Product Description

Why do photographs sometimes not appear onscreen with the vibrancy of how the scene was shot? Why does color vary from monitor to monitor? The fact is, all monitors (yes, both new and old) display color differently. But with Eye-One Display LT, you can achieve accurate onscreen color just like the pros – without having to become a pro. Eye-One Display LT calibrates your monitor and adjusts the color onscreen, so your images remain true. Now you don’t have to make excuses for poor color; your work can speak for itself.

Product Details

• Brand: Xrite
• Model: EODLT
• Released on: 2006-01-16
• Platforms: Windows XP, Mac OS X
• Format: CD
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .0" h x .0" w x .0" l, 2.20 pounds

Features

• Profile Summary report provides post-calibration analysis
• Software for achieving accurate onscreen color just like the pros
• Calibrates monitor and adjusts color onscreen so images remain true
• Includes compact emission-only colorimeter with sleek lightweight design
• Attaches to LCD and CRT monitors with built-in counterweight and suction cups

From the manufacturer
Why do photographs sometimes not appear onscreen with the vibrancy of how the scene was shot? Why does color vary from monitor to monitor? The fact is, all monitors (yes, both new and old) display color differently. But with Eye–One Display LT, you can achieve accurate onscreen color just like the pros – without having to become a pro. Eye–One Display LT calibrates your monitor and adjusts the color onscreen, so your images remain true. Now you don’t have to make excuses for poor color; your work can speak for itself.

Digital designs demand accurate on-screen colors. Even the most advanced monitors require adjustment for different lighting conditions and environments to maximize their performance. Calibrating your display lets you control what you see on your monitor and ensures colors are accurate and consistent day-to-day, image-to-image, or on multiple systems for print, Web or video output.

Customer Reviews

WYSIWYG - What you see is what you get
Recently, I've read several books about Photoshop CS2 and digital photography and the general consensus of the authors relating to color management is that calibrating one's display device is essential. The overriding recommendation is to use hardware calibration (colorimeter) or, at the very least, an eyeball method (Adobe Gamma, QuickGamma).

Mindful of this information, I calibrated my home CRT, LCD and laptop and my work CRT with free a software program (QuickGamma) that was recommended by several digital camera and Photoshop sites. Previous to this I had used Adobe Gamma but I quickly found that QuickGamma produced superior results. Another thing I noticed was that it was much easier to calibrate the CRT's than either the LCD or the laptop using either eyeball method. When I printed photographs with my home inkjet there seemed to be a pretty good match between the CRT display and output but when I moved pictures from different computers there were noticeable shifts.

With my interest piqued, I decided to purchase a hardware calibrator the Eye-One Display LT (Light?) to see if I could match images between displays and to determine if I could achieve a closer color match between my printer and displayed image.

The Eye-One was easy to use and set up on all displays once I got the hang of the wizard that explains each step. As other reviewers have mentioned a software update is available from Pantone's site and this adds some functionality to the software and is a recommended update. Depending on your displays capabilities the Eye-One allows the user to optimize the, brightness, contrast, color temp, gamma, and RGB set points and then creates a custom profile for your display. With the LT version the color temps available are 5000, 6500 and 7200 and the gamma points are 1.8, 2.2. The next version up allows greater flexibility in these areas but the LT's numbers should be adequate for most users.

Using the updated software, I was able to compare before and after pictures. I also printed several pictures out using the new profile and checked them against my monitor. The results showed marginal improvement over the QuickGamma profile (approx 5%). So with my home CRT, I was not greatly impressed with the results. After profiling my laptop and LCD, however, my feelings changed. Both displays became more vibrant and accurate and, in addition, there was greater consistency between all my displays with regards to color reproduction.

Overall, a nice piece of hardware and software that is intuitive to use and is particularly effective at creating profiles for LCD's and Laptops.

Note: The calorimeter included with the LT is the same as the one included with the more expensive Eye-One Display 2. The only difference between the 2 packages is the included software, which can be upgraded if needed.

Really good for the money!
I own the Eye-One and owned its nominal predecessor, the SpyderPro. No question; the Eye-One if vastly superior. When I have it engaged and a am using an up-to-date profile, my prints match my screen essentially every time, first time. [yes, calibrating every few weeks is useful if not necessary] It is sometimes hard to see the actual change in colors just looking at the screen (and if your screen is far out of calibration, it is a painful adjustment to get used to the calibrated ones -- for half an hour or so). The latest version of the software is very good indeed; the first one was pretty rough around the edges.

It clearly shows just how bad "eyeball-based" calibration programs are.

A shortcoming: I wish they had used to photometer in the sensor head to monitor ambient light the same way the Huey ($69.95) does, but the Eye-One gives you a better profile. The next version up is better, but for anybody who doesn't have to prepare copy for commercial publication, the LT offers all the control you'll need!

Excellent Colorometer
This is a great meter. I use it with the free downloadable software HCFR. I fully calibrated my Epson Home Cinema 1080UB projector with this, and the picture is stunning, just stunning. There is a fantastic write-up on how to calibrate your TV or projector here:

http://www.curtpalme.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10457

It was also very plug and play to calibrate my LCD computer monitor. I used the supplied software to calibrate the computer monitor and it made a nice profile for the monitor that loads everytime the computer starts up. Very nice.

Dan