Datacolor SpyderX Elite: Monitor Calibration designed for expert and professional Photographers, Videographers and motion imagemakers

Product Information

After validating the software with the provided serial number, a wizard walks the user through a series of steps as shown below. Same goes for colour balance. If you edit in ambient lighting which has poor colour rendering, with either a spikey colour spectrum or a colour temperature that is significantly different to that of your monitor, then that will adversely impact on your edits.

For this example, look at the different gamuts shown in the profile overview option (available after profiling). Lastly, the spectral distribution of the light that makes up a particular colour on any model of monitor will differ. The Spyder sensor (or any other for that matter, this is not a Spyder specific problem) may well record two screens as showing the same colour, but we see them as slightly different. Think of this as similar to matching two items of clothing in daylight and then finding that under artificial lighting they differ (a metamerism problem). The table below provides greater detail as to the differences between the SpyderX Pro and Elite models. Color management is definitely a science of its own. I still feel a little lost but I do have the basic's down. Trying to print a photo on an inkjet and maintain the same colors you see on the screen definitely takes some skill.

Summary

To alleviate you from having to get out your calculator, the highlighted area below the recommended/measured results indicates the acceptable range. Datacolor’s approach is all well and great in a consistent, lab-like environment. If you’re a professional colorist, retoucher, editor, etc then you should find the Datacolor SpyderX Elite to be invaluable to a certain degree. “ In the example here, the out of gamut areas are shown in grey, but you can change this highlight colour.

If you are using multiple monitors, choose the monitor you want to calibrate. In my case, I am going to calibrate my Dell P2715Q 4K monitor. a higher level. Ultimately, the choice between the two models depends on the specific needs and preferences of the user. Those who prioritize projector calibration and advanced customization may prefer the Elite model, while those who simply want reliable color accuracy may be satisfied with the Pro model. All in all a solid calibration product that can help photographers wanting to improve the quality and consistency of their workflows. While running the sequence, the system will first assess the brightness of the screen. If overall brightness is too low or too high, then it asks you to increase or decrease your screen’s brightness until you reach the target. In this specific case, I’m targeting 200 cd/m If you’re a creative that works while on the move, then the Datacolor SpyderX Elite might not be for you. If you’re like most of the staff at the Phoblographer who use a laptop while on the go and then have a desktop at home, then having it tethered permanently to your desktop could be the best decision you make. The calibration is fast, it’s pleasing, and it will help you to get better colors. But the full fruition of those colors will only really be experienced if the folks that you’re sending your images to have their displays calibrated in the same way that you do. Then it depends on lighting and all. Displays in and of themselves in the past few years have been getting better and better with calibration built in. Folks also do their own calibrations–our Copy Editor Mark usually has his iPhone display set to the warmer glow that we all see when it becomes bedtime. My iPhone is set to high contrast mode with bigger icons because I’m legally blind. Paul’s is pretty standard. So no matter what, it’s very difficult to see images the same way unless the two devices are calibrated and look the same. Thankfully for the most part, most folks simply just use their displays in the way that it is out of the box.And it's at this point you really experience the SpyderX advantage. Our test monitor was a Dell XPS 15 laptop with a 4K IPS display and 100% Adobe RGB coverage. Calibrating with our Spyder5 Elite took 5 minutes 17 seconds, whereas an identical calibration with the SpyderX was completed in a blistering 1 minute 15 seconds. Given monitor calibration isn't a once-only procedure - you should calibration roughly once a month to ensure consistent color accuracy - such a noticeable time saving is very handy indeed. The software continues Datacolor’s tradition of having clear, well written help guides that take time to explain why you do things, not just how. I’ve long held them up as a positive example of how software ‘help’ should be approached.