I'm still one of those people who's still using a CRT monitor. I really can't remember how old this monitor is. Maybe 2 years.

It's still good and doing it's job.

BUT..

I'd like to know..other than seeing it busted and having weird colors which I hope doesn't happen in the near future - is there really an existing way to find out if my monitor is still a good one and is still good for post processing and viewing photos? (e.g. is the brightness still correct?)

BTW. Budget is an issue so I can't just buy a new monitor or an LCD.

Thanks for anyone who can enlighten me.

:Grin:

It's a CRT and it's two years old. That means that you have to let it warm up for at least 30-45 minutes before any calibration and profiling procedure is done (because its a CRT). You might have to redo calibration and profiling at least once a month (because of its age).

I'd generally worry if it were older than three years old and I would have to redo calibration and profiling more than once a week.

Cheers!

Jo Avila

i did asked this question to jun miranda of pcci too ; he mentioned that it is usually in the contrast set-up ...

it made sense to me for at that time, i had an old samsung crt ; during the calibration process with "spyder2 express", it will entail a contrast adjustment ; however, adjusting the contrast of the monitor will have no effect (in relation to the software) ; nevertheless, calibration set-up will still proceed (sometimes with error though) ; in the end, colors may still come out right except for the shadows which tend to look like dirt (as in "libag" in tagalog) ...

in any case, he mentioned that such crt is still good for word processing, spreadsheets, email and the like but not dependable for photo editing ...

It's a CRT and it's two years old. That means that you have to let it warm up for at least 30-45 minutes before any calibration and profiling procedure is done (because its a CRT). You might have to redo calibration and profiling at least once a month (because of its age).

I'd generally worry if it were older than three years old and I would have to redo calibration and profiling more than once a week.

Cheers!

Jo Avila

Thanks for the reply sir! Yeah. I already asked someone to buy me the Spyder 2 Express. Is it a perfect tool? I mean. Flawless?

i did asked this question to jun miranda of pcci too ; he mentioned that it is usually in the contrast set-up ...

it made sense to me for at that time, i had an old samsung crt ; during the calibration process with "spyder2 express", it will entail a contrast adjustment ; however, adjusting the contrast of the monitor will have no effect (in relation to the software) ; nevertheless, calibration set-up will still proceed (sometimes with error though) ; in the end, colors may still come out right except for the shadows which tend to look like dirt (as in "libag" in tagalog) ...

in any case, he mentioned that such crt is still good for word processing, spreadsheets, email and the like but not dependable for photo editing ...

Hi Jun! Sorry but I didn't quite get the words in bold.

Why did the shadows looked like dirt? Because of the monitor's age?

@ Benjie

The Spyder3 is a lot better than the Spyder2 if you are comparing the two in terms of accuracy, speed and features. But, IMO, the Spyder2 Express is suitable for your needs if all you do is just desktop inkjet and photolab printing.

The Spyder2 Express will ask you to adjust the brightness and contrast of your display in order to linearize it during the calibration process.

Linearization can be defined as making sure a device can output or display the broadest range of tones (from the darkest blacks to the brightest whites). Older devices that are no longer stable cannot be calibrated properly. Hence, I would hazard to say that the black gradients no longer appear to have a smooth transition.

Cheers!

Jo Avila

All right sir. Thanks a lot for the all the info!

:)

All right sir. Thanks a lot for the all the info!

:)

BTW, I would recommend doing a bit of self-study and research on color management. This should help you better maximize the Spyder2 Express once you have it.

Getting a good match between your display monitor and the print is both simple and complicated.

Yes, getting a Spyder2 Express is a good first step. But that's all that it is - a good first step. :D

Cheers!

Jo Avila

Thanks for the reply sir! Yeah. I already asked someone to buy me the Spyder 2 Express. Is it a perfect tool? I mean. Flawless?



Hi Jun! Sorry but I didn't quite get the words in bold.

Why did the shadows looked like dirt? Because of the monitor's age?

yes, it was due to the monitor's age ...
as to your other query, jo explained it more properly this time (please refer to post no. 5 paragraphs 2 and 3) ; sorry for the confusion ...

yes, it was due to the monitor's age ...
as to your other query, jo explained it more properly this time (please refer to post no. 5 paragraphs 2 and 3) ; sorry for the confusion ...

@ Jun

You explained it perfectly. I just paraphrased what you posted. :D

Cheers!

Jo Avila

Will keep these in mind.

Thanks again!

:)