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Calibrating my Macbook Pro with Spyder 3 Express
Most of you who read this blog have some sort of fancy camera (i.e. a DSLR) and most of you have some sort of fancy editing program (i.e. PSE, PS or LR) but I cannot safely say that most of you have a monitor calibration system. So, I am going to briefly talk about what the heck that is and why you might need to do it (oh, and I’m giving one away).
What does it mean to calibrate your monitor and why should you do it?
Calibrating your monitor helps you see the colors you think you are seeing, so that the pictures you print have the color you meant them to have.
Simply put, the calibration system measures the colors on your monitor (in the right lighting conditions) and adjusts them to be truer colors if they are off. If you have ever edited a picture, loved everything about it, then printed it and got a big surprise because the picture did not have the colors you were seeing on your monitor, that was most likely because your monitor needed calibrating.
How do you calibrate a monitor? You buy a monitor calibration system. There are many available, some more elaborate and expensive than others. My suggestion to you is access your needs then find the calibration system that will meet those needs. My needs were simple, so I bought a simple system.
What do I use for calibrating my monitor? Spyder 3 Express. It is affordable, easy to use and effective. I bought it 1.5 years ago and I have been extremely pleased with it. I have a video showing how to use the Spyder 3 Express at the bottom of this post, for those interested.
Here are some tidbits about my Spyder that may be helpful to know:
- I can calibrate two separate computer monitors with it
- It notifies me when the calibration has “worn off” and to recalibrate
- I get notified when there are free software updates
- It is small and easy to tote with me if I need to calibrate while away
Things to remember about calibrating:
- Do not calibrate your monitor “cold;” allow it to warm up for 30 min before running the software
- Do not calibrate in the dark
- Do not calibrate with light directly hitting your monitor (like don’t have sunlight shining directly on the monitor)
- Do not calibrate then print at a discount lab (i.e. Walmart, Costco, CVS, etc.) and expect to see the same colors as your monitor – the problem there is the LAB.
To better explain what a calibration system does, here is the product description of Spyder3 Express (per the product page at Amazon):
The Spyder 3 Express adjusts the color on your monitor so your photos appear more accurately. Easy-to-use right out of the box, this award winning proven technology helps you calibrate your display – just like professionals. There’s a reason your on-screen colors aren’t always true. Chances are, your monitor color is the problem, not your camera or your printer. The Spyder 3 Express is a simple monitor color correction tool that automatically adjusts the color of your monitor so what you’re seeing is more true. It is designed for Photo Enthusiasts, Advanced Amateurs, Passionate Photographers and DSLR users of all kinds.
GIVEAWAY IS OVER
Comment #20, made by Beth, was the winning number chosen via Random.org. Thank you to all who entered!
I am giving away one brand new Spyder 3 Express calibration system.
To enter the giveaway simply tell me your favorite book (or top 3 for book lovers out there).
- One entry per person
- Comment must be left on this blog post, not on Facebook
- Giveaway ends Thursday, November 10 at 11:00 PM EST
- Winner will be chosen via Random.org
- Winner will be notified by me via email and has one week to respond, after which another winner will be chosen
GIVEAWAY IS OVER
Note: This is not a sponsored post. I will be buying the Spyder3Express for the winner, not DataColor. All links to Amazon are affiliate links which means I earn 3% of sales made through the link, which help me cover the cost of items I giveaway here.
About Amanda
Anything by Jennifer Weiner and Jodi Picoult.
My favorite books are:
1. The Bible
2. The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City
3. Anything by John Grisham
My Antonia by Willa Cather—-it’s like an old friend
Such a tough question to narrow it down to three! My favorite three books are: The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Murakami, Wuthering Heights, and The Little Prince. Also love the Harry Potter series and anything Dickens.
Very exciting giveaway! Favorite books of all time: Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
😉
One of my favorites is Plantation by Dorothea Benton Frank. I love all books!
Thanks for the giveaway! 🙂
I’m a book re-reader as well! My favorite all time books are “The Secret Garden” and the “Little House” series, with “Harry Potter” running a close third!
A book that has always stuck with me is called “I Cannot Forgive” by Rudolph Vrba, a man who escaped Auschwitz. Powerful stuff!
It’s hard to pick just 3 because I love to read. But I live anything by Nora Roberts and Robert sparks.
My favorite book is Until I Find You by John Irving.
Twilight 🙂
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner. Again & again.
Hmm, this is tough for somebody that likes to read a lot. I would say The Hunger Games, The Glass Castle and Sarah’s Key are right up there!! Thank you for the opportunity!
My favorite book so far this year is The Help. Thanks for such a wonderful giveaway!
My favorite has got to be The Help!
the poisonwood bible. it’s an oldy but gooooooody!!
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, the Harry Potter Series, & anything that John Grisham has written. Thanks for the chance to win Amanda!
I love any of the books by Susan Mallery. She’s my new favorite go to author!
Can’t pick just 3… anything by Karen Kingsbury, The Shack, The Art of Racing in the Rain
Whew….Top 3????? The Scarlett Letter, A Tale of Two Cities, and Harry Potter. And, The Help. And, anything by Nicholas Sparks. And, The Polar Express. And, Jane Eyre. And, anything thats says MARKETING or SOCIAL MEDIA. I can’t pick favorites…. I don’t like to leave people out…
My favorite book is Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (actually the entire series!)
I love “The Shack” by William P. Young, “Wish You Well” by David Baldacci. Great books!
Oh wow… right now, The Book Thief. Ask me again in 5 minutes and it may be different.
kisses
heather
My favorite books include the Southern Vampire Series by Charlaine Harris and the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Series by Alexander McCall Smith.
The Bible!
Flowers in the Attic
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Pandora by Anne Rice
Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice
Wuthering Heights is my favorite book to read because Heathcliff, is a romantic hero. I’m in love with Heathcliff!
Wow, this is sorta tough for me but if I have to narrow it all down…
1. Harry Potter series
2. Twilight saga series
3. The Notebook
4. Anything ghost story related
Thanks for hosting such an awesome contest. I don’t own one of these yet and I know I should. 🙂
Pride and Prejudice
The Great Gatsby
Anything by PG Wodehouse (Jeeves series)
Thanks for this opportunity!
My three favorites have to be:
Persuasion by Jane Austen (love all her works but if I had to choose just on this would be it)
House Rules by Jodie Piccoult (In honor of my own beautiful quirky Aspie son)
The Shack by William P. Young (everyone should read this book!)
Favorite book…wow, hard to choose just one, but the one I’ve enjoyed most recently was The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool Will Somers. Great read if you enjoy that period of history.
It’s very hard to narrow down to three, so here are three authors whose series I love: Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody series, and Kathy Reich’s Temperance Brennan series.
I’m not good at picking favorites of anything, but I loved “The Help”.
Super Hard decision…so let me just say my 2 favorite authors as I can’t pick a favorite of there books!
FRANCINE RIVERS
KAREN KINGSBURY
Thanks for a great giveaway!
Awesome giveaway! Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, Harry Potter series, Where the Red Fern Grows =)
My favorite book is The Notebook. I used to read it every year, but I haven’t read it since 2005 when I became a mother and all that wonderful self-indulgent reading came to a grinding halt. I always dislike the movie if I’ve read the book, so I was not a fan of the movie.
The Bible has to be at the top of the list. Fiction: I must say Woman of Substance and The Thornbirds. Bet you can guess the age of a person by the books they like!
Also, list Sarah’s Key (as someone above did) on my FB profile. Am excited that a movie was recently, or will soon be, released.
I can only pick 1? Sheesh… that’s hard.
I’ll follow the “pick 3” trend, and name “Interview with the Vampire” by Anne Rice first. Closely followed by “Lamb, The Gospel According to Biff -Jesus’ Childhood Pal” by the amazing and hilarious Christopher Moore. Third place goes to “John Dies at the End” by David Wong simply because it is probably the STRANGEST story ever written. Thanks for the giveaway!
Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein 🙂
1-The Bible
2-Gone With the Wind
3-The Chronicles of Narnia (always have loved this book)
I am in desperate need for this. Fingers crossed.
I don’t read a lot of good books – mostly beach reads – but one book that stands out is “She’s Come Undone” by Wally Lamb. Water for Elephants and The Help were also good, but I’m sure you’ve gotten that already.
Thanks for the giveaway!
Kristin
Kirby3131@gmail.com
The hitchhikers guide to the universe by Douglas Adams
Very funny, light read.
Amanda, Would love to see a post about selecting a desktop for photo editing and your spec choices (e.g., video card, HD, RAM, etc.) I need to replace mine and need to wait till I have a new one to get the calibrator. Thanks.
My favorite book is Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, followed by The Hunger Games and The Giver by Lois Lowry. Thank you so much for the giveaway! Fingers Crossed. I could really put one of these to good use. 🙂
In death series by jd robbs
“under the overpass” – an amazing book!!!!
My favorite is The Class by Erich Segal. It inspired me to be a Classics major.
My 3 favorite books are…
1. Marley & Me
2. Lovely Bones
3. Water for Elephants
Thanks for the great giveaway!
My favorite book is David Copperfield. 🙂