Pantone Eye One Display 2

A Colorimeter for profiling and calibrating monitors and displays

The Pantone Eye One Display 2 is the 'top-end' of the 3 monitor calibration devices (Huey, Display LT and Display 2) recently launched under the Pantone brand name.

We've reviewed the original GretagMacbeth Eye One Display 2 elsewhere.

Since the software supplied with the Pantone product is just a newer version, would suggest that you also have a look at that review for more detailed information about how the device functions.

This articles covers some slight changes from the GretagMacbeth branded version and has details that might be of use if you are comparing the three different devices for monitor profiling.

The device we tested was supplied by Colour Confidence in the UK (manufacturers info)

What do you get?

The Pantone Eye-One Display 2 is a small USB device which contains a colorimeter to measure the light coming from your screen.

You use the device with the supplied Eye-One match software to generate a monitor profile.

The Display 2 device looks identical to the Display LT device, with the exception of a different label underneath.

Both devices come in a plastic blister pack, with a software CD and printed 'Quick-start' guide.

There is a small weight to counterbalance the weight of the device when it is resting on an LCD screen.

The picture above is slightly larger (on my monitor) than the real thing (about 8 cm long).

The underside of the device has small suction caps for holding it to a CRT monitor.

The guidelines expressly warn you not to use the sticky pads to attach the device to an LCD screen (this is the opposite of what is suggested for using the Huey -- see my review of the Pantone Huey for why I never stick things to my LCD screen)

There is also a white plastic base supplied for storage of the device and as a diffuser/filter for ambient light measurement.

Will the Display2 make my monitor match my prints? I've been asked this a couple of time and have written a short article on how it will help, but why you need to consider some other factors as well.

Profiling and Calibration?

Have a look at the original Display 2 review for more details on device operation.

I'll just show this shot here, which if you've seen my Display LT review, you will notice that you get many more target options with the Display 2.

Conclusions

The software works well and quickly and easily produces a monitor profile.

The Pantone Display 2 version of the software offers a much wider range of options in setting up your monitor.

A particularly welcome one (from my point of view) is the 'Native' colour temperature option where you can use your display's natural backlight temperature.

For my 23" Apple LCD display the native temperature is a coolish 6800K. I use this for my black and white photography work since it gives a slightly smoother greyscale that I feel happier with - it also has a wider gamut for colour.

I do have profiles at 6500K and 5000K for certain colour work, or where I might need to check proofs under controlled lighting. That said my default is currently 'Native'

When you pull the whitepoint of an LCD display away from its native temperature, you are losing some of the dynamic range.

The image below is taken from screen shots taken after calibrating with the Eye One Display 2 at 6500K and Native.

The image shows the graph, where deviations from a straight (45 degree) line show how much 'work' the profile is having to do to 'pull' the output of the monitor to the desired target temperature.

If you move your mouse over the image you can see the temperature values change.

Also of interest is the triangle showing the gamut of the display. Notice, how forcing the display to 6500 reduces the range of colours it can display. The maximum luminance is also reduced.

There were no alterations to monitor settings between the two measurements.

Other changes

The Pantone version of the Display 2 is packed in a plastic blister pack, while the GMB version comes in a wonderful cardboard only box, that is a masterpiece of card cutting and folding. The original Eye One Display 2 has a much better paint job - four colours The Pantone version is a little less stylish :-) Looking at the 3 new Pantone branded products shows an emphasis on cost reduction. I hope this is not reflected in any change in GMB's reputation for quality.

The table below shows how the capabilities of the various Pantone products differ.

	Huey	Eye-one Display LT	Eye-One Display 2
Gamma choices	1.8, 2.2, 2.5 Note that these choices are not available by name - the info is in the generated profile name (Mac version)	Fixed at 2.2	1.8, 1.9, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2
Colour Temp	D50, D65, D75	5000K, 6500K, 7500K	Native, 5000K, 5500K, 6000K, 6500K, 7000K, 7500K
RGB control calibration	No	Yes (this is where you can make additional adjustments to your monitor before the calibration)	Yes I've seen information that suggests that there is something better about the adjustments in the D2 version, but I have not found out what it is yet...
Multiple monitors	No*	No*	Yes
Ambient lighting	Only to change profile settings. No quantitative output.	No	Allows level of lighting and quality of lighting to be measured.

June 2007 - We now have a Pantone huey PRO review - it supports multiple monitors and offers better control of settings and profiling

I did suspect that the LT might be the old Eye-One Display device, although comparing profiles made at identical settings revealed very little difference between the D2 and LT - perhaps it's just different software capabilities.

If I get any more info on the differences between the two devices (and not just what the software allows you to do) I'll post it here.

Summary

Monitor profiling with the Pantone Eye-One Display 2 is very easy to set up and use.

The help facilities in the software mean that you won't need to get the manual out every few weeks when you need to profile your monitor - which is just as well, since there isn't one :-)

Ambient light measurement allows you to get an idea of the quality of lighting in your working location.

Much better range of profiling options compared with the LT, including 'Native' settings for LCDs

A good solid bit of kit, with the measurement device coming from a well respected name in colour management.

March 2006 -- GMB have updated the Eye-One Match software with some extra functionality - more details

Before calibrating your monitor on Windows PC systems, you should check to see that Adobe gamma is turned off if it was installed. We've got a short guide to removing Adobe Gamma that might be of help.

More Info

An Introduction to colour management article by Keith and collection of CM info.
The Viewing page - basic monitor set-up
Why don't my prints match my screen?
A short article showing why there is more to getting your prints to match your screen, than just calibrating your monitor. It's the vital first step, but you do need to consider some other factors for best results.
Colour management links on this site
Colour Management Check-up kit - review
ColorEyes Display Pro
Top end monitor profiling software that works with a variety of measurement devices. Tested with Spyder2, Eye One Display 2 and Eye One Pro.
Pantone Huey - review
The Pantone huey PRO - review
Pantone Eye-One Display 2 - review (see also the longer review of the original GMB version below)
GretagMacbeth Eye-One Display 2 - review
The Spyder2 Pro - review
Eye One Design - review
Eye One scanner profiling - review
Using the Eye One with a scan target to get better results from your film or flatbed scanner.
The PrintFIX PRO - review
Printer profiling with the Eye One Photo - review
More advanced printer profiling with the Eye One.
Review of the Camera Profiling option in the Eye One Photo SG package.
Review of the printer profile editor in Eye One Match.

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