ColorMunki Photo - Monitor, Printer & Projector Profiler

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Designed especially for professional photographers and passionate hobbyists, the ColorMunki Photo is an all-in-one spectrophotometer that allows you to adjust and match colors between devices. The ColorMunki is the only device you need to calibrate your computer monitors, projectors, and printers so that the color you see on screen is precisely the same as the color you'll get in print. With ColorMunki, you'll finally be able to stop wasting ink, paper, and valuable time with trial-and-error color correction, and enjoy the benefits of precise color from the beginning.

With ColorMunki, what you see on the screen is what you get in print.

ColorMunki measures your monitor's color display and records a color profile.

Scan a printed color chart to correct colors and match them to your monitor's display. Optimize Your Colors to PerfectionAs a photographer, you know perfect color is essential. But with today's complex digital imaging workflows, getting colors to match between devices can be a challenge. ColorMunki simplifies this challenge with its easy-to-use interface and self-guided system, streamlining the process while still delivering optimal results. In just minutes, you'll be able to synchronize your monitor's colors with the colors of your printer or projector.

Create and Store Color Profiles for Dependable ResultsTo calibrate your monitor, all you have to do is point the ColorMunki's sensor at the screen and allow it to measure the colors your screen displays. The device will then compare the measured colors with "ideal" colors, and create a color profile accordingly.

Printer profiling is easy, too. By using RGB and CMYK printer profiling technology, the ColorMunki is able to deliver a high-quality profile in seconds. Simply scan a printed test chart with the device, and ColorMunki will detect your printer's coloration tendencies and dynamically correct them. You can even use ColorMunki to optimize your color profile based on images for black-and-white, sepia tones, flesh tones, and more.

ColorMunki also features AppSet software, which allows it to interact with a variety of different design applications. Once you've finished creating a color profile, AppSet will automatically synchronize it with any of the following programs: Adobe Photoshop CS3, Adobe InDesign CS3/4, QuarkXPress 8, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4, and Corel Painter X. You'll be able to digitally manipulate colors with more confidence than ever before.

Share Your Art with the WorldColorMunki comes complete with software that allows you to customize your color palette, giving you maximum artistic control over your photos. It will automatically extract colors from any image you choose, then generate an accurate palette for you to work with. Alternately, you can manually grab colors with the spot color measurement function and create a palette of your own. Then, when you're ready to use your custom palette, ColorMunki will automatically synchronize it with your favorite design applications.

Once your images have been color-corrected, you can share them using ColorMunki's DigitalPouch feature. Simply drag and drop them into the pouch, "zip" it up, and send. The recipient doesn't need any special software installed: they'll be able to view the images along with the embedded color profiles in a self-contained viewing window. The program even provides a warning to recipients whose monitors aren't profiled, so you can ensure that your clients are viewing your work as it's meant to be viewed.

What's in the BoxBlack ColorMunki spectrophotometer, ColorMunki profiling software, ColorMunki Photo ColorPicker and DigitalPouch software, Interactive Training DVD, ColorMunki protection bag/monitor holder, Quick Start Guide, and USB power cord.

ColorMunki Photo is the innovative new way to bring your photos from screen to print ¿ with color perfection. Designed for the wedding, social, portrait photographers, this color control solution delivers new technological features for display, projector and RGB/CMYK printer profiling. It¿s also loaded with new color creation and communication tools that allow you to grab colors from virtually anywhere, including your entire image library, preview your color palettes under different light sources and even preview for PrintSafe¿ production under a variety of different printing methods. You¿ll now be able to send your images to your clients with a new level of confidence that they are viewed in a calibrated environment with the DigitalPouch¿ communication tool. All this delivered in an all-in-one integrated solution with a streamlined interface, making the most of your digital workflow. ColorMunki is your new best friend. Product Features All-in-One spectrophotometer means no separate devices needed to profile your displays and printers. The white calibration tile is integrated, so nothing to lose or match up to your device. Includes a protective bag which doubles as an integrated monitor holder ¿ no cumbersome accessories needed. It truly is your do everything, go everywhere solution! Calibrate with Ease ColorMunki¿ lets you swing perfectly from screen to print with quick, easy, and accurate display-to-print match. Software guides you through whichever profiling function you desire. Select ¿match my printer to my display¿ and you¿ll be completely guided through the profiling process for both your display and your printer. Or, you can easily jump right to display, projector or printer profiling.

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.5 x 3.8 x 1.8 inches ; 12 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00169N0BK
• Item model number: CMUNPH
  

Price : $449.00
You Save : $50.00 (10%)

List Price : $499.00

Customer Reviews

I've been giving the ColorMunki a workout for several weeks and find that it is easy to use and my print colors have never been more accurate. It replaces a first generation Pantone Colorvision Sypder I bought in 2002. My desktop is year old quad core PC from HP running Windows Vista Ultimate, an Acer Ferarri 20-inch LCD monitor and photo printer is an Epson Stylus Photo 2200 printer. I've seen a number of negative reviews here that leave me baffled, so I offer some advice.

1) Before you install ColorMunki software, be sure to un-install and/or disable other color management software, like Adobe Gamma. On Windows, I'd recommend using a good registry cleaner, like RegCure, to insure no color management applications are being loaded in the background.

2) Check to make sure your graphics card software is set to the defaults. Some games and photo editing software might "tweak" the color management settings.

3) The ColorMunki "Easy" mode calibration requires a good, late model graphics card and software controllable graphics monitor. For best results, use the "Adanced" mode and check both "Optimize brightness" and "Optimize Luminance" boxes.

4) Don't calibrate you in monitor in "Advanced" mode a darkened room. A fairly high level of ambient light is needed to set reasonable levels of brightness and luminance on your monitor. This is likely the source of comments that brightnees on iMacs and other LCD monitors can't be turned down enough to make the ColorMunki happy.

5) When creating paper profiles a) allow test prints to dry at least two hours before you scan them and b) make sure you scan the strips on top of a white card or stack of like paper. My fist calibration of Epson Ultra Premium Presentation Matte paper was a little off because I scanned it directly on my blonde wood desk.

6) Most laptop displays really cannot be calibrated adequately for critical color work because they use an integrated GPU with limited capability. Results are going to be disappointing if the laptop does not have a dedicated GPU, like the ATI Mobility Radeon X800 or nVidia GeForce 9600M GT and fully adjustable display. Only high end laptops meet this criteria, like the new MacBook Pro or HP Pavilion X16-1040.

7) Take your time. The brightness and luminance readings take about 30 seconds each time you make a change.

I've used a number of color calibration tools, and find the munki to be about the best for the money. (I use it on a Mac Pro with a 30" monitor and an HP B9180 printer.)

Color profiles are very tricky to use on the Mac, and even trickier on Windows. Basically, you need to make very, very sure that you're not correcting the image twice. In Lightroom, for example, there's a pulldown for whether LR or the printer manages its colors. Make sure your setting matches the printer driver's setup! (This is somewhat done for you on the Mac, but not on Windows.)

Lightroom is the easiest tool to use for printing, at least in my experience. Doing it from Photoshop is harder, and you often have to wrestle with the various settings to get it right.

Anyway, I believe this double-correction issue has more to do with the negative reviews than any problems with the device itself. The munki is very, very easy to use. A lot of stuff that would be a lot of work in other tools (e.g. color calibration targets) is all integral to the device, and well managed by the munki software. The profiles themselves are absolutely great -- at least for my setup.

Finally, if you care about getting photographs right -- both on screen and on paper -- a tool like the munki is essential. Editing photos on a well calibrated monitor will help ensure your photos will have a life beyond your current computer or screen. Imagine the trouble if you notice all your old pictures look a little greenish on your next computer. Which was right, your new machine or your old? And will you enjoy editing 5,000 pictures to fix the problem?

Bottom line: great tool for the dedicated amateur photographer. Everyone should at least calibrate their monitors. If a munki seems a little rich for your blood, then consider a Pantone Huey instead: Pantone huey MEU101