Finally, a Colorimeter That Works With Apple’s System

I’ve been waiting for this moment. After years of watching photographers jump through hoops to calibrate their Apple displays properly, we finally have a breakthrough. Calibrite’s Display Plus HL has just received approval to work directly with Apple’s hardware-based display calibration workflow—and it’s the first colorimeter to do so.

This isn’t just a minor update. It’s a significant shift in how Mac-based photo editors can approach color management.

What Changed?

Until now, if you wanted to use a colorimeter on an Apple display, you were working outside Apple’s official ecosystem. You’d calibrate your monitor, create an ICC profile, and load it into your system—but you weren’t tapping into Apple’s proprietary calibration pipeline. This meant missing out on certain advantages that Apple’s hardware calibration offered.

The Display Plus HL changes that equation by integrating directly with Apple’s calibration protocols. For those of us serious about color accuracy, this removes a significant workflow friction point.

Why This Matters for Your Presets and Color Grading

Here’s what excited me most: consistent, accurate display calibration is the foundation everything else is built on. Your Photoshop actions, presets, and color grading workflows are only as good as the monitor displaying them.

I’ve seen too many photographers invest in premium presets and color profiles, only to have their results look completely different on another device. The culprit? An uncalibrated display. When your monitor isn’t properly calibrated, you’re essentially flying blind—your color corrections might look perfect on your screen but terrible everywhere else.

With native support for Apple’s calibration workflow, Mac users can now establish a more reliable baseline. That means your custom actions and presets will be more predictable and portable across different viewing environments.

The Practical Workflow Benefit

What I appreciate most is the simplification. Instead of managing separate calibration software outside your system, the process becomes more integrated. Fewer moving parts means fewer points of failure in your color management chain.

For anyone building custom Photoshop workflows or developing presets for distribution, this is genuinely important. Your audience is likely using various displays, but knowing that Mac users can now calibrate more reliably—using an officially approved tool—gives you more confidence in how your work will be viewed.

Looking Forward

This approval is a signal that Apple is taking color-critical workflows more seriously, even if they’re not the first to think about it. For creative professionals who’ve been stuck between choosing convenience and accuracy, the Display Plus HL finally offers both.

If you’re on Mac and serious about color-critical work, this is worth your attention.