Ok… Truth time. How many of you calibrate your monitor? Me? Well, not in years and never on my new monitor. What was I waiting for? I loved seeing the before and after. Even more, I now know the issues my monitor had and was able to correct them quickly.
As a professional photographer, having the right tools to go from that initial vision to finished product is important. We spend money on fancy cameras, lenses, and tools to achieve the perfect color, contrast, and exposure. On top of the money spent, the time invested editing your images to perfection can add up quickly. After all of the time and money spent making and editing an image, an uncalibrated monitor can quickly derail you and leave your frustrated with your lab, camera, screen, and your photography in general.
Correct monitor calibration made a difference for me.
I was really excited when Datacolor sent us a Spyder5PRO. My first impression of the Spyder5PRO was that the size and build hit the mark. It’s about as large as a donut and it is built to last. I also liked the attached protective cap that covered the honeycomb sensor. This is one of the new features that will make the product last even longer. The software download directions were right on the box with easy to follow prompts. Getting the Spyder5PRO up and running was a piece of cake.
I had never calibrated my Mac screen before and I wasn’t sure how significant the Spyder5PRO would impact my screen. What I found was my screen was too bright and too cyan. I was adding more magenta to my editing to compensate for the bluish/greenish tint in my images, which impacted the skin tones in our portrait work. Yuck. As a hobby, I photograph food. While I don’t worry about skin tones when shooting food, I am focused on contrast, exposure, tonality of my highlights, shadows, and texture. I was surprised by the brightness of my screen before I calibrated. I was really pleased with the corrections the Spyder5PRO made to my monitor and now I feel the final printed image will be just as I intended.
Now my image color is perfect every time.
When we sell prints to our client, it’s our job as a professionals to ensure the best quality. I don’t expect our clients to“see” color or tonality the way we do, but I do want to give them confidence in our ability to see the nuances of color, light, and shadow. While the average client might not understand the calibration process, they sure will appreciate the results, making it 100 percent worth having and a critical go-to tool for photographers. Clients will appreciate their prints being delivered on time without any reordering and looking just as they looked on their photographer’s computer screen.
For a professional photographer the $189 price tag is very reasonable, especially since it can easily be used for multiple screens. Our workflow often moves between two Mac desktops and a laptop. The Spyder5PRO will be an amazing tool to make sure all of our screens show the same correct color and tone. Regardless if I or my business partner are editing images or ordering prints, we will know they are going to come out perfect.
Calibration gives me confidence in my prints.
The Spyder5PRO was very user friendly. It took about twenty minutes from unboxing to having a calibrated screen. The on-screen directions were easy to follow. One aspect to note is you do need to be present at your computer for a few prompts and to potentially make some screen adjustments. The software goes through a series of color and tone screens to evaluate the monitor color and brightness in and around the room all while the Spyder5PRO is hanging on your screen. Another new and fantastic upgrade is the ability to use a custom image to review how the calibration changed my screen. This really showed me how my work would be impacted through calibration, not just a generic sample.
Overall, the Spyder5PRO is a tool for a professional or serious hobbyist photographer. If your images are going to be displayed in print form in your own home or on clients’ walls, you will edit and order with more confidence after you calibrate your screen with the Spyder5PRO. Check it out and see what you think!
See why I use Datacolor Spyder5PRO monitor calibration software for my photography business:
Images by Kim Bear, Wild Child Photography
This is a sponsored post.
