SpyderX User’s Guide

1

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION

4

WHAT’S IN THE BOX

5

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

5SPYDERX COMPARISON CHART

6SERIALIZATION AND ACTIVATION

7SOFTWARE LAYOUT

11

SPYDERX PRO

12

WELCOME SCREEN
SELECT DISPLAYDISPLAY TYPE
MAKE AND MODELIDENTIFY CONTROLSDISPLAY TECHNOLOGYCALIBRATION SETTINGSMEASURING ROOM LIGHT
CALIBRATIONSAVE PROFILE
RECAL
1-CLICK CALIBRATIONCHECKCALSPYDERPROOF
PROFILE OVERVIEWSHORTCUTSDISPLAY ANALYSISPROFILE MANAGEMENT TOOL

12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
23
24
24
25
26
27
28
29
30

SPYDERX ELITE31

WORKFLOWWELCOME SCREEN
SELECT DISPLAYDISPLAY TYPE
MAKE AND MODELIDENTIFY CONTROLSDISPLAY TECHNOLOGYSELECT WORKFLOW
STEP-BY-STEP ASSISTANTSTUDIOMATCH
EXPERT CONSOLEMEASURING ROOM LIGHT
CALIBRATIONSAVE PROFILE

31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
41
45
46
47
50

2

RECAL
1-CLICK CALIBRATIONCHECKCALSPYDERPROOF
SPYDERTUNEPROFILE OVERVIEWSHORTCUTSDISPLAY ANALYSISSOFTPROOFING/DEVICE SIMULATIONPROFILE MANAGEMENT TOOL

51
51
52
53
54
56
57
58
59
60

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

61

FAQ’S

63

INSTRUMENT SPECIFICATIONS

66

Main Company Office:Datacolor, Inc.
5 Princess Road
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648

Manufacturing Facility:
Datacolor Suzhou
288 Shengpu Road
Suzhou, Jiangsu
P.R. China 215021

3

Introduction
Thank you for purchasing your new SpyderX monitor calibrator. This document
will offer a step-by-step guide for using your SpyderX calibrator to get the mostaccurate color from your laptop and/or desktop display(s).

4What’s in the Box••••

SpyderX Sensor
Serial Number
Welcome Card with Welcome page details
Link to download the SpyderX software

System Requirements
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Windows 7 32/64 and above
Mac OS X 10.10 and above
Monitor Resolution 1280x768 or greater
16-bit video card (24-bit recommended)
1GB of available RAM
500MB of available hard disk
Internet connection for software download5

SpyderX Comparison Chart
FeatureSpyderX Pro
SpyderX
Colorimeter
withLenticular
Color Engine
Single Click& Wizard
Calibration
Capability
SupportMultiple
Monitors
Ambient Light
Monitoring &ProfileSwitching
Before andAfter
Calibration
Review
Display
Mapping &BasicAnalysis
Tools
Calibration
Setting
12
Choices
ExpertConsoleCalibration
Video &
CinemaCalibration
Targets
Soft Proof of
Print Results
Projector
Calibration
Matching of
all Displays ina Studio
Visual Fine
Tuning forSide-by-SideMatch

SpyderX Elite Description
Fast, Accurate New Spyder Comes with
Both Products

Both Offer Fast & Easy Calibration
Modes
Both Support Calibration of Multiple
Displays
Both Can Adjust for Room Lighting
Changes

Both Compare Calibrated toUncalibrated States

Advanced

Elite Offers Extra Tools to Check Your
Display

Unlimited

Elite Offers More Calibration Options
Elite Offers All Calibration Controls on
One Screen
Elite Includes Calibration Targets for
Motion Work
Elite Includes Soft Proofing for Print
Output Preview
Elite Allows You to Calibrate Digital
Projectors
Elite Lets You Define a Studio Standard
for All Displays
Elite Allows You to Precisely Tune Sideby-Side Displays

6

Serialization and Activation
The software wizard will walk you through the activation process step-by-step.
First, make sure that your SpyderX is plugged into a USB port on your computer;make sure it is a direct port, not on a keyboard, hub, or extension cable. This
cable provides power and communications between the SpyderX and yourcomputer.

7

Enter your serial number or license code, the serial number is located in the box,
under the SpyderX sensor, if you have already registered the software on
another machine, enter the license code you were provided then.

With the easy automated activation, please make sure that your computer isconnected to the internet and that no firewall blocks your Spyder software from
communicating with the Datacolor activation server.

8

Fill out the information and select if you would like to receive updates andexclusive offers from Datacolor via email.

Save the email with the license code, you will need this if you want to use thedevice on another computer.

9

You will then be presented with two windows, the first asking if you would like toautomatically check for updates, the second if you would like to share yourcalibration data with Datacolor. We recommend clicking yes to both of these as
new updates come out frequently which can improve the quality of yourcalibration. We collect calibration information from our users to improve our
products. No personal information is collected.

10Software Layout
The software that comes with your SpyderX is a wizard, which will walk you
through the process step-by-step. We have outlined the steps below based on
which unit you purchased, as each have different controls.
While you are working with the software, you will see an Interactive Help screenon the right-hand side as you are navigating through the steps, describing the
buttons and windows in this area to explain the functionality of each feature.
In the bottom right corner there is a “Click to learn more” button; Clicking on thattext will take you to a help file with more detailed instructions of the options
available on the current screen.

11

SpyderX Pro
Welcome Screen
The first time you run the SpyderX Pro software, you will be greeted with a
Welcome Screen:

There are 4 Checkboxes on this screen:
1)

2)

3)

4)

Warm Up
Please make sure that your display has been powered up for at least 30
minutes prior to doing a calibration.
Lighting Conditions
Please make sure that there is no direct light falling on your display as
this could have an adverse effect on your calibration.
Display Controls
If your computer has these controls, make sure to set them to the default
settings or equivalent.
Spyder Connection
Please plug your SpyderX Pro into a USB port on your computer. Pleaseavoid using a hub, extension cable, or a port on a keyboard as this could
prevent the Spyder unit from getting the proper data flow.

These checkboxes will only be activated the first time you run the software, thenext time you run the software the reminders will show up, but you will not needto check the boxes again.
Once you have completed this step, please click the “Next” button in the lower
right corner.

12Select Display
If you have more than one display connected to your computer, you can selectwhich display to calibrate in this drop-down menu. The software will automaticallymove to the selected display to run the calibration.

Once you have completed this step, please click the “Next” button in the lower
right corner.

13

Display Type
Here you will choose whether you are using a Desktop or a Laptop Display.

Once you have completed this step, please click the “Next” button in the lower
right corner.

14

Make and Model
Please choose the Manufacturer of your display in this screen and enter the
display model.

15

Identify Controls
If you are calibrating a desktop monitor, here is where you will let the softwareknow if you have Brightness and/or Kelvin preset controls on your monitor.

16

Display Technology
Please choose the backlight type of your display, if you know, on this screen andclick next.

17

Calibration Settings
If this is your first time calibrating this display, you will automatically have Full
Calibration selected here. On subsequent calibrations you can choose doing a
FullCAL, a ReCAL, or a CheckCAL. A FullCAL will perform a full calibration ofyour display. A ReCAL will recalibrate your display and a CheckCAL will check to
see if your display is still accurate.

You will also see your current target settings for Gamma, White Point, andBrightness here. To make an adjustment to either of these targets, pleasechoose the drop down next to each setting to make your changes.
Here you will also choose whether you would want the Spyder to read your room
light in order to help set the brightness of your display properly based on the levelof lighting in your room. If you want to read your room light, you have the option
to either receive a notification when a change is detected, and a new calibration
is suggested, or use automatic room light switching. Automatic switching creates
multiple profiles that the software will change between, without any actionneeded on your part, as the plugged in SpyderX sensor detects a shift in room
light level.
**Please remember: you must have the SpyderX sensor attached via USB toyour computer in order for it to take measurements and notify you when achange has been detected or to adjust your screen automatically.
Once you have made your selections click “Next” to move onto the next screen.

18

Measuring Room Light
If you have selected Room Light On, the software will now want to take a readingof your room light. Place the Spyder on your desk and click the next button; areading of your room light will be taken. Please be sure that no direct light isfalling on your display or the Spyder at this time.

After the reading is done the software will tell you what the room lightmeasurement is. It can be: Very Low, Low, Medium, High, Very HighThe software will recommend target settings here as well based on the room
lighting level. You can choose to accept these targets or continue with the targets
you have already chosen.
Please click “Next” to proceed to the Calibration window.

19

Calibration
If you have selected Room Light On or Automatic on the previous screen, adialogue will pop up asking you to stay at your computer for the beginning of thecalibration process to adjust your brightness level.

20This screen shows you where to place the SpyderX unit for the calibration
process. Remove the cover of the sensor as it is used as a counter-weight sothat the unit remains in place and flat against the screen. We recommend thatyou slightly tilt your display back so the unit rests against the monitor without you
having to hold it in place, as any movement can cause a poor calibration.

Once the unit is in place, click the next button to proceed with the calibration. A
series of color patches will flash on the screen, this process takes approximately
2-3 minutes.

21

If you have selected Room Light On or Automatic, the calibration process willstop about a minute into the process and ask you to adjust your display
brightness to the recommended level. Once you have made an adjustment,
either up or down, hit the “Update” button, it will check the brightness level again
to see if you are close to the recommended setting.

When you are within the parameters, you can press the “Continue” button. It may
take a couple of times to get your brightness set properly, please try to get as
close as possible to the target, though it may not fall completely within the range,that is ok, as long as you are as close as you can be.

Once the measuring is completed, click on the “Finish” button to proceed.
22

Save profile
After the calibration is complete, the Save Profile window will appear.

Enter the name you would like to save the profile as. Here is a sample file namewe think works best to keep an archive of your monitor profiles:“Make_Model_yyyymmdd(date)_ver1”
You can also set a reminder of when to recalibrate your display. We recommend
once a month.
Click “Save” to proceed.

23

ReCAL
After you have already Fully Calibrated your display, you can do a ReCAL; This
will save time versus doing a FullCAL. Select ReCAL from the Calibration
Settings Window and proceed as in the full calibration.

1-Click Calibration
A recalibration can also be performed using the ‘1-click calibration method’. Clickon the SpyderUtility icon in the menu bar/system tray. Then select the monitor
you would like to calibrate. Complete the calibration process as you would
normally.

**Note: 1-Click Calibration is only available for your monitor(s) after you havecompleted a full calibration in the software.

24

CheckCAL
A CheckCAL will quickly see if your display is in need of a calibration:

It will measure a small amount of color patches and either gives you two checks
or one or two X’s, which mean you will need to recalibrate.

25

SpyderProof
The SpyderProof window allows you to compare between your new calibrated
and old uncalibrated image by clicking on the “Switch” button.

You can click inside an image to zoom into it for more detail in both calibrated
and uncalibrated views.
At the bottom of this screen you will see “SpyderProof Image:” with a drop-downmenu. Here you can choose to use the “standard set” of images, the ones thatare displayed by default, or you can choose “custom” and select an image on
your computer to use. You can also click on the “custom image” button to selectan image, or even just drag and drop an image onto this window to display it.
Either TIFF or JPEG images will work here.

26

Profile Overview
On this screen you will view your current display’s gamut and be able to compare
it to industry standards: sRGB, NTSC, and AdobeRGB. You can also choose
profiles you have made previously to see how they compare.

Once you are done with this screen you can click on “Quit” to exit the software, or“Calibrate Another Display” if you have another display connected to thiscomputer that you want to calibrate.

27

Shortcuts
In the lower left corner of the software window is the “Shortcuts” drop downmenu. Here you can quickly access: Display Type, Calibration, SpyderProof, andDisplay Analysis.

28

Display Analysis
This is a series of 4 tests you can perform on your monitor to see its strengths
and weaknesses. These tests can be accessed through “Shortcuts” dropdown.
These tests include:
Gamut
Graphs the display’s color saturation
Tone Response
Graphs the display’s tone response and white point
Brightness and Contrast
Brightness, Contrast and White point at different Brightness settings
White Point at Different OSD Settings
Brightness, Contrast and White Point at Different presets

Select the tests you wish to perform and then click “Begin Tests”. The software
will walk you through where to place the sensor and direct you when to change
the brightness on your display.
When performing the Brightness and Contrast test, the first portion of the test will
have you set your display to 0% brightness. Once you click the “measure” button
it will take about 10 seconds to perform the test. As your screen will be fully
dimmed it will be impossible to see when the test is complete, please wait about
10 seconds before turning the brightness up a bit to continue.
Once finished, you can select “View Report” to see the results of all the tests.

29

Profile Management Tool
Have complete monitor profile flexibility and control with this tool that allows you
to turn off, switch, delete, and rename existing profiles.
Click on the SpyderUtility icon in the menu bar/system tray. Select “Profile
Management…”.

30

SpyderX Elite
Workflow
In SpyderX Elite, your first step will be to choose a workflow: Calibrate My
Display(s) or Printer SoftProofing and Mobile/Table Simulation.
The first time you use the software, make sure to choose Calibrate My Display(s)to properly use all other features.

31

Welcome Screen
The first time you run the SpyderX Elite software, you will be greeted with a
Welcome Screen:

There are 4 Checkboxes on this screen:
1)

2)

3)

4)

Warm Up
Please make sure that your display has been powered up for at least 30
minutes prior to doing a calibration.
Lighting Conditions
Please make sure that there is no direct light falling on your display as
this could have an adverse effect on your calibration.
Display Controls
If your computer has these controls, make sure to set them to the default
settings or equivalent.
Spyder Connection
Please plug your SpyderX Elite into a USB port on your computer.
Please avoid using a hub, extension cable, or a port on a keyboard as
this could prevent the Spyder unit from getting the proper data flow.

These checkboxes will only be activated the first time you run the software, thenext time you run the software the reminders will show up, but you will not needto check the boxes again.
Once you have completed this step, please click the “Next” button in the lower
right corner.

32

Select Display
If you have more than one display connected to your computer, you can selectwhich display to calibrate in this drop-down menu. The software will automaticallymove to the selected display to run the calibration.

Once you have completed this step, please click the “Next” button in the lower
right corner.

33

Display Type
Here you will choose whether you are using a Desktop Display, Laptop Display,or Projector.

Once you have completed this step, please click the “Next” button in the lower
right corner.

34

Make and Model
Please choose the Manufacturer of your display in this screen and enter the
display model.

35

Identify Controls
If you are calibrating a desktop monitor, here is where you will let the softwareknow if you have Brightness and/or Kelvin preset controls on your monitor.

36

Display Technology
Please choose the backlight type of your display, if you know, on this screen andclick next.

37

Select Workflow
In this window you can select which calibration mode you want to use:

Step-by-step Assistant – the software assistant will walk you througheach step of the process.
StudioMatch – this will match all of your studio displays as closely as
possible.
Expert Console – This will provide all of your controls on one screen.

38

Step-by-step AssistantIf this is your first time calibrating this display, you will automatically have Full
Calibration selected here. On subsequent calibrations you can choose doing a
FullCAL, a ReCAL, or a CheckCAL. A FullCAL will perform a full calibration ofyour display. A ReCAL will recalibrate your display. A CheckCAL will check to
see if your display is still accurate.

You will also see your current target settings for Gamma, White Point, andBrightness here. To make an adjustment to either of these targets, pleasechoose the drop down next to each setting to make your changes.
In the lower left corner there is an “Advanced Settings” button.

39

Here you can choose a custom target for Gamma, White Point, and Brightness
as well as TV standards to calibrate a videography workflow.
The next dropdown is where you will also choose whether you want the Spyder
to read your room light in order to help set the brightness of your display properly
based on the level of lighting in your room. If you want to read your room light,
you have the option to either receive a notification when a change is detected,
and a new calibration is suggested, or use automatic room light switching.
Automatic switching creates multiple profiles that the software will change
between, without any action needed on your part, as the plugged in SpyderX
sensor detects a shift in room light level.
**Please remember: you must have the SpyderX sensor attached via USB toyour computer in order for it to take measurements and notify you when achange has been detected or to adjust your screen automatically.
The final dropdown is the Grey Balance Calibration with Better, Faster(recommended), and off. Better will do an iterative grey balance which, though
taking longer, will give a more precise calibration. Choosing faster will do theminimal Grey Balance required to get a calibration. Off, only use this whencalibrating a DLP front projector.
Once you have made your selections, click “Next” to move onto the next screen.

40

StudioMatch
Choose the displays you would like to match using the StudioMatch feature.
StudioMatch allows you to get a consistent picture on all of the displays.

If you are trying to match displays from another machine, please enter the lowest
Brightness Value on this page as well. If you haven’t calibrated the othermachines yet, leave this blank for now.
**Note: Please deactivate any Auto Brightness features and stand by yourdisplays to make brightness adjustments (if possible) when prompted.
Click on “Next” and the software will ask to take a reading of the room light, makesure no light is falling directly on the Spyder or screen at this point and then click“Next”.

41

If you have selected Room Light On, the software will now want to take a readingof your room light. Place the Spyder on your desk and click the next button; areading of your room light will be taken. Please be sure that no direct light isfalling on your display or the Spyder at this time.

Next you will take brightness readings of the displays you are looking to match.
The software will keep track of these displays and when finished, it will
recommend settings based on its readings. It will give you a targeted brightness,
keep track of this number if you are going to try to match monitors connected toanother machine, it will also give you recommended gamma and White Point
settings based on its readings.

42

Click “Next” and you will be prompted to save this target.

Once it is saved, the software will show you where the file is. If you arecalibrating monitors connected to another computer, you will copy this file to theother computers and select this file when calibrating.
Click “Next” to move onto the Calibration process; in Studio Match it will perform
this on both monitors.

43

After the Calibration process is complete, you will be prompted to adjust thedisplays to match the main monitor as you see fit for 4 patch screens prior toevaluating the final result in SpyderProof:

44Expert Console
In the Expert Console you have access to all of the settings in one screen.

You will first select the display you wish to calibrate from the drop-down menu.
Below that, you can choose a custom target that you created previously, or
choose a standard target from the list, the 2.2-6500 120 is the usual default, but
feel free to change it to what you need for your purposes. The White point andGamma menus allow you to select presets or type in the exact value you wish toobtain.
Under the luminance section you can choose “Visual” or “Measured Mode”. In
Visual Mode you will let the SpyderX measure the room light to define thebrightness target needed for your particular room. In Measured Mode you canenter a custom value in cd/m2 as a calibration target.
Under “Options” you have a checkbox to view your calibrated monitor vs an
uncalibrated setting by checking or unchecking the box. Turning on Room Light
Compensation will allow the SpyderX to read the level of lighting in your room toproperly set the brightness and contrast of your display. The final dropdown is
the Grey Balance Calibration with Better, Faster (recommended) and off. Better
will do an iterative Grey Balance which, though taking longer, will give a more
precise calibration. Choosing faster will do the minimal Grey Balance required toget a calibration.
Once you have made your selections, click “Next” to begin the calibration
process.

45

Measuring Room Light
If you have selected Room Light On, the software will now want to take a readingof your room light. Place the Spyder on your desk and click the next button; areading of your room light will be taken. Please be sure that no direct light isfalling on your display or the Spyder at this time.

After the reading is done the software will tell you what the room lightmeasurement is. It can be: Very Low, Low, Medium, High, Very HighThe software will recommend target settings here as well based on the room
lighting level. You can choose to accept these targets or continue with the targets
you have already chosen.
Please click “Next” to proceed to the Calibration window.

46

Calibration
If you have selected Room Light On or Automatic on the previous screen, adialogue will pop up asking you to stay at your computer for the beginning of thecalibration process to adjust your brightness level.

47

This screen shows you where to place the SpyderX unit for the calibration
process. Remove the cover of the sensor as it is used as a counter-weight sothat the unit remains in place and flat against the screen. We recommend thatyou slightly tilt your display back so the unit rests against the monitor without you
having to hold it in place, as any movement can cause a poor calibration.

Once the unit is in place, click the next button to proceed with the calibration. A
series of color patches will flash on the screen; this process takes approximately
1-3 minutes. If you choose Grey Calibration “Better”, this process takes about 1-2
minutes longer.

48

If you have selected Room Light On or Automatic, the calibration process willstop about a minute into the process and ask you to adjust your display
brightness to the recommended level. Once you have made an adjustment,
either up or down, hit the “Update” button, it will check the brightness level again
to see if you are close to the recommended setting.

When you are within the parameters, you can press the “Continue” button. It may
take a couple of times to get your brightness set properly, please try to get as
close as possible to the target, though it may not fall completely within the range,that is ok, as long as you are as close as you can be.

Once the measuring is completed, click on the “Finish” button to proceed.
49

Save profile
After the calibration is complete, the Save Profile window will appear.

Enter the name you would like to save the profile as. Here is a sample file namewe think works best to keep an archive of your monitor profiles:“Make_Model_yyyymmdd(date)_ver1”
You can also set a reminder of when to recalibrate your display, we recommend
once a month.
Click “Save” to proceed.

50

ReCAL
After you have already Fully Calibrated your display, you can do a ReCAL; This
will save time versus doing FullCAL. Select ReCAL from the Calibration Settings
Window and proceed as in the full calibration.

1-Click Calibration
A recalibration can also be performed using the ‘1-click calibration method’. Clickon the SpyderUtility icon in the menu bar/system tray. Then select the monitor
you would like to calibrate. Complete the calibration process as you would
normally.

**Note: 1-Click Calibration is only available for your monitor(s) after you havecompleted a full calibration in the software.

51

CheckCAL
A CheckCAL will quickly see if your display is in need of a calibration:

It will measure a small amount of color patches and either give you two checks or
one or two X’s, which mean you will need to recalibrate.

52

SpyderProof
The SpyderProof window allows you to compare between your new calibrated
and old uncalibrated image by clicking on the “Switch” button.

You can click inside an image to zoom into it for more detail in both calibrated
and uncalibrated views.
At the bottom of this screen you will see “SpyderProof Image:” with a drop-downmenu. Here you can choose to use the “standard set” of images, the ones thatare displayed by default, or you can choose “custom” and select an image on
your computer to use. You can also click on the “custom image” button to selectan image, or even just drag and drop an image onto this window to display it.
Either TIFF or JPEG images will work here.
You also have the ability to view the image in “full screen” by clicking the buttonin the bottom left.

53

SpyderTune
These settings should only be changed if you want to match multiple monitorswith different backlight technologies, as it will change the precise correction doneby the SpyderX calibration.

When done properly, a StudioMatch calibration will match multiple displays. If
you are using multiple displays and they work with different backlighttechnologies and different panels, it gets complicated to match them together.
That's where the SpyderTune function of SpyderX comes in.

Only use SpyderTune if absolutely necessary. It will change the sophisticatedmonitor calibration of your SpyderX and is therefore only a compromise to match
screens whose technological differences make it difficult to achieve an alignment.
Metamerism Failure
Our eyes can't adapt to multiple light sources if they have a different spectral
distribution as the receptors in our eyes absorb light at various wavelengths.
Even though the SpyderX or any other sensor will measure both as having thesame value. This is also known as the "metamerism failure".
SpyderTune Sliders
Inside SpyderTune, you can change the White Point from Red to Blue and from
Purple to Green. Furthermore, you can change the intensity of the Gamma andthe Brightness of your Display.

54

Which display should be adjusted?
We recommend you to use your better display as primary one and only change
the secondary display's calibration with SpyderTune to match their view.
SwitchOnce you're SpyderTune corrections are done, be sure you compare with theoriginal SpyderX calibration by clicking the "Switch" button.
Save
If the result is as expected and you could match your screens together, you canclick the "Save" button to save your calibration with the new SpyderTune
adjustments.
Reset
If you made a mistake, you can click the "Reset" button to reset the sliders to theoriginal state of the SpyderX calibration.

55

Profile Overview
On this screen you will view your current display’s gamut and be able to compare
it to industry standards; sRGB, NTSC, and AdobeRGB. You can also choose
profiles you have made previously to see how they compare.

Once you are done with this screen you can click on “Quit” to exit the software, or“Calibrate Another Display” if you have another display connected to thiscomputer that you want to calibrate.

56

Shortcuts
In the lower left corner of the software window is the “Shortcuts” drop downmenu. Here you can quickly access: Display Type, Calibration, Expert Console,
SpyderTune, SpyderProof, StudioMatch, and Display Analysis.

57

Display Analysis
This is a series of 6 tests you can perform on your monitor to see its strengths
and weaknesses. These tests can be accessed through “Shortcuts” dropdown.
These tests include:
Gamut
Graphs the display’s color saturation
Tone Response
Graphs the display’s tone response and white point
Brightness and Contrast
Brightness, Contrast and White point at different Brightness settings
White Point at Different OSD Settings
Brightness, Contrast and White Point at Different presets
Screen Uniformity
Maps the uniformity of the display’s brightness and color
Color Accuracy
Analyze how accurately the monitor displays various colors

Select the tests you wish to perform and then click “Begin Tests.” The software
will walk you through where to place the sensor and direct you when to change
the brightness on your display.
When performing the Brightness and Contrast test, the first portion of the test will
have you set your display to 0% brightness. Once you click the “measure” button
it will take about 10 seconds to perform the test. As your screen will be fully
dimmed it will be impossible to see when the test is complete, please wait about
10 seconds before turning the brightness up a bit to continue.
Once finished, you can select “view report” to see the results of all the tests.
58

SoftProofing/Device Simulation
Improve “Screen-to-Print” matching with this workflow of tools to simulate how
your photos will look on any printer or device – including home printers, online orretail printers, and certain mobile/tablet devices.
Launch the software and select “Printer SoftProofing and Mobile/Tablet
Simulation” on the “Welcome” screen.
If you are using a home printer, you may already have ICC profiles installed inyour computer. If you don’t and would like to profile your printer, we recommend
using our SpyderPRINT product.
If you want to SoftProof for a retail or online print provider, go to and search theirwebsite for ICC printer profiles to download. Then click “Install Profiles…” in thelower left corner if needed.
If you want to simulate a mobile/tablet device or other common profiles, we
provide an optional step to install sample profiles. (This selection will appear after
the next step.)
Click “SoftProof” in the lower right corner to open the SoftProof screen. Add
JPEG/TIFF image files/folders to the preview list to simulate printer/device
output. Then, select a profile from the dropdown list at the bottom of the screen
to simulate a selected image.

59

Profile Management Tool
Have complete monitor profile flexibility and control with this tool that allows you
to turn off, switch, delete, and rename existing profiles.
Click on the SpyderUtility icon in the menu bar/system tray. Select “Profile
Management…”.

60

Glossary of Terms
AdobeRGB
Default color space for computer displays.
Ambient Light
Light from any source, other than the display, that reaches the screen surface.
Brightness
Amount of light radiating from the screen.
Calibrate
To measure and correct by comparison with a standard, of the correct value or
each reading on a measuring instrument.
CandelaBasic unit of luminous intensity.
Color Temperature
Measurement of the color of white light, expressed in degrees Kelvin. The color
temperature is the color of light a perfect black-body radiator emits when heatedto the temperature. Computer monitors typically have a color temperature of
5000-9300 Kelvin: 5000 Kelvin is a yellow-white, 9300 Kelvin is a blue-white and6500 Kelvin is a standard white point that matches daylight at noon.
Contrast
Difference in color and/or brightness of an image and other images within thesame field of view.
CurvesGraph of tonal response characteristics in the display.
Gamma
Non-linear operation used to code and decode brightness values in an image.
Gamut
Refers to the complete set of colors which can be reproduced/captured by adevice.
KelvinKelvin scale is a measure of temperature, starting from absolute zero.
Luminance
Amount of light emitted or reflected from a surface.
NTSC
Default color space for television.
OSD
Abbreviation for “On-Screen Display”.
ProfileData file used to define and match color.
Room Light(See Ambient Light.)
Saturation
Intensity of a color, expressed as the degree to which it differs from white. Can
also be described as vividness or richness of a color.
sRGB
Default color space for the Internet.

61

Tone
Lightness, brightness or value of a patch in an image: dark tones correspond to
shadows, light tones correspond to highlight areas.
White Point(See Color Temperature.)62

FAQ’s
1. What does calibrate mean?
To measure and correct by comparison with a standard, of the correct
value or each reading on a measuring instrument.
2. What is a profile?
A data file that describes the color behavior of a physical device (such asa scanner, monitor, or printer) or that defines the color of an abstract color
space (such as Adobe RGG or ColorMatch RGB) in terms of a deviceindependent color model (such as CIE LAB or CIE XYZ). Used by colormanagement systems to define and match color.
3. What is the Curves window?
It provides a graphical display of the tonal response characteristics of themonitor system. This includes representations of the monitor’s default
behavior, the desired behavior and the actual behavior.
4. What does color temperature mean?
It is a measurement of the color of white light, expressed in degrees
Kelvin. (The Kelvin scale is a measure of temperature, starting fromabsolute zero.) The color temperature is the color of light a perfect blackbody radiator emits when heated to the temperature. Computer monitors
typically have a color temperature of 5000-9300 Kelvin: 5000 Kelvin is ayellow-white, 9300 Kelvin is a blue-white and 6500 Kelvin is a standard
white point that matches daylight at noon
5. What is native white point?
The native white point is the color temperature that the monitor hardware
exhibits without any software calibration applied. With some monitors it
can be adjusted with front panel controls, with others, it is fixed, and can
only be corrected with software adjustments.
6. What is ambient light?
Light from any source, other than the projection device, that reaches thescreen surface. The amount of ambient light affects the contrast, andresolution of the screen.
7. How do I receive software updates?
Datacolor is constantly working to improve and upgrade our software.
These updates are then posted in the ‘Software Upgrades’ section of our
website, where our customers can download them free of charge. The
only thing the customer needs in order to successfully install their
Datacolor update is their serial number.

63

8. Where is my software serial number?
Your serial number will be either 17 or 18 digits long; depending on yourapplication. It is located on the inside of your box under the hardware
device. Please do not confuse this with the hardware serial number foryour hardware device(s).
9. Why don’t my monitors look the same after calibration?
Visual observation of two monitors sitting side-by-side will never appear tomatch. Even if they are the same type, make and model, two displays will
have subtle differences that are readily discerned in side-by-side
comparison, but become negligible when each display is viewed
separately.
Comparing a CRT monitor to an LCD monitor will be even less rewarding
because of the inherent differences in display technology. In a side-byside comparison between a CRT and an LCD, the LCD will always beperceived as 'brighter' and having 'higher contrast'. This is because thepeak luminance of an LCD is typically about twice that of a CRT, evenwhen you calibrate both monitors to have the same Gamma and White
Point.
To compound the effect, the organic eye-brain colorimeter (aka humancolor perception) causes one kind of difference to be perceived as if itwere another kind of difference. Even if two samples have the same color
but different luminance, they will be perceived as also different in color.
Thus, when you calibrate a CRT and an LCD to the same Gamma andWhite Point and place the monitors next to each other, the fact that the
LCD is twice as bright will cause them to appear different in color even if
an instrument records identical chromaticities.
The human visual system has another powerful feature, referred to as'adaptation'. For example, if you move from a room with incandescentlighting to one that is lit with fluorescent tubes, you will initially perceive
white objects as having a bluish cast, and possibly brighter than they
were. However, after a few minutes, your visual system 'adapts' to the
new environment and your 'adapted' perception is that white objects are
merely white.
Visual adaptation allows us to use two different technologies, like CRT
and LCD, to view the same image file with similar perception. However, if
you place two different monitors side-by-side and view themsimultaneously, the visual system cannot adapt to both simultaneously.
They will always appear different (in color, luminance and contrast) due tothat very sensitive 'comparison' function of human visual perception.

64

Therefore, a side-by-side comparison of two monitors is not a reasonable
metric for determining whether you can use each monitor individually andachieve similar results. A better test would be to put each monitor in a
separate room, displaying the same image file (using the same software).
Then view the image on monitor 1, allowing time for visual adaptation.
Next, move to monitor 2, again allowing time for visual adaptation.
In such a test it is important to confirm that the image file being viewed
has an embedded ICC profile that accurately defines its color space. Alsothat Photoshop's Color Settings are set such that the embedded color
profile is used, and that each monitor is correctly calibrated, profiled andits profile is set as the current monitor profile.
10. What is Datacolor’s technical support policy?
Datacolor provides technical support at no additional charge. If you have aquestion, please visit our support site:
support.datacolor.com

65

Instrument Specifications
Power Requirements

Dimensions

5V DC, 100 mA, via USB connector plugged
into personal computer
Width: 44.8 mm
Height: 76.0 mm
Length: 79.1 mm
Weight: 140g
Operating Temperature:
5°C to 40° C

Environmental
Requirements

Maximum Relative Humidity:
80% for temperatures up to 31°C
decreasing linearly to 50% relative
humidity at 40°C
Maximum Altitude:2,000 meters

Agency Compliance

SGS, CSA, C-Tick, CE

This product is to be used only as specified by the manufacturer, and according to the instructions for operation andmaintenance provided herein. The protection of the device may be impaired if used in a manner not specified by the
manufacturer.

66