The best monitor calibrator is a must-buy for anyone working in photography. Because when you're viewing and editing your shots on screen, you don't want your eyes to be misled.
Most computer screens give a vibrant, dynamic picture, but this isn’t always the best for editing your photos. If you edit images on a monitor that hasn’t been calibrated, you may end up sharing pictures that are unintentionally oversaturated, too muted or have an obvious color cast.
It doesn’t matter which color space you select on your camera, or how you adjust Photoshop’s settings – if the screen has a warm cast or a cool blue cast and isn’t showing you an accurate picture, then any edits you make may be subtly or substantially out.
To ensure your computer monitor is displaying colors accurately, it pays to regularly calibrate its brightness, contrast and color. To do this, you need a monitor calibrator, aka a monitor calibration tool or colorimeter. You simply place it on your screen and the accompanying software will then fire a selection of pre-set colors for the calibrator to analyze. The device will detect any discrepancies, and your computer is then programmed to compensate for them.
No amount of calibration can make a mediocre monitor into a dream display. But by using a calibrator, you’ll at least know that your monitor is performing at its best. Read on, as we list the best monitor callibrators available today.
Best for overall A fast calibration tool with a new lens-based sensor system compared to its predecessor. Additional features include ambient light monitoring and multi-monitor support.
Best for all-in-one You usually need separate devices to calibrate a monitor and printer, but the ColorChecker Studio packs both functions into a single tool.
Best all-encompassing A calibration kit consists of the SpyderX Elite monitor colorimeter, a separate SpyderPrint spectrocolorimeter, and a small SpyderCube
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SpyderX is the successor to Datacolor’s popular Spyder5 monitor calibrator series. It uses a brand new lens-based sensor system rather than the old honeycomb baffle on the Spyder5. The result is a claimed increase in calibration accuracy, especially in the lightest and darkest image regions, and a sub-2-minute calibration time, making this the fastest Spyder calibrator ever. In our hands the Spyder X Pro calibrated our test monitor in a staggering 1 minute 15 seconds. Given monitor calibration isn't a once-only procedure (you should calibration roughly once a month to ensure consistent color accuracy), such a noticeable time saving is very handy indeed.
Available in Pro and Elite flavors, both SpyderX versions offer features like ambient light monitoring and multi-monitor support. The Elite (number four on our list) adds projector profiling, pro-orientated advanced calibration options, and its video color space targets are useful for video editing, but for most photographers we reckon the Pro edition offers the best bang per buck.
Whichever version you opt for, Datacolor’s calibration software is easy to use, yet includes plenty of customization to suit lots of monitor types.
Combined hardware can be more awkward to use than separate devices
You usually need separate devices to calibrate a monitor and printer, but the ColorChecker Studio packs both functions into a single tool. Consequently, it’s no surprise that this all-in-one device is bigger than a typical monitor calibrator, and it comes with a case to hold it on your screen during operation.
Monitor calibration is quick and easy, as is the printer profiling procedure. You don’t need to pause on every individual color patch on the two A4 test prints: just slide along each row of patches and the device automatically does its thing. Like monitor profiling, a custom profile is then saved, and you select this rather than using your printer’s default settings the next time you print.
Extras aren’t essential if you just want to calibrate and go
The Elite version of the SpyderX colorimeter may look identical to its cheaper Pro sibling (above), but fire up the Elite’s software and you get a host of extra features.
The most valuable is arguably the ability to calibrate your monitor not just to conform to a typical 2.2 gamma and 6500 K white point, but also to color space standards like sRGB, Adobe RGB, NTSC and Rec 709.
Given that they use the same hardware, it’s no surprise that the Elite manages a very similar sub-two-minute calibration time to the SpyderX Pro. Both versions maintain excellent calibration accuracy scores with negligible Delta-E variation.
There's no doubt that the SpyderX Elite is an excellent monitor calibration tool, but we'd only recommend it over the SpyderX Pro if you specifically need to calibrate your monitor to suit video color spaces, or want complete control over every element of the calibration process.
Compared to the Spyder X (above), the latest Spyder X2 from Datacolor is more evolution than revolution. We found it delivers excellent calibration accuracy, while the calibration process is now considerably slicker thanks to the much improved accompanying software. Calibration speed is no faster though - although to be fair the Spyder X was faster enough.
The X2 Ultra's primary improvement over the Spyder X is its support for very high brightness monitors, but unless you're the proud owner of such a display, there's little reason to pick this over the cheaper Spyder X Pro. The X2 software interface has been made better, but fundamentally it is the same as the old Spyder X app. We're also disappointed that OLED monitors and laptops are still not officially supported by Spyder X2, as this display technology is at the forefront of monitor image quality and is becoming much more commonplace.
A great choice for monitor calibration perfectionists
Reasons to buy
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Very fast
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Plenty of customization
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Accurate calibration
Reasons to avoid
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Slightly daunting software
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Many extras aren’t essential
When it comes to the best monitor callibrators, speed is important; because to ensure consistently accurate color accuracy, calibration at least once a month is advisable. The ColorChecker Display Pro is targeted at image quality purists who want top-notch calibration as quickly as possible.
The ColorChecker Display Pro is designed to be a comprehensive monitor calibration tool; to this end, its calibration software is crammed with features. There are also extensive options for setting a range of desired brightness, gamma and white point.
Keep things in Basic mode and it’s fairly easy to use, albeit not quite as intuitive as Datacolor’s SpyderX software. But venture into the Advanced mode’s interface and you may well be baffled by some of the more technical options on offer.
The SpyderX Studio is actually a large collection of gear. The calibration kit consists of the SpyderX Elite monitor colorimeter, a separate SpyderPrint spectrocolorimeter for assessing printed output, and a small SpyderCube to help set the white balance, exposure, black level and brightness when shooting Raw images.
The monitor calibration hardware and software, and the resulting color accuracy, are identical to the SpyderX Elite. Printer calibration requires you to print at least one sheet of color patches, which you scan using the SpyderPrint and a plastic ruler guide.
Opt for the single-page print of 225 color patches and the scanning process demands accuracy, but it’s painless; choosing two pages of larger swatches is easier, and you can ditch the guide.
Best for super bright displays
(Image credit: Calibrite)
7. Calibrite ColorChecker Display Plus
The best monitor calibrator for super-bright displays
Our expert review:
Reasons to buy
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Up to 2000 nits
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Black current subtraction
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Supports USB-C
Reasons to avoid
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Expensive
The ColorChecker Display Plus is Calibrite's top-of-the-range model, and as such the most expensive. It's specifically aimed at professional filmmakers, editors, colourists and photographers using super-bright HD and HDR monitors.
While the company's other monitor calibrators are suitable for displays up to 1,000 nits, this one can accurately measure luminance/brightness levels up to 2000 nits. It also offers higher accuracy in dark colours thanks to it use of black current subtraction technology. Plus as well as USB-A, you also get USB-C connectivity.
Otherwise, though, there's not much difference from the Calibrite ColorChecker Display Pro. So to choose between them really is a case of weighing up the extra cost and the usefulness of these specific features.
Here are a few things to consider when choosing a monitor calibrator:
Speed Monitor output fluctuates, so you’ll need to periodically recalibrate. Most colorimeters will get the job done in a few minutes and remind you when another checkup is due.
Ambient light detection Some calibrators can measure surrounding ambient light and adjust monitor brightness to compensate. Useful when comparing printed images with on-screen equivalents.
Monitor types The tech inside your monitor will affect how it displays colors, hence a calibration device that can accommodate subtleties like LED backlighting should produce more accurate results.
Is there anything I should think about when printing?
Having calibrated your monitor so that's just perfect, you'll want to turn your attention to your printer, especially if you're doing a lot of home printing projects. Printers can be calibrated using a specific calibrator designed for printer profiling.
Can I calibrate to specific color standards?
Absolutely. This is one of the ways that consistency is maintained across teams or industries. Fancier monitor calibrators are able to conform to color standards, match color output across multiple screens, or calibrate a projector.
How we test monitor calibrators
Aside from the actual quality of the unit and some of the specific features it boasts, when we're testing monitor calibration devices, we're wanting to hone in on the accuracy and the speed.
First of all, there's no use having a calibrator if it's not accurate. Secondly, if it calibrates but does so really slowly and laboriously, then it becomes a chore that you'll never end up wanting to repeat.
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Ben is the Imaging Labs manager, responsible for all the testing on Digital Camera World and across the entire photography portfolio at Future. Whether he's in the lab testing the sharpness of new lenses, the resolution of the latest image sensors, the zoom range of monster bridge cameras or even the latest camera phones, Ben is our go-to guy for technical insight. He's also the team's man-at-arms when it comes to camera bags, filters, memory cards, and all manner of camera accessories – his lab is a bit like the Batcave of photography! With years of experience trialling and testing kit, he's a human encyclopedia of benchmarks when it comes to recommending the best buys.
