Re: monitor question

[tflash <tflash@earthlink.net>]

Wow. It's very rare indeed that I get an answer so complete that it begs no
follow-up question from me.

I really appreciate your help,
Todd

> From: CDTobie@aol.com
> Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2000 09:13:52 EDT
> To: tflash@earthlink.net
> Cc: epson-inkjet@leben.com
> Subject: Re: monitor question
> 
> In a message dated 10/24/00 7:52:18 PM, tflash@earthlink.net writes:
> 
>> Does the above contradict what you wrote to me yesterday below? I take
>> it
>> there's a tricky workaround that I'd like to know but which won't be in
>> the
>> manual. Would you elaborate, please? Also, I currently have an order in
>> with
>> Color Vision for their Bundle which includes the Spyder, Photocal, and
>> Profiler RGB; would it be worth spending an extra $200 to upgrade from
>> PhotoCal to OptiCal?
> 
> I just reread both, and find no conflict, but then I wrote them, so might not
> notice what you meant. To state it again in one piece:
> 
> The LaCie hardware is an inexpensive puck which they are buying from a third
> party to include with their system. The puck itself is less desirable than
> the ColorVision Monitor Spyder. The system that LaCie uses to control their
> monitor with the puck will include precalibration RG&B gun adjustments, which
> should be automatic when done with their software. There is no magic
> involved, and I don't see how the result (while it may be a bit more
> convenient) could be any more effective than that offered by OptiCal or
> PhotoCal, where you adjust this with the front panel controls, but using the
> calibrator for feedback on your results. Note that the price of the LaCie
> system is *considerably* less convenient...
> 
> If you calibrate with OptiCal, the current version will include PreCal as a
> seperate utility to allow precalibration gun adjustments. If you use
> PhotoCal, then this utility is built in (as the comparable feature is with
> ProveIt). So while there is a clear and intended way to *just* balance the
> guns with OptiCal, with the other two, that stage would need to be done as if
> you were running a full calibration process. But once you had the guns
> balanced, since that portion of the process is done to the monitor itself,
> not to color corrections sent to the video card,  it would hardly matter if
> you actually completed to calibration, or if you used the resulting profile;
> the RGB guns of your monitor would still be balanced. The only wild card in
> the deck is that you may have adjusted the blakc and white points (or not) in
> the process, and that there is some difference between how gun balancing is
> done among programs. Sometimes you are not just balancing the three, but also
> setting the combination of the three to the proper lumenance level at the
> same time. With others you balance them at a maximum, and the lumen level is
> set seperately. Since my theory (for what its worth) is that I want to set
> the lumen level with the gun controls, to leave as little adjustment to the
> video card  or brightness/contrast controls as possible, I always target the
> lumen level while adjusting the guns, whether the software requests it or not.
> 
> Regarding which ColorVision monitor profiler to buy... thats a tricky one.
> There are still some core differences between how the two work. Most notably
> OptiCal calibrates on a gray balance of the three guns, PhotoCal runs the
> three seperately.  OptiCal also sets both white and black points with the
> calibrator, instead of leaving one for you to do visually as PhotoCal does.
> In theory you should get better gray balance out of the OptiCal method; but
> all I can say is that I see a difference between the two, and that to my eye
> the graycalc method appears more neutral. Which is technically more accurate
> would require some pretty expensive equipment to determine. There are also a
> few advanced features to OptiCal that might be of interest to you, such as
> being able to choose your own white points and gamma, rather than just having
> the standard g1.8/g2.2 and 5000k/6500k choices in PhotoCal. So if you need to
> adjust your monitor whitepoint to match your lighting booth, or some other
> fixed element, you can with OptiCal.  And the target system in OptiCal allows
> you to use the same standard for all monitors in your office. I also expect
> there will be some cool new features available in OptiCal before too long.
> PhotoCal, on the other hand, may adopt  more of the core systems now in
> OptiCal, so that the distinction will be based more on options and controls,
> rather than core methodology.
> 
> Many solo users with medium priced monitors are quite happy with PhotoCal. If
> this proves not to be the case, or a new killer feature gets added to OptiCal
> down the line, you can still upgrade then.  There is currently no price
> penalty (unless its the shipping charges) for upgrading, versus buying at
> once.
> 
> C. David Tobie
> Design Cooperative
> CDTobie@designcoop.com
> 

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