There are many other free monitor calibration programs out there. QuickGamma is a good free monitor calibration program for Windows. It will calibrate you monitor, but it will not profile it. You can use a program like QuickMonitorProfile for that. If you want something for a Mac, you might want to try SuperCal.
If you are a professional photographer and/or you want something more accurate, you should purchase a combined software and hardware solution. The two major companies that sell software and hardware solutions are Datacolor ColorVison and X-Rite. Most professionals seem to prefer X-Rite's products, but Datacolor ColorVision's products will give you comparable results. I have used products from both companies. Datacolor ColorVision seems to give you more features and control via their software for less money. X-Rite has better hardware products (according to their proponents), but I can't say I have noticed a difference.
Both companies have multiple tiered packages. You pay more for more features. Datacolor gives you more for your money. The Datacolor Spyder 3 Pro costs about $136.00, while X-Rite's Eye-One Display LT (entry level model) costs about $150.00. The Datacolor Spyder 3 Pro offers more features via the included software versus the X-Rite Eye-One Display LT. You have to spend about $200 for the X-Rite Eye-One Display 2 to get comparable features to the Spyder 3 Pro. The Eye-One Display LT and the Eye-One Display 2 are the same thing, hardware-wise. The software included with the Eye-One Display 2 unlocks more features. You can purchase the Eye-One Display LT and later upgrade to the Eye-One Display 2 via a software download that will cost you $100. I recommend the Datacolor Spyder 3 Pro, because of the features for the price. The X-Rite Eye-One Display 2 (a.k.a. i1Display 2) is a great product too and used by more professionals, but you will pay more for comparable features. The X-Rite Eye-One Display LT and the Spyder 3 Express are entry-level models and will work for most people, but I recommend the more expensive versions, especially for professionals.
Below are reviews on both Datacolor and X-Rites's calibration products.
All of the products include a hardware device, called a colorimeter. It looks somewhat like a mouse. You place it on your monitor (it works with both CRT and LCD monitors) and run the included software which will walk you through the monitor calibration and profiling process. You will first adjust the brightness and contrast of your monitor. The colorimeter will detect the brightness and contrast of your monitor and the software will let you know if you need to raise or lower one or both for an optimal setting. Next, the software and colorimeter will detect the RGB (red, green, and blue) values of your monitor. If they are off, you will need to use your monitor's controls to get them to their optimal values. After you get the brightness, contrast, and RGB values optimized (that is your monitor calibrated), the software will flash a bunch of color patches on the screen. The colorimeter will check how the colors are displayed and the software will use that to make an ICC profile of your monitor. That ICC profile will be set as the current and default monitor profile and color management enabled applications will read the profile and use it to manage your color workflow. Since hardware is not subjective, you should get great results.
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