MBP screen, it has probably actually overdone it a bit. Im going to redo it and try and get it a bit duller. I think thats part of it being one of those bright screens.

But when you work on a laptop, you have to remember you are working with a crippled tool. Laptop screens generally can not even come close to displaying the full color gamut of even sRGB. I try to avoid using a laptop screen for important editing for this reason. Larger LCD panels like my 24" Dell screens can get pretty much the full sRGB color gamut, and are much better suited to color editting. Even better would be a pro CRT monitor, but who wants that these days

You can also try to use existing profiles. Try this one.

Cor

Oh, I never, ever, ever use my laptop MBP screen for any serious photo editing........! And I don't ever much care what the MBP laptop screen looks like as I don't use it very much because again as said it can't be trusted for reliable editing, etc. I just want the MBP screen in the ballpark for photo viewing and sorting on the road..... At home I keep the MBP closed most of the time.

Perhaps some don't understand that the 20" widescreen Apple Cinema Display that I'm really trying to calibrate that is run off my MacBook Pro is considered to some to be a professional quality monitor - but it is probably a notch below the truly professional ones like the Ezios, certain LaCies, etc. - (and below the CRT pro ones - but as said anymore CRT isn't a popular choice...). But the ACD is a fine quality display and doesn't need that much calibration. But with our underwater photos, I find the areas where my ACD needs the most corrections just happen to show up a lot and make a whole lot of difference in viewing underwater photos.

Leopard (and Vista now I hear) have trouble with some color calibration programs. That is why there are very few devices out there that are officially supported right now for Mac OS 10.5 - Leopard on the Intel Macs. So it is important if investing $$ in calibration programs currently to take that into account. Spyder 3 Pro supposedly is compatible but I didn't have any luck with it. Xrite's ColorMunki is supported also - both for Leopard and Windows Vista and their tech support is excellent and I have what I think is a pretty good profile for my Cinema Display (but I have confirm); and I'll be doing a printer profile soon and post the results in my ColorMunki journal here:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=24369