Customer Reviews

Pantone huey Pro MEU113

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(45)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(56)

 

 

Very easy to use. I have two monitors, (1 LCD and 1 CRT). I used the Huey to calibrate both. Had only one problem... One of the first steps in Huey is to ask what type monitor you have. All the calibrations were done and when it was finished with the LCD, it asked if I wanted to do the next monitor. If so, then drag the Huey Application to that monitor. Ok, all good... except it begins the next monitor with the step AFTER asking what type monitor you have. I guess it assumes you have two of the same type monitors. No problem though as you can hit the "back" button to get back to the "what type monitor do you have" section and start from that point.

One tip... If you use Photoshop, turn off (remove) the Abode Gamma before running Huey. This is mentioned in the Adanced help of Huey. Photoshop installs this Gamma program that resides in your start-up folder, so it auto starts when you start your computer. Removing this Gamma program is described in the Advanced help. It's fairly easy... just open your start-up folder and delete the Abode Gamma program.

Probably the best thing to do before running the Huey tests, is to read all the Advanced Help. Very useful information for people just learning.

Overall, very pleased with this product. Finally, a easy to read help manual. You just have to start up Huey to access it.

I have used other similar but far more expensive products but they always ended up in one of my junk drawers, filed under "another waste of money". The Huey Pro is exactly what it claims to be - a simple and accurate monitor/graphics card calibration tool.

Every PC/MAC monitor is grossly out of calibration 'out-of-the-box', just as is the case with TVs (HD or SD). Every video card has a different output balance from 'true' (just like every DVD player for home theater), and factory settings on LCD displays are far from proper. If you care about decent image quality (such as with digital photography, watching DVDs, accurate online catalog images, etc.) you must buy a tool to correct the video driver settings for your specific combination of monitor and graphics card (even even for the VGA vs. DVI port on the same card - they are different).

Even on the general case of the majority of monitors that are only able to achieve a 76% color accuracy level (6-bit panels, low contrast ratios, limited brightness - most laptops and low-mid priced LCDs), they still respond quite well to calibration with the Huey Pro. If you buy a higher grade of monitor (8-bit panels, high contrast ratios: Samsung 226BW, LG L246WP or L226WP, etc) where there is a potential for 94% color accuracy, then the Huey Pro calibration improvement is stellar.

For PC's with XP, if you run more than 1 display (or dual graphics cards), you need to download the XP "WinColorSetup.exe" file from MS. This allows for control of multiple monitor .icm files in Windows (have to use the same icm file for all monitors on that system otherwise).

Make sure you get the Huey Pro version (or buy the Pro firmware/software upgrade for the standard Huey), as it has a more refined set of tests and yields a much better .icm file. It takes about 3 minutes to calibrate a warmed up monitor correctly (well, as much as your hardware choices will support anyway). The automatic background light adjustment feature is quite useful as room lighting (especially with sunlight passing through the windows) changes as you work from day into evening.

Highly recommended!

I have 2 independent computer/monitors, CRT and LCD. Running Win XP with a 128 MB video card. Since Photoshop CS3 no longer ships with Gamma calibration software,(shame on Adobe), I felt I should invest in calibration hardware. Not wanting to spend a fortune ,I first tried spyder 2 express. I returned it almost immediately. It did not install properly, (string error messages) and had very few features,no ambient light adj.,no variable Gamma setting,etc.
I then took a chance with the Huey Pro @ about $85. At first I was again dissappointed. Although it has many features (not really a stripped down calibrator) and was easy to install,it created a pink hue across my monitor.Some calibration! Called tech support,toll free & quickly got through. They recognized the problem, and shipped out a new one,no hassle,no fuss, and it works like a charm,with a caveat,monitor calibration and printer calibration,or profiling are related but seperate issues,with monitor calibration a good starting point. Oh, go with the Huey Pro version,it has features and more calibration points than the basic Huey has and is only a few dollars more.
Unless you are prepared to spend a lot more time and money,I would recommend this product. Although you probably wouldn't need the manual, none the less print out the very informative user manual from the installed program. The provided quick start guide is sparse at best.

I've been using the Monaco OPTIX XR colorimeter for a couple of years to successfully calibrate several monitors for my photography studio. When I happened to read about the Pantone Huey Pro I thought it might be a good option for a light weight, travel colorimeter for my location jobs.

I purchased one at the end of December and tried to calibrate two different monitors. In each case the monitors suffered from the same pink cast as described in many of these reviews. I created new profiles with my Monaco OPTIX XR to have a basis of comparison and yes the Huey Pro was definitely biased towards a pink cast.

After contacting Pantone technical support they did indeed admit to a manufacturing problem and promised that they would replace my colorimeter after a delay of two weeks while they filled backorders. After three weeks (and one telephone call to remind them) I did receive the replacement Huey Pro.

I installed the software on a clean OS, plugged in the new unit and guess what... exactly the same pink color cast. I once again created a new profile with my Monaco OPTIX and the monitor was back to normal.

Obviously this product is relatively inexpensive for a good reason - It doesn't work!

I work in film, 3D grphics. I reluntantly bought this tool concerned about what people were saying about it turning their montiors a shade of "pink". I calibrated four monitors and to my dismay every one of them looked a bit magenta compared to the previous settings; a Mac Book Pro, a Dell m1710 laptop, a Wacom Cintiq 12wx, and a 21 inch Gateway LCD. The resulting images, however were consistant across all monitors save the Gateway in which reds are very slightly more saturated. I took the Dell into work to compare it's output to some of the professionally calibrated monitors, and it compared quite favorably. The montior output now also matches my printer a much better.

I guess most default profiles tend to be cool and bright and that's what people are used to seeing. So, when you are done calibrating and flipping back and forth between the "before" and "after" settings, and the after looks a bit dimmer and slightly more magenta than your old settings, don't be shocked. The resulting image is probably much more accurate. I've been working with these settings for a couple days and I am very pleased with the look despite my initial shock. The monitors do not look magenta at all, it was only when compared to the previous settings.

this product cannot get any easier. i calibrated three computers: mac pro book, g4, and hp desktop. it takes no time to set up if you follow the simple instructions. and i was playing around and reseting to different lighting condition and it works immediately to adjust. you can set up the program to adjust for lighting changes every 10 minutes or you can do it manually. it is just a charm for any graphic designer and photographer. i am so glad i got this product.

I bought the Huey Pro before any reviews, I thought I could always send it back. I love this product! I have used other products, they were too difficult to use. The Huey Pro was easy to follow, and it does its job!
I'm a photographer, not a computer programmer. If you want to spend less time at the computer, but have your colors perfect get the Huey Pro.
It is worth every penny.

Does exactly what it's supposed to do. My monitor was already pretty well calibrated, but I wanted to automate Gamma control and take advantage of the ambient room light adjustment on the Huey.

I bought the PRO version because the price was only a few dollars more than the alternative, but the only advantage is that the PRO will calibrate two monitors, not just one. Other than a spectacular deal on the PRO, as I got, stick with the basic Huey MEU101 if you have only monitor and remember that neither model is a cure-all for all your color matching problems.

I'm using a huey pro with a 23" Apple Cinema HD Display and a 17" Hanns-G display. The color is now much more accurate on both displays, and huey pro has removed a subtle banding problem on my 23" Cinema. The banding was not fully correctable using the Mac OS calibration routines, but is totally gone after using the huey pro.

'Looks like I got a good one. :-)

A simple, quick, and mostly automatic calibration mechanism. There are a few subjective tests ("adjust contrast until you see the rings"), as well as sticking the sensor to the screen with its suction cups; then it goes off on its own. The sensor, which is small, light, and almost elegant looking, stands up in a base when not in use and can automatically adjust screen brightness to the room lighting conditions. The software is easy to launch, has good directions, and seems to work well.

The result is a vastly better match between Painter screen display and photo paper ink jet prints. Still not quite perfect, but the improvement is more than enough to justify the cost.