Dual Monitor Color Calibration

bartoszwozniak

bartoszwozniak

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Bartosz Wozniak
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I have a problem with my monitor set up. I have just received a new monitor from a friend, that doesn't use it anymore. Now, I want to use it for photo editing, but the trouble is that I don't know how to calibrate the colors, so that the color on my laptop is identical to the ones on my external screen.

Do I use one of those calibrator devices e.g Spyder?
Is there some software to do this?

Please help me out. :D
 
I have the spyder3Studio SR and the monitor part of that profiles dual monitors.

Bear in mind some monitors profile much better than others.
 
Would any of you be able to lend me one of these?? I am no professional, and I can't really afford that much to spill out on one of these (just for one use). I am 15, and I need to manage my budget well :/

I would be prepared to pay like a refundable deposit or something, which you could give back to me when the calibrator is returned safely. I could turn it around in a week. I would be very grateful for help with this.
 
The calibration needs to be adjusted periodically so borrowing once would only give you calibrated screens for a while.
 
The thing is - I don't need them EXACTLY perfect. If I calibrated once, it would be perfect for a while, then slightly off. I don't mind if it is a TINY bit off. As I said earlier - I am not a pro, but at the moment - the difference is massive and doesn't really enable me to work on both screens. The external one has much greater saturation, than the laptop one.
 
Not all versions of the Spyder or Eye One will calibrate multiple devices. Some do, some don't, this is part of why there are different versions that have different features and different prices. :)

It also depends on the graphics card. Some chipsets do not support the loading of separate ICC profiles for different displays.

bartoszwozniak said:
The thing is - I don't need them EXACTLY perfect.
Click to expand...
That's handy, because any laptop sold today or in the past (except for a specific model of Thinkpad) never will be.
 
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I have a Spyder 2 Pro you could borrow if that`s any use. If it is, PM me your address and I will post it asap.
 
Just as a simple work around - if you have two monitors on one computer and want to use a basic Spyder monitor calibrator - which apparently won't let you calibrate them both...good news - it will.

Turn off one monitor (like the right one) and reboot the computer. Run the spyder calibration - but save the profile as something memorable like "left monitor"
Then turn off the left monitor, turn on the right monitor, and reboot. Guess what - you can run the spyder calibration and save the profile with a name like "right monitor".

Once all done - turn both monitors on - reboot and hey presto - each monitor should call it's correct colour profile. And if it doesn't - just go into the advanced settings for the monitors and preferences and choose the correct profile for each monitor.

If you've done it right - it should result in two identical looking colour monitors.
Obviously if you've only got a B&W monitor, don't bother.

I hope that helps someone out there !
(saves having to buy the pro-spyder model with the multiple screen support).
 
That method does work, but it's a pain in the arse to do. I used to do it with Spyder 2 Express, but ended up only calibrating the second monitor about once every couple of months because it was just too much hassle to spend that long turning monitors on and off and rebooting and messing around.

If both your monitors are the same make and model, this workaround can sometimes cause some confusion too.
 
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some gfx cards dont support 2 profiles for 2 monitors, 2 cards may be required
 
I have a Toshiba Satellite L300-1AQ.

Just as a simple work around - if you have two monitors on one computer and want to use a basic Spyder monitor calibrator - which apparently won't let you calibrate them both...good news - it will.

Turn off one monitor (like the right one) and reboot the computer. Run the spyder calibration - but save the profile as something memorable like "left monitor"
Then turn off the left monitor, turn on the right monitor, and reboot. Guess what - you can run the spyder calibration and save the profile with a name like "right monitor".

Once all done - turn both monitors on - reboot and hey presto - each monitor should call it's correct colour profile. And if it doesn't - just go into the advanced settings for the monitors and preferences and choose the correct profile for each monitor.

If you've done it right - it should result in two identical looking colour monitors.
Obviously if you've only got a B&W monitor, don't bother.

I hope that helps someone out there !
(saves having to buy the pro-spyder model with the multiple screen support).
Click to expand...
Yea, that was what I was going to do. Just calibrate each one individually. I would rather spend the extra 10-15 mins on it, than spend an extra £50 on it.

I like your approach :D
 
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