How often do you calibrate your LCD monitor?

[srileo]

Hi all,

I have finally managed to acquire all the components of my digtal

darkroom...slr, lens, epson r2400, 24" samsung 244t, Intel Mac.

 

Now the last step before i start getting productive is to calibrate the monitor

and the EyeOne Display 2 is highly recommended on here, but i somehow hesitate

to shell out almost $200 for a tool that i may use maybe 2 times. I called

around in the san francisco y area to see if any of the shops rent it out and

none do (software installation being a no-no).

 

Any advise other than to suck it up and shell out the $? maybe i'll post to

craigslist and ask if anyone wants to share the love...

 

Sridhar

[jonathan_walker]

If you havea CRT monitor (I have a laCie ElectronBlue 22" CRT) you do need one, though I'm not aware that the calibration drifts that much over time. The manual says every two weeks, but I'm a hobbyist and the best Iprobably manage is every two or three months.

 

I'd be curious how often people calibrate their CRTs. (Any CRT owners out there? Any? Hello? This mic on?)

[Craig_Cooper11664875449]

Using an Apple 20" LCD, I can visually see a drift somewhere between 3~4 weeks so I assume it actually drifts earlier - therefore I tend to calibrate about every 2 weeks.

[frans_waterlander]

I got a Sony 21" Trinitron CRT monitor and calibrate it every month. I don't see any shifts in between calibrations, but my adjustments change a tiny bit every time I calibrate.

 

Most LCD monitors are more stable than most CRT's so theoretically you don't need to calibrate them that often, but when I switch over to an LCD I'll just continue to calibrate it every month.

[cfimages]

I calibrate once a month or so, using Spyder2Pro on a Viewsonic LCD. If I'm processing a job for clients, I might calibrate more often, if I'm just posting stuff to the web, I calibrate less often.

[ellis_vener_photography]

I calibrate once every two weeks for my LCD, and also just before beginning to process an important shoot. Do I need to recalibrate and profile so often? probably not But it is good hygiene and only takes a few minutes.

[luckystokes]

I calibrate my Apple 23" Cinema HD once a month with Eye One. It probably doesn't need to

be done that often, but you simply must have your display calibrated correctly or nothing

else you do really matters.

[david_henderson]

About once a month - or before I start work on a big series of files for printing.

[marshall]

If I don't calibrate my CRT every 4-6 weeks, I can sometimes actually see the shifts. I understand that LCDs are a little more stable, but you'll probably still want to own your own calibration gear.

[srileo]

Thanks all, i guess it is time i simply pony up the Cash for an EyeOneD2

[jim_britt1]

I actually calibrate by eye, and print a test print of something that I have printed before and

know well. I know that no monitor is really acurate as to what the print will look like. You

have to get used to the difference between what you see and what you get. I'm not printing

batches, but single print (maybe two or three copies) and in large sizes with my 4800. So far

so good.

[jim_carrington1]

<p>I used to calibrate by eye, and must say, am glad I finally bit the bullet and bought the monitor calibration hardware and software. That, with softproofing, finally brings very close matches between my prints and my monitor. If I had the chance to go back in time and do things differently, I would have purchased the monitor calibration hardware and software sooner.</p>