Datacolor: Precision colour from set to screen with two powerful too
Posted on Jun 25, 2025 by Pro Moviemaker
Two powerful tools from Datacolor help professionals master the light they shoot with and the screens they trust to view it
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Digital filmmaking has unlocked creative freedom, but that freedom can fall apart without technical accuracy. Getting exposure and colour right in-camera is vital, because mismatched lighting and inaccurate monitors can’t always be fixed in post. Enter Datacolor’s powerful one-two punch: the all-new Lightcolor Meter and the upgraded Spyder Photo/Video Kit.
One helps control your lighting environment with forensic precision, the other ensures your colours stay true from capture to delivery. Together, they form a complete workflow solution for filmmakers who demand total colour fidelity and consistency.
That’s why both products have been nominated in the innovation class in the Pro Moviemaker Gear of the Year Awards. Plus, the Lightcolor Meter is also up for launch of the year – and it’s easy to understand why.
Take the guesswork out of lighting
Once a must-have on every professional set, the handheld light meter faded into obscurity with the rise of digital cameras. Now, Datacolor’s Lightcolor Meter brings it roaring back – only smarter, faster and more relevant than ever. This compact, affordable device does more than just read exposure, it also measures colour temperature and green-magenta shift, putting full control of your lighting environment into your hands.
Crucially, the Lightcolor Meter works with any light source – daylight, LEDs, HMIs, tungsten, fluorescent and even flash. It instantly identifies the true colour temperature of your lighting, not just what your fixture claims to output. This is especially useful when mixing different brands or types of lights, or when balancing artificial lights to ambient daylight that can drift throughout the day.
Its filter library – loaded with Rosco, Lee and Profoto gels – makes matching or correcting light colour effortless. You’ll never again wonder if you’re hitting 5600K or if a softbox has shifted your output; simply measure and adjust.
At the heart of the system is the free Lightcolor Meter app, available on iOS and Android, which connects via Bluetooth for remote monitoring. Whether you’re using shutter speed and f-stops or shutter angle and T stops, it supports video and photo modes alike. For stills, it also offers flash metering and sync triggering.
The device is well designed, with a three-sided form factor that runs on AAA batteries and includes a mounting plate for stands or tripods. Its integrated dome can be recessed for directional readings.
Whether you’re lighting for interviews, green screen or multi-source product work, this meter makes sure your exposure and white balance are bang on. It’s a huge time saver in post and an eye-opener on set. Once you start using it, you’ll wonder how you ever trusted your eyes alone.
Screen calibration made simple
No matter how beautifully you light and shoot, it can all go wrong if your monitor lies to you. That’s why Datacolor’s Spyder Photo/Video Kit is an essential tool for any filmmaker serious about colour accuracy. With a hardware calibrator, white balance tools and reference charts bundled together, it’s a complete solution for consistent, professional-grade colour throughout your workflow.
At the heart of the kit is the Spyderpro calibrator, designed for today’s cutting-edge displays including OLED, mini-LED and Apple’s Liquid Retina XDR. It ensures your monitor is showing true colour, shadow detail and highlight accuracy.
The Spyderpro goes even further than the standard Spyder by supporting video/cinema targets, high-brightness displays and unlimited calibration profiles – ideal for pros juggling different workflows.
Setting it up is simple. Download the software, follow the on-screen guide and hang the Spyder on your display. Within minutes, your monitor is tuned and ready. For multi-monitor users, the Spyderpro can ensure colour consistency across all your screens – critical when grading or working in team environments.
But calibration is just one piece. The kit also includes a Spyder Cube for setting white balance and contrast in camera when shooting Raw, and a Spyder Checkr Video chart for nailing colour correction across different camera and lens combos, plus photo cards for stills work. It all packs into a sleek aluminium carry case.
This isn’t just about making your shots look good on screen. It’s about ensuring they look right everywhere – on other monitors, in the cinema or on a client’s phone. Whether you’re matching A-cam to B-cam footage or delivering commercial projects, the Spyder kit makes colour management part of your workflow.
Together, the Spyder kit and Lightcolor Meter are a strong upgrade to your toolkit. One controls light at the source, the other keeps your post pipeline in check. With Datacolor, what you see is what you get.
Vote for us!
The annual Pro Moviemaker Gear of the Year awards are voted for by YOU, filmmaking professionals around the globe. And this year, Datacolor has picked up not one but two nominations.
The Datacolor Spyder Photo/Video Kit and Lightcolor Meter have been nominated in the innovation of the year category, as they revolutionise colour workflow. Plus, the Lightcolor Meter has been such a smash hit that it is also nominated in the launch of the year category.
So please have your say by going to the Gear of the Year link. And please vote for us!
This article was first published in the July/August 2025 issue of Pro Moviemaker
