Monitor Color Management at DVinfo.net

Tony Moe · March 9th, 2004, 10:11 AM

I gotta admit I'm a little weak in this area, so I'd love some help. I was reading an article about hardware-based color management (link below). They referenced GretagMacbeth, X-Rite, Monaco Systems, ColorVision Spyder. What do you guys use? I am on a 17 CRT monitor using XP and Vegas4. I know good color starts with good white balance, etc., but I'll save that for another post...

Thanks!
Tony

Link: http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsXP/digitalphotography/gopro/organize/calibrate.asp

Glenn Chan · March 9th, 2004, 01:57 PM

For video you should use a NTSC monitor and calibrate that using color bars + blue gun control on it. Lots of sites have information on how to do that. try www.kozco.com

Things like the Spyder are for graphic design/print/photography work, not video work. Ideally what you see is what you get on printed material. For video, your target format is television and not print so that's why pros use NTSC monitors.

Paul Tauger · March 9th, 2004, 04:26 PM

I'll second Glenn's comments. I have a good LCD monitor which I calibrate regularly with the Colourvision Spyder. It's great for digital stills, lousy for video. Though it's better calibrated than uncalibrated, the gamma diferences are so great as to make it useless for video -- I always edit with a NTSC video monitor.

Tony Moe · March 9th, 2004, 05:07 PM

So maybe this should be, "What NTSC monitor would you recommend for a tight budget?". There's one in the classifieds right now: 13-inch Sony Trinitron PVM-14N6U. Any experience with this one? Can I use it as a second monitor using Vegas? I have not done two-monitor setups yet.

-Tony

Mike Rehmus · March 9th, 2004, 09:01 PM

The under $300 Panasonics and JVCs from their industrial monitor lines will probably do you a lot of good without spending the $1,000 for a pro broadcast monitor.

You need to get out of the consumer TV products where they attempt to correct the video. You want to see the video without correction so you can correct it.

March 9th, 2004, 10:11 AM	#1
Tony Moe New Boot Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 13	Monitor Color Management I gotta admit I'm a little weak in this area, so I'd love some help. I was reading an article about hardware-based color management (link below). They referenced GretagMacbeth, X-Rite, Monaco Systems, ColorVision Spyder. What do you guys use? I am on a 17 CRT monitor using XP and Vegas4. I know good color starts with good white balance, etc., but I'll save that for another post... Thanks! Tony Link: http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsXP/digitalphotography/gopro/organize/calibrate.asp

March 9th, 2004, 05:07 PM	#4
Tony Moe New Boot Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 13	Monitor recommendations? So maybe this should be, "What NTSC monitor would you recommend for a tight budget?". There's one in the classifieds right now: 13-inch Sony Trinitron PVM-14N6U. Any experience with this one? Can I use it as a second monitor using Vegas? I have not done two-monitor setups yet. -Tony

March 9th, 2004, 09:01 PM	#5
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	The under $300 Panasonics and JVCs from their industrial monitor lines will probably do you a lot of good without spending the $1,000 for a pro broadcast monitor. You need to get out of the consumer TV products where they attempt to correct the video. You want to see the video without correction so you can correct it. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

March 9th, 2004, 01:57 PM	#2
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	For video you should use a NTSC monitor and calibrate that using color bars + blue gun control on it. Lots of sites have information on how to do that. try www.kozco.com Things like the Spyder are for graphic design/print/photography work, not video work. Ideally what you see is what you get on printed material. For video, your target format is television and not print so that's why pros use NTSC monitors.

March 9th, 2004, 04:26 PM	#3
Paul Tauger Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Los Angeles (recently from San Francisco) Posts: 954	I'll second Glenn's comments. I have a good LCD monitor which I calibrate regularly with the Colourvision Spyder. It's great for digital stills, lousy for video. Though it's better calibrated than uncalibrated, the gamma diferences are so great as to make it useless for video -- I always edit with a NTSC video monitor.