How to calibrate a screen?

[nightlong]

I have just acquired a Dell Ultrasharp 2412 monitor. I read somewhere here that you need to calibrate it ... No idea how to do that. Would appreciate advice. I will be using it with an MBA 13 inch but haven't got that yet. For now it is secondary display for my 2007 iMac.

 

[Sondrix]

For proper callibration you will need a colorimeter such as a 'Colormunki Display'. They are expensive but they will make your colours accurate. It is a must have for people editing photographs to be printed because it ensures that what you see on screen is what you get on paper.

 

[sr2012]

Starting off, get a Spyder4Pro. There are more expensive options but that's a good starting point.

 

[thekev]

There's no reason to treat this any different than the imac. If you required calibration on the imac, then do the Dell too. They all drift over time. The Apple would look nothing like it did years ago whether you notice it or not. Their profiles simply aren't static, so for some measure of stability, you re-measure for an updated profile every month or every couple weeks once they're older after allowing for warm up time (at least half an hour) and keeping the colorimeter plugged in at least 10 minutes. Colorimeters drift over time just like the display. Usually they're good for 3 years or so. Sondrix is somewhat incorrect. They don't necessarily make your colors "accurate". You could profile two of the same model and see that they still don't match due to differences in aging, so which one is right? The important thing is that it's close enough. If you're going for as close to perfection as possible, you're using a known reference, and the display is part of a bigger chain. There aren't any reliable ways to just guarantee yourself perfect color, especially not with a $130 device.

 

[nightlong]

Thanks for your answers. So is it like using standard screen adjustments, only more complex, or more levels? And how do you know what is the best the monitor can do, I'm afraid of making it worse and not being able to get back. On the other hand, while it looks okay to me out of the box, it would be good to know it is running at optimum.