#WINNERBestEditingAccessory
C
alibratingyourmonitor’scolour
di splayis thesinglemost
im portantpost-shooting
pr ocessyouhaveat your
di sposal.As relevantto editing
gurusas it is to thosewhosimplyconvert
a RAWfile andexportto print,ensuring
th e coloursyouseeon screenare
matchedto thosethatwill comeoutof
yo urprinteris a must,andsomethingyou
should neveroverlook.Datacolor’srange
of Spydercalibrationtoolshaveset the
benchmarkforprecisecolourrendition
an d canbe foundat workbehindmany
of yourfavouriteshots.It reallyis thateasy
Theprocessof calibratingyourscreenis
assimpleas connectingtheSpyderXto
yo urcomputer’sUSBport,drapingit over
yo urmonitoras directedby thehandyso ftwareandclickingstart.The latest
versionis nearlythreetimesfaster than
thepreviousSpyder5tool,managing to
giveyoua fullread-outin under two
minutes.Thanksto a newhigh-tech
sensordesign,it’salsoevenmore
accuratethanthecompany’sprevious
calibrationtools.Reapingtherewards
Whetheryou’rean experienced
photographer,or juststartingout, colour
calibrationis an essentialpartof your
workflow.It ensuresthatyourmonitor is
displayingcolourthecorrectway, and is
a mustif youintendto printor share your
imageswhilestrivingfora sense of
realismandprecision.
Theaccompanyingsoftware is simple
touse,andleadsyouthroughthe process
everystepof theway.Whilea darkenedroom is preferable, an integrated ambient
light sensor that picks up five levels of
ambient light adjustment can measure
light levels throughout the day to give
you the perfect blend of brightness and
contrast. Once you’ve finished correcting
your screen’s colour, you can do a quick
before-and-after check to make sure
you’re happy with the results, then save
the profile as your new standard.
Our judges were extremely impressed
by the whole package, from the equipment
to the software, to the results. There’s also
the blistering speed with which it returns a
complete scan, the overall accuracy of its
reading and the simplicity of the software
that combine to make it highly regarded
in its field. For further precision, there’s
the option to invest in the advanced Elite
package, or the Capture Pro or Studio kits
which include additional tools, increased
software options and added features.CALIBRATING THE KEY
TO COLOUR VICTORY
Datacolor’s Spyder series is the go-to for colourcalibration in the professional world and thanks
to its latest innovation, it’s easier than ever before.THELATESTVERSIONIS NEARLYTHREETIMES
FASTERTHANTHEPREVIOUSSPYDER5TOOL
n SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS WINDOWS 7 32-BIT
SP2 OR MAC OSX 10.10 OR NEWER, 1280X768 OR
GREATER MONITOR RESOLUTION, 16-BIT VIDEO
CARD, 1GB R AM, 500MB AVAIL ABLE SPACE118 PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY
A CLOSER LOOK
AT THE PACKAGES
SpyderXProis a greatstart,however
SpyderXEliteoffersadvancedcalibration
optionsandsoftproofingforprinting,plus
vi deoandcinemacalibration.Youcanalso
get Eliteas partof theCaptureProandStudio
packages.TheseexpandtheDatacolor
universewithadditionaltools,suchas the
Spyder Cube, Spyder LensCal and Spyder
Checkr to give you advanced solutions
throughout your workflow.