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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
Pretty much anything by Jodi Picoult. A new favorite is The Room by Emma Donoghue
My all time favorite book is the Bible… but I am kind of addicted to reading so I read everything everywhere… even cereal boxes, signs… pretty much anything within my sight…. 🙂
While it may not be my all-time favorite book, it’s my latest favorite book: The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly
The Kite Runner.
Favorite book: The Rescue by Nora Roberts
Picking a top 3 is even difficult! Eek!
The Glass Castle
Cry, the Beloved Country
secrets from the Vinyl Cafe (cause we all need giggles)
My favorite book as crazy as it sounds!
Rich Dad’s Retire Young, Retire Rich by Robert T. Kiyosaki
My favorite book is the Harry Potter series 🙂
My favorite book and one I am constantly reading is the Bible.
My second favorite book is The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.
…. my guilty pleasure: Charlotte’s Web
out of my mind (sharon draper)- Loved it because my 9 year old boy read it out loud to me and to hear him read, stop, think, and analyze it to me was the BEST!!!
The Hitch Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams!!
Funnies are my thing although an occasional love story can good for the soul, with that said in going to say Are you there, Vodka? It’s me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler 🙂
Right now I really like the book “The Jesus You Never Knew” by Phillip Yancey.
Favorite Book: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (Love the whole series!!!)
So many favorites! 🙂 Thorn In My Heart and following books in that series by Liz Curtis Higgs, The House at Riverton by Kate Morton and The Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas and The Circle series by Ted Dekker! I think those are my top favorites.
My favorite book is Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I read it yearly 🙂
My favorite book is Heaven is for Real!!!!
I adore “Something Borrowed” by Emily Griffin…i love all her books. She is a great writer.
I am a Twilight Saga fan I have to admit…love them!
Circle of Friends was a great book…better than the movie!
Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey
Tuesday’s with Morrie
Um, anything by Jane Austen (counting that as one, ha ha), Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Favorite book is The Host by Stephenie Meyer.
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy or the Harry Potter Series!
The Worst Hard Time, by Timothy Egan
I know, it’s cheesy and teenager-ish…but…The Twilight series 😉
The Golden Willow: The Story of a Lifetime of Love by Harry Bernstein
Thanks for the giveaway!!
Just one? Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card… or Jane Eyre…. I cant pick just one…
um… the Notebook may be the last book I read.. it was a while ago!! loved it tho!
SmokeScreen by Sandra Brown
My favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird 🙂 Haven’t been able to get in any good reads lately since I spend all my time doing grad school work! I can’t wait to pick up a book again!
I would have to say James Patterson’s Alex Cross . Another would be Jeffery Deaver’s books. Thanks!
My ultimate favorite THE BIBLE…literature…Sense and Sensibility!!!!
Favorite literature book- Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers.
Favorite Book(s)
Jack London’s White Fang
Jack London’s Call of the Wild
My favorite book is “R is For Rocket” by Ray Bradbury. 🙂
The Notebook
The Help by Kathryn Stockett, I laughed, I cried, enjoyed it very much.
Guess how much I love you.
By sam mcbratney
Top 3 Favorites:
1. Flowers for Algernon – Daniel Keyes
2. What the Dog Saw – Malcom Gladwell
3. The Five People You Meet in Heaven – Mitch Albom
I really liked Heaven is for Real and anything by Jodi Picoult!
Favorite book of all time is a children’s book…but it’s my favorite. Matilda by Roald Dahl.
So many books, it’s hard to pick my favorites but here are some of my favorite romance:
To Scotland, With Love by Karen Hawkins
Guilty Pleasures by Laura Lee Guhrke
Bewitching by Jill Barnett
favorite book – James Patterson Cross Fire
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman 🙂
Harry Potter IV
The Power of Positive Words (Awesome Book!)
One of my favorite books is “The Shack” by William P Young.
My 2 favorite books to read to my son (who is 3) is “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle and “The Grouchy Ladybug” by Eric Carle.
The Other Side of Heaven by John H. Groberg, Lemon Tart by Josi Kilpack and The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown.
The parenting breakthrough!! It’s the BOMB!
Twilight Series and the unpublished Edward’s version “Midnight”.
Dark Nature by Lyall Watson
Sarah’s Key
Memory Keepers Daughter
Remember Me?