unable to color calibrate 2020 M1 Macbook Pro

Datacolor SpyderX and Spyder5 software (the current 5.7 releases) work properly on the new M1 Macs. You can calibrate the built-in display on the laptops, as well as an external display. If you have the M1 Mini, you'll be able to calibrate one or two displays, however many you have attached. (The other actively supported Datacolor Spyder products - SpyderCheckr and SpyderPRINT - also work properly on the M1 systems).

There's one issue in Big Sur running on M1 systems only, in which the normal API inside MacOS that provides information about attached displays doesn't return the expected information. The Spyder software works around this by catching the problem and simply providing an initial naming of "UNKNOWN-X" (with 1 and 2 appended, to signify either the main or secondary display). You can leave that as-is or, you can type over it with anything that you like. Otherwise, all functionality works as expected and calibration proceeds as normal. (Hopefully this gets fixed in a future version of Big Sur on the M1)

(Calibrating displays on other systems, and moving the display profiles over to an M1, isn't going to work reliably - I'd recommend against it :-)

David M.

[Personal Information Edited by Moderator]

I was able to create a profil for my MacBook Pro M1 built-in screen using Datacolor SpyderX device and the SpyderX Pro version of the app.

I've got a Benq sw270c screen that is hardware calibrated. I didn't manage to get it works on the regular way.

First of all, I tried calibrate the screen with an intel inside 2015 MacBook Pro then moving the icc profil to the M1 Macbook Pro, this done a pink screen messed-up.

Then I tried with a HP 640 G1 laptop (Intel HD4600 graphics inside, plus a built-in DisplayPort 1.2 output), then moving the windows icc profil to the M1 MacBook Pro, and this time it's works well. I can't calibrate without trouble and crash on the M1 MacBook with the current apps, but I'm able de run a proofing. The proofing tells that the gap between intel HD4600 graphics over display port and M1 graphics alternate display mod over USB type C is lower than the gap between intel Macs and the M1 Macs.

∆E max. 1.16

∆E med. 1.83

Xrite just released an update to their i1 Display calibrator devices and it works great.

You can get the 3.4 Mac (Intel & M1) version here:

https://support.xritephoto.eu/software-downloads/

There is an issue at the moment with X-Rite calibration devices and the M1 chipped Macs.

Apple have changed the way thet monitors are addressed within the operating system and because of this the X-Rite applications can't detect a monitor.

This is also effecting dual monitor set-ups where the OS can't see the second screen! Also some monitor manufacturers have see their displays not being driven in full 8bit color.

So there are a few issues with displays on the M1 systems.

X-Rite are working on a fix and should be available for thie i1 Profiler and i1 Studio (this app can be used with older ColorMunki Display and Photo devices) shortly.

I spoke to XRite Europe today and they explained that the dev team didn’t get hold of an M1 Mac until the middle of December in the US. They’ve been tentatively redeveloping the display address protocols and are confident of a patch early February.

however, it could all be scuppered if apple make some other patch in the meantime which makes all this progress obsolete.

apple should involve these reputable companies with more insight for collaboration.

As some of the previous posts have mentioned there is a new realease of the i1Profiler application for the X-Rite Pro devices that is fully compatible with Big Sur and the M1 Macs.

The i1Studio (for ColorMunki Display and Photo as well as the i1Studio and i1Display Studio) software will follow in the next few weeks.

I also bought a Mac Mini with the M1 chip and I am unable to calibrate my Dell monitor using the Colormunki Display. Looks like the Colormunki has been discontinued, even though mine is only about 3 or 4 years old and was working fine with my older Mac Pro, which was replaced by the new Mac Mini M1. So if Xrite discontinued the Colormunki Display a while back and the new ARM Macs can’t run the old drivers, I can only assume Xrite won’t give a crap about updating its drivers and software for a discontinued product on a brand-new platform. I guess I’m out of luck. I’ll probably just begin looking for a new product (not from Xrite) that will work on the M1 chip, though my guess is that such a hypothetical product won’t come out until Q2 in 2021 at the earliest. Best of luck, ya’ll, with your new paper weight from Xrite!

I hava a MacBook Pro M1 and trying to calibrate it with my i1DisplayPro (that works ok on my iMac27 and all others Mac I have). Even if the software recognize the i1DisplayPro as connected than the software gives an error saying that there is no a licensed display connected (it refers to the i1 display pro), it is for sure an hardware/software bug... But if after more then 1 month the top tools for creatives (refer to mine i1DisplayPro) don't works with the new M1 it is a really bad news!!!

I have an MB Air m1 and recently bought a Samsung FHD display (LC27R500FHLXZX).

Colors are off, especially blues looking very purpleish. Connecting an old 2011 MB PRO has no color problems. Have tried unsuccessfully calibrating. It looks like an M1 related issue.

Any fixes coming up for Big Sur anytime soon?

The software for colormunki display has not yet been updated for the Mac M1. It’s still the september 2020 version

so it worked on your benq? i have the same monitor the 2k version and im facing the same problem what i understand i you used their software and calibrator and it worked on your laptop did it work on the benq as well?

I think Apple released a Big Sur update just recently that deals better with external monitor.

Has anybody tried if it fixes the detection on M1s ?

In the meantime, I guess X-Rite will soon come up with their patch

Hi There

I have just tried running the i1 Profiler application and the no monitor found error still persists.

X-Rite have their developers working on an update so hopefully, together with the update from Apple, there will be a fix in the next week or so.