Monitors: Dual monitor calibration

[foxgirl26]

Hello,
I contacted Spyder by Colorvision regarding dual monitor calibration and they told me it's not supported by Windows XP or Vista.

I know its possible somehow I just dont know how. I knew someone a while back who had accomplished it.

The Spyder rep said only Mac supports dual monitor calibration. I really find that hard to believe. There are millions of PC users using either Xp or Vista...I can't believe not-a-one would have calibrated dual monitor set up.

Does anyone out there have two monitors on windows XP or Vista they are using as a set up where the monitors are connected to one video card so you can drag items to either one.??

Currently Im using a bran new 24" LG monitor next to a 2 yr old 24" Ultra sharp Dell monitor. They are connected to the same video card in my custom built computer. (built 4 weeks ago using new parts by a computer technician)

I am calibrated on one and use it for my color sensitive work and the other one is really bad.
If there's some way I could just get the other one not to look bad (WAY too warm) that would be great.
I have my 24" in Dell on Kijiji and someone is coming to buy it possibly this Saturday. Once they buy it I am purchasing another new LG 24" to match my new one so they are the same brand and age.

Any advice or tips would help a lot.

Thanks!

[Doug Nelson]

Re: Dual monitor calibration

Dual monitors was one reason I went with the Eye One (i1). At the time it was the only calibrator that worked with dual monitors in Windows. That might still be true.

However, there's a little app called DisplayProfile (an older version is available here) that can manually assign profiles to monitors. Even with the Eye One I still occasionally have to use it, if the startup utility gets confused (profile support in Windows really is hosed, the Colorvision rep was not lying. The i1 only works because they developed a software kludge).

[E Sugg]

Re: Dual monitor calibration

I have a i1 as well and a spyder, and I'm running a duel monitor setup under WinXP. So it can be done! Here where I figured out how...

http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/article_pages/dual_monitor_calibration.html

Enjoy!

[Dave.Cox]

Re: Dual monitor calibration

I use the spyder, and I have dual monitors. Unfortunatley Colorvision is correct. It doesn't support 2 monitors on XP. What I do is calibrate my new monitor with the spyder, and then manually calibrate the second monitor, which is an old Dell monitor as close as I can get visually. My video card is an NVidea card, and with that card at least, you can set the color settings for the monitors individually. You also have some ability to adjust the levels from the front panel on most Dell monitors.

I know that's not the ideal answer, but it's probably the best you will be able to do.

[pixelzombie]

Re: Dual monitor calibration

i read on the adobe forum a while back that you'd have to make a LUT table for each monitor...

[Dave.Cox]

Re: Dual monitor calibration

The problem, is as far as I can tell, there is no way to get the Spyder software to recognize the second monitor.

[E Sugg]

Re: Dual monitor calibration

The problem, is as far as I can tell, there is no way to get the Spyder software to recognize the second monitor.

Yes, you are correct. The Spyder software won't allow dual monitor calibration. However I think I could come up with a way to rig it. If I calibrated each monitor separately (only one hooked up at a time) thus creating the profile I need for each monitor and doing the hard calibration to each monitor being careful not to unplug them (power) so they keep their settings . Then I could us the WinColor applet (Wincolor) to apply those profiles to each separate monitor when setup in dual mode.

Complicated, yet I think I could do it... I may have to try this just to see....

[TommyO]

Re: Dual monitor calibration

Stacy,
The problem resides with how color management works, the OS, and the video card(s). As you may know, calibration does not take place in the LCD/monitor. It takes place in the video card itself. Hence, if the video card only provides one LUT (look up table), then both monitors will receive the same adjustment to color values coming from the CM system. The Windows XP OS will recognize multiple color profiles as long as the monitors are recognized as different by the video card, and the video card supports two LUT's. I believe only NVidea supports this as of now. The only other alternative is to install two video cards, not a dual-output card. Once you install two cards, the SpyderPro will support dual monitor calibration (the express will not).

Best of luck ! ... and a very nice web-site ! Cool interface; very good portfolio !

[madclark]

Re: Dual monitor calibration

The Huey Pro will calibrate dual monitor situations. I have one at home and at work and love how easy it is to use.

http://www.pantone.com/Pages/products/product.aspx?pid=562

[TommyO]

Re: Dual monitor calibration

...and I forgot to mention, most motherboards don't support dual graphic cards. They are available though. They are more popular with gaming systems. If you think you need to go that route, check the gaming sites for the normal problems and solutions prior to upgrading.