Pantone Huey

Joined: 05 Aug 2005 Posts: 545 Location: KS - USA

Just thought I'd post my experiences with a Pantone Huey color calibration device. This post is not a review - per se (the Northlight review is fine and I saw no reason to duplicate the effort), but more a review of my experience with the product. I purchased a Pantone Huey about a month ago, and have been using it since then.

Product page:
http://www.pantone.com/products/products.asp?idSubArea=0&idArea=2&idProduct=103&idArticleType_Products=0

Review:
http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/reviews/pantone_huey.html

I've been using my laptop for the last several months to edit and print photographs. Since there are no real "controls" to speak of for the display (there are sliders on the advanced tab for the display adapter, but they are a pain to get right), I'd mostly used the Adobe Gamma utility to set the display gamma. I'd become adept at looking at the image and determining what needed to be done to get it to print on my printer - with the colors generally correct. I'd even sent a couple off to have done by Mpix with great success.

The last pic I sent to Mpix, however, was a disaster. Had it looking "correct" on the LCD display, but the results came back - let's say "less than spectacular". It was time to get the thing color calibrated.

I saw a review of the Huey, and more research led me to the Northlight review - which is fairly complete. I'm not going to restate what has already been said by them.

Once I got the unit, software installed, etc., I draped it over the top of my LCD display, and ran the calibration routine. After a couple of minutes, it was done. I then had to select a "color setting" which "optimizes" the display for your intended purpose. I originally selected "Web Browsing and Photo Editing" (I'm editing photos - right?). Once the calibration was done, I was shocked by the results of the calibration. And not in a good way.

The display's gamma setting was more appropriate - but the COLORS! Geez, I thought they were screwed up. I'd NEVER seen anything like the way my desktop background changed on that laptop before. Quite a bit of cyan/green seemed to be added to the color. It was an EXTREMELY disturbing experience. Needless to say, I was not pleased - at first.

I went ahead and started using my calibrated LCD display, and much to my amazement - the colors matched nearly perfectly with my printer! I could look at the image on the display, print it out (mind you - no overriding or "enhanced" settings on the printer dialog box), and hold it up to the display - a virtual match! Note - I use Adobe RGB settings througout, and have an Adobe RGB color profile for my printer. The only issue I have, is the gamma on the printer. I need to increase the gamma - but the colors match.

I pulled out a color "calibration" print that Mpix sent me (after my last disaster), which is merely a TIF file to display, and a print of the image (has several portraits, and a couple of different color targets). Photo matches display. I went back to my "disaster" photo - and could immediately see why - now that my monitor was calibrated.

I've played with the light adjustment the Huey has - it really adjusts to the amount of ambient light - not the color of the light (as near as I can tell).

Is the Huey for professionals? No, I don't think so. This is a simple tool to help out the "serious" amateur. While the Huey calibrates against colors it is displaying on the monitor, and matching to an internal known setting, it isn't "complete", nor does it help calibrate your scanner or printer except by eye.

All of my color comparisons are "by eye". To be as close as I can, I have blown up specific segments of photos, printed them (attempting to get a single tone/color), and then compared them to the display. Not scientific and completely objective - but what it does is get the colors perty dang close (to my eyes). I've shown it to a couple of other photographers (who have someone come into their homes and do periodic calibration of all of their equipment), and they've both purchased one to keep it "tuned up" between full calibrations.

I paid $79 for mine, and consider it a worthwhile investment. It helps save paper, and will keep me from sending off another "disaster" to be printed. That, in and of itself, will pay for it within a short while.

All in all - I recommend the Pantone Huey to anyone who either hasn't/doesn't calibrate their monitors. It may also be of some value for the professional who has someone else regularly calibrate their monitor - to keep it tuned up between full calibrations. For $80, it is not a bad investment.

Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 7:25 pm

Agree, I sure like mine!

Joined: 13 Apr 2006 Posts: 7

I have been having so much trouble with my Huey. I have emailed them many times but get the same response.
The thing turned my laptop monitor yellow, looked horrible! I did have test prints and they were not even close to what was on screen.
I also use Adobe RGB profile

I disabled Adobe gamma, didn't use the ambient lighting and even uninstalled PS since this is what they considered the problem.
I am saving up to buy a better calibration tool since I have been fighting with this one for over a month.
I use my other monitor for crutial graphics and the laptop just for surfing and line work.
Any thoughts would be much appreciated, they didn't seem to have a clue what was going on.

Joined: 05 Aug 2005 Posts: 545 Location: KS - USA

Dani wrote:

I have been having so much trouble with my Huey. I have emailed them many times but get the same response.
The thing turned my laptop monitor yellow, looked horrible! I did have test prints and they were not even close to what was on screen.
I also use Adobe RGB profile

I disabled Adobe gamma, didn't use the ambient lighting and even uninstalled PS since this is what they considered the problem.
I am saving up to buy a better calibration tool since I have been fighting with this one for over a month.
I use my other monitor for crutial graphics and the laptop just for surfing and line work.
Any thoughts would be much appreciated, they didn't seem to have a clue what was going on.

Might be interesting to understand what graphics chipset your laptop uses. Mine's a fairly decent Intel chipset - for laptops. There may be an issue with certain chipsets, or even certain LCDs.

How old is your laptop?

Joined: 13 Apr 2006 Posts: 7

Thanks for a reply! I have had such trouble with this you just don't know.

The laptop was purchased Sept 05
Acer Aspire 1691 Pent M 725 proc - 1.6 GHz, 400 MHz

Mobile Intel(R) 915GM/GMS,910GML Express Chipset Family - 15.4
WXGA CrystalBrite TFT LCD

I have tried all kinds of settings. Right now I can get pretty close to my test print (that is when I do not use the Huey) although I still do not trust it.

No matter what I do the Huey always turns the screen yellow. I have tried using it in the dark, outside, kitchen lighting, office lighting and still end up with same result ( the tech support for Huey suggested trying this ... HA)

Like I said, I have disabled the Adobe gamma, which they also suggested.

Joined: 05 Aug 2005 Posts: 545 Location: KS - USA

Ok - VGA chipset sounds about like mine (if I remember correctly). Have you updated your video drivers?

Don't know about the display - my laptop is a Toshiba, and manufacturers give so many meaningless names to the "same thing" for marketing purposes that you don't know what it actually "is".

Few other things - As I said, when I first ran my Huey, the display shipfted DRAMATICALLY to a cyan/green color. I thought mine was screwed up at first to. When you make a test print - do you have ALL the "auto" functions for your printer disabled? (contrast, sharpness, color, etc.)? Also, make sure you selected Adobe RGB for the printer. I use a cheapie HP Photosmart 7260 series printer (but it does a very good job), and it has all those "auto" settings you MUST disable.

Second, instead of turning Adobe gamma off - have you de-installed it? I did, to make sure it wouldn't load up and possibly effect something in the Huey's software.

Absolutely, positively, make sure you have the latest graphics drivers for your display chipset. I was able to download mine from Toshiba's site. Make ABSOLUTELY certain that you've got the correct drivers for your chipset. Go into the Hardware Devices section of the "System" icon in the control panel, and look up exactly what it says you've got installed. "Intel 915GM whozit Ver xyz, blah, blah". If you have to download from Intel's site, make sure you get the correct driver by matching up what that string says with what is on Intel's (or anybody else's) website.

If all else fails - it may just be a bad Huey. See if you can get the vendor you purchsed it from to swap it out (if it's been within a week or so), or Pantone to swap it out.