Color Profiles with External Monitor

[alexthephotoguy]

Hello!

I am a photographer with a w520 laptop with the Pantone color calibrator built in.  I want to connect the laptop to an external monitor (via the USB 2.0 hub I purchased with the laptop) and I want that monitor to also be calibrated.

What is the best way to handle this?  I do own another monitor calibrator that connects via USB 2.0 from when I had a different computer (it's a Spyder3 calibrator), but I'd hate to have to run two color profile softwares and swap between them everytime I'm at or away from my desk.  I'd even be okay if I had to hold my keyboard up to my external monitor 2x a month if it meant using one calibration program and maybe have 2 color profiles?

Thanks for the help!

~Alex

[alphaman]

From what I've read on here some of the folk don't seem to impressed by the Hueey calibrator.

I've been unsuccessful with my W510 and Spyder3 to get a proper calibration but I've had success in the past on other laptops and monitors. I found it made the W510 more yellow than when it boots up.

I think you're best sticking with the Spyder3 though as I'm sure it had options for multiple displays. The software version I used was Elite and I remember that having something along those lines.


On a side note, can anyone supply me with a spyder calibrated file for W510 that I can load out of curiosity to see how it differed to what my results were.


 

[alexthephotoguy]

I love the convenience of the in-keyboard calibrator... I wonder if the spyder hardware would work with the Pantone software that came with the laptop?  That way I could use the in-keyboard calibrator when I'm away from home and the spyder when I'm at home- all while using only one software program.  Thoughts?

[christopherlang]

I use a i1Display2 for my external display. It works with same software as the internal calibrator. This was the easier solution for me and what I wanted. Don't use the i1 Display Pro (newer model), it needs it's own software and I don't think you want to deal with three different things (2 apps and the OS) managing color profiles lol. You can also ditch the Lenovo provided software if you wish and go that route. The issue is basically not all the apps can support all the devices at the same time (drivers). You just have to sort that out.

PS Alex: There are some very good threads here on getting color calibration working. You may wish to search for those threads.

Cheers

[alphaman]

I highly doubt they will be compatible.

[eos]

I have the color Munki photo.  I have 2x external £1500 IPS display port monitors (via dock), and the built in 1080p panel.

I profile all 3 with the color munki.  all three look different after profiling, but not as bad as before profiling.  The profile changes randomly between me using the laptop without the monitors and with the monitors.  This drives me crazy and requires that I profile the monitors almost every time I use them.

I have also found that I have to run any application which blanks the screen for admin authorisation (I use a dummy install of openVPN for this), to get the monitors to the correct brightness.  If I don't do this, all 3 panels are so dim I can't read them.  After the admin access black screen, the brightness is back to normal.

I suspect this is the color munki sw (their support is useless), but could be a problem in windows or even the Lenovo.

I would just use the spyder for both if I were you, and good luck.

[christopherlang]

Hmmm. Interesting, I have seen this too:

'I have also found that I have to run any application which blanks the screen for admin authorisation (I use a dummy install of openVPN for this), to get the monitors to the correct brightness. If I don't do this, all 3 panels are so dim I can't read them. After the admin access black screen, the brightness is back to normal.'

It is another issue it would seem. I have seen some other posts on this but what I read did not all seem quite correct to me. Have not really read anything about it since then.

I think I saw this when I was experimenting with different profile software, around the same time I was also using various sets of video drivers for another issue. So it could have been drivers too, but I think it was the profiling software playing a part as well.

It is less than 200 I think for the i1Display2, if it meets your specs, seems to me by far the easiest solution. Seems to me getting two devices working with one app that does the job is easiest ;-).