monitor calibration using Spyder 3 Elite

[alice]

I have aways left the settings to default when calibrating my monitor. ie. settings at Gamma 2.2 and White Point 6500K.

Is this even the right setting under incandesant lighting environment??:bang:

 

[Ranchu]

I set mine to 5200K-5300K. Gamma 2.2 is fine. Find a brightness setting on your computer that will give you the same shadow and highlight levels as the 'press' preset in the software (I forget what they are offhand). You will have to fool around with it to get the highlight right, check the curves afterward, keep the rg and b as close together as you can while getting the brightness level you need. A little brighter is fine. 6500k is madness, imo, and 5000K too gloppy. I think the "backround light type' thing is overstated, your eyes are on the monitor, make it as neutral as possible with a black and white image.

 

[Ranchu]

If you have a modern 'xtra brite' monitor you won't be able to get the highlight level down to the 'press' level with the controls on your computer. If that's the case, don't try to, the ideal is to have one of the channels in the spyder curves dialogue as close to the top right corner as possible. Actually, it might be easier to just set the computer control at a brightness you like, and use that. I'm kind of a maniac about it.