BIOS: Technology Means Business

If you work with digital images on a regular basis, a calibrated monitor is essential in order to produce prints that resemble their on-screen counterparts. ColorVision's Spyder2Pro is a monitor calibrator that works well with both PCs and Macs and will help you to achieve consistent and neutral grey values as well as exceptionally smooth tonal response on CRTs, LCD and laptop displays. New optimised hardware that's easier to attach to monitors, and new photo sensors that are around five times more sensitive during calibration than the previous model, help you to improve your display's colour uniformity more effectively on different monitors relatively quickly and easily. Spyder2Pro Studio is one of the most effective and attractively priced products for professionals, although its results on a laptop screen were less impressive.

Pros: Improved colorimeter and monitor calibration software
Cons: Confusing for non-imaging professionals

The Spyder2Pro is a high-end software and hardware package used to calibrate CRT, LCD and laptop displays in order create a custom ICC profile, which is then used to get best results with high-end image applications, such as Adobe's Photoshop. Available in two versions, the Spyder2 (£129 ex. VAT) and Spyder2Pro Studio (reviewed here) come with new optimised hardware and are easier to attach to monitors. In addition, new photo sensors mean the Spyder2 promises to be five times more sensitive during calibration than the previous model. This means that colour uniformity can be achieved more effectively on different monitors due to the improved filter systems, and the new patented light baffle should facilitate a more precise LCD characterisation.

Home users and hobbyists should take at look at the company's more value-focussed calibration tool, ColorPlus (£74.97 ex. VAT) because it's a quicker and more intuitive solution that holds your hand through the process of calibrating your monitor to help produce the best possible image quality. You also get a copy of Adobe's entry-level imaging application, Photoshop Album Starter Edition, in the unlikely event that you don't already have an application of this type installed on your computer. However, imaging professionals will appreciate the high-end features of Spyder2Pro Studio.

Extending on the ColorPlus package, Spyder2Pro Studio come with a new optimised colorimeter and is easier to attach to monitors thanks to a moveable counterweight. The main benefit of the package is that creating a profile of a calibrated monitor enables ICC-aware applications to display images with their intended colours. For example, Spyder2Pro Studio adjusts tonal response (gamma), white point (colour temperature) and black-and-white luminance. Following calibration, a custom ICC profile is then created, recording the current characteristics of your monitor for use with compatible imaging applications, such as Adobe's Photoshop.

Installing and running the Spyder2Pro Studio is more time consuming and complicated than the entry-level ColorPlus. For instance, with ColorPlus you place the sensor on your display (counterweight hangs over the top of your screen for balance), select the type of monitor being calibrated (CRT or TFT) using the software, and then sit and wait. During this time, which takes around two minutes to complete, the hardware sensor initialises and takes measurements of your screen. With Spyder2Pro Studio the principle remains the same but there are a number of additional features and options that require user intervention.

For example, the package further adds custom targets, curve manipulation and colorimeter software, reporting tools, the ability to matching different monitors to the same target, a measured luminance mode, white point correction, and re-engineered grey balance and tonal response algorithms. There's also a number of powerful software applications, including Nik's Color Efex Pro 2.0 Standard Edition, Pantone's Colorist, and ColorVision's DoctorPRO. As you can imagine, the additional features add a layer of complexity that will likely only be understood and appreciated by imaging professionals.

To highlight this, the first thing you have to do is choose between a Visual or Measured luminance modes. When calibrating most monitors, in addition to setting the tone response (which controls the gamma) and white point (which controls the colour, not the luminance, of white), it is also possible to adjust the black luminance and white luminance levels. When Visual is selected, your monitor will be calibrated to produce the most white luminance it can without being over driven.

The black luminance will be set as low as possible to produce a good black without losing shadow detail. This is a more appropriate setting for most users who are not attempting specialised matching modes with more than one monitor in the same viewing area. You're then prompted to adjust each luminance level based on observation of a visual image. While this may seem unscientific, optimal luminance is affected by ambient light. Since this is the case, a visual judgement that takes into account ambient light often yields a more practical result than using a predetermined number.

Measured luminance mode uses the Spyder colorimeter to measure the black luminance and white luminance levels. The measured levels are compared to the desired values and you're prompted to adjust the controls on the monitor to achieve the desired levels. You might want to use measured luminance mode if you are matching multiple monitors that are viewed side-by-side. You may also want to use this mode if you work in an environment where your system administrator assigns specific luminance values. However, if you decide to use the Measured luminance mode, you will need to determine the appropriate luminance values.

Your next task is to select the various controls your monitor has so that the software can provide the proper instructions. For instance, you need to indicate whether your screen has brightness, contrast or backlight controls. Of course, your monitor may have just one, all, or even none of these options, but this doesn't actually affect the Sypder2Pro's effectiveness. After brightness and control configuration screens, you then have to select your monitor's colour settings (Kelvin Presets, Kelvin Slider, or RGB Sliders), and then set the colour temperature of your screen to the preset that matches the desired the white point (such as 6500k). If an exact match is not available you can choose the next highest setting. After around 15 minutes or so, you should then have a custom ICC profile and see a noticeable difference in your screen's image quality.