What?

Monitor Calibration is the process of measuring and adjusting the colours on your computer monitor to match a common standard.

^{Images from https://www.rubbermonkey.co.nz/X-Rite-i1Display-Pro}

Why?

Every screen displays colours slightly differently. The image you see on your computer monitor screen will look slightly (or hugely!) different on your phone screen, and different again on anyone else’s computer monitor screen. This is partly due to the inner workings of the screens, and partly due to tweaks and settings on each screen.

Calibrating monitors to a standard set of colours, lessens the differences between the different monitors and improves the consistency of colour rendition. Consistency becomes particularly important when you want to print, as the professional printers are also calibrated to the same standard.

How?

DPS has the X-rite i1 Display Pro screen calibrator available to borrow to calibrate your screen/s.

Basically you download some software to your computer (and restart your computer), plug in the calibrator, then, following the instructions, you hang the calibrator in front of your screen and let it do it’s magic!

The calibration process will measure a range of colour variables (colour, gamma, brightness, contrast etc), and optimise your screen settings. These settings are stored on your computer or monitor and used each time you use your computer screen.

Depending on your screen a calibration will take about 10 minutes to complete.

How do I borrow the calibrator?

REQUEST: by emailing Nicola (secretary.dpsnz@gmail.com) and ask to borrow the calibrator. Judith will then get in touch with you about when and how you’ll get the calibrator and when it needs to be returned by.

USE: following the instructions.

RETURN: the calibrator, or pass on to the next member, by the date agreed when you requested the calibrator.

I want to read more about monitor calibration.

Excellent! Here are some useful sites (which are also the references for this blog post):

•  i1 Display Pro. The manufacturer’s information page about the calibrator.
  https://www.xrite.com/categories/calibration-profiling/i1display-pro 
• i1 Display Pro – downloads. The page to download the software needed.
  https://www.xrite.com/service-support/product-support/calibration-solutions/i1display-pro 
• Why is monitor calibration important and how to do it. Digital Photography School.
  Background to calibration and a walk through the i1 Display Pro calibrator.
  https://digital-photography-school.com/why-is-monitor-calibration-important-and-how-to-do-it/ 

These next two sites provide further reading about calibration and discuss using a different calibrator the DPS one.

• Monitor calibration: What is it and why do I need it? Cole’s Classroom.
  https://www.colesclassroom.com/what-is-monitor-calibration-and-why-do-i-need-it/ 
• The importance of calibrating your monitor. Capture Landscapes.
  https://capturelandscapes.com/the-importance-of-calibrating-your-monitor/ 

• Judith