365 Day 200 - Countryfile photo comp

365 Day 200 - Countryfile photo comp

This is where the problem with my monitor started! I wanted to print off a couple of my gannet and puffin photographs to send in to the BBC Countryfile Photographic competition and before I did, decided to calibrate my monitor and check the colour of my prints on screen again before I printed them off. Big mistake! I have a Spyder 4 Express which I have been using for the last year or so without too much trouble. I follow the guidance about checking contrast and brightness and set it off to calibrate and my screen ends up dark teal green/blue. Check on the Datacolor website - make sure that you have downloaded the latest software update, so I do but it makes no difference. Restart my computer, go through the whole process again and this time it comes out dark red/brown. Back to the Datacolor website to find FAQs which tell me that if I am using Windows, there is a conflict between the profile which the Spyder produces and the graphics card on the computer and I should disable the programme. No sure about this so ring Knowhow as I have a support contract and they strongly advise against this. Not only that, I don't seem to be able to disable the programme only delete it and if I do that I might invalidate the support contract. So next step is a question on an EPZ forum and a good soul called Glenn gives me some advice.

Eventually I have run the calibration again and I have a blue/grey colour cast but when i print my pictures they are actually ok, probably because the bulk of the work was done before I calibrated my monitor. This is a photograph of my photographs before I sent them off, bearing in ming that this photograph was uploaded and edited after I calibrated the monitor so goodness knows what it will look like on other monitors!