My Tech Blog

Get the Right Color with a Datacolor SpyderX Elite

Victoria Pavlov

3 Jan, 2022

Many of you asked me if I calibrate my monitors. The answer is, yes I do. I calibrate my Wacom displays.

Why? I work with digital imagery every day for up to 15 hours a day. For me, as a professional, it’s very important to be able to see the “true” colors across all my devices and monitors. If you are using only one device/monitor, it is as important to see the “true” colors as if you are using more than one device/monitor. I can’t stress enough the importance of seeing colors the right way, and I’m not trying to sound overdramatic saying that this is one of the key points in digital imagery, but it is.

Today I’ll talk about Datacolor SpyderX Elite. I have been using Datacolor PyderX Pro for many years. Today, I upgraded to a Datacolor SpyderX Elite. Both are great, but DatacolorX Elite has all SpyderX Pro capabilities plus expert setting such as matching multiple displays, collaboration for projectors, soft-proofing for printers, video, and camera calibration.
Using a SpyderX, you can accurately calibrate your display color faster and easier. The Datacolor Spyder Elite provides a more accurate reading of the room’s ambient lighting as well.

So let’s start.


As a designer and artist, I prefer the minimalistic packaging style along with all the necessary information about the product. Datacolor SpyderX packaging meets all my expectations (as a designer and a customer).

Specifications:

System Requirements

  • Windows 7 32/64 and above
  • Mac OS X 10.10 and above
  • Monitor Resolution 1280×768 or greater
  • 16-bit video card (24-bit recommended)
  • 1GB of available RAM
  • 500MB of available hard disk
  • Internet connection for software download
Supported Display Technologies & Usb Protocols
  • All recent computer display types
  • USB 1.1, USB 2.X and USB 3.X
  • USB A plug, also compatible with USB A>C adaptors for use in USB C ports
Supported Languages

English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean

How to install:
First, your monitor should be turned on for at least 30 minutes. No direct light should be on your monitor. Deactivate the Auto-Brightness feature on your monitor.

Next download, install, and activate the software. You can do it from here:
https://goto.datacolor.com/getspyderx

Plug in the SpyderX into a USB port on your computer (don’t forget to remove the lens cap), and AFTER that, launch the application.
Follow the step-by-step instructions displayed on your screen. To be honest the whole installation process is so easy and fast. You don’t have to do anything extra! Just follow step-by-step instructions!

Note: your serial number is located inside the box.




I calibrated my Wacom Cintiq, so I selected “General” for Backlight.

I chose the Step-by-step Assistant.

Note: SpyderX has an ambient light sensor to measure the room light. This is super helpful to adjust display brightness and contrast to ideal levels based on your room.

If you will need to adjust anything, SpyderX will provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to do it.

Now you can save the profile. I set up a calibration reminder for 1 month so I don’t need to remember it. SpyderX will tell me when is the time to calibrate my device(s)again.

After you finish calibrating, it’s very helpful to do Spyderproof before/after. You can do it by clicking on the “Switch ” button. I always preview before/after just to be sure that I am satisfied with the monitor’s calibration.

Note: with SpyderX Elite you have a Softproof feature too. Images on-screen may look different from the printed version or the same images on other devices such as a tablet. The Sofproof feature on SpyderX Elite lets you simulate/view these changes on your calibrated monitor. You also can specify a specific printer model, ink, paper, or upload ICC printer profiles.
We are done! Yes, it’s super easy to calibrate your monitor using Datacolor SpyderX Elite (Pro as well).

The bottom line:
I am extremely happy with the final result. For me, it’s a huge “must-have” in my professional setup. I can’t imagine any professional workflow without it. The simplicity of the installation process, easy to find the answers to all my questions is also a huge plus. The beauty of the packaging and the device’s design (yes, I mentioned it twice in this article) is a cherry on top. Do I recommend it? Absolutely yes.

Click here to visit Flypaper Textures.

 

My Winter/Holiday Gift to You

Victoria Pavlov

13 Dec, 2021

Hello everyone,
Today, I would like to share my custom set for the 2021 Holiday Season with you.

This simple set includes:

Winter backgrounds: you can use these backgrounds in just about any workflow.


My new set of shapes.
You can use my new Holiday Shapes in Adobe Photoshop.


A new set of brushes for Adobe Illustrator: you can use these brushes to create something very awesome in Adobe Illustrator.


Download Holiday Set

Download it all right now and create your art. If you like them, please share the art you made using my backgrounds, shapes, and brushes on Social Media (please, don’t forget to tag me, because I really would love to see what you create).

I am on Social Media here:

Twitter: @Victoria_Pavlov
Instagram: victoriapavlovart
Facebook/Meta: Victoria Pavlov

Adobe 3D Stager and Adobe Photoshop

Victoria Pavlov

6 Dec, 2021

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
Yes, today, let’s talk about how to create beautiful winter scenery in Adobe Substance 3D Stager and animate it in Adobe Photoshop. This tutorial is for beginners. Even if you never used Stager before, following this step-by-step tutorial you can create your first project.
P.S. In this tutorial, I will be using all assets I downloaded for free from Adobe Stock.

Because I will be using 2D and movie files in this tutorial, first, I recommend to choose those files paying close attention to colors between them. Both files should have the same color gamma. Below, you can see two files I have chosen.

Video File

Time to open Adobe Substance 3D Stager > Create new

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Welcome to Victoria Pavlov Tech Blog

Victoria Pavlov

30 Nov, 2021

Victoria Pavlov

Hello everyone, welcome to my new Victoria Pavlov Tech blog. I will be talking about the technology and gadgets that I am passionate about.

Because of the time of the year, I would like to start my first blog post with vector art in Adobe Illustrator. Today I’ll be creating a snowflake. As always, in all my classes, blog posts, or videos, I will show the simplest possible way of doing something. So let’s start:

Open Adobe Illustrator and choose New File > Web > Common (you can use any blank document preset, or any custom size of the document) > Create

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