Monitor Calibration, Colormunki Display versus Spyder5 Pro

**Larrymc** · 06-13-2018, 08:02 AM

Initial set-up was easy and uneventful. At first I used the X-rite software to see how I like the color rendering. The colors were way to warm with a bit of golden cast to the whole screen and not to my liking at all. The ambient light feature was nice but for me it ended up being clutter in a limited space where I use my laptop.

I decided to go with my original plan to use DisplayCal as my software after a couple of short stumbles I got the software downloaded and up and running. I used the Zero Install option as it gets updates as they become available. The calibration process took quite a bit longer than the X-rite software did but I Ithink it was much more thorough. The calibration made my photos take on new life.....WOW. I thought my manual calibration looked good but now my photos look great, to me at least. The X-rite Colormunki Display Colorimeter along with the open source DisplayCal software is the way to go to get your monitor looking great. For me its money well spent.

Larry

Class A · 07-13-2018, 08:42 AM

Spyder calibrators have been said to have worse inter-instrument agreement than those by x-rite. This is problematic as it defies the point of calibration if every device "sees" a monitor slightly differently.

The Colormunki Display appears to be a very good device but x-rite's best colorimeter is the i1Display Pro.

Note that colorimeters are relatively cheap and great for measuring dark tones but may have trouble with certain background light types and/or require profiles to work optimally with various display panel types. The i1Display Pro is special in that it stores its filter characteristics internally and allows software to interrogate this data.

The most flexible solution is a spectrophotometer like the x-rite i1Photo Pro2 or the ColorMunki Photo which can also calibrate printers or can be used to create emulation targets for non-standard displays such as iPads. Spectrophotometers aren't great with dark tones, though, hence one really needs both a spectrophotometer and a colorimeter (to calibrate the latter with the former)!

N.B., x-rite has the most idiotic naming scheme in the industry. It seems designed to purposefully disguise capabilities and confuse customers. It trumps even Sony's brain-dead mount renaming scheme.

Originally posted by pschlute

I now use Color Navigator software which comes with my Eizo monitor.

Do you like the Color Navigator software? Any tips?

Which Eizo model have you got?

I'm thinking about getting one. I've seen one in real life and the smoothness of tonal graduations was absolutely gorgeous.

pschlute · 07-13-2018, 09:29 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Class A

Do you like the Color Navigator software? Any tips?

Which Eizo model have you got?

I'm thinking about getting one. I've seen one in real life and the smoothness of tonal graduations was absolutely gorgeous.

No tips. It is very easy to use and there is a function to do a re-test rather than a full re-calibration when you want to re-calibrate.

I went for the ColorEdge CS2730. Very happy with it and yes the colours are beautiful.

06-13-2018, 08:02 AM	#16
Larrymc Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Mississippi, USA Posts: 5,251 Original Poster	Monitor Calibration experience with the X-rite Colormunki Display Initial set-up was easy and uneventful. At first I used the X-rite software to see how I like the color rendering. The colors were way to warm with a bit of golden cast to the whole screen and not to my liking at all. The ambient light feature was nice but for me it ended up being clutter in a limited space where I use my laptop. I decided to go with my original plan to use DisplayCal as my software after a couple of short stumbles I got the software downloaded and up and running. I used the Zero Install option as it gets updates as they become available. The calibration process took quite a bit longer than the X-rite software did but I Ithink it was much more thorough. The calibration made my photos take on new life.....WOW. I thought my manual calibration looked good but now my photos look great, to me at least. The X-rite Colormunki Display Colorimeter along with the open source DisplayCal software is the way to go to get your monitor looking great. For me its money well spent. Larry

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07-13-2018, 08:42 AM	#17
Class A Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Wellington, New Zealand Posts: 11,251	Spyder calibrators have been said to have worse inter-instrument agreement than those by x-rite. This is problematic as it defies the point of calibration if every device "sees" a monitor slightly differently. The Colormunki Display appears to be a very good device but x-rite's best colorimeter is the i1Display Pro. Note that colorimeters are relatively cheap and great for measuring dark tones but may have trouble with certain background light types and/or require profiles to work optimally with various display panel types. The i1Display Pro is special in that it stores its filter characteristics internally and allows software to interrogate this data. The most flexible solution is a spectrophotometer like the x-rite i1Photo Pro2 or the ColorMunki Photo which can also calibrate printers or can be used to create emulation targets for non-standard displays such as iPads. Spectrophotometers aren't great with dark tones, though, hence one really needs both a spectrophotometer and a colorimeter (to calibrate the latter with the former)! N.B., x-rite has the most idiotic naming scheme in the industry. It seems designed to purposefully disguise capabilities and confuse customers. It trumps even Sony's brain-dead mount renaming scheme. Originally posted by pschlute I now use Color Navigator software which comes with my Eizo monitor. Do you like the Color Navigator software? Any tips? Which Eizo model have you got? I'm thinking about getting one. I've seen one in real life and the smoothness of tonal graduations was absolutely gorgeous.

07-13-2018, 09:29 AM - 1 Like	#18
pschlute Moderator Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Surrey, UK Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,202	Originally posted by Class A Do you like the Color Navigator software? Any tips? Which Eizo model have you got? I'm thinking about getting one. I've seen one in real life and the smoothness of tonal graduations was absolutely gorgeous. No tips. It is very easy to use and there is a function to do a re-test rather than a full re-calibration when you want to re-calibrate. I went for the ColorEdge CS2730. Very happy with it and yes the colours are beautiful.