OT: Monitor Calibration, Pantone Spider & Cinema Display

VM
Posted By
victor_maldonado
Apr 18, 2004
Views
437
Replies
16
Status
Closed
Hello, Beautiful Photoshop People 🙂

Are any of you using the Pantone Spider < http://www.pantone.com/products/products.asp?idArticle=542&a mp;idArea=2&idSubArea=0> on an Apple Cinema Display? What do think of it? I’m thinking of buying it. I use Photoshop for photography among other things.

Thanx 🙂

love & peace,
victor 🙂
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calibrate cinema display monitor pantone

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R
Ram
Apr 18, 2004
Victor,

You really threw me off with the title of your post.

The calibration device is called the Spyder, not "Spider" and it’s manufactured and marketed by ColorVision, not Pantone.

<http://www.colorvision.com/profis/profis_view.jsp?id=101>

It looks like Pantone is merely reselling it just like other mail-order retailers do.

In any event, I have been using the Spyder for a time now, but not on LCD monitors because I have none, only on a CRT which is now my second monitor. The one I use now but bought later came with its own calibrator hardware and software. I can vouch for the fact that the Spyder performs very well for its price. Certainly the EyeOne and the Monaco device perform even better but are more expensive.

If you do get a Spyder, I recommend you don’t get the bundle your link points to, as that one comes with the PhotoCal software and you really want to go with the higher-end OptiCal software from the same developer. Bundles of the Spyder and OptiCal are also available at a higher price. OptiCal is worth it.

Before buying one, see if you are satisfied with SuperCal (shareware, free download).

<http://www.bergdesign.com/supercal/>
VM
victor_maldonado
Apr 18, 2004
thank you Ramón 🙂

Sorry for the mixup.

If you do get a Spyder, I recommend you don’t get the bundle your link points to, as that one comes with the PhotoCal software and you really want to go with the higher-end OptiCal software from the same developer. Bundles of the Spyder and OptiCal are also available at a higher price. OptiCal is worth it.

Ok. I will look into this and thank you for the links 🙂

love & peace,
victor 🙂
R
Ram
Apr 18, 2004
No need to apologize at all, Victor. If it hadn’t been because the "mix-up" caught my attention, I might have skipped your post because of the "Cinema Display" issue, as I don’t use LCD monitors. 😀
IL
Ian_Lyons
Apr 18, 2004
Victor,

For LCD’s I find that the Spyder doesn’t compare well with more recently introduced products, e.g. Monaco Systems – OPTIX XR or XR Pro and Gretag Macbeth i1 Display

At this time OPTIX XR Pro is the class leader

<http://www.monacosystems.com>

<http://www.i1color.com>
VM
victor_maldonado
Apr 18, 2004
Hey, hey, Ian 🙂

At this time OPTIX XR Pro is the class leader

Thank you for your input.

I guess I’m just going to bite the bullet and invest in a good calibrator. I thank you Ian and Ramón for your help 🙂 many happy returns 🙂

love & peace,
victor 🙂
R
Ram
Apr 18, 2004
Try SuperCal first, Victor. You can get it from the link above and it won’t cost you a penny if you don’t find it suitable.
VM
victor_maldonado
Apr 18, 2004
OK, 🙂
C
CygnusX1
Apr 19, 2004
Have you had any contract proofs generated so you can compare it to the file when it’s open on your LCD ?
And by Cinema Display you do mean the 20" or 23". Personally I did this and felt the purchase of these Spyder devices to be a waste of time.

Have a graphics house generate some proofs (CMYK) and match them to your LCD before any calibration, and determine from there if you really need one.

Sorry, but I’m not much of a fan of these devices and a handful of providers in my area felt they wasted their $$.
TL
Tim_Lookingbill
Apr 19, 2004
Cygnus,

Thanks for that input on the puck calibration packages. I’ve been eyeing those on eBay for a bargain so I could try them out. I have my doubts as you do.

I use SuperCal and preview the PhotoDisc target file to check display accuracey in PS.

I was thumbing through a digicam/imaging book at my local bookstore reading the CM section touting these pucks and they happen to show the AdobeRGB tagged PDI file in two different chapters of the book. To my surprise they both looked different not only in reference to my display but between each other in the book.

In fact the PDI file looked downright ugly in that book while the rest of the photos were very professional looking. I’m sure they used CM in their workflow. It was printed on high quality paper and they devote a huge section on the subject.

The thing I’ve been concerned about in reference to this CMed PDI file is the PS default RGB to US Prepress CMYK conversion of it. I get a heavy generation of yellow in pale fleshtones that don’t show up on my display unless you use Proof View using Paper White and Black ink selected in the Proof View Setup.

The old Colormatch CMYK profile that comes on old Mac Classic OS cd’s knocks the yellow back some without sacrificing to much of the other saturated warm colors in the color charts.
VM
victor_maldonado
Apr 19, 2004
Hello, CygnusX1 🙂

And by Cinema Display you do mean the 20" or 23".

I have a 22" Apple Cinema Display which had it’s lcd replaced about a week ago so it like brand new. Unless I’m editing I run it at half brightness.

Have a graphics house generate some proofs (CMYK) and match them to your LCD before any calibration, and determine from there if you really need one.

Sorry for the stupid question but do I purchase these proofs at any graphics house? I live near Hollywood, California.

I really only need my monitor calibrated for photography purposes and this only for skin tones. Every thing else I do I use broadcast scopes for television work.

Thank you for your input. I now have a little more to consider.

love & peace,
victor 🙂
C
CygnusX1
Apr 20, 2004
Sorry for the stupid question but do I purchase these proofs at any graphics house?

Not stupid at all. Basically what I did was this:

I downloaded an image that was created
with excellent color adjustments and various color subjects. I then converted it to CMYK using the U.S prepress defaults setting in Photoshop. (incidentally I use the ColorMatch RGB as my RGB colorspace, not Adobe RGB).

I also got some RGB images I scanned/adjusted and converted to CMYK.

I then saved the images (now CMYK) as Photoshop eps files (TIFF is fine too) and sent them out to a provider/graphics house that prints out what are known as contract proofs(Kodak digital proofs).

When I got them back, I compared the "proofs" to how the images looked on my monitor. To my amazement it was so close except for some truly minute color hues on some fleshtones (more yellow on screen, but ever so little) that I now know that what I see on my LCD is what I can expect in print. The great reward was that I "eye ball" calibrated my LCD & CRT in controlled ambient lighting conditions, and not with theseover priced spyders etc.

Today, I get predictable color unless things go wrong on press and I’m not there to control it. I use the 20" Apple LCD and a Mitsubishi 2070B diamatron CRT (better than my Sony).

The links I give you are to get the specific color files but should be used only for your personal needs as a reference and not published.

<http://digitaldog.imagingrevue.com/tips/>

Download the printer test file

<http://www.gballard.net/nca.html#getagoodfile>

Download the PDI target folder for Mac.

these are both RGB files, one is in Adobe RGB the other ColorMatch RGB.
C
CygnusX1
Apr 20, 2004
Thanks for that input on the puck calibration packages. I’ve been eyeing those on eBay for a bargain so I could try them out. I have my doubts as you do.

Welcome, I really haven’t seen worthwhile results on a number of monitors and it’s been with various people and providers in my area.

I just think they are over rated.
VM
victor_maldonado
Apr 20, 2004
Thanks again, CygnusX1 🙂

I am going to go through your list and take it one step at a time. I am really bad when it comes to calibrating my monitor (tried doing it in the past and screwed things up royally) I reached a point in some of my work that having a calibrated monitor would be the best thing to do.

Thanx again for taking the time to help me out 🙂 many happy returns 🙂

love & peace,
victor 🙂
R
Ram
Apr 20, 2004
Victor,

I also found that the hardware pucks, both the one that came with the Artisan and the Spyder I had bought before, do give me much better results than I was ever able to achieve with the eyeball calibrators. That doesn’t mean that someone with considerable more skill than I have can not achieve excellent results with the eyeball calibrators alone. It’s simply a measure of how clumsy I am.

If you’re unsure about the results you achieve with SuperCal alone, try to buy the Spyder (least expensive) from a source that lets you return it if it doesn’t do any better than SuperCal. In this regard, ColorVision has a good reputation of going out of their way to accommodate their direct customers.
VM
victor_maldonado
Apr 20, 2004
Hola, Ramón 🙂

I also found that the hardware pucks, both the one that came with the Artisan and the Spyder I had bought before, do give me much better results than I was ever able to achieve with the eyeball calibrators. That doesn’t mean that someone with considerable more skill than I have can not achieve excellent results with the eyeball calibrators alone. It’s simply a measure of how clumsy I am.

I think I am in the same boat 🙂

I do not trust my eyes when it comes to calibrating, focusing or broadcast safe colors. If I submit a film that has not been given a run through a broadcast safe scope it just will not be played for television. And if I give a model a photograph with incorrect lipstick, eye, dress,…colors, this is also not good. The time saved with a correctly calibrated monitor is a good thing. I have strong darkroom experience so I know what colors need to adjusted, but working computers is a little more difficult for me.

Take care 🙂

amor y paz,
victor 🙂
C
CygnusX1
Apr 20, 2004
I should also mention that the 20",22" and 23" Apple LCD’s have a default white point setting of D65.
Either way, when you do calibrate yourself, do set the white point at D65 and not 9300. It may look yellow at first (because it is) but you very quickly adjust to it.

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