Have you ever wondered why the pictures you take with your digital camera look different on your computer than they looked on your camera’s display screen? And the colors are different again when you look at the same picture on a friend’s computer? The same is true for the displays on televisions, cell phones, ipads, etc. Every computer display is calibrated a little differently. Those little differences can cause big problems for designers.

To calibrate a display you need an impartial observer that can compare the color and brightness of your display against an accepted standard. In print design this is done with color swatch books from a color standard company like Pantone. The color swatches are held up next to a printed “proof” to make the sure the color is printing correctly.

The Pantone Huey Pro takes the guesswork out of color calibration by removing the human eye from the calibration process. The Huey Pro is a small USB-powered image sensor that attaches directly to a screen using suction cups. Once attached, the included color calibration software displays a series of test colors on the screen. The Huey Pro detects the colors, compares them to Pantone’s library of reference colors, and records the differences. When the test colors are complete, the software determines how the colors of the monitor need to be adjusted so they match the reference colors. Then it creates a color adjustment profile that can be loaded automatically by the computer’s operating system (Windows or Mac). Once loaded, the monitor shows the correct color.

The difference in color before and after adjustment can be startling. When we adjusted our monitors here at Category 4 we found that some displays started off pretty close to accurate color and others were way off. In some cases the corrected displays looked greenish or bluish immediately after adjustment. After looking at a red-tinted display for a while the change to pure white creates the illusion of a bluish color (I did a Science Fair project on this effect many years ago!). Once your eyes adjust you’ll find that all the colors on your display look more vibrant than before.

Accurate color is especially important for people using multiple displays. The Huey Pro’s software runs the calibration process on whichever display the software’s window is placed on. Once you finish with your main display, drag the Huey Pro window to your secondary display, move the sensor, and run it again. Each display gets its own unique profile.

Pantone recommends running through the calibration process periodically to keep your colors accurate. You can also keep the Huey Pro plugged in and sitting on your desktop to provide real-time brightness adjustment based on the amount of ambient light in your office.

The Pantone Huey Pro is available from Amazon for a little under $60.