How to calibrate Dell Inspiron E1705 Ultrasharp laptop display with ColorVision Spyder2?

[brian_vandenberg]

I searched just about every corner of the web for a solution to this. Support

from ColorVision has been no help, and is at best very basic. This is my last

resort. Please help...

 

I have successfully calibrated the Viewsonic A90 CRT monitors in my studio with

the ColorVision Spyder2 Suite, and both look acceptably similar. However, after

calibrating the Ultrasharp LCD widescreen display on my new Dell Inspiron E1705

(also called Inspiron 9400), running Windows Media Edition OS, the result is

quite shocking.

 

Here's the scenario: I run the ColorVision Spyder2 software and adjust the

Brightness/Contrast in the ATI Catalyst Control Center (the graphics software)

to acceptable values, looking at the Black and White Point graphs in the Spyder2

program. Then finish the calibrating, remembering to add the new Color Profile

created by Spyder2 to Display Properties->Advanced->Color Management. The

profile is now "live", and activates by ColorVision each time Windows starts.

However, the screen appears very dark, and it's then hard to tell if the colors

are even true. To illustrate just how bad it is, have a look at this page:

http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/Calibration/monitor_black.htm. The patches

aren't even visible until step 16 on my display!

 

Now, I've tried to adjust the contrast/brightness/gamma etc. in the ATI Catalyst

AFTER the calibrating, but that results in loosing the calibration profile,

until reactivating it with Profile Chooser. I've also tried to "trick" Spyder2

by exaggerating the brightness/contrast BEFORE calibrating with no difference at

all after calibration. I've even tried messing with the luminance in the BIOS

both before and after calibrating. It seems absolutely nothing will change the

outcome of the calibration result. The external CRT monitor, connected to the

laptop, looks ok after calibration. It's just the Laptop display I cannot seem

to calibrate properly.

 

I can't get ColorVision to give me anything specific on this issue. They just

generalize, and say they've calibrated thousands of laptop displays just fine.

Please help...

 

The specs:

Dell Inspiron 9400 (E1705) with 17" Ultrasharp LCD display, 2g of ram, Core Duo

Intel and the the ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 256 mb graphics card.

ColorVision Spyder2 Suite.

All software/drivers are updated to the latest releases from Dell/ATI and

ColorVision.

[alfaromeo]

did you have the cap on the sensor when you calibrated the LCD?

[brian_vandenberg]

Nope! However, I've used the designated spyder2 attachment for LCD screens. It has a blue/green-ish "filter" built into it, that looks non-removable.

[alfaromeo]

yeah, this is what I meant, try to adjust the screen before calibration from the screen menu, not going into ATI Catalyst Control Center, and rename the newly created profile so you dont mix it with the old one created for the CRT.

[brian_vandenberg]

Thanx Jerry. I did however rename the profiles each time to make sure they didn't somehow get "confused". The CRT has its own profile, that I manually activate each time I connect it. In regards to the screen menu, I wasn't aware there was one? As far as I know the Dell E1705 laptop (and most laptops) display is only configurable via the craphics card and in the BIOS for backlight. Have I missed something?

[steve_bingham]

Using the Eye-One 2 I get level 4 on my desktop and level 6 on my 1705. I am not sure why yours is so different. My prints are pretty damn close using my Epson R2400 and 7600. Are you sure your monitor isn't ignoring your calibration and doing its own thing on start up? Check start menu (run msconfig and go to Start menu).

[brian_vandenberg]

Hi Steve, Checked the startup and it's looking normal. I'm sure the Spyder2 profile loads, cause there's a major difference in colors (not to mention the luminance) when it activates, both at startup and when I manually add/remove the profile. Looks like maybe I need to get another calibration system. I know it can't be a faulty sensor, since the actual Spyder2 hardware was already replaced a few months ago by ColorVision, with no difference in the calibration result. I'm wondering if anyone ever calibrated this display successfully with a spyder2..

[matthew_chilton1]

Brian,

 

Brightness & Contrast controls should only be adjusted if you have those control "built-in" to the monitor. In other words, you shouldn't be adjusting the B&C controls through your video cards software, only if you have those controls from the DDC (Direct Digital Controls) as physical buttons on the monitor.

 

Have you tried calibrating the monitor WITHOUT adjusting any software controls from within the video cards software? If not try it, if so then what step can you see from the link you provided?

 

Matthew Chilton

Pantone

Marketing Manager - Digital Solutions

mchilton@pantone.com

[alfaromeo]

How did you adjust brightness and contrast when you calibrated the CRT? same through ATI software or using monitor buttons?

[brian_vandenberg]

Hi Mattthew, I just did one more calibration to make absolutely sure, and the results are the same. I actually did one first without the LCD attachment just to see what would happen, but the display ended up very green.

 

Now, looking at: http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/Calibration/monitor_black.htm, before calibration with all factory default settings on the graphic software (no adjustments made) the first visible square was at step 7. AFTER the calibration with Spyder2 the first visible square is at step 16, all default settings!

 

It's a bit odd, since the last email I got from ColorVision said, that the calibration system doesn't adjust any luminance. How can the above results then be explained?

 

Jerry, on the CRTs I used the monitor controls to set contrast, brightness and kelvin before the actual calibrating.

 

I do a lot of web development along with photo, graphics and video editing, so it's a major annoyance not being able to do some of it from the laptop. Not to mention using it on the road during photo shoots. Especially since this laptop has all the specs for it.

 

Thanx guys for the quick replies and trying to help here!

[griffin_neubauer]

I have similiar question to the original poster's. Before I became interested in printing photographs and monitor calibration, I was using the ATI Catalyst Control Center to save contrast and brightness settings for individual programs. For instance, in Premiere Pro I like the screen settings a certain way and for Adobe Audition I liked the screen darker. With Catalayst Control I could just select the preset for the program I was working in and the monitor would instantly go to my favorite settings. It was very conveniant. Now I have Spyder 2 Pro and I want what I see on my monitor in Photoshop CS2 and Painter to match what I print on my HP 8750 printer. Should I dump Catalyst Control Center altogether? If I create an ICC profile with the Spyder adjusting the brightness, contrast, gamma, etc with the Catalyst software controls INSTEAD of the buttons on my monitor, is that profile still valid? I'm sorry if this is hard to understand; it's hard write about color managment.

[brian_vandenberg]

Griffin, from they've told me at ColorVision, you should ONLY use the Spyder2 calibration system along with the buttons on your monitor (for brightness/contrast). No adjustments should be made in your video card software. That should all be at default settings before starting to calibrate with Spyder2. Now, I've found, that in order to "match" the colors in the Photoshop work area with the rest of your computer environment, you need to change the working color profile in photoshop to the one created by the Spyder2. For eksample, Default Monitor 1, or whatever you named it. Not sure if this procedure applies to Premier Pro??

 

Still never managed to do get any acceptable results with the Spyder2 on the Dell Laptop display! Anyone??? I think I'll try the Eye-One 2. Seems Steve he got much better results with that, than I could get with the Spyder2.

[serge c]

LOL, if you set the PS working space to your monitor profile you are effectively turning the

color management OFF. Obviously then the Photoshop output will match the NON-

colormanaged applications output.

 

But you absolutely shouldn't use any videocard helper tools to adjust your display if you

use hardware calibration. With laptops, if you really want to calibrate to other than Native

settings for some reason, you're better off letting the software do everything automatically

via the videocard LUTs.

 

Now, those little web-based charts... If you calibrate to something like Gamma 2.2 you are

NOT supposed to see those initial dark patches in a non-colormanaged browser. That's

just how 2.2 is - you've chosen it as a target yourselves.

 

To match monitors and printers you need accurate profiles for both and make sure you

use correct settings in every step of your workflow. Trying to force your monitor look like

your print output is not how color management work - it's a closed-loop approach.

[candace_nelson]

I have calibrated an Inspiron 9400 with Spyder 2, and while I am not an expert in color management at all, I have been pleased with the results. I do not use the Catalyst controls to jimmy with the display settings. Have you tried resetting ALL your Catalyst settings to factory default? There is an option, under preferences I believe, to reset all to default.

 

I did have some trouble when I first started using the Spyder2 on this laptop, but found that if I use 2.2 gamma and 6500k as targets, the result is much better. What targets are you setting?

 

Again, I am not an expert on color management, so if someone thinks my choices of targets are not appropriate, let me know.

 

I just finished calibrating and was able to begin seeing the patches at frame 7 or 8, which isn't great, but it is better than 12 or 16.

[kevin_c3]

I have the Dell Inspiron 9400 which is the same as the E1705. I also have the Colorvison Spyder2Pro. To calibrate, choose "2.2-Native" setting NOT 6500K. LCD monitors should be calibrated at Native. The ColorVisionStartup file in your StartUp folder will load the LUT (look up table) created by the ColorVision profile. I'm running WinXP and sometimes there'll be another error message about profile not found, in which case you have to manually set the profile in your Desktop, Settings, Advanced, Color Management tab. Choose the Colorvision profile which if you didn't rename will show up as "1-Default Monitor". With those two settings, you're set to produce the most accurate colors the Inspiron is capable of. Don't fool around with the ATI Catalyst settings and make sure your laptop brightness is set to max before calibrating.