This should be included with every monitor from the factory

Whether you deal with digital photographs, online videos, or just like to enjoy your computing experience with accurate colors the Pantone Huey PRO is just the product you need. As a semi-professional photographer, I shoot exclusively digital which makes my computer (more specifically the monitor) an essential stepping stone to the final printed image. Those who have moved into the more advanced end of photography already know that color management is a newer technology, and one that is worth getting familiar with. However, it is not just the advanced photographer that can benefit from the Huey.

Have you ever printed a picture and said to yourself, “Wow, I thought that picture looked much better than this.” Maybe you were disappointed because that picture of you son turned out kind of green looking, and you knew he wasn’t sick that day. It could just be that you are playing a game, or watching a movie on your computer and you are having problems seeing in the shadows of the picture. All of these problems can be corrected by calibrating your monitor. It sounds difficult, and if you read about it, you will quickly become confused. Many people will just file this away and forget about doing it.

How it works…

I have not dealt with any other monitor calibration device prior to the Huey, but did quite a bit of research on the different devices out there. They all seem to work about the same. There are basically two parts to these devices. The first part and the one that really makes things happen is the measuring device, usually called the spider. This device is plugged into your computer via a USB connection and is draped over the top of your monitor. It is held on by suction cups in a central area of the monitor. The second part of the equation is the software. This software will send various colors to the spider. The spider knows what the color is supposed to look like and will see what is being displayed and compute what changes need to be made to the monitor color profile to display the colors accurately. When the color test is completed, the software will create a color profile that will be applied to the computer. After the calibration is complete, the monitor will be displaying the proper colors from the CPU input.

That sounds confusing, I know. However, the Huey makes it all very simple. There are step by step instructions displayed on the screen as you go through the process as well as a few questions to answer. The entire process takes only a few minutes and it is complete. Pantone recommends that you calibrate your monitor every 14 days, but with the Huey PRO, you can make it more often if you like. Monitors, regardless of being a CRT, or LCD will change over time, and require periodic adjustments to stay true to the color.

The Huey PRO is a bit different than other models because it stays plugged in constantly. This feature is one of the main reasons I decided on this product. The reason it remains connected, is that it will monitor the ambient light in the room and make adjustments to the monitor in real time with any changes to the light….how cool is that?? Now you can get accurate colors while working at night under a light bulb, or in the middle of the day with the sun shining in.

What does it do for me?

For the photographer, the Huey PRO allows me to tweak my images on the monitor knowing that what I see here is what I will see in the final printed copy, providing the correct color profiles are assigned to the printer. This saves me a ton of money because I no longer have to print out a copy of a picture and apply that good old Kentucky Windage color correction based on how it prints out. The paper and ink saved will easily pay for the comparatively cheap Huey.
For those that are not interested in photography, the benefits of a calibrated monitor can be seen in everything from computer games, to DVD movies, online videos, and the entire computer experience. You will be surprised at how good things look on a calibrated monitor. There have even been stories about how people have sent monitors back because they couldn’t get the color right by adjusting the brightness and contrast, along with the RGB settings on their own. These monitors were checked and were found to be functioning properly. All it took was a quick calibration, and the colors were true.

Final Thoughts….

Whether you are a digital photographer or just a person that spends time in front of a computer, having a color calibrated monitor will make your experience so much better. For possibly the first time, the pictures you see on your monitor will be the pictures that you are able to print out. Considering the price of the Huey PRO, around $110.00, there is no reason not to have a calibrated monitor. You can even use a single device to calibrate multiple monitors, and laptops.