The Best Monitor Calibration Tools for Color Correction, Gaming, Photography, and More!

Introduction

With the best monitor calibration tool, you are more able to appropriately target those vibrant hues or subtle shades necessary for stunning digital creations. Everyone, from architectural designers to amateur animators, must accurately represent color. Without it, you run the risk of the final product being way off the mark.

With this guide, you’ll know how to select the best-fit tool that ensures an accurate, easy-to-use, and practical format, so the next time your monitor seems a little “out of whack” with its color, you’ll have a handy tool to get back on the right visual track quickly.

How to Find the Best Monitor Calibration Tools to Ensure Perfect Colors

The challenge is finding the best monitor color calibration tool. You need to figure out which tool fits your desired use case's unique spectrum and features. For example, what works well for someone doing high-definition digital art may not be the same for another person doing remote graphic design marketing for social media.

A good place to start your search is deciding what type of calibration will give the most valuable results for your workflow.

Choosing Between Hardware vs Software Calibration

Most calibration tools come from two primary categories of forms – hardware and software. Each one offers plenty of features, so you’ll want to check out selections of both for your needs.

• Hardware Calibration: To use this form of calibration, you’ll need a physical piece of equipment (typically a colorimeter or spectrophotometer). These tools will measure the current output of your monitor and then work alongside software to tune your color settings. When used correctly, you get the exact result most professionals (designers, video editors, photographers, etc.) rely upon, independent of your OS settings.

• Software Calibration: Instead of relying on external tools, the software uses algorithms and visual comparisons to adjust your monitor settings and match colors to settings and color themes. These tools tend to be a little more cost-effective and beginner-friendly while also providing a lot of customization for visual adjustments.

It is helpful to pair software calibration tools with hardware calibration solutions. Most professionals use a blending of the two formfactors to get highly accurate results with lifelike colors and representations.

Quick Comparison: Hardware vs. Software Calibration

Note: The Difference Between Spectrophotometer & Colorimeter

If you are considering the physical/hardware monitor calibration tool, you should understand the differences between colorimeters and spectrophotometers.

• A colorimeter is an external tool that effectively measures the colors on a display to calibrate results so they are more accurate and consistent. You want a “true to their design” color result, especially in professional fields like graphic design, photography, art, and printing. They tend to be more affordable than other hardware options and are reasonably user-friendly for general and professional use. Most often, you attach a device to the screen that “views” the colors to match them to preset settings or standards.

• A spectrophotometer is another external device used to measure the intensity of light (often as a function of wavelength). In terms of applying to monitor calibration, the spectrophotometer provides details about what colors can be displayed by measuring how much light is emitted for each hue. Higher-end use cases and applications are better suited to this option, but you will pay quite a bit more due to the complexity.

Unless you’re running something like a professional printing shop or art museum display of local talent, you can stick to a colorimeter as a starting point.

Check the Spectral Correction Capabilities of Your Calibrator

One point that often gets overlooked with even the best budget monitor calibration tool is spectral correction. Different monitors have different backlight technology. For a calibrator to work, it must be able to adapt to whatever variation of tech your device is using (LED, OLED, etc.).

You always want to ensure your monitor will work with your chosen calibrator. If it is designed for specific brands like LG or XPPen, you should work with only those devices. The spectral correction capabilities need to measure and adjust the specific monitor’s color output based on specific light emission characteristics. Using the wrong device or correction capability could result in misinterpreting the colors displayed, leaving you with a “less than realistic” output.

Select Based on the Monitor Type

You can also select the best computer monitor calibration tool based on your monitor type. The best way to correct this is to seek tools with features that auto-compensate for the device, like:

• White LED Tech (the most common type often found in budget-friendly devices)

• Wide-Gamut LED (more likely in a pro display that may require an advanced calibrator)

• OLED or HDR Displays (offers fine-tuned adjustments)

• Gaming Monitors (better used with calibrators providing low latency for fast visual graphics)

• Photography or Design Devices (the higher the tool's precision, the better!)

For example, the XPPen ColorMaster includes features to handle a long list of monitor types and backlighting technologies (while still exclusive to the XPPen Artist Pro 24 (Gen2) series). That versatility is why it is preferred among many professionals.

Best Monitor Calibration Tools on the Market: Pricing Overview & Feature Highlights

We’ve done the hard work for you by selecting the best monitor calibration tools for different needs and use cases. Each one has its own features and pricing, which we’ll go into detail so you can make a well-informed decision about your specific workflow.

Pricing Overview

Here is a quick breakdown of the different calibration tool price levels and key features you should be on the lookout for from our top picks.

We should note a few updates to previous articles and the online reputation of calibrators. Most importantly, the previous X-Rite i1Display Pro tool is no longer in production. You can still find legacy software downloads, but it may not work with your monitor or hardware colorimeter device. That company has partnered with Calibrite.

Best Budget Monitor Calibration Tools for Beginners

Calibrite is going to be the best budget monitor calibration tool as far as hardware is concerned. The lower $169 price tag is well worth their suite of tools, especially the Display Pro HL. You get an easy-to-use piece of hardware with a small USB-C connection and advanced high-luminance sensor capabilities.

The trick is you don’t want to use the included Calibrite PROFILER software. That piece of software is a little “clunky” to use and takes a lot of customization to get your display “just right.”

A better solution is purchasing the Display Pro HL and then using the free software DisplayCAL. It is powered by ArgyllCMS and quickly checks a display for uniformity via a series of measurements. You can also create synthetic ICC profiles for specific workflows.

Best Monitor Color Calibration Tool for Photographers

To find the best monitor calibration tool for photography, we recommend going a step further than just hardware or software. Your best option is to use the Datacolor SpyderX Studio.

This is more expensive than the basic SpyderX product, but that is because it includes the SpyderX Elite monitor colorimeter, SpyderPrint spectrophotometer for your printed outputs, and a small SpyderCube when you are shooting raw images and want to double check white balance, black level, brightness, and exposure.

The good news is the software is free to install and use, so you can get acclimated to how this photography calibrator works before you adjust your monitor using the hardware.

Best Monitor Calibration Tool for Gaming

Unfortunately, gamers will need to spend a little more on color calibration. If you’re running something with a lot of definition, like DOTA2 or the latest releases for tournament play, you want a refresh rate that is as fast as possible and doesn’t sacrifice color accuracy.

We recommend the Datacolor Spyder X Elite. You’ll pay a bit more at $269, but the true-to-life color representation is fantastic for all kinds of screens (including the Apple XDR/Liquid Retina Display). The hardware also measures and adjusts ambient room light, calibrating up to 2,000 cd/m².

Best Professional Monitor Color Calibration Tool for Designers

While having the best monitor calibration tool for photography, gaming, and working on a budget is great, many operate in the visual arts or designing space. These creatives are best suited to the X-Color Management technology of XPPen ColorMaster.

The free software is specifically customized to the needs and workflows of designers that require a lot more reliable accuracy in color output and on-screen realistic comparisons. XP Pen is partnered with Calman, so the free color calibration tool can be readily available on all XPPen Artist 24 Pro (Gen2) models and both Mac and Windows systems.

You get real-time adjustments, allowing you to quickly switch between profiles and color structures for a little “trial and error” as you work until you land on the most appropriate setting for your output (digital or print).

XPPen ColorMaster is exclusive to the XPPen line of products. It is best utilized in the Artist Pro 24 (Gen2) 4K and the Artist Pro 24 165Hz. Both offer 16K pressure levels for your stylus and ensure you get the most out of graphic design, industrial drawing, 3D design, and more on extremely high-resolution screens.

Visit the store today and get a seamless color calibration experience over a wide color gamut covering 90% Adobe RGB – perfect for designers with dynamic color palettes.

How to Use XPPen X-Color Calibrator for True Color

To make the most of the best monitor calibration tool, the XPPen ColorMaster, you’ll need to follow a few quick and easy steps:

Step 1: Install the Software

You’ll need both the ColorMaster software for your OS (Windows or Mac) and the driver for your device. Once you’ve downloaded the appropriate packages, you can follow the on-screen instructions for installation.

Step 2: Follow the User Manual

The user manual includes all the steps for complete calibration. It helps walk you through connecting to a compatible colorimeter for more accuracy, running the calibration process, and then adjusting based on those results.

Step 3: Save the Profile

Finally, you can save any profile you complete after the calibration process. This will allow you to auto-adjust your monitor/XPPen Artist Pro to the setting you know worked well in the past.

The goal here is to get the accurate color you want on a consistent basis for specific projects that don’t require going through the calibration process every time.

Conclusion

The best monitor calibration tool is entirely based on your specific workflows and niche visual designs. You’ll usually want a blend of hardware and software solutions that ensure the most accurate results.

While this article reviewed many options perfect for everyone, from professional gamers to 3D product designers, the easiest calibration tool with high color accuracy in real-time is through XPPen. Downloading the free XPPen ColorMaster for use with either of the XPPen Artist Pro (Gen2) drawing pad devices is your best bet.

FAQs

1. What is the best color calibration setting for a monitor?

It’s hard to nail this answer down as it will be subjective to your experience. However, you should shoot for a temperature of 6500K (D65) for a white point. That is what most sRGB and Adobe RGB workspaces utilize. Gamma should be around 2.2, aligning with most Mac and Windows systems.

2. What is the best free monitor calibration tool?

If you’re using any monitor outside of the XPPen family of products, you should try the free DisplayCAL software. That is open-source and offers many features to introduce you to color calibration. If you own an XPPen Artist Pro (Gen2) drawing pad, always use the XPPen ColorMaster calibration software for the best results. It is free as well.

3. How to see ICC profile?

The ICC profile saves a device’s color characteristics. You can find it on Windows by navigating to the Color Management settings in your Control Panel. That will allow you to change between different profiles.

On a Mac, go to the ColorSync Utility, which will allow you to manage and inspect different profiles.