Spyder5 User’s Guide Spyder®5EXPRESS Hobbyist photographers seeking a simple monitor color calibration solution.
Spyder®5PRO Serious photographers and designers seeking a full-featured and advanced color accuracy solution.
perfectionist including the better gray balance algorithm for the smoothest gradients possible Video standards for the pro crossing over to motion Advanced Monitor Quality Analysis module lets you monitor and compare the health of all your laptop and desktop monitors including screen uniformity 3
Table of Contents INTRODUCTION 6 WHAT’S IN THE BOX 7 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS 7 SPYDER5 COMPARISON CHART 8 SERIALIZATION AND ACTIVATION 9 SOFTWARE LAYOUT 13 SPYDER5EXPRESS 14 WELCOME SCREEN SELECT DISPLAY DISPLAY TYPE MAKE AND MODEL CALIBRATION SAVE PROFILE SPYDERPROOF 14 15 16 17 18 20 21 SPYDER5PRO 22 WELCOME SCREEN SELECT DISPLAY DISPLAY TYPE IDENTIFY CONTROLS MAKE AND MODEL CALIBRATION SETTINGS MEASURING ROOM LIGHT CALIBRATION SAVE PROFILE RECAL CHECKCAL SPYDERPROOF PROFILE OVERVIEW SHORTCU
SAVE PROFILE RECAL CHECKCAL SPYDERPROOF SPYDERTUNE PROFILE OVERVIEW SHORTCUTS DISPLAY ANALYSIS 50 51 52 53 54 56 57 58 GLOSSARY OF TERMS 60 FAQ’S 62 5
Introduction Thank you for purchasing your new Spyder5 Color Calibrator. This document will offer a step-by-step guide for using your Spyder5 Calibrator to get the best possible color from your laptop and/or desktop display(s).
What’s in the Box Spyder5 Sensor Serial Number Welcome Card with Welcome page details Link to download the Spyder5 software System Requirements Windows 7 32/64, Windows 8.0, 8.1 32/64 Mac OS X 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 10.
Spyder5 Comparison Chart Feature Spyder5EXPRESS Spyder5PRO Designed for Hobbyist photographers seeking a simple monitor color calibration solution Serious photographers and designers seeking a full-featured and advanced color accuracy solution Spyder5 Colorimeter Spyder5 Colorimeter 4 Step Process Interactive help Wizard Interactive help Advanced features Hardware Calibration Device Software Calibration Settings Multiple Monitor Support Before & After Calibration Evaluation Room Light Monitoring
Serialization and Activation The Spyder5 Activation is the same for all 3 models. The software wizard will walk you through the activation process step-by-step. First, make sure that your Spyder5 is plugged into a USB port on your computer; make sure it is a direct port, not on a keyboard, hub, or extension cable.
Enter your serial number or license code, the serial number is located in the box, under the Spyder5 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 is connected to the internet and that no firewall blocks your Spyder software from communicating with the Datacolor activation server.
Save the email with the license code, you will need this if you want to use the device on another computer.
You will then be presented with two windows, the first asking if you would like to automatically check for updates, the second if you would like to share your calibration data with Datacolor. We recommend clicking yes to both of these as new updates come out frequently which can improve the quality of your calibration. We collect calibration information from our users to improve our products. No personal information is collected.
Software Layout The software that comes with your Spyder5 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.
Spyder5EXPRESS Welcome Screen The first time you run the Spyder5EXPRESS software, you will be greeted with a Welcome Screen: There are 4 Checkboxes on this screen: 1) Warm Up Please make sure that your display has been powered up for at least 30 minutes prior to doing a calibration. 2) 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.
Select Display If you have more than one display connected to your computer, you can select which display to calibrate in this drop-down menu. The software will automatically move to the selected display to run the calibration. Once you have completed this step, please click the “Next” button in the lower right corner.
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.
Make and Model Please choose the Manufacturer of your display in this screen and enter the display model.
Calibration This screen shows you where to place the Spyder5 unit for the calibration process. Remove the cover of the sensor as it is used as a counter-weight so that the unit remains in place and flat against the screen. We recommend that you 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 5-6 minutes. Once the measuring is completed, click on the “Finish” button to proceed.
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 name we think works best to keep an archive of your monitor profiles: “Make_Model_yyyymmdd(date)_ver1” Click “Save” to proceed. You can also set a reminder of when to recalibrate your display, we recommend a minimum of once a month.
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. 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 this computer that you want to calibrate.
Spyder5PRO Welcome Screen The first time you run the Spyder5PRO 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.
Select Display If you have more than one display connected to your computer, you can select which display to calibrate in this drop-down menu. The software will automatically move to the selected display to run the calibration. Once you have completed this step, please click the “Next” button in the lower right corner.
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.
Identify Controls If you are calibrating a desktop monitor, here is where you will let the software know if you have Brightness and/or Kelvin preset controls on your monitor.
Make and Model Please choose the Manufacturer of your display in this screen and enter the display model.
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 of your 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, and Brightness here.
Measuring Room Light If you have selected “Room Light On-Recommended” on a desktop machine, or “Room Light Off-Recommended” on a laptop, the software will now want to take a reading of your room light. Place the Spyder on your desk and click the next button; a reading of your room light will be taken. Please be sure that no direct light is falling on your display or the Spyder at this time.
The 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.
Calibration If you have selected “Room Light On-Recommended” on the previous screen, a dialogue will pop up asking you to stay at your computer for the beginning of the calibration process to adjust your brightness level. The calibration process will stop about a minute into the process and ask you to adjust your display brightness to the recommended level.
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 5-6 minutes. Once the measuring is completed, click on the “Finish” button to proceed.
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 name we thinks works best to keep an archive of your monitor profiles: “Make_Model_yyyymmdd(date)_ver1” Click “Save” to proceed. You can also set a reminder of when to recalibrate your display, we recommend once a month.
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.
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.
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 down menu. Here you can choose to use the standard set of images, the ones that are displayed by default, or you can choose custom and select an image on your computer to use.
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 this computer that you want to calibrate.
Shortcuts In the lower left corner of the software window is the “Shortcuts” drop down menu. Here you can quickly access: Display Type, Calibration, SpyderProof, and Display Analysis.
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 or directly from the Spyder5 program folder at /Support/Spyder5ProMQA.
Spyder5ELITE Welcome Screen The first time you run the Spyder5ELITE 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.
These checkboxes will only be activated the first time you run the software, the next time you run the software the reminders will show up, but you will not need to check the boxes again. Once you have completed this step, please click the “Next” button in the lower right corner.
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 through each 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.
Step-by-step Assistant 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 of your 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, and Brightness here.
The next dropdown is where you will also choose whether or not to read your room light to help set the brightness of your display properly based on the level of lighting in your room. Once you have made your selections click next to move onto the next screen. 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.
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, attached to your workstation. 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 other machines yet, leave this blank for now.
Measuring Room Light If you have selected “Room Light On-Recommended” on a desktop machine, or “Room Light Off-Recommended” on a laptop, the software will now want to take a reading of your room light. Place the Spyder on your desk and click the next button; a reading of your room light will be taken. Please be sure that no direct light is falling on your display or the Spyder at this time. Next you will take brightness readings of the displays you are looking to match.
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 are calibrating monitors connected to another computer, you will copy this file to the other 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.
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 and Gamma menus allow you to select presets or type in the exact value you wish to obtain.
Calibration If you have selected “Room Light On-Recommended” on the previous screen, a dialogue will pop up asking you to stay at your computer for the beginning of the calibration process to adjust your brightness level.
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 5-6 minutes. If you choose Grey Calibration “Better”, this process takes 1-3 minutes longer. Once the measuring is completed, click on the “Finish” button to proceed.
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 name we think works best to keep an archive of your monitor profiles: “Make_Model_yyyymmdd(date)_ver1” Click “Save” to proceed. You can also set a reminder of when to recalibrate your display, we recommend once a month.
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.
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.
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 down menu. Here you can choose to use the standard set of images, the ones that are displayed by default, or you can choose custom and select an image on your computer to use.
SpyderTune These settings should only be changed if you want to match multiple monitors with different backlight technologies, as it will change the precise correction done by the Spyder5 calibration. When done properly, a StudioMatch calibration will match multiple displays. If you are using multiple displays and they work with different backlight technologies and different panels, it gets complicated to match them together. That's where the SpyderTune function of Spyder5 comes in.
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. Switch Once you're SpyderTune corrections are done, be sure you compare with the original Spyder5 calibration by clicking the "Switch" button. Save If the result is as expected and you could match your screens together, you can click the "Save" button to save your calibration with the new SpyderTune adjustments.
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 this computer that you want to calibrate.
Shortcuts In the lower left corner of the software window is the “Shortcuts” drop down menu. Here you can quickly access: Display Type, Calibration, Expert Console, SpyderTune, SpyderProof, StudioMatch, and Display Analysis.
Display Analysis This is a series of 6 tests you can perform on your monitor to see its strengths and weaknesses. You can access these tests through the “Shortcuts” dropdown or directly from the Spyder5 program folder at /Support/Spyder5EliteMQA.
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.
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. Candela Basic unit of luminous intensity. Color Temperature Measurement of the color of white light, expressed in degrees Kelvin.
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.
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 as a 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.
8. Where is my software serial number? Your serial number will be either 17 or 18 digits long; depending on your application. It is located on the inside of your box under the hardware device. Please do not confuse this with the hardware serial number for your 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 to match.
achieve 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.
