How to create second color calibration profile in Windows 8 and switch between the two?

Windows 8 offers Display Color Calibration wizard. (Control Panel > Display > Calibrate Color.) It is great for basic use. Its only downside is that it always changes current color profile, giving no chance to save previously set profile or manage more profiles.

I would like to create two display color profiles: daily one (cooler colors) and night one (warmer colors). Then I want to manually switch between them. I guess that switching can be done via Control Panel > Color Management. But I don't know how to create/manage more than one because as I said, there is no 'Save as...' or similar option to create additional ones.

Is this viable in Windows 8 (without some special paid software etc.)?

miroxlav

Posted 2015-01-25T15:26:21.120

Reputation: 9 376

You don't have an 'Add" button to add a colour profile? How to Change Color Management Settings in Windows 8

– DavidPostill – 2015-01-29T09:05:19.890

@DavidPostill - Thank you David for thinking about the topic. As we both can see, it promises switching but tutorial doesn't actually follow it. I have an add button but if there is one profile already, it won't add second one. Or should I use one sRGB and one scRGB? Aren't they essentially different? The whole thing is not so straightforward as one would expect (Create many profiles by pressing Add, then press switch...). What do you think? – miroxlav – 2015-01-29T10:12:41.513

I don't have windows 8 - try it and see? :) – DavidPostill – 2015-01-29T11:16:01.507

@DavidPostill - Why do you think I didn't try? I did multiple times. Before posting to [su], and during work on this Q/A. I wrote you like it behaves, sorry if it wasn't clear enough. Try some Windows 8 machine and you will see the problem. Add button is not adding anything if one profile of given type exists. – miroxlav – 2015-01-29T17:19:23.763

"Or should I use one sRGB and one scRGB" - I meant try this :( – DavidPostill – 2015-01-29T17:20:05.877

@DavidPostill - I didn't forget trying it out. I'll return to it if I'll be less busy and let you know how it went. – miroxlav – 2015-02-05T12:43:51.710

Answers

You can use f.lux:

f.lux makes your computer screen look like the room you're in, all the time. When the sun sets, it makes your computer look like your indoor lights. In the morning, it makes things look like sunlight again.

Tell f.lux what kind of lighting you have, and where you live. Then forget about it. f.lux will do the rest, automatically.

DavidPostill

Posted 2015-01-25T15:26:21.120

Reputation: 118 938

Thanks for the answer but I don't want to use f.lux. I don't like its software license, I find it too demanding. I also can't transprently see what it does. I would like to prefer some other approach. Moreover, it doesn't address merit of the question (more Windows 8 color profiles.) If you are experienced and have another answer, please feel free to post it. – miroxlav – 2015-01-25T15:57:40.380

Perhaps https://github.com/jonls/redshift will suit you better ...

– DavidPostill – 2015-01-25T22:05:57.870

-1

If you want to calibrate for reliable colors, you need to do it with a hardware calibration tool (Spyder, etc.) that will read the colors of your screen objectively.

Ok, if reliability is not important for you but just having quite the same colors, the color calibration tool of Windows 8 might be enough: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2414252,00.asp

Ruben Carmona

Posted 2015-01-25T15:26:21.120

Reputation: 1

Hi! Thanks for effort to answer my question, but I don't want anything like reliable calibration. I'm working only with text. If you have idea how I can create multiple display color profiles in Windows and manage them, then please update your answer and I will remove the downvote from it. You can also consider deleting the answer to keep the question on topic. – miroxlav – 2015-01-26T13:30:05.983