How to measure single colours with an i1Pro2?

[Jeff-Grant]

I hope that this is yet another dumb question. I want to measure the colour of my paper so that I can set it as my background for soft proofing as well as being able to measure some artworks that I wish to photograph. So far all that I have found is that my i1Pro2 can do it but I can't find how to do it.

Can anyone point me in the right direction, please.

[terrywyse]

Hi Jeff,

If you've got an i1Pro2 then you should have i1Profiler software.

In i1Profiler's Advanced mode, just go to the Printer section and choose either CMYK or RGB Printer. In the Workflow area you should see "Measure Chart" as an option. Just set the number of rows/columns you want to measure. If it's just for paper, I would set it to, say, 3x3 so you can take 9 measurements and average them. In the Measurement window, you'll have to set the i1Pro2 to measure in Spot mode and mount the little clamshell holder to the i1....after you calibrate of course. Only downside of Spot mode is that you can only measure in M0 mode (UV-included).

If you want all three (M0/M1/M2) measurement modes, you'll have to create an actual chart so you can measure in dual-scan mode. Not hard to do but you'll need to start by making a CGATS file and then import that as a Patch Set and then have i1Profiler format it for the i1Pro2.

Hope this helps.

Terry

[howardm]

I just use the 'spotread' utility from the Argyll suite.

[Jeff-Grant]

Thanks Terry, so obvious when you think about it, which I hadn't.

Thanks Howard, I'll take a look at the Argyll suite too.

[digitaldog]

Too bad i1P's spot tool is so lacking and poorly designed compared to what we had years prior (MeasureTool). If you have an older machine, you can probably download it from x-rite's archives. Also PatchTool is what i1P could and should have been like but it cost $$.

http://www.babelcolor.com/main_level/PatchTool_features.htm

Depending on what you need to do, the $125 is well worthwhile.

[Czornyj]

Too bad i1P's spot tool is so lacking and poorly designed compared to what we had years prior (MeasureTool). If you have an older machine, you can probably download it from x-rite's archives. Also PatchTool is what i1P could and should have been like but it cost $$.

http://www.babelcolor.com/main_level/PatchTool_features.htm

Depending on what you need to do, the $125 is well worthwhile.

Coouldn't agree more.

I also used Argyll for spot measuring, and lately bought Spectrashop (http://www.rmimaging.com/spectrashop.html) to use M0/M1/M2 simulations. But the lack of quick spot measure possibility in i1Profiler is really a bad joke, considering that both ColorPort and MeasureTool that it replaced had this feature.

[digitaldog]

But the lack of quick spot measure possibility in i1Profiler is really a bad joke, considering that both ColorPort and MeasureTool that it replaced had this feature.

There's so much lacking in i1P after all these years its a sick joke, it's just sad. X-rite hasn't a clue anymore how to create and support software, thankfully their hardware is still excellent and they are attempting to push the envelope there (the reboot of the i1Pro Spectrophotometer was impressive). While i1P sits there, X-rite build nonsense like ColorTRUE and worse, gives it a name that is a bold face lie (the color isn't true). Very sad.

[howardm]

Marcin/Andrew,

Can you elaborate the pro's and con's between Spectrashop vs. Patchtool?

[Czornyj]

Babelcolor offers CT&A and PatchTool, with very broad set of various features. Spectrashop has some features of both Babelcolor products - I only needed to make fast spot measures in M0/M1/M2 modes, and Spectrashop was the first that introduced new i1Pro 2 API and supported M0/M1/M2 simulations with use of UV emitter, so I decided to buy it. Now all of them have such possibility, so I suggest to download demos and read tutorials of these 3 products to analyze what feature sets they have and get the one that best suits your needs.

[Jeff-Grant]

Thanks Andrew and Marcin, I missed the notification. I'll take a look at Patch Tool and Spectrashop. In the meantime, I solved my immediate problem with i1P.