Calibrating your monitors

[encyclomedia]

This has always been a priority for designers, especially in print. You work on a document and when you take a print, the colours look completely or partially off. How do you calibrate your monitor to give you consistent colours?

Imaging Associates have some solutions to this problem.

CalibrationAider - Getting Started
CalibrationAider helps users realize the full potential of their computer display device. Use CalibrationAider to create a consistant, reproduceable viewing environment with an optimal viewing angle, screen resolution, and maximized range of colors. Ideal for digital photographers who need to set up a color-managed workflow, or home users who want to display digital photos to best effect. Displays built-in test patterns and allows the users to import their own images. New test patterns will be added in future versions. Includes a complete user guide and access to an online tutorial. The tutorial shows how to use the test patterns during monitor calibration and explores concepts important to digital image processing and color management in general.

Test patterns built into CalibrationAider:

8 Bit Grayscale Staircase (8 Bit Linear)
8 Bit Grayscale Gradient (8 Bit Linear)
8 Bit Grayscale Staircase and Gradient Combination (8 Bit Linear)
8 Bit RGB and Grayscale Staircase (8 Bit Linear)
Solid Colors
TV Color Bars (EBU)

The website has details and free to download software to help you colour proof digitally.