OK, I will admit it, I was a complete newbie when it came to calibrating a monitor. I knew I SHOULD have been doing it, but I used to be tech shy. I thought it would be complicated. But it wasn’t; the Datacolor SpyderX Pro made it so easy to do.
Datacolor SpyderX Pro
Datacolor claims the SpyderX Pro is the fastest, easiest, most accurate monitor calibration system around, with groundbreaking technology and intuitive advanced options. So, I put it to the test and I have been using it regularly ever since.
Unboxing the SpyderX Pro, there is the unit itself and a little card with the instructions for the software. This is your first spot to go. Read through the instructions on the page and get yourself ready to calibrate your monitor. Downloading the software only took a minute and installing not much more.
How to calibrate your monitor
The first time using it I was prompted to register my SpyderX Pro. I used the serial number which appears in the bottom of the packaging (under the actual SpyderX). Once that was done, I was set to calibrate!
Not even knowing what I was doing and taking a bit to read everything and fiddle with my monitor settings, the process still only took three minutes (I set a timer). These days it takes even less.
What were my results?
I found my monitor was actually slightly darker than it apparently should be, so I adjusted it to match. There was an option to set a reminder for 1 month to recalibrate, so I selected that as well. Interestingly, I also found out my screen is more yellow than I thought. All in all, it actually wasn’t too far off.
According to my color profile, it seems to be pretty spot on sRGB, at 99%.
My conclusion
It’s a good investment in your prints. I was nicely surprised and relieved that my main monitor was not too bad. Now, with a SpyderX Pro and my monitor, I can be confident that images will now appear as they should. It was exactly as they claimed, quick and easy. I was very happy to use the SpyderX Pro and calibrate my monitors regularly, as they recommend.
Thanks for this article Julie. I have struggled with the same issues as you. I too own a Datacolor Spyder 5 and have used it to calibrate my main monitor. Like you my second monitor just doesn’t want to calibrate. lol. Using the old saying, A Poor Man Pays for Everything Twice, I guess I will have to look into getting another monitor. lol
Cheers
Bill
you and me both Bill, in saying that my second monitor is more for email, and text stuff, maybe some social media etc, while my main monitor is for my images and digital art. So I guess I can deal with it for a while longer!
What would it be like to use on my IMac Pro?
I hear they can be tricky to calibrate
Hi Rayleen, having never used an Apple/ Mac product in my life, I really have no personal knowledge, but I believe it can be done. There are several YouTube tutorials and you can always contact Datacolor direct
https://spyderx.datacolor.com/contact/
This article by a colleague is with a Mac
https://photofocus.com/photography/how-to-know-when-your-white-is-really-white/