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Open-Licensed Instructional Guides for Learners
Lesson: Creating a Monitor Color Profile Using a
Spectrophotometer
Summary of Process
1 Install the requisite software necessary for operating the spectrophotometer.
2 Plug the spectrophotometer hardware device into the workstation’s USB port.
3 Perform an ambient light check (optional).
4 Determine and select the appropriate white point, gamma and luminance desired for the custom display profile.
5 Complete the software wizard setup for creating the custom profile.
6 Allow the spectrophotometer and its software to complete the calibration process.
7 Give the newly created profile a unique name and save it.
8 Confirm that the new profile is selected for use by double-checking the Displays System Preferences.
Before You Begin
Before beginning to create a custom monitor profile using a spectrophotometer, review these instructions prior to logging onto the workstation and utilize them as a reference during the profile creation process.
Also, be sure your computer workstation has a USB port available for plugging in the spectrophotometer, and that the port is not shared with another device. The device will need its own, independent USB port to draw enough power through it to operate properly.
Installing the X-Rite i1 Match Monitor Profiling Software
1 Go to http://www.xrite.com/, select the Support link at the top of the website and click on the Downloads menu option provided.
2 When you enter into the Downloads page, by default the website will take you into the 2-step Product Support selection process and you will be presented with a number of options. Find the Professional Photography option and click on its graphic icon.
3 In the next webpage to appear, you will be presented with a number of support download options, depending upon the category that best relates to your needs. In our case, we should select the Software option to obtain the i1Match software necessary to operate our spectrophotometer. Locate the Software link and click it to view the software available for download. After doing so, click the i1Match icon to view the available i1Match software updates.
4 When the main i1Match support webpage appears, the link for the i1match software should appear at the top of the list. Click on the i1Match Software link, which will take you to the information page for the software update.
5 When the i1Match Software information webpage appears, it will provide you with several pieces of information, including the currently available version of the software, the version previously available and the release date of the currently available version. You will also be provided a link for either the Microsoft Windows version or the Macintosh version of the software. Locate the link for the appropriate operating system for your computer and click on it. The software should begin to download after doing so. In this example, the Mac version is selected. (NOTE: The software package is fairly large. It is recommended that you have access to a high-speed Internet connection when downloading the software.)
6 Once the software has completed downloading, the software installer will automatically launch to initiate the installation process. Click the CONTINUE button to proceed with the installation.
7 The next step presented in the installer will provide important information about the software, including the minimum system requirements needed for your computer to successfully use the software, as well as what the new version of the software contains. Be sure to read this information carefully. If your computer meets the minimum system requirements, click the CONTINUE button to proceed to the next step of the installation process.
8 The third step within the software installer presents you with the software’s license agreement. Read the agreement carefully and click the CONTINUE button. If you agree with the licensing terms of the software, click the AGREE button when presented to you to proceed to the next step.
9 The fourth step of the installation process asks you to select where you would like to install the software application. By default, the Applications folder located on your main Hard Drive (Macintosh systems) or the Program Files folder located on the C:\ drive (Windows systems) is selected. In most cases, this is the desired location for the application to be installed. Select the location you wish the i1Match software to be installed and click the CONTINUE button.
10 Click the INSTALL button when presented to begin the installation of the software. If you are asked for an Administrator’s username and password to initiate the installation process, enter that information to do so. (NOTE: If you are using a workstation in a group work environment, such as at work or in classroom, may have to ask your System Administrator to give you access before you can proceed with this step.)
11 If the software successfully installed, the installer will tell you so at the end of the process. If so, simply clock the CLOSE button to close out of the installation process. The software is now ready to use.
Creating a Monitor Profile Using the X-Rite i1 SpectroPhotometer
1 Plug the X-Rite i1 spectrophotometer into a USB port on the workstation you wish to create a monitor profile for. (NOTE: Be sure to plug the device into a USB port that is not shared with another device. The device will need its own, independent USB port to draw enough power through it to operate properly.)
2 Locate the i1Match software that is installed on the computer. Launch the software to begin the profile creation process.
3 When the i1Match software window appears, click on the monitor icon to select this as the device you wish to create a profile for. At the bottom of the window, you are also asked to select either the Easy or Advanced profiling mode you wish to utilize during the profile creation process. In this example, we will select Advanced mode by clicking on the appropriate radio button provided. Then click the right arrow button located in the lower-right corner of the application window to proceed to the next step.
4 In the next step of the profile creation process, you are asked to select the appropriate white point, gamma and luminance values for the profile. For the white point, select the value that closely resembles the lighting environment that you will view your printed images in. If you are new to creating monitor profiles and would like a good, mid-spectrum, all-around profile for various environments, select Medium White (6500) as your white point. This sets the white point to reflect natural daylight environments, which is the mid-point between 3500 for florescent lighting and 9300 for video display on a cathod ray tube (CRT) monitor. Moreover, digital cameras are normally designed the 6500 color temperature.
If the workstation you are calibrating is residing in the room in which you will primarily view your images in, you have the option to select the checkbox at the bottom of the window to perform an ambient light check. Selecting this option will add a couple of extra steps to the process, and requires the use of the ambient light filter that accompanies the spectrophotometer. Simply follow the on-screen instructions for those additional steps if you wish to select this option.
Unless you are working in a Mac-only environment using the Mac OS X 10.5 operating system (or earlier), select 2.2 as the gamma for the profile in this example. Beginning with Mac OS X 10.6, the default gamma will be set at 2.2. Moreover, the Mac already supports the 2.2 gamma and is the standard for many working profiles (including Adobe RGB 1998 and sRGB), digital cameras, web graphics, the Windows operating system and even current Apple Cinema HD displays.
For the luminance, select either 120 if you are calibrating a LCD monitor or 100 if you are calibrating a CRT monitor. Once you have selected the appropriate white point, gamma and luminance values, click the right arrow button located in the lower-right corner of the application window to proceed to the next step.
5 To produce an accurate profile, it is important to calibrate the spectrophotometer each time prior to creating a new profile. To do so, simply place the i1 spectrophotometer onto the white calibration tile provided with the device and click the CALIBRATE button on the screen. Once you have successfully calibrated the spectrophotometer, you will be able to click the right arrow button located in the lower-right corner of the application window to proceed to the next step.
6 Next, place the i1 spectrophotometer onto the monitor by attaching it to the mounting device provided and draping the strap over the top of the monitor. Make sure the mounting device weight faces the backside of the monitor and the spectrometer is positioned as closely to the center of the monitor as possible, particularly on CRT monitors. Then click the right arrow button located in the lower-right corner of the application window to proceed to the next step. (NOTE: If you have a screensaver enabled to come on within a short period of time, turn it off before proceeding to the next step.)
7 Next, you will either have one (1) more step to complete if you are calibrating a LCD monitor (including laptop computers or desktop workstations with a LCD monitor) or three (3) more steps if you are calibrating a CRT monitor. With each step, you will utilize your monitor’s adjustment buttons to adjust the luminance (LCD and CRT monitors), the white point (CRT monitors only) and the red/green/blue values for the gamma (CRT monitors only). Irregardless of how many of these steps you will need to complete, at each step you will need to click the START button to enter into the respective adjustment screen and follow the on-screen instructions. At the end of each step, click the STOP button once you have established the desired setting, click the right arrow button to proceed to the next step and, again, click the START button again to enter into that step’s respective adjustment screen.
8 At the end of the color measurement process, a window will appear that will provide you a summary of the profile creation results, including your final white point, gamma and luminance results. If any of these values are off in relation to the results your desire, you will need to perform the profile creation process again. If the values are in-line with the profile results you desire, you can click the BEFORE & AFTER button to see the results of creating the profile. Moreover, to save the profile for future use, enter a name for the profile using the field provided and click the FINISH CALIBRATION button. For this example, the profile is named photolab_display_profile By default, the i1Match software will save the newly created monitor profile in the /Library/ColorSync /Profiles folder (Macintosh) and automatically enables the new profile as your workstation’s default monitor profile.
Confirming the Activation of the Newly Created Custom Display Profile
1 Click on the Apple menu and select the System preferences menu option that appears.
2 When the System Preferences window appears, click on the Displays preference located under the section Hardware.
3 When the Displays preference window appears, click on the Color tab.
4 The name of the profile you just created should be highlighted within the Display profile list. If for some reason it isn’t, simply locate the name of the profile within the list and single-click on it using your mouse. The profile is now activated and is ready for use.
Summary of Process
1 Install the requisite software necessary for operating the spectrophotometer.
2 Plug the spectrophotometer hardware device into the workstation’s USB port.
3 Perform an ambient light check (optional).
4 Determine and select the appropriate white point, gamma and luminance desired for the custom display profile.
5 Complete the software wizard setup for creating the custom profile.
6 Allow the spectrophotometer and its software to complete the calibration process.
7 Give the newly created profile a unique name and save it.
8 Confirm that the new profile is selected for use by double-checking the Displays System Preferences.
Before You Begin
Before beginning to create a custom monitor profile using a spectrophotometer, review these instructions prior to logging onto the workstation and utilize them as a reference during the profile creation process.
Also, be sure your computer workstation has a USB port available for plugging in the spectrophotometer, and that the port is not shared with another device. The device will need its own, independent USB port to draw enough power through it to operate properly.
Installing the X-Rite i1 Match Monitor Profiling Software
1 Go to http://www.xrite.com/, select the Support link at the top of the website and click on the Downloads menu option provided.
2 When you enter into the Downloads page, by default the website will take you into the 2-step Product Support selection process and you will be presented with a number of options. Find the Professional Photography option and click on its graphic icon.
3 In the next webpage to appear, you will be presented with a number of support download options, depending upon the category that best relates to your needs. In our case, we should select the Software option to obtain the i1Match software necessary to operate our spectrophotometer. Locate the Software link and click it to view the software available for download. After doing so, click the i1Match icon to view the available i1Match software updates.
4 When the main i1Match support webpage appears, the link for the i1match software should appear at the top of the list. Click on the i1Match Software link, which will take you to the information page for the software update.
5 When the i1Match Software information webpage appears, it will provide you with several pieces of information, including the currently available version of the software, the version previously available and the release date of the currently available version. You will also be provided a link for either the Microsoft Windows version or the Macintosh version of the software. Locate the link for the appropriate operating system for your computer and click on it. The software should begin to download after doing so. In this example, the Mac version is selected. (NOTE: The software package is fairly large. It is recommended that you have access to a high-speed Internet connection when downloading the software.)
6 Once the software has completed downloading, the software installer will automatically launch to initiate the installation process. Click the CONTINUE button to proceed with the installation.
7 The next step presented in the installer will provide important information about the software, including the minimum system requirements needed for your computer to successfully use the software, as well as what the new version of the software contains. Be sure to read this information carefully. If your computer meets the minimum system requirements, click the CONTINUE button to proceed to the next step of the installation process.
8 The third step within the software installer presents you with the software’s license agreement. Read the agreement carefully and click the CONTINUE button. If you agree with the licensing terms of the software, click the AGREE button when presented to you to proceed to the next step.
9 The fourth step of the installation process asks you to select where you would like to install the software application. By default, the Applications folder located on your main Hard Drive (Macintosh systems) or the Program Files folder located on the C:\ drive (Windows systems) is selected. In most cases, this is the desired location for the application to be installed. Select the location you wish the i1Match software to be installed and click the CONTINUE button.
10 Click the INSTALL button when presented to begin the installation of the software. If you are asked for an Administrator’s username and password to initiate the installation process, enter that information to do so. (NOTE: If you are using a workstation in a group work environment, such as at work or in classroom, may have to ask your System Administrator to give you access before you can proceed with this step.)
11 If the software successfully installed, the installer will tell you so at the end of the process. If so, simply clock the CLOSE button to close out of the installation process. The software is now ready to use.
Creating a Monitor Profile Using the X-Rite i1 SpectroPhotometer
1 Plug the X-Rite i1 spectrophotometer into a USB port on the workstation you wish to create a monitor profile for. (NOTE: Be sure to plug the device into a USB port that is not shared with another device. The device will need its own, independent USB port to draw enough power through it to operate properly.)
2 Locate the i1Match software that is installed on the computer. Launch the software to begin the profile creation process.
3 When the i1Match software window appears, click on the monitor icon to select this as the device you wish to create a profile for. At the bottom of the window, you are also asked to select either the Easy or Advanced profiling mode you wish to utilize during the profile creation process. In this example, we will select Advanced mode by clicking on the appropriate radio button provided. Then click the right arrow button located in the lower-right corner of the application window to proceed to the next step.
4 In the next step of the profile creation process, you are asked to select the appropriate white point, gamma and luminance values for the profile. For the white point, select the value that closely resembles the lighting environment that you will view your printed images in. If you are new to creating monitor profiles and would like a good, mid-spectrum, all-around profile for various environments, select Medium White (6500) as your white point. This sets the white point to reflect natural daylight environments, which is the mid-point between 3500 for florescent lighting and 9300 for video display on a cathod ray tube (CRT) monitor. Moreover, digital cameras are normally designed the 6500 color temperature.
If the workstation you are calibrating is residing in the room in which you will primarily view your images in, you have the option to select the checkbox at the bottom of the window to perform an ambient light check. Selecting this option will add a couple of extra steps to the process, and requires the use of the ambient light filter that accompanies the spectrophotometer. Simply follow the on-screen instructions for those additional steps if you wish to select this option.
Unless you are working in a Mac-only environment using the Mac OS X 10.5 operating system (or earlier), select 2.2 as the gamma for the profile in this example. Beginning with Mac OS X 10.6, the default gamma will be set at 2.2. Moreover, the Mac already supports the 2.2 gamma and is the standard for many working profiles (including Adobe RGB 1998 and sRGB), digital cameras, web graphics, the Windows operating system and even current Apple Cinema HD displays.
For the luminance, select either 120 if you are calibrating a LCD monitor or 100 if you are calibrating a CRT monitor. Once you have selected the appropriate white point, gamma and luminance values, click the right arrow button located in the lower-right corner of the application window to proceed to the next step.
5 To produce an accurate profile, it is important to calibrate the spectrophotometer each time prior to creating a new profile. To do so, simply place the i1 spectrophotometer onto the white calibration tile provided with the device and click the CALIBRATE button on the screen. Once you have successfully calibrated the spectrophotometer, you will be able to click the right arrow button located in the lower-right corner of the application window to proceed to the next step.
6 Next, place the i1 spectrophotometer onto the monitor by attaching it to the mounting device provided and draping the strap over the top of the monitor. Make sure the mounting device weight faces the backside of the monitor and the spectrometer is positioned as closely to the center of the monitor as possible, particularly on CRT monitors. Then click the right arrow button located in the lower-right corner of the application window to proceed to the next step. (NOTE: If you have a screensaver enabled to come on within a short period of time, turn it off before proceeding to the next step.)
7 Next, you will either have one (1) more step to complete if you are calibrating a LCD monitor (including laptop computers or desktop workstations with a LCD monitor) or three (3) more steps if you are calibrating a CRT monitor. With each step, you will utilize your monitor’s adjustment buttons to adjust the luminance (LCD and CRT monitors), the white point (CRT monitors only) and the red/green/blue values for the gamma (CRT monitors only). Irregardless of how many of these steps you will need to complete, at each step you will need to click the START button to enter into the respective adjustment screen and follow the on-screen instructions. At the end of each step, click the STOP button once you have established the desired setting, click the right arrow button to proceed to the next step and, again, click the START button again to enter into that step’s respective adjustment screen.
8 At the end of the color measurement process, a window will appear that will provide you a summary of the profile creation results, including your final white point, gamma and luminance results. If any of these values are off in relation to the results your desire, you will need to perform the profile creation process again. If the values are in-line with the profile results you desire, you can click the BEFORE & AFTER button to see the results of creating the profile. Moreover, to save the profile for future use, enter a name for the profile using the field provided and click the FINISH CALIBRATION button. For this example, the profile is named photolab_display_profile By default, the i1Match software will save the newly created monitor profile in the /Library/ColorSync /Profiles folder (Macintosh) and automatically enables the new profile as your workstation’s default monitor profile.
Confirming the Activation of the Newly Created Custom Display Profile
1 Click on the Apple menu and select the System preferences menu option that appears.
2 When the System Preferences window appears, click on the Displays preference located under the section Hardware.
3 When the Displays preference window appears, click on the Color tab.
4 The name of the profile you just created should be highlighted within the Display profile list. If for some reason it isn’t, simply locate the name of the profile within the list and single-click on it using your mouse. The profile is now activated and is ready for use.