Spyder 3 Pro monitor calibration and Ambient light

Over the past year I have grown aware of the advantages of monitor calibration, and so last week I bought the Spyder 3 Pro tool, and am trying to set it up properly. On the other hand I am not a professional, so I can't set up a complete office for photo editing and just try to do what I have. I am reasoning that any step in the right direction is at least that.

However, the spyder measures the normal ambient lighting in my office as "very high". Apparently that is totally unsuitable for photo editing, but I need at least that much light for my regular work. If I switch off the overhead lights, the ambient light drops to "Medium", which is acceptable for photo editing on an LCD. So I decided to calibrate my screen with the overheads switched off, and to also switch them off whenever I am editing images and the calibration really matters. Does this sound reasonable, or are there better solutions?

Pieter Missiaen said:

Over the past year I have grown aware of the advantages of monitor calibration, and so last week I bought the Spyder 3 Pro tool, and am trying to set it up properly. On the other hand I am not a professional, so I can't set up a complete office for photo editing and just try to do what I have. I am reasoning that any step in the right direction is at least that.

However, the spyder measures the normal ambient lighting in my office as "very high". Apparently that is totally unsuitable for photo editing, but I need at least that much light for my regular work. If I switch off the overhead lights, the ambient light drops to "Medium", which is acceptable for photo editing on an LCD. So I decided to calibrate my screen with the overheads switched off, and to also switch them off whenever I am editing images and the calibration really matters.

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Pieter Missiaen said:

Does this sound reasonable, or are there better solutions?

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Sounds perfectly reasonable.

Typically, most LCD monitors out of the box have a white luminance level in excess of 250 cd/m2. For print matching (avoiding dark or light prints) you need to get the white luminance of the monitor down to somewhere between 100 and 140 cd/m2.

There is no correct value except the one that comes closest to printing an image that is neither too dark or too light, where that image has been post processed and you've adjusted the levels of the image to something that looks good to your eye.

A 100 cd/m2 monitor in a pitch black room may be too bright; a 100cd/m2 monitor in a sunlit room may be too dark.

The ambient light of the room has a direct effect on your eyes perception of the brightness of the backlit screen you are looking at. In a bright room, a dark monitor would encourage you to boost levels of the image perhaps a bit too high, resulting in a bright washed out print. In a dark room, a bright monitor may suggest you need to lower the levels resulting in prints that are too dark. This last is the typical case.

You should double check the Spyder web site and ensure you've downloaded the latest version of their software as I understand the the PRO version now has the feature "Custom B/W Luminance Control" enabled. This will allow you to check your monitors luminance to a "Measured" value. With my Spyder2 PRO software, you don't access the custom luminance values unless you switch the Luminance Mode from its' default value to "Measured".

http://spyder.datacolor.com/s3compare.php

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Newsy http://newsy.smugmug.com

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I have downloaded the latest version of the software (1.1.4) , and it does indeed seem to offer a number of additional options. However the "Custom B/W Luminance Control" is a feature of the more expensive Elite version, and is not included in the Pro Version.

In the meantime, I have noticed how much the window light in my office varies during the course of the day, even through the course of the day, and have realised that my 2,5 year old laptop LCD is probably already fading markedly.

Pieter Missiaen said:

I have downloaded the latest version of the software (1.1.4) , and it does indeed seem to offer a number of additional options. However the "Custom B/W Luminance Control" is a feature of the more expensive Elite version, and is not included in the Pro Version.

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That is interesting! So no option to use a "Measured" Luminance Mode for calibration?

Pieter Missiaen said:

In the meantime, I have noticed how much the window light in my office varies during the course of the day, even through the course of the day, and have realised that my 2,5 year old laptop LCD is probably already fading markedly.

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Ah! Best thing to do is buy the inexpensive Dell 2209WA monitor as connect to the laptop. Laptop screens are generally quite poor 6bit TN panels. The 2209WA offers full 22" 1680x1050 8bit, e-IPS panel, 100% sRGB color space, full hardware controls for assisting in calibration, and it does calibrate very well. All this for between $200 - 300 USD.

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Newsy http://newsy.smugmug.com

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If there is such an option, I can't find it, and the lack of a Custom B/W Luminance Control in the Pro version is noted in the link you gave me, so those who want it will need the Elite version.

And I know that there are way better monitors out there than my laptop display, but first of all, I am only slowly growing into this, and more importantly, as I am currently temporarily living and working in the US, a somewhat decent external monitor is something I will only be getting once I move back to Europe...

Pieter Missiaen said:

And I know that there are way better monitors out there than my laptop display, but first of all, I am only slowly growing into this, and more importantly, as I am currently temporarily living and working in the US, a somewhat decent external monitor is something I will only be getting once I move back to Europe...

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No matter what type of monitor you have, or how sophisticated your calibration system, it is essential that you employ the monitor under the same lighting conditions used for calibration. You seem to have a very wide range of lighting conditions and that can be very troublesome. The ambient lighting must be kept consistent for best results. I use a very simple calibration system and I have no problems because my compute is located in a windowless room with very consistent lighting.

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Judy

NewsyL,

I see that you recommended the 2209WA. I wonder if you have run into this problem as well.

I run 2 monitors on 24" TN montor and the 2208WA. Somtimes I move photoshop between both monitors to get a different perspective. I have a spyder 3Pro device that has calibrated the eIPS monitor. Now the problem is that when I post photos that I have proccessed on the calibrated monitor to the web are all washed out on my TN monitor but look great on my calibrated monitor. Others have seen these posted photos and say that they are blown out too.

Do you have any suggestions?

Equipment:
D90, 50mm 1.8 Nikon, 18-55mm VR, 55-200mm VR, 18-105mm VR (Kit)

Switching off the overheads before you edit in fine, but be aware that your own eyes need time to adjust to the change in lighting.

Don't just switch the lights off and then start editing. It can take up to half an hour to adjust properly to dim lighting, so give yourself at least five to ten minutes in that moderate lighting to adjust. Your own tonal and colour response will not be accurate until you do.

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StephenG