Digital Photographer's Software Guide - Bertemes - Net

Spyder2express
Vendor: Datacolor
Purpose: Entry-level monitor calibration in three easy steps, for true-to-life on-screen color
Description
Spyder2express is an easy-to-use product that lets you calibrate your monitor in just a
few steps, using a software wizard to guide you through the process. It is aimed at photographers,
designers, and gamers who want really accurate color on their LCD or CRT
displays.
Spyder2express comes with a Datacolor Colorimeter with a calibration time of just five
minutes. It connects to the computer via a USB port and hangs down in front of the screen
using either suction cups (for CRT) or a counterweight (for LCD) to keep it in position.
Gamma and color temperature choices cannot be changed on this entry-level product
(gamma and white point are fixed) and there is no multiple-monitor support. For greater
control you need to obtain the higher-level product, Spyder3Elite, which comes with
the new generation Spyder3 colorimeter. (See that entry.)
Comments
For many photographers, Spyder2express is a useful starting point in color management.
Its natural competitor at the lower end of the price range for monitor profilers is
PANTONE huey. (See that entry.) Reviewers find the hardware component of
Spyder2express more robust than the ultra-slim huey, but they point out that huey has
more features, including ambient light reading, and tends to be a lot faster. Both huey
and Spyder2express are leapfrogged in both features and precision by Spyder3Elite.
Version: Spyder2express (2008)
OS: Windows 2000, XP, and Vista; Mac OS X 10.3 or higher
RAM: 128MB
Supported file formats: N/A
Price level: Approx. $80
Address: Datacolor, Digital Color Solutions, 5 Princess Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648, United
States
spyder.datacolor.com
www.spyder3.com
PM5 PhotoStudio Pro
Chapter 29 ■ Color Management 341
Vendor: X-Rite
Purpose: For making color profiles of all devices in a studio photography workflow, using a
spectrophotometer