It is possible that you have a new monitor and you would like to use it at the soonest possible time. You may have set it up already but then the colors are a bit fuzzy and unclear. What do you plan to do with that? There is a big chance that your monitor would need to be calibrated and you know that you need the right tool for that. You may be wondering how you will know if your monitor needs to be calibrated. This is simple. You have to compare how an image looks like when you place it on your computer monitor then view the exact same image on your laptop. Lastly, print out a copy of the image. If all of the three images have different colors or are not too clear, this means that you need the right calibration tool to use.
With the wide away of calibration tools to choose from, you may have a hard time searching for one that you think will be effective. You do not have to look further anymore because you can just consider two products. First is Datacolor Sypder4 PRO and the second one is X-rite Color Munki Display. If you are still having a hard time narrowing down these two products so that you can make a choice, you have to know the various features of the two.
Comparing Features Between Datacolor Spyder 4 Pro and X-Rite ColorMunki Display
Both Datacolor Spyder 4 PRO and X-rite Color Munki Display have the colorimeter. The colorimeter is a display that can tell the various things that would need to be measured. The software helps in determining and changing the details in the lookup table. The differences that are made to your image will be saved immediately so that you can see the colors of the image as more consistent and accurate. Unlike X-rite Color Munki, Data Color Spyder 4 PRO will not be able standardize laptops, computer monitors and projectors.
Design wise, X-rite Color Munki is considered to be easy to place. It is colored black and is glossy and matte on each side. The Color Munki logo can be seen clearly on the sides of the product. There is a diffuser situated on the optical lens of the product in order to help protect the lens. It would simply need to be rolled on the bottom of the meter when the item is being used. The Datacolor Sypder 4 PRO on the other hand has three legs and is also glossy and matte at different sides. The Datacolor Sypder is small enough to fit the palm of your hands. This product also contains an activity LED and ambient light sensor.
Both X-rite Color Munki and Datacolor Spyder have USB cords that can be placed on the PC. The USB cord or Datacolor Sypder is smaller than that of Color Munki but both may not contain suitable cords that will enable the items to be used for floor length desktop. On both sides of the meter, Color Munki has white LED activity indicators. This will help you determine if the item is in use. The Spyder on the other hand has an ambient light sensor. It also comes with an activity LED that is situated at the top of the product to determine if the item is in use.
Like mentioned earlier, Color Munki can be installed and used on different monitors and projectors. The software itself can be installed in different PCs. As long as you standardize all, you can be sure that you will get the same colors and settings every time. It is also very easy to use because the software’s basic mode will do all of the adjustments for you. This includes all of the details that you may have a hard time adjusting such as the lighting. The Datacolor Spyder on the other hand can be installed only on one computer. Make sure that you will let the computer be open for at least half an hour before you start the installation of the software. After the software has been installed, a bit of time is still needed before the colorimeter can be installed. The software would have to be activated by connecting to the Internet. The whole process that installation is taking place, the installation wizard can do all the work and you just have to follow the simple instructions depicted on screen. The Datacolor Spyder does not have a basic mode that is similar to that of the Color Munki so adjustments would have to be made on each setting.
When it comes to charting capabilities, the Spyder may have it better than the Color Munki. In fact, the Color Munki does not have this type of feature which can make it hard to determine the current gamut and gamma levels that are being used in the different monitors where the Color Munki has been set up. Both Color Munki and Spyder are able to produce the calibrated suggestions in about 5 minutes. This is very fast considering the type of help that you can get from it.
Conclusion
It is obvious from the things that are mentioned above that both items can be very useful in their own right. It is also very likely that the choices that you will make will depend on what features you prefer to get from the products.
Click here to purchase Datacolor Spyder4Pro on Amazon!
Click here to purchase X-Rite CMUNDIS ColorMunki Display on Amazon!