ColorChecker ICC workflow useful for ACR/PS?

[rasworth]

The latest version of ColorChecker will create either DNG or ICC type profiles.  The intent of the ICC workflow is enabling use of ColorChecker with raw converters that don't provide for DNG profiles.  However, I'm curious as to whether there is any meaningful use with ACR/Photoshop.

I created a raw image of the ColorChecker target under semi-squirrelly light (Cree 5000 LEDs), camera set to a fixed white point (5600K), brought into ACR set to default, i.e. all sliders centered.  Saved out a 16 bit tif in ProPhoto and loaded it into ColorChecker, created a one way (RGB>L*a*b*) ICC profile.  Assigned it to the ColorChecker tif image in Photoshop, definite appearance shift.  Visually compared the screen image to the target illuminated with the same lights, appeared accurate.  I realize this effort was more in the way of a sanity check, no quantitative data.

Is the ICC workflow potentially more accurate than DNG, assuming fixed illumination, etc., maybe useful for artwork copying?

Richard Southworth

[digitaldog]

The latest version of ColorChecker will create either DNG or ICC type profiles.  The intent of the ICC workflow is enabling use of ColorChecker with raw converters that don't provide for DNG profiles.  However, I'm curious as to whether there is any meaningful use with ACR/Photoshop.

Not one bit since they (LR/ACR) do not utilize ICC camera profiles (and for some good reasons). And no, none of this has anything to do with color accuracy but rather pleasing color.

[rasworth]

Andrew,

So what do you really think about ICC input profiles?

I wasn't considering the ICC workflow useful from a pleasing color aspect, more in terms of accuracy, whatever that means for a camera profile.

I repeated the experiment going thru the DNG process to create a .dcp profile, applied it to the same image with no adjustments, tried to make it apples to apples.  The DNG workflow result is the top image of the attachment, bottom using the ICC.  The DNG image was "pucnchier", certainly more pleasing.  However the bottom ICC workflow image was a closer visual match between my monitor and the target illuminated with the same lighting for capture.

Richard Southworth

[digitaldog]

Pick the one you prefer, go that route.
Do try the same two profiles under differing conditions.