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Easy way to calibrate monitors using iphone or external camera?

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So, here's the thing. I'm partially colorblind, but I know my monitors are not in sync color-wise.

For example, monitor 1 seems to be "warm" and have higher red levels. Monitor 2 seems to have higher yellows or greens, and monitor 3 is really close to monitor 2, but it still doesn't match exactly. If I have different images on each monitor, I can't tell them apart. However, when I have the same image on each monitor, or a solid color on each monitor (like a solid Red or Blue background), I can tell that they don't match quite clearly.

The problem is that I can't seem to even out the colors by adjusting the Red/Green/Blue in the monitor settings because, well, I'm partially colorblind. As a result, I can't "manually" adjust the color levels to match. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get all three monitors to match? I thought maybe I can use the iPhone or an external camera as a guide, but I don't know if that is possible or would wok. Does anyone have any websites that might help with this?

I'd love to be able to have some program by using an external camera go "pump up the blue. stop. now the red. stop. now the green. stop. now lower the blue. perfect!" and be done with it. Any ideas? Or, is there a way to have a website appear on both screens and calibrate the colors that way? Something that lets me calibrate the red, then blue, then green, then overall colors for minor adjustments?
 

luoapp

Member
I think it's doable. Are three monitors identical? What kind manual adjustments they have? Are you willing to spend some money or look for a free method? What kind smartphone you have? iphone or android?
 
I think it's doable. Are three monitors identical? What kind manual adjustments they have? Are you willing to spend some money or look for a free method? What kind smartphone you have? iphone or android?

Each monitor is different. #1: iMac, #2: Dell U2412M, #3: Dell ST2410. I'd love to do it free, but I'd spend a little money (I don't want to buy or rent any calibration equipment; hence, the desire to use my phone). I have an iPhone.

I have the two dell monitors matched via color temperature (5700k), and they are very close to each other. The two Dell monitors don't match the iMac, which is the real issue. They just don't look as "warm" as the iMac. If I make the iMac pure red, the two Dell's just don't look as red. Maybe the iMac monitor is just that much better, and there's no real way to get them to match because the iMac is that much better?
 

luoapp

Member
Each monitor is different. #1: iMac, #2: Dell U2412M, #3: Dell ST2410. I'd love to do it free, but I'd spend a little money (I don't want to buy or rent any calibration equipment; hence, the desire to use my phone). I have an iPhone.

I have the two dell monitors matched via color temperature (5700k), and they are very close to each other. The two Dell monitors don't match the iMac, which is the real issue. They just don't look as "warm" as the iMac. If I make the iMac pure red, the two Dell's just don't look as red. Maybe the iMac monitor is just that much better, and there's no real way to get them to match because the iMac is that much better?

What software do you use to view your image?
 

MultiCore

Member
Just to add a little more value, part of the reason you won't be able to take a picture of your monitor and have someone/something else tell you what settings to change is a simple one: Auto White Balance.

Your camera will automatically adjust that cool-looking white to be more towards 6500K automatically. Without a known white source in frame as a reference, and also a dark neutral gray, no picture can accurately tell us what temperature your monitors are really at.

I know it seems like a 'waste' to buy a colorimeter, but if you want all 3 displays to color match, the closest you're going to get is Calman.

Datacolor and others have some slightly cheaper options, but nothing holds a candle to what the C3 is doing right now, and it's super cheap, compared to what you would be spending otherwise.


On top of all that, if you've been looking in to this at all, you'll know that the colors of your monitor age at different rates, and so if you plan to keep them calibrated, you'll be looking to calibrate around once a month or so.


I had a Spyder 2 until it died, and highly recommend Calman RGB.
 
You want to rule out software/OS issue first. Using the tool here to see if the correct color profile is rendered.
http://regex.info/blog/photo-tech/color-spaces-page2

Or you're using the Dells with the imac?

The Dells are connected to the iMac, yes. It's a three monitor setup.

After tinkering with the monitors today, I think that I won't be able to get them to match. I turned down all the colors on the externals and set the red to 100, and it still doesn't look red enough when compared to the iMac's display.

Just to add a little more value, part of the reason you won't be able to take a picture of your monitor and have someone/something else tell you what settings to change is a simple one: Auto White Balance.

Your camera will automatically adjust that cool-looking white to be more towards 6500K automatically. Without a known white source in frame as a reference, and also a dark neutral gray, no picture can accurately tell us what temperature your monitors are really at.

I know it seems like a 'waste' to buy a colorimeter, but if you want all 3 displays to color match, the closest you're going to get is Calman.

Datacolor and others have some slightly cheaper options, but nothing holds a candle to what the C3 is doing right now, and it's super cheap, compared to what you would be spending otherwise.


On top of all that, if you've been looking in to this at all, you'll know that the colors of your monitor age at different rates, and so if you plan to keep them calibrated, you'll be looking to calibrate around once a month or so.


I had a Spyder 2 until it died, and highly recommend Calman RGB.

I'll look into that. It's a minor annoyance, which is why I'm hesitant to spend much money on this. I also thought that if I had both monitors in the same shot via an external camera, then the AWB wouldn't be an issue, or much of one.

Thanks for all of your suggestions!
 

LCGeek

formerly sane
From my experience since I work with colors in a lot of ways you would need a camera that is excellent in color range even then the cameras bias or overall range isn't necessarily much better than your own. For instance my current iphone is horrible at capturing the upper range of blues and purples well.

The easiest way to calibrate and get good results get a used colorimeter as the price for brand new ones is often intimdating to most.
 

moyanous

Neo Member
If you own an Android phone then "Display Calibration" and its companion "Camera Colorimeter" are the apps you need for calibrating your monitor.

Camera Colorimeter enables the back-facing camera on your Android phone to act as a color measuring device. It is available on Google Play:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.auralisoft.colorimeter

"Display Calibration" runs on a Windows 10 device whose display is to be calibrated. The two apps communicate via Bluetooth. Display Calibration is available on the Windows Store

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/display-calibration/9nblggh4wd9s
 

cjp

Junior Member
If you own an Android phone then "Display Calibration" and its companion "Camera Colorimeter" are the apps you need for calibrating your monitor.

Camera Colorimeter enables the back-facing camera on your Android phone to act as a color measuring device. It is available on Google Play:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.auralisoft.colorimeter

"Display Calibration" runs on a Windows 10 device whose display is to be calibrated. The two apps communicate via Bluetooth. Display Calibration is available on the Windows Store

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/display-calibration/9nblggh4wd9s

How did you manage to come across this thread?
 
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