ColorChecker Passport with CaptureOne, Phocus, Aperture

[BobShaw]

Hi,
Am trying to calibrate my cameras using ColorChecker Passport.
This product seems to only be useful if your workflow is Lightroom as it only produces .dcp files.

I have searched Xrite support and all I can find is this from 2010 on this product
http://blog.xritephoto.com/2010/02/colorchecker-passport-and-medium-format/

It does not seem that there are any improvements in functionality in 5 years.
Is there a way to make this product usable with CaptureOne, Phocus, Aperture or in fact any other programme other than Adobe?
If not it seems I have wasted a lot of money.

I currently use Aperture but will probably migrate to CaptureOne. I have Canon 5D2 and Hasselblad H3D so I also use Phocus.

Bob

[AlterEgo]

Am trying to calibrate my cameras using ColorChecker Passport.

suggestion is not to use the word "calibrate"... you can certainly build a profile, different (in some cases very different) from one(s) that your raw converter was shipped with... but that's it, "different" is the word

This product seems to only be useful if your workflow is Lightroom as it only produces .dcp files.

you can use for example rawdigger (free trial) + argyll (free) with gui front end like makeinputicc (free) and make a simple matrix or matrix + gamma profiles (icc) for C1

but before you start - do a search here and read a number of topics about the matter

[AlterEgo]

I have Canon 5D2

Trantor (do a search by username) has a nice free profile (actually > 1, both dcp and icc) for 5DmkII

[photocor]

If you wish to use Capture One, it is only icc profiles for camera.
Then you can use BasicColor Input.

Regards

[BobShaw]

suggestion is not to use the word "calibrate"... you can certainly build a profile

Correct. Sorry yes. Build a profile for the camera. Every camera is different, so there is no point in using someone else's profile.

It have just bought Datacolor Spydercheckr 24 and will see how that works. Only $50 so worth a try. It appears to have plugins for CaptureOne, Lightroom and Phocus to create a HSL correction.

[AlterEgo]

It have just bought Datacolor Spydercheckr 24 and will see how that works. Only $50 so worth a try. It appears to have plugins for CaptureOne, Lightroom and Phocus to create a HSL correction.

you can use the same thing I mentioned above to create icc profiles using Datacolor's target (makeinputicc has .cie file for it included, if you do not own a spectrophotometer)

[kirkt]

Because you mentioned Aperture, I will assume you are using a Mac.  In that case, you can use the excellent Mac-only raw converter called Raw Photo Processor (RPP):

http://www.raw-photo-processor.com/RPP/Overview.html

If you donate to the developer, you receive an unlock code that enables many additional features, including ICC camera profile generation for any arbitrary target of your choosing (you just need the color data to supply to the application).  Included in RPP is the color checker color data, so you can profile your camera if you shoot the Color Checker target.

It is essentially a GUI for the argyll profiling engine (just as MakeInputICC is, as mentioned above).  The RPP user's manual gives you details and pointers on setting up and shooting the target for optimum exposure and accuracy and also for how to proceed in RPP to profile the camera from the target image.

Once you get used to RPP's workflow, you might find yourself using it more and more - the raw conversion is excellent.  If you like bells and whistles, then you may find RPP to be disappointing, but judge it on its conversion quality, not its lack of shininess.

kirk

[digitaldog]

It have just bought Datacolor Spydercheckr 24 and will see how that works. Only $50 so worth a try. It appears to have plugins for CaptureOne, Lightroom and Phocus to create a HSL correction.

Good luck, let us know how it works for you in C1. In Lightroom, it's a joke and doesn’t provide the 'corrections' properly (in the right location and manner).

[elolaugesen]

I used colour checker passport for years, then started to have some small issues with colours.  Played around.  Bought qpcard...  Returned it.....
Went to a show saw data color checker with the patch that shows when colours have faded......  Suddenly I realized what might be the issue...  Bought a new passport.......  Colours on new checker completely different, brighter  than the 5 -6 year old passport.   My other half the artist picked out the new passport on the spot.
Colours looked better and  overall tone of original paintings that I work with now matched with my prints. 

Message .. Colours fade on your car, in your house, on photographs, paintings. Etc etc.    and the old eyes?


Cheers elo

[BobShaw]

In Lightroom, (SpyderCheckR24 is) a joke and doesn’t provide the 'corrections' properly (in the right location and manner).

That is probably correct. In Phocus, which is what i wanted it for, it doesn't seem to work at all. I have asked the rep for an explanation.

[BobShaw]

That is probably correct. In Phocus, which is what i wanted it for, it doesn't seem to work at all. I have asked the rep for an explanation.

I can now advise that  the rep has back to me and Datacolor have a video on how to use it with phocus
This is the link to it
http://youtu.be/GzkR6ZVCAJs

It would be great if they included that in the documentation.
Anyway, SpyderCheckR is the way to go and Passport appears to be a waste of money if you don't use Lightroom.

[digitaldog]

Anyway, SpyderCheckR is the way to go and Passport appears to be a waste of money if you don't use Lightroom.

Well any converter that supports DNG profiles is fair game. For example Iridient Developer.

[kirkt]

As long as you have a stable and well-made target that contains color patches relevant to your intended use, and you have the appropriate patch data for the target, it does not matter what target you use to make your profiles.  The opinion that one is better than the other appears to be based on workflow simplicity (i.e., "there's an app for that") compared to the usefulness of the target.

The ColorChecker has been around for a while and seems to do the job in a variety of situations - the CCPassport is just a compact version of it, with some more color patch options for white balance and exposure evaluation.  I would think that it is not a waste of money - especially given the convenience and the built-in case construction, as well as the spectrally flat white balance target that is included - I've used it for both DCP and ICC.  Whatever you choose, make sure you learn to shoot it properly and use it as the software intends and you should, hopefully, get the results you require.

kirk

[BobShaw]

Brief results on the SpyderCheckR with the Hasselblad and Phocus. It works as the Datacolor video shows.
It produces a Color Correction in Phocus and you can see the variation on a plot.

Turning on and off the correction made virtually no difference to the colour. It looks like the Blad was pretty right straight out of the camera. It is good to know that this is the case.
I will try it in a few more lighting situations and report any differing results.

[digitaldog]

Turning on and off the correction made virtually no difference to the colour. It looks like the Blad was pretty right straight out of the camera.

Or that product doesn't do squat 

[BobShaw]

Maybe it didn't work and it was just that the Hasselblad is so good. Either way, the prints came out almost perfect on Gold Fibre Silk, Smooth Pearl, BFK Rives and Canvas.

If I get a chance I will try it with a Japanese 35mm.

[digitaldog]

Maybe it didn't work and it was just that the Hasselblad is so good.

Perhaps. If you can produce a tiny image from both, say no more than 300x300 pixels, it would be pretty easy to run that through ColorThink and see exactly what changed if anything, and where. I can do that if you can produce two files. Using something colorful and diverse.