Dec. 3, 2007— The Pantone HueyPRO, released this past spring, is the latest hardware device to come out of the Pantone/X-Rite partnership (X-Rite purchased Pantone later in 2007). The monitor calibration device, unlike some of its sister models on the market, isn't a "hockey puck," but is instead a slim, narrow device that sits in a round base on the desktop.

I've been using the HueyPRO on my system at work for the past several months. Here are a few of my thoughts on how it worked and what it did right—and wrong.

Pros and Cons
It is very easy to install and set-up, and takes all of about five minutes total before your monitor is corrected and ready to go.

Unlike the HueyPRO's younger sibling, the Huey, this version can be used to calibrate multiple monitors, so for shops that want a consistent look-and-feel across all their machines, this is a nice feature. I used it to calibrate my laptop with the work machine, and found, in a side-by-side comparison, that they were incredibly close. The only differences I could see were to be blamed more on two different types of monitors than on any deficiency in the HueyPRO.

Like any good color calibration tool, this one has a software interface with a small variety of settings, such as the length of time between reminders to calibrate, and adjusting the color temperature and gamma settings.

The software is new to the HueyPRO, and was designed to try and straddle the line between what a professional versus hobbyist user would need. Personally, I would have liked a bit more control here. It is nice to have some adjustments over the ultimate way the screen will look, but they are limited to a few options already built it. It would have been nice to actually have full customization of all the aspects of calibration.

However, there is one feature in particular I have grown fond of. The HueyPRO can be set to continuously adjust the monitor based on ambient light. My desk is next to a window, so this has been incredibly useful. In the mornings or late evenings, versus the afternoons with bright sunlight streaming in, I don't have to worry about my color settings being off. I know that, no matter what's going on around me, I'll always be looking at the same color.

To do this, the HueyPRO sits in its stand next to the monitor, facing the user. The LEDs flash regularly to let you know it is measuring lighting conditions, and there are times when I can see a visible difference—such as when the blinds are opened or closed, or overhead lights are turned on or off.

To be fair, this feature is available on the Huey, as well. However, it is still one of my favorites to date.

Making a Difference
The HueyPRO software allows you to toggle between corrected and uncorrected viewing to compare, and I was amazed at the difference. As you can see in the images below, uncorrected my monitor runs a bit on the yellowish-green side. The corrected version is much, much closer to the colors I was looking at when the picture was taken in Central Park last spring. On skin tones, the difference is even more pronounced, giving people an almost sickly appearance when compared with the corrected tones.