Advice needed...how to callibrate my monitor?

I use apple computer (MacBook or Mac Book Pro) and I use Dell Monitor. Somebody recommended that for using Photoshop I should callibrate my monitor. I am barely learning to use Photoshop or any kind of processing but I just got this great HP photoprinter and I want to make sure that I will be able to print great pictures. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, as always.


Oh...and I am sorry, please explain it to me as I was 5 years old, I am so not techie it is pittiful, girl (no offense to any woman here though), ugh!

You want to create a monitor and a printer profile for your computer.


whatever calibration tool you have should lead you through the process.


I got an Eye 1 for my monitor, and my printer has it's own calibration hardware/software.


You should update the profiles over time, and with different paper.

You need:



1) An external colorimeter (like the Eye1 mentioned, or some other device like Color Munky or Huey Pro)


2) Profiles of your reproduction situations (printers and/or photo labs)


3) Color Management For Dummies or something similar (not meant in a harsh way) but this is a good starting point for a color managed workflow and a color accurate monitor and reproduction colors. Please do know however that cheaper monitors have a more limited color space than the RAW files of your camera.

I've got a Huey Pro and it works great.... running on a Mac, easy to set up and use, it reminds you to recalibrate every so often (you can change this), changes the monitor brightness with the ambient, and you can calibrate and save multiple monitor profiles and use them at the same time (I have 4... monitors that is :P)