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Start by putting both monitors in comparable picture modes, matching their brightness by eye, and turning off color-altering enhancements. Then adjust and calibrate each display separately: a profile made for one monitor is not a correction for the other. Built-in Windows and macOS tools can improve a visible mismatch; for color-sensitive work, use a colorimeter to measure and profile each screen. Different panels may still not look identical.
1. Make the monitors comparable before adjusting color
- Use each display’s native resolution. Compare them in the same intended SDR or HDR mode; do not judge a screen in HDR against one in SDR.
- Choose comparable picture presets. If both monitors offer a neutral or sRGB mode, try it. Turn off vivid or gaming presets, dynamic contrast, and vendor image enhancements while comparing.
- Disable temporary color filters. Turn off Windows Night Light, macOS Night Shift, or other blue-light reduction features for the comparison.
- Set a similar white level. Adjust each monitor’s brightness until whites appear similarly bright. The same brightness number or slider position does not necessarily produce the same luminance on different models.
- Control the viewing conditions. Compare from similar angles in stable room lighting. NVIDIA’s older monitor-calibration guide advises letting a monitor warm up for 20–30 minutes before calibration; this is vendor guidance, not a universal measured requirement. NVIDIA’s guide
2. Correct obvious differences using each monitor’s own controls
If one screen looks too warm, cool, green, magenta, or washed out, first check its picture preset. Where available, use that monitor’s on-screen RGB gain controls to make small adjustments. Record the original values so you can restore them.
Microsoft’s Windows monitor-calibration guide recommends the built-in calibration tool for gamma, brightness, contrast, and color balance, and identifies a monitor’s on-screen RGB controls as another option. Avoid starting with GPU saturation or “digital vibrance”: it can make the desktop look more vivid without making color reproduction accurate.
3. Calibrate and profile each display separately
Windows
- Search Windows for Color Management and open it.
- In the device selector, choose the monitor you intend to adjust. Confirm that you have selected the correct display before making changes.
- Use the calibration controls for that display, then associate the appropriate color profile with that device. Repeat for the other monitor, using its own controls and profile.
Exact labels and behavior can vary with Windows version, hardware, HDR, and advanced-color settings. Windows’ color pipeline and profile handling are not identical in every application. Microsoft Learn’s display-calibration documentation describes the pipeline and its dependencies.
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- EASY SETUP: Guided 1 2 3 workflow makes calibration fast and approachable, helping photographers and creators achieve more accurate color without complicated settings, so you can edit with confidence and trust what you see on screen.
- COLOR ACCURACY: Corrects common monitor color shifts to deliver truer tones and more reliable contrast, improving consistency across editing sessions and helping your images look closer to final output on other screens and devices.
- DUAL DISPLAY SUPPORT: Calibrates up to 2 monitors for matching color across a multi screen workspace, ideal for photo editing, video work, and creative setups where consistent viewing on both displays matters.
- BEFORE AFTER CHECK: Built in comparison view lets you instantly see the difference after calibration, making it easy to confirm improved accuracy and maintain consistent results by repeating the process on a regular schedule.
macOS
- Open System Settings > Displays.
- Select the display you want to adjust.
- Choose a color profile or calibration control if one is offered, and repeat for the other display.
Available controls depend on the Mac, display, and macOS version. Apple’s specialized calibration instructions cover supported Pro Display and Mac models, so not every setup exposes the same options. See Apple’s display-calibration guide.
A display profile describes the characteristics of the display it was made for. Do not assign one monitor’s measured ICC profile to a different monitor and expect it to correct both.
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- ACHIEVE TRUE COLOR - Ensures your monitor displays colors accurately, critical for photography, design, and video editing, with unlimited gamma, whitepoint, and brightness settings. Standard Calibration provides professional-grade results in 90 seconds, or New Deeper Calibration measures more points across the grayscale for an average 30%+ accuracy improvement (varies by display).
- OPTIMIZE DISPLAY PERFORMANCE - Calibrate a wide range of backlight types including Wide LED, Standard LED, OLED, QD-OLED, Apple Liquid Retina XDR, and Mini LED, with support for brightness up to 12,000 nits, ensuring consistent and accurate color across all your screens.
- ENHANCE WORKFLOW EFFICIENCY - Projector Calibration feature allows for accurate color representation during presentations, while Display Analysis/MQA provides comprehensive screen quality assessment. Export 3D LUTs (.cube) for compatible video monitors, with support for Rec.709, Rec.2020, and DCI-P3.
- WIDE DEVICE COMPATIBILITY - Supports unlimited number of displays (per computer capability) and offers native USB-C connection plus an included USB-A adapter, ensuring seamless connectivity with modern laptops and desktop computers for streamlined use. StudioMatch and SpyderTune keep color consistent across multi-monitor setups.
- USER-FRIENDLY SOFTWARE - Features an intuitive interface supporting 10 languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese and Japanese, making calibration accessible to a global audience. Existing SpyderPro users upgrade to the new software free.
4. When a colorimeter is worth using
For photo, video, design, print, or other color-sensitive work, a monitor calibration colorimeter can measure each screen’s output and help create a separate profile for each. Microsoft describes a calibration pipeline that measures display output, generates a corrective transform, stores calibration data, and applies it through the display pipeline; the International Color Consortium explains how calibration and profiling support color consistency.
A colorimeter can help correct measured behavior within the limits of the display and system. It cannot expand a panel’s color gamut or remove its uniformity and viewing-angle differences.
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- MONITOR CALIBRATION; Display 123 provides an easy monitor profiling workflow so photographers and creators can trust on-screen color when editing, grading, designing, or delivering work that must remain consistent across displays.
- CREATIVE CONFIDENCE; Built for content creators who want dependable color management, this kit reduces trial-and-error corrections, improves workflow efficiency, and supports accurate results for both still photography and professional video production.
- PRO CREATOR WORKFLOW; Ideal for videographers and photographers who require consistent color standards across multiple cameras, monitors, and software platforms, helping maintain professional results from on-set capture through final post-production.
5. Why the screens may never match exactly
Identical settings do not guarantee identical appearance. Monitors can differ in native white point, color gamut, gamma response, brightness capability, uniformity, age, and how their image changes when viewed off-axis. Microsoft notes that an individual panel may deviate from its specification. Calibration can correct measured behavior only as far as the display and software pipeline allow.
If you are choosing monitors for closer visual consistency, compare their color-space coverage, white-point and gamma controls, brightness range, viewing-angle behavior, uniformity, and hardware-calibration support. Matching models and picture modes can help, but each unit still needs its own calibration.
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- SPECIFICATIONS; Includes Calibrite Display Plus HL colorimeter measuring up to 10,000 nits plus ColorChecker Passport Video 2 for capture reference, designed for monitor calibration, white balance setup, exposure control, camera matching, and consistent color workflow.
- CAPTURE ACCURACY; Passport Video 2 helps set correct white point, verify exposure, and match cameras on set, delivering reliable reference for consistent footage and stills in changing or mixed lighting conditions.
- HIGH LUMINANCE CALIBRATION; Display Plus HL profiles mini-LED, OLED, and Apple XDR panels with extreme brightness capability, ensuring accurate color representation for professional photo editing and video grading workflows.
- EDITING CONFIDENCE; Built for creators who demand trustworthy color management, this kit reduces trial-and-error corrections, improves workflow efficiency, and supports accurate results from capture through final delivery.
- PRO CREATOR WORKFLOW; Ideal for videographers and photographers who require consistent color standards across multiple cameras, monitors, and software platforms, helping maintain professional results from on-set capture through final post-production.
6. Check the result in the conditions that matter
After adjusting, compare the screens in the apps and display modes you actually use. HDR, wide-gamut modes, graphics drivers, operating-system versions, and app color management can all affect what you see. A match in one desktop view does not guarantee the same appearance in every application or mode.
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- QUICK & EASY COLOR CALIBRATOR: Whether you're editing photos, designing graphics, or producing content, SpyderExpress helps you view colors with precision and confidence; Ideal for creators who want accurate, lifelike colour in both digital and print
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- REAL COLOUR, REAL EASY: Download the software, plug in the device, and follow the 3 simple steps. Save profiles, calibrate up to 3-connected displays per workstation, and recalibrate before editing to ensure your screen always shows true-to-life color
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