Are devices like Datacolor Spyder monitor color correction still needed.

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With todays monitors and video cards are devices like the Datacolor Spyder still needed to correct are colors?
If you want the most accurate color space rendering, in particular if you do soft proofing with ICC profiles prior to commercial printing then yes monitor calibration is still important. It's a lot easier to purchase wide gamut monitors that have been factory profiled these days but they still age and change colors over time so periodic calibration is still important for pre-press or printing work.

For folks sharing images on the web or via email, no there's no real need to profile monitors and if you do your own printing and can control processes and run your own hard proofs it may not be quite as important (though can still save some trial and error) but if you'll print out of house with color controlled printing processes it's still a good idea to periodically calibrate your monitor.
 
I posted a question on the post processing forum about monitor calibration a few weeks ago. I wasn't really sure what the process would be like and what the results would show so I used some discounts I had acquired and rented a X-Rite i1Studio for a few days. It was a good learning experience and it did help improve the consistency across multiple monitors. The i1Studio will calibrate monitors, printers, projectors, and scanners. I am not sure which device, X-Rite or Spyder, that I am going to purchase but I do think checking and correcting monitor calibration is important.
 
Thank you all. My last Data color died a while back and I have been trying to convince myself that monitor are calibrated and I don't need it.
I would like to thank you all for getting my head screw back on. Deep down I think knew I needed one.
 
If you have a well calibrated monitor you know that at leasr your images are how you want them to be.
The only certanity :-(
What other people see in THEIR monitors you can only guess...
And for printing I think it is a must
 
Thank you all. My last Data color died a while back and I have been trying to convince myself that monitor are calibrated and I don't need it.
I would like to thank you all for getting my head screw back on. Deep down I think knew I needed one.
@MorganP, I have been looking for a monitor calibration tool for the past month or so and I have been having difficulty deciding between the X-rite products and the DataColor (Spyder) products. I found this special DataColor Anniversary Edition bundle on Datacolor's site and it looks like a good deal. You will have to scroll down to the bottom of the page, it still shows a link to B&H photos to purchase the kit but it is $399 on B&H. It does still come up as $199 when purchasing from DataColor.

Just thought you might be interested.
 
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