Looking at the new i1Pro 2

[keith_cooper]

After recent tests with the new i1Pro 2 spectro, I've done a number of write-ups looking at different aspects - since they are all interrelated I thought it best to do all three at the same time.

i1Basic Pro 2 - Includes i1Pro 2 spectrophotometer. i1Publish software for monitor and projector profiling. Spot colour measurement. Monitor and printer quality verification.
http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/reviews/profiling/i1_pro2_basic.html

i1Photo Pro 2 - Contents are as with the Basic package, but adds (RGB) printer profiling, including Optical Brightener Compensation (OBC) capability. Two ColorChecker cards are included for print evaluation and the creation of DNG camera profiles
http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/reviews/profiling/i1_pro2_photo.html

And one using the i1Pro 2, ColorPort and QTR to produce linearising profiles for B&W printing
http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/article_pages/bw_printing/bw-print-correction.html

This updates the previous linearising functionality in QTR, which used MeasureTool

Hopefully of some interest

[keith_cooper]

FYI - I just updated the targets download to include the 51 and 21 mono patch sets and all target files for ColorPort

[Scott Martin]

The bit about using QTR for greyscale profiling looks familiar ;-]

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?topic=62855.0

http://www.on-sight.com/2012/02/22/using-colorport-for-qtr-grayscale-and-alt-process-measurement-and-profiling/

Good job - you've got a bunch more screen jobs than I posted. Don't forget about the need to modify the text files - I'm surprised at how often this is needed, particularly with alt-processes.

And of course, those that have the new i1Pro2 should use i1Profiler 1.3+ for this purpose, instead of ColorPort (CP's support for the i1Pro2 isn't very good and lacks many of the features found in i1P, like support for the different measurement modes).

http://www.on-sight.com/2012/04/11/using-i1profiler-for-qtr-grayscale-measurement-and-profiling/

And, FWIW, I have the CP and i1P support files for i1Pro and iSis devices on my downloads page:

http://www.on-sight.com/downloads/

[keith_cooper]

Thanks - I'd not seen that thread, I'll add it to the links in the article.

I'd never used ColorPort before and created the patch definition files from scratch, initially in Excel (TAB delimited) and once they're in the correct place (took me ages to find that they were buried in my Documents folder, when all other X-Rite stuff seems to go in various library directories).

Seemed just fine with the i1Pro 2 as well - in strip mode it scans pretty well - I prefer strip if possible, I got very few errors from the targets I made.
I see in your note that you save XYZ as well as Lab? is there any reason for this, since I only ticked the Lab button and it works fine with Roy's script.

BTW What text files were you talking of modifying?  I only really did this for the QTR profiles.

[Scott Martin]

I'd never used ColorPort before....

It's great isn't it!? I like how open and flexible it is and have been using it exclusively for all my measurements since about 2005. I like measuring in one app and generating profiles in the background with another. I've been using CP to make QTR profiles for many years - both for Grayscale inkjet printing and for alt-process printmaking. I've been teaching this technique at the International Alt-Process conference and have been involved with making digital negatives for alt-process printmaking for over 20 years now, and love it that we can calibrate negatives for any process so easily with Roys script:

http://www.on-sight.com/2011/07/02/digital-negatives-for-alternative-printing-processes-a-new-elegant-approach/

There are however, many issues between different printers, drivers and versions of Photoshop that I don't want to get into right now. Used to be so easy up to CS3. Making this work on any printer or version of Photoshop today is a bit of a pain... Anyway, forget I said that!

Seemed just fine with the i1Pro 2 as well...

You're missing out on the different measuring modes which can effect your results. And while you've got it working on yours, it's not working on a wide variety of computers using the current version of CP. i1P is a better solution for 1iPro2 owners, since the support is more complete and they've already got the software. Try it - you'll like it! CP is a good, free solution for legacy devices and for those without i1P.

BTW What text files were you talking of modifying? 

The measurement file. The bottom of my article reads: "If you choose to open up this measurement file in a text editor, the leftmost column of numbers contain the pertinent Luminosity channel numbers. If any of these numbers aren’t sequential QTR-Create-ICC won’t make a profile. If this occurs you probably have an anomaly in one of your measurements that you can manually fix in the text editor. I sometimes find a single patch in the shadows that is slightly out of sequential order, and adjusting this value so that QTR-Create-ICC can make a profile has no detrimental effects."

[keith_cooper]

Thanks Scott, I'll have to take a look into making a similar set of targets for i1Profiler - although the M modes are not something I'm terribly bothered with in this context (not doing any alt-process stuff at all)

The advantage of CP for a lot of people who've picked up old spectro's is that it's free ;-)

The only problems I had with CP was that the version on the supplied disk (with the i1Pro 2 kit) had a fatal installer bug, but v2.0.5 from X-Rite's site has run without issue (Mac Pro and MacBook Pro both 10.6.

[Scott Martin]

The advantage of CP for a lot of people who've picked up old spectro's is that it's free ;-)

I1Profiler can be downloaded for free and the Measure Reference Chart mode works with any i1 family device without a dongle. So a 10 year old i1Pro Rev a works in i1Profiler without a purchase.

CP's advantage is legacy device support, but it's a little buggy and who knows how long it will continue to work.

[smilem]

A grain of salt.

The X-rite does not make or plan to make SDK for i1Pro2, that means no support on new and older hardware that directly supported the i1Pro, like a dozen of RIP sollutions, Xerox DocuColor etc. etc.

I wonder how many peopple will get the new spectrophotometer to find out it will not work with their hardware  
i1Pro was so poppular because of the SDK not because it was a great spectro, so if X-rite does not reconsider their marketing, I doubt the new i1Pro2 after 2/3 years when it reaches stable rev D, or E, will be a decent sollution.

I'm not mentioning the incompatibility with iO table, they deliberately chosen not to make it fit into the holder, why - the greed for money anyone, after all as flimsy as the iO is this was to be expected after all.

For example recentrly I could not make a profile for Xerox, and for CRT monitor with i1Profiler
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?topic=61006.0

[Scott Martin]

The X-rite does not make or plan to make SDK for i1Pro2, that means no support on new and older hardware that directly supported the i1Pro, like a dozen of RIP sollutions, Xerox DocuColor etc. etc.

I just confirmed that XRite is, in fact, releasing an SDK ASAP and is working with 60+ vendors to make the i1Pro2 just as commonplace and universal as the i1Pro was. All RIPs and hardware solutions will be able to support the i1Pro2 if they choose to do so.

[keith_cooper]

I just confirmed that XRite is, in fact, releasing an SDK ASAP and is working with 60+ vendors to make the i1Pro2 just as commonplace and universal as the i1Pro was. All RIPs and hardware solutions will be able to support the i1Pro2 if they choose to do so.

Thanks for confirming that Scott - I'd not seen any direct info. I'll be sure to add a note in the reviews

[PhilipCummins]

I just confirmed that XRite is, in fact, releasing an SDK ASAP and is working with 60+ vendors to make the i1Pro2 just as commonplace and universal as the i1Pro was.

I though the i1Pro 2 was backwards compatible with the i1Pro without any additional software changes so existing software would be able to use it straight away? If you required additional support for the Mx modes then that would require the API update?

[keith_cooper]

I1Profiler can be downloaded for free and the Measure Reference Chart mode works with any i1 family device without a dongle. So a 10 year old i1Pro Rev a works in i1Profiler without a purchase.
CP's advantage is legacy device support, but it's a little buggy and who knows how long it will continue to work.

Thanks again Scott - just the prod I needed to finally get round to working out how to make the plethora of different measurement file formats that live in the assorted i1Profiler directories. I've created some for different target types and measurement devices and will put them in a supplement to the QTR article.

It's a public holiday here, and I've had a bad cold for days - an excellent excuse to make some profiling targets and not go to assorted outdoor festivities  ;-)

[keith_cooper]

Thanks to Scott's suggestions I went back to i1Profiler and tried to fathom some of the intricacies of its data file formats...

As a result I've put together two sets of 51 and 21 step targets for reading (in strip mode) with either the i1Pro or i1Pro 2.

It's really just aimed at those wanting to create a QTR linearisation.

I've not gone the workflow route with i1Profiler - you just select the target file you want when needed, since I wanted to keep it simple for people not wanting to delve around in the i1Profiler support folder labyrinth (also I've no PCs so I hadn't a clue what the path would be on one anyway)

http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/article_pages/bw_printing/qtr-and-i1profiler.html

If anyone finds it of use, please let me know - I think I've got the target creation figured out and could create others now.