Monitor Calibration For Your Computer

When viewing and color correcting pictures on my computer, I expect them to print out the way they appear on my monitor. I’ve been fortunate enough to have my prints turn out alright, but I know a few people who have the worst luck with this. If your prints are not matching what you see on the screen, then you may need to calibrate your monitor.

Individuals who use monitor calibration the most are graphic artists, where it is important for the colors on their screens to match what is printed. The average computer user probably doesn’t know what monitor calibration is or that it can be done to a monitor. Calibrating corrects the color on your monitor so that photos and designs print more accurately to what you see. It also makes graphics and movies appear true-to-life.

Monitor calibration is usually cumbersome and time consuming, but Pantone recently came out with the Pantone huey that makes it simple. It is an inexpensive monitor calibration tool that makes the deed almost painless. It’s easy to use right out of the box and you do the simple setup through the software, which offers a few adjustable settings. You can choose to have it recalibrate anywhere from every 10 seconds to every four hours, and it does it based on the room’s changing light conditions. You place the sensor in its stand, facing you. As nighttime falls or as your overhead lights turn on, the software adjusts the monitor’s color temperature and luminosity. Also, to make sure it works as flawlessly as possible, make sure you have the latest driver for your graphics board.

Each Pantone huey package includes a huey measurement device (emission only colorimeter) with ambient measurement capabilities, and the software for monitor calibration. It works with Windows (Windows 2000 and higher) or Mac (OS X 10.3 or higher) and is available at www.pantone.com for $89.

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Also, just to let you know, I will be off-island for the next week covering the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) – i.e. the biggest annual video game conference around. Be prepared for the fun new and exciting things I will find there.