Datacolor Spyder4 Express

Calibration

This section includes a step-by-step guide to calibrating your monitor.

When loading the Datacolor wizard, the first screen presents you with a checklist to verify before beginning the calibration process.

The monitor should have warmed up to ensure that the color output of the backlight (be it a fluorescent tube or a LED) is stable. Incidentally, this means that editing pictures just after turning on your screen can lead to some color bias.

No direct light source (such as a table lamp) should be directed towards the screen. Ideally, if you are using a calibration device with no ambient light sensor (such as the Spyder4 Express), it is desirable to have your computer in a windowless room, except if you only use it at night. During the day, the Sun’s position and intensity will vary and can affect your calibration. A spyder4 Pro or higher-end models will monitor those changes seamlessly. Laptop owners, who are likely to use their screen in varied environments, should be particularly aware of this.

The monitor should be at its default settings. Slight variations from default are not likely to affect the results much, but extreme values might place the screen outside the range of possible adjustments. Ideally, the screen’s brightness should never be maximized, since this decrease the durability of the lamp.

Last, since the calibration unit draws a significant amount of power, its USB connection should not be shared, unless you use a USB hub with its own power input (via a wall plug).

The next screen simply asks you to select your screen type. Nowadays most users will probably use LCDs. In some instances the software will auto-detect the screen type.

The next screen concerns the backlight. Again, in some cases the software will be able to detect the correct type automatically. Most LED screens will be labeled as such, and it is thus likely that an LCD without any mention of LED will be fluorescent. The vast majority of consumer LED screens will use white LEDs. If you really are not sure, there is an “Unkown” option which will let you calibrate, but with potentially less accurate results.

The Gamut option will vary depending on your device model. Normal can be used safely in most cases.

The following screen asks you to place the device over the screen. A target is provided, be sure to align the Spyder properly, to ensure that it will measure the correct colors during calibration. Place the counterweight behind your screen (it can slide along the cable for proper alignment).

Also ensure that the device is flush with the screen (our test device had, at first, a tendency to rotate slightly). Twist the cable if needed.

The software now begins the automated calibration process, displaying varied colors that will be measured by the Spyder’s sensor. The process takes about 5 minutes. Sadly, the software does not override your screensaver settings, so it is entirely possible that the screensaver will activate before the calibration is completed. Either disable the screensaver, set a long enough delay, or move your mouse a few times during the process (making sure not to move the cursor underneath the Spyder).

Once the calibration is completed, the software asks you to press the Finish button and gives you the possibility to save your profile.

It then brings you to a summary screen.

The summary shows a couple of sample images to let you see the results and impact of the calibration. A toggle will let you view the calibrated and un-calibrated displays for comparison. After the first calibration, the results can be quite striking. Re-calibration should yield small differences, sometimes hardly visible.

The transition from un-calibrated to calibrated can be unsettling at first, because your eyes (and brain) are used to one way to look at the results. The new look will become natural after a short while

When you press the “Next” button, the software will finish saving your profile.

The profile will be loaded at startup from now on, as long as the SpyderUtility program is running (side note : depending on your boot times, it is sometimes possible to notice the profile being applied!)

The last screen shows you the color gamut of your screen and compares it with several industry standards. This screen allows you to see how your screen will compare with other devices and printers.

For instance, a Pentax DSLR can shoot in sRGB (the most common gamut) and adobeRGB. The vast majority of print shops will use sRGB. NTSC is a slightly dated standard for video displays in North America.

This screen is more useful when using higher-end versions of the Spyder line, but can give you useful information even with a Spyder4 Express. What it basically tells you is how close your screen is in relation to the standard of interest. In other words, a screen covering a smaller area than a given standard is not able to display all the colors included in that standard.

This can quickly lead to problems because the file will include the data even if the screen is unable to display it. The editing software will also make use of that data, again without anything showing on display. When the image is viewed on another screen with a wider gamut, or when it is printed, the unseen colors will show up and the image will look nothing like its intended rendering.