Monitor calibration

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Not sure if this is the right place for this post?

Anyway I have 2 monitors hooked up to my pc with lightroom. Often my shots look very different depending on the monitor.

What do I need to get them both in sync and accurate?

Thanks in advance
 
You need to get a monitor calibration device that will do multiple monitors. I use the colormunki display by xrite and this is fine with two monitors, there are options to make one look like the other.
 
Thanks for the tip. Not cheap though are they (£116 on Amazon). Are there any cheaper alternatives? Maybe if I ask nicely in my local tog group I can borrow one
 
I have a spyder3pro which works on both my Dell 2209wa's connected to my pc. One just sold in the classifieds for £30.
 
I also use a spider - pretty straightforward and I am a computer phobe when it comes to photography.
 
For personal use you could calibrate your monitors by eye ... you already have eyes so it's free! Brightness - contrast - red - green - blue.
 
For personal use you could calibrate your monitors by eye ... you already have eyes so it's free! Brightness - contrast - red - green - blue.
if every one could get it "accurate" as stated in the original post there would me no need for Proper calibration
 
The express does not read ambulant light in the room where the pro does
 
Any features that change the monitor luminance with ambient light should be switched OFF! If images look dark because there's sunlight streaming through your window, then making the screen brighter to compensate will just mean your images will look dark on everyone else's screen. I'm baffled why they keep putting this feature on calibration software.

You need to work in a room where you can manage the light levels. If it's sunny outside, draw your curtains of blinds. The monitor absolutely MUST be the brightest thing in your line of sight for accurate acuity of judgement of levels.

As for calibrators being expensive... put it ito perspective. How much was your camera, and your lenses... and your monitor itself? Poor calibration can result in your images looking pants on everyone else's correctly adjusted screens.. so all that cash you paid for nice camera gear comes to naught unless you ensure your own workflow is managed correctly. £160 is a bargain to ensure that.
 
I would like to be able to hire one . With such a high cost outlay you would of thought someone would hire them out!!!
 
I would like to be able to hire one . With such a high cost outlay you would of thought someone would hire them out!!!

It's hardly a high cost item compared to the rest of your gear. Little point in hiring one, as it needs to be done regularly. Most manufacturers recommend every 2 to 400 hours use. I calibrate every 200 hours, and there is significant drift after that time. Even if it only cost £20 to hire one, you'd need to do so every couple of months. It would soon end up costing more than actually buying one.

You've paid hundreds for your camera, lenses etc... possibly thousands... what's another £60 or so to ensure that the actual images you produce with your gear are viewed or printed correctly?
 
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I didn't realise you had to calibrate that often. Like you both say makes more sense to buy one .
 
You don't HAVE to calibrate that often, but the longer you leave it, the more pointless it becomes to have calibrated it in the first place. After calibration I seem to have an average DeltaE figure of 0.6... after 200 hours it is usually around 1.5. Both are actually excellent... but if I leave it and calibrate, for argument's sake, once every 6 months, it would be significantly out I would imagine.
 
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