Calibration

ladytx

I have the new monitor now, Samsung 245T, and I have calibrated it with Spyder 2 express. It looks too red to me.

My monitor is working with the Spyder profile and I have set Photoshop to work with the Sypder profile. (Although now when I open pictures I get a window saying the embedded profile is not the same). If the pictures are too red do I need to change each picture or change the monitor? Getting confused here.

Just a thought: Is calibration mainly just for printed photos? Seems if most people are seeing the photos on an un-calibrated monitor with an sRGB profile wouldn't it be better to work in that environment?

Tee Why

If you don't have a calibrated monitor and you adjust the colors, you really don't know how the colors will really look. To me, on my calibrated monitor, the image you posted doesn't look too red to me.

I guess if your viewers do not calibrate their monitor, then the colors they see may be different but among those that do have a calibrated monitor, there will be a very good consistency. It would also be a pain if you decide to make a print later on to calibrate the monitor and then re adjust the image to correct the colors, especially if the image is now in a JPEG and not a RAW form.

Miguel Delinquento

Profiles are not colorspaces
You seem to be confusing profiles with colorspaces. The former is for devices such as monitors and printers (and these two have distinctly different profiles). Colorspaces apply to images. sRGB or AdobeRGB are two common colorspaces.
Photoshop should be set in the Color Settings dialog box to one of these or ProPhoto if you use Lightroom frequently.
All of your applications should be working with your new Spyder profile for your monitor without any intervention from you.
Tee Why is correct re: one intent of calibration. Printed output also requires paper profiles as well. For web output I save images in the sRGB colorspace. While more and more browsers are color management aware, the vast majority of users are not, so sRGB is an acceptable lowest common denominator colorspace.
I would recommend that you study color management, it can be a steep learning curve at first. I would also recommend you recalibrate your fine monitor with very indirect room lighting. Your monitor should also be not bright. Often the defaults from the factory are too bright and mess up accurate calibration.


M

HarlanBear

I use the Spyder 2 Express as well and have wonderful results from it; monitor to websites to printing. Check instructions for the Spyder, as I remember them wanting you to leave the monitor in factory defaults and it will take care of the rest. Also, I agree with Miguel on doing the calibration in a darkened room, but doesn't need to be black. You don't want any direct or reflecting light on the monitor. Then, for the web I also convert my working color, Adobe RGB, to sRGB. Though may sites convert it anyway. Can't do much about other people's monitors; you can only work to make the best images you can.

ladytx

I had set a restore point before I calibrated my monitor so I restored to that point. I shut off all the lights and closed the blinds and re-calibrated the monitor.

The photos look good and match in Lighroom and Photoshop CS2 but when I view them with Windows Explorer (Picture Viewing) or when I go to Dgrin and look at the photos all the photos look too red.

My color settings in Photoshop are sRGB and when I exported from Lightroom I exported as jpg, sRGB and when I saved from Photoshop I saved the same way.

pathfinder

What browser are you using to see the photos on the web?

Your image of Santa's elf, seems spot on to me on my CInema display calibrated with a SPyder 2Pro. There is a bit of a red cast that I read with my Digital Color meter, that is red is just a few ticks higher than blue or green when I read the pixels in the white fur, but overall the warm tone looks appropriate to my eye. Skin tones look very nice.

ladytx

pathfinder wrote:

What browser are you using to see the photos on the web?

Your image of Santa's elf, seems spot on to me on my CInema display calibrated with a SPyder 2Pro. There is a bit of a red cast that I read with my Digital Color meter, that is red is just a few ticks higher than blue or green when I read the pixels in the white fur, but overall the warm tone looks appropriate to my eye. Skin tones look very nice.

I use Internet Explorer.