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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
“Heaven is for Real” is my favorite! A friend told me to read this a month before my 3 year old son fell down the stairs and was bleeding on his brain. He was not responding or breathing. They had to do emergency surgery to relieve the pressure on his brain. It was a matter of life and death and it was unbelievably hard not to be in the ambulance or surgery with him, not knowing if he was going to survive or not. This book was such a comfort to me as I knew Jesus was holding my son and was with him (and us) every step of the way. By a miracle of God, he is absolutely fine today back to his crazy, silly self! Praise Jesus!
Water for Elephants
It’s hard to say what my favorite book is, but the books I always recommend:
1) The Help
2) Redeeming Love
3) Blind Your Ponies
4) Sarah’s Key
Thanks for the giveaway! This is on my Christmas Wish List!
Right now, I’d have to say The Help and Gone with the Wind are tied.
Love your blog!
My current favorite book is The Help.
My favorite fictional book was Divine by Karen Kingsbury…and Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. My favorite non-fiction is 1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp.
Oh and on a lighter note, I love The Help. 😉
My favorite book is The Kite Runner.
Help, great giveaway!!
My favorite books at this moment are Curious George. I read them often to my three year old. Would love to create better photos with calibration.
so many, many to choose from –
Great Ideas: A Lexicon of Western Thought – Mortimer J. Adler seems to cover many bases!
I may sound like a teeny bopper but the last books I read and really liked were the Twilight series. :/ They are really good books even if they are for teenagers! I would love this giveaway.
Hard to pick a favourite – Pride & Prejudice, Jane Eyre but I also love any by Wilbur Smith. Very different to the Classics, but I like them all.
This is a hard one- I belong to 2 book groups and read ALL the time (when I’m not taking photos or on the computer).
1. Favorite book from the past: Gone With the Wind
2. Favorite book from last few years (this is really hard to choose!): Kite Runner
3. Favorite book of last few read: Maisie Dobbs (the whole series!!)by Jacqueline Winspear
My absolute favorite? I think I’ll have to go for the Hitchhiker’s Guide. The Harry Potter books would have to be a close second though, they may be kid’s books but they’re a cracking good story :).
Book 1-portrait of a lady
Book 2-little women
Book 3- twilight (nerdy, I know but it’s so fun)
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the Mitford Series by Jan Karon!!!! Father Tim and his silly, yet sensitive and endearing nature just pour a sense of peace and joy over my life every time I read or rather hear it 😉 A MUST for anyone of ANY age!!! The dramatized version is to die for, better than reading it yourself!
My favorite book is Team of Rivals. I read every book I can get my hands on about Abraham Lincoln and this one was such an amazing book.
Love Scott Kelby for learning. Catcher in the Rye, always. 1st read it in middle school. Still love it.
I have lots of favorite books! One of them is Something Borrowed! The book was better than the movie also 🙂 Also I read to my daughter everynight and our favorite is I Love it When You Smile great book and very cute illustrations:-)
I love to read so this is a tough question. But I think I would have to go with Harry Potter.
My all time favorite is the original Boxcar Children with The Shack coming in 2nd.
My recent top three books are:
The Help
Roses
Twilight series
Oh I’m so glad I didn’t miss this! lol
1. All Harry Potter Books.
2. The Help
3. My most favorites are the James Herriot books…”All creatures Great and Small”..etc.
My favorites are:
Pride and Predjudice
Harry Potter Series
Twilight Series
I’m in love with Someday by Alison Meghee & Peter Reynolds. I read it to my daughter all the time. Thanks for the giveaway!
Carte Blanche by Jeffrey Deaver
My 3 Favorite books have been:
“A Dogs Purpose” ( a must read if you love dogs!)
“Edgar Sawtelle” ( I see a dog theme going here…)
I also loved “The Help” too!!
Thanks for your generosity Amanda!
My favorite book is Crazy Love by Francis Chan! An amazing take on God! Love it!!
My favorite book right now is The Help. But I’m reading Freedom by Jonathan Franzen right now, and it’s pretty good.
One of my favorite book’s from when I was younger was Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.
I love whatever book I am reading at the time. Right now I am reading a series by Josi S Kilpack and on Pumpkin Roll. It’s about a lady who is in the wrong place at the wrong time and helps solve some murders.
My favorite book is the Bible. I couldn’t get through life without this book.
My favorite book is “A Dog’s Purpose” by W. Bruce Cameron. There is nothing in this world like the unconditional love of a dog.
My favorite book is “A Dog’s Purpose”. My dog has taught me what true unconditional love is. There is nothing like it!
The Bible
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Yes, I am a geek, but not afraid to say it! =) Great giveaway!
Favorite book? That’s a hard one, but one of my favorites is “Phantom Pilot”, by Ed Dunlop. It’s not actually published, but you can read it as a pdf at his website.
Some of my favorite books are:
Heaven is for Real
Cedar Cove series by Debbie Macomber
Virgin River series by Robyn Carr
Hmmmm, today I am reading The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe (which I am enjoying) and The Gift of Imperfection by Brene Brown. Thank you for all the helpful information!
I really enjoyed the Cape Refuge series by Terri Blackstock.
1. The Help
2. anything by Janet Evanovich
3. Harry Potter series
Harry Potter, hands down. I re-read those all the time. Love it!!
I absolutely love the Harry Potter series of books. I re-read them every summer (sometimes as many as three times) and am disappointed when I am finished.
Your post/giveaway is so timely since I’ve been researching the need to calibrate my monitor and exactly how to do it. I’m thinking of having some photos printed on canvas for Christmas gifts and need to calibrate before I do that.
Thanks so much for the great info!
My favorite book lately (when I get to read !!) was “Like Water For Elephants” Loved!!!!!
The Wayward Bus by Steinbeck
Any one of the Harry Potter books – love!
I love reading!!
I have several series that I’m totally addicted too:
1. The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich
2. The Help!
3. Gone with the wind.
Thanks for the Giveaway Amanda.
Awesome giveaway! Would love to win it – have been looking into these, but haven’t purchased one yet. I can’t remember the last time I read a book for myself, but read daily to my children. Right now the favourites are from the Franklin the Turtle series 🙂
1) The Rescue
2)The Twilight Saga
3)A Walk To Remember
My list could go on and on!
I would love to win this. I have thinking a lot about getting something to calibrate my monitor. I hope I win. lol