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Just got a new 13" MBP - should I colour calibrate?

S

stevearm

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 15, 2007
992
91
I've read a few stories about how the colours profile that comes with the uMBP are all wrong and it should be calibrated using different settings.

Is this the case, and if so, what profile should I use?

Thanks, any help would be appreciated :)
 
Well I meant is there any colour profile settings I can input, rather than buy calibration hardware
 
stevearm said:
Well I meant is there any colour profile settings I can input, rather than buy calibration hardware
Click to expand...

The only way to really calibrate is with calibration hardware.
The other option is to use a calibration software, like the one the Mac OS provides, but it's much less accurate.

One of the first thing I do when I get a new laptop or monitor is I use a Monitor calibration hardware to calibrate. It works flawlessly.
 
You can find color profiles throughout the forum based on your particular screen model. Check which screen you have and then do a search. I'm sure you'll find a profile to use. :)
 
m0no said:
You can find color profiles throughout the forum based on your particular screen model. Check which screen you have and then do a search. I'm sure you'll find a profile to use. :)
Click to expand...
I'm a complete newbie. I just bought a MB Pro 13". How would I find what screen it is?

NVIDIA GeForce 9400M:

Chipset Model: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
Type: GPU
Bus: PCI
VRAM (Total): 256 MB
Vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de)
Device ID: 0x0863
Revision ID: 0x00b1
ROM Revision: 3427
Displays:
Color LCD:
Resolution: 1280 x 800
Pixel Depth: 32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Built-In: Yes
 
system preferences > displays > color > open profile > number 13 or 17

The model number will be something like 9CBD.
 
Personally, I find all the calibrations to be too blue. In Leopard I just changed the gamma to 2.2 and was happy with that, but I think 2.2 is SL's default. Up to you, but I don't think there's that much to improve on the default setting the new MBP.
 
Corrode said:
Personally, I find all the calibrations to be too blue. In Leopard I just changed the gamma to 2.2 and was happy with that, but I think 2.2 is SL's default. Up to you, but I don't think there's that much to improve on the default setting the new MBP.
Click to expand...

I don't use a profile either. I like the default on the 9CBD screen. Maybe I just don't have an eye for it, but it looks better to me than any calibration I've tried.
 
Apple did change the default gamma from 1.8 to 2.2 with Snow Leopard. This is actually a bigger deal for the photography and digital media communities, because 2.2 has been the default calibration point for third-party applications (such as Adobe). Unless you're doing a lot of work that requires color calibration between different applications/devices (i.e, editing photos for print reproduction), the default color calibration in Snow Leopard should be sufficient.
 
The 9CA0 panel on my 13" MBP was surprisingly good straight from the box, with only minor adjustments needed. In any case you should always calibrate.
 
stevearm said:
I've read a few stories about how the colours profile that comes with the uMBP are all wrong and it should be calibrated using different settings.

Is this the case, and if so, what profile should I use?

Thanks, any help would be appreciated :)
Click to expand...

If you're happy with the current colours then don't bother changing it.

If you're a professional photographer/ movie maker then I assume you know what you're doing, but if you are just the average user then you most likely will not notice the difference.

If it ain't broke don't fix it.
 
It's easy enough to have a play around with the settings - you can save any setup you like to come back to later on.

I tried calibraitng using the Mac software first - but ended up trying the built in option Adobe RGB and preferring it - not sure why.

Coops
 
Hardware calibration is the best path if you want or need color accuracy. I've read positive things for the spyder 3 pro (or elite). Check out and search the forums over at dpreview.com. Thete's been plenty of write ups on what calibration device works best with a mac.
 
I have a 9CC2 screen. I found some other users profiles and when clicking on the link it downloaded and ended up on my desktop. How do I add it to my profile list and use it? I tried to drag it and it didn't work. What am I missing?
 
stevearm said:
I've read a few stories about how the colours profile that comes with the uMBP are all wrong and it should be calibrated using different settings.

Is this the case, and if so, what profile should I use?

Thanks, any help would be appreciated :)
Click to expand...

May I suggest something? Unless you edit images (still photography or video) or need to ensure that when you print, it matches what you see on the screen (via calibrated monitor AND matching colour profiles for the printer/ink/paper combination), you probably don't really need to bother with a calibrated monitor.

But if it's essential to your work, then you have some options -- hardware calibration being better of them (although at a cost) but do have software-based calibration options as well.
 
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