Spyder3 Elite
Most people don’t understand why their prints are coming out in different colors than what they see on their monitor. This has everything to do with calibrating your monitor to get the settings to jive with the output. That’s where the Spyder3 Elite from Datacolor comes in. Let’s take it for a test run and see what it was able to do.
Review by Bruce Bicknell
RATING SYSTEM
1 cup - bad
2 cups - not bad
3 cups - good
4 cups - excellent
5 cups - a must have
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Spyder3 Elite by Datacolor Review
If you have to ask the question “Why do I need to calibrate my monitor?” then you definitely need to keep reading!
Most people don’t understand why their prints are coming out in different colors than what they see on their monitor. This has everything to do with calibrating your monitor to get the settings to jive with the output. That’s where the Spyder3 Elite from Datacolor comes in. Let’s take it for a test run and see what it was able to do.
Spyder3 Elite
After receiving the latest version of the Spyder from Datacolor I was anxious to get it out of the box and suctioned cupped to my new HP laptop with a BluRay player in it (review coming soon!). The package comes with the very cool looking chrome calibrator that has a blue light that glows as it sits in the provided cradle (which doubles as a tripod mount to calibrate projectors) on your desk monitoring your settings. Also included are the install disk and the Quick Start Guide to get you up and running in no time. The Spyder3 connects via a USB 2.0 plug and can remain on your desktop to monitor for changes in your settings. Pretty handy!
The Interface
Setup and installing the software went without a hitch and before I knew it I was ready to go! The program walks you through the process without a flaw and takes you through every step quickly. The interface is very intuitive and it even has a help button at each step that will explain what it is that you are about to do! How many programs do that for you? Most have you searching through their massive help document to find an answer. Not the case here! After a few basic questions about my monitors adjustment capabilities and preferences (most of which they recommend for you) I was on to the calibration screen. From there you just sit back and let the Spyder3 work its magic! Once it finishes it does one more thing that is pretty cool. Just so you can see how bad it really was they show you a group of images both before and after the calibration. It truly is amazing how much of a difference this can make.
Recommendations
My suggestion for anyone who works in a field where they need to have an accurate representation on screen of what they are going to be sending out this little gem is a must have! Heck, even anyone who is a gaming enthusiast or if you like to watch movies on your laptops this will make them more enjoyable. Even though I have an older version of the Spyder, I went through and re-calibrated all of my monitors which includes an iMac with a 20” screen and a 24” Dell and it made a big difference on those as well.
Rating 5/5 A must have for anyone who wants true colors on their screens!
