MAC COLOR CALIBRATION TOOL 2019 SOFTWARE
Verdict: The build quality of the SpyderX is exemplary for the money and the software is a huge improvement on the older DataColor Spyder package. It’s also essential for getting the mood in monochrome images right, or when working on graphics with logos, etc.Īlthough the color system used by a color printer is based on CMYK and a computer monitor uses RGB, a properly calibrated monitor and printing using the correct color space and printer color profile means there’s a much better chance that the photo or artwork turned out by your printer will match what you were seeing and editing on screen. This is where the SpyderX really helps, and it can certainly make for far better edits on images before they get sent to your printer or online photographic service. You may as well just tweak some random settings. There’s very little point in using a package like Photoshop or Lightroom to lift shadows or tame highlights if your screen isn’t accurate. But strangely enough, although the SpyderX is great at nailing accurate colors, I think it’s other big strength is the way it adjusts the display so that it gets shadows and highlights properly balanced.
So why does this matter? Well, color consistency is certainly better on digital devices than it used to be now that there are LED monitors and universal color spaces. I’d grown accustomed to it being quite a bit too cool, and the adjustment made by SpyderX made the whites look much more natural and the details in the shadows were better and the whole image was less harsh. I was surprised by how much my iMac’s screen was out. Once the measurements have been made, the software shows you a screen with a button that enables you to compare colors before and after. Of course, you don’t need to recalibrate quite so often by some designers and photographers like to make sure there’s no shift, especially when working on important projects. This is important if you’re calibrating a screen on a weekly basis, as that time soon adds up. Normally, on most monitor calibrators, this process can take quite a while, but the SpyderX zips through the measurements in around a couple of minutes. Once the set-up questions and brightness adjustments have been made, the Spyder X software starts calibrating your display by showing a range of colors at various levels of brightness as it carefully measures the changes. The SpyderX will also measure the ambient light in your workspace, and let you know if it’s too bright for accurate image editing.
The SpyderX keeps measuring the brightness until the correct level is achieved.
Then you need to plug the SpyderX into one of the computer’s USB ports (it’s best not to use the SpyderX via a USB hub) and then remove the lens protector and place the device over the space shown on your computer monitor by the SpyderX software.īefore measuring the display, the SpyderX software will ask a few questions about the type of monitor or screen you are using and it will prompt you to adjust the brightness levels to make sure it’s at the correct setting.
MAC COLOR CALIBRATION TOOL 2019 PC
Getting started with SpyderX is a simple process of installing the software on your PC or Mac and making sure the screen has around 30 minutes to warm up and settle.