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Author Topic: Camera Profiling - Lumariver Repro, or Basiccolor Input 6 Pro?  (Read 6447 times)

Rhossydd

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Re: Camera Profiling - Lumariver Repro, or Basiccolor Input 6 Pro?
« Reply #20 on: June 24, 2021, 04:08:20 am »

I had hoped to update the thread here with some of my positive experiences using the software, but unfortunately the licensing issues persist, and I'm thus far unable to activate either the Input 6 Pro license, or an additional Display 6 license I purchased. The licensing server is inaccessible....
You were warned.
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Malcolm Payne

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Re: Camera Profiling - Lumariver Repro, or Basiccolor Input 6 Pro?
« Reply #21 on: June 24, 2021, 05:41:24 am »

I am also in the business of producing highly accurate artwork reproductions, and would be very interested to know what particular advantages you may have found in Basicolor Input 6 vs Lumariver Repro for that purpose.

I trialled the earlier Basiccolor Input 5 at the time before eventually purchasing Lumariver (I had previously used the Gretag Macbeth ProfileMaker input module) and found that there were subtle differences in the profiles generated, primarily in terms of hue discrimination in the deep red/brown region, but that they were so slight that it was hard to say which, if either, was the superior profile. For some images the Lumariver profile appeared to be superior, while for others I thought the Basiccolor one was a little better. I haven't as yet re-run the comparison with Basiccolor Input 6.

Basiccolor Input does offer some operational refinements and conveniences over Lumariver, but at a very substantial difference in cost and with the added disadvantage of an arcane and inflexible licensing procedure. I might still consider switching to Basiccolor if its latest incarnation were to produce consistently better profiles that reduced any need for subsequent tweaking of the image, but the improvement over the already very good profiles from Lumariver Repro would need to be significant to make it worthwhile. Any insights you can share would be appreciated, thank you.
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Roscolo

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Re: Camera Profiling - Lumariver Repro, or Basiccolor Input 6 Pro?
« Reply #22 on: June 24, 2021, 12:03:32 pm »

I am also in the business of producing highly accurate artwork reproductions, and would be very interested to know what particular advantages you may have found in Basicolor Input 6 vs Lumariver Repro for that purpose.

I trialled the earlier Basiccolor Input 5 at the time before eventually purchasing Lumariver (I had previously used the Gretag Macbeth ProfileMaker input module) and found that there were subtle differences in the profiles generated, primarily in terms of hue discrimination in the deep red/brown region, but that they were so slight that it was hard to say which, if either, was the superior profile. For some images the Lumariver profile appeared to be superior, while for others I thought the Basiccolor one was a little better. I haven't as yet re-run the comparison with Basiccolor Input 6.

Basiccolor Input does offer some operational refinements and conveniences over Lumariver, but at a very substantial difference in cost and with the added disadvantage of an arcane and inflexible licensing procedure. I might still consider switching to Basiccolor if its latest incarnation were to produce consistently better profiles that reduced any need for subsequent tweaking of the image, but the improvement over the already very good profiles from Lumariver Repro would need to be significant to make it worthwhile. Any insights you can share would be appreciated, thank you.

Basiccolor was kind enough to give me a true working trial, so I was able to completely evaluate Input 6 Pro before purchasing. That trust went a long way towards selling it to me. I didn't get far with LumaRiver, maybe too many settings there, but as it's not a true working trial I also wasn't very motivated. Basiccolor was extremely easy to use. This was a deciding factor to me as I wanted not only for me to be able to use the software, but for anyone I have working here to be able to step in if needed. My very first profile following the very simple instructions that took me only a few minutes to create, was amazingly close to perfection as I applied the profile to a particularly challenging image of a painting. So, frankly, after that I wasn't really interested in trying any other software. I also had 2 other pieces here, pastels / chalk on colored paper that would be time consuming to reproduce accurately, and that first profile created with Basiccolor I had a deliverable proof immediately, and a perfect match after just a few slight adjustments. The painter Chris Campbell is more experienced with Basiccolor, and Chris had given me come insights via email before I got started. Everything Chris said has been confirmed in the short time I have used the software. Chris has some of the best videos on proper capture and reproduction of artwork I've seen. I also put Basiccolor up against 2 other profiling systems, (QP and Xrite) using the same challenging painting and it was no contest. Basiccolor essentially nailed the colors, while QP and Xrite delivered vastly oversaturated results. So for what I do, Basiccolor is a great tool to have in the tool box. The price is reasonable, and as I said I would gladly pay more for an easier time with licensing / activation! :)

I am working through the activation of the software with basiccolor. I am confident we will get it done, and for me, it's ultimately worth the hassle. I recognize it's a niche product, and frankly I have nothing but respect for what they have accomplished, not only with Basiccolor input 6, but also Display 6. Even if the price of Input 6 Pro is too steep for you, I would recommend Display 6 as a big improvement to one's workflow as it is superior to Xrite Spectraview, which is what I used previously. I do recognize that a lot of people won't tolerate the potential issues with licensing / activation, but considering what the folks at basiccolor have accomplished, their sincerity and commitment to work out any issues, I'm willing to work through it.

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Malcolm Payne

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Re: Camera Profiling - Lumariver Repro, or Basiccolor Input 6 Pro?
« Reply #23 on: June 25, 2021, 07:18:33 am »

Thank you for that detailed explanation. I can't now recall whether I was able to run a full evaluation of Lumariver at the time and they changed their trial version subsequently, or if I had already purchased the full version at the promotional release price prior to evaluating Basiccolor 5. I do get excellent results from the Lumariver profiles, with most images only needing very minor adjustments to the black and white points and the saturation (the profiles are built on a linear curve).

I agree about the settings in Lumariver, which are perhaps both a strength and a weakness; Basiccolor is certainly simpler to use out of the box, and will also batch process profiles IIRC, vs. singly in Lumariver, though I didn't find the latter a major disadvantage. It might be interesting to run a further comparison at some point, if Basiccolor will permit a further trial of v6 after already having trialled v5.

FWIW, I have already trialled Display 6 to see if it was an improvement over SpectraView Profiler View 5 on my NEC SpectraView Reference 271 monitor, since that version of SV Profiler reached end of life several years ago and additionally appears to have problems driving an i1 Display Pro, though it is listed as supported (it works fine with my i1Pro spectro). I also have an Eizo CS2731 and it seemed to make sense to have a single profiler driving both monitors if possible.

Unfortunately Display 6 also appears to have problems with the i1 Display Pro and SV271 combination and on several occasions drove the monitor to maximum brightness and stalled at that point, requiring a full factory reset of the monitor to resolve the situation. It also has similar licensing issues to Input 6. In the end I reverted to SV Profiler 5 and the i1Pro Spectro, which at least works without hassle on the NEC. The i1 Display Pro works perfectly with Eizo's Color Navigator on the CS2731 but I seem to recall it also having a few issues with Display 6 on that monitor, so at that point I lost interest in Display 6 completely. Which was something of a disappointment after the rave reviews I had read about the product. But I'm not prepared to waste hours trying to coax it into working properly, especially on a production machine. I don't doubt that Basiccolor's underlying colour engineering is one of the best, but their software packages do seem to have some usability issues overall.
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Roscolo

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Re: Camera Profiling - Lumariver Repro, or Basiccolor Input 6 Pro?
« Reply #24 on: June 30, 2021, 02:06:58 pm »

basICColor has resolved the issue with activating the licenses via offline activation now, and I'm activated and up and running with Input 6 Pro. Also added another Display 6 license to another workstation here. Hands down both of these tools are the best I've used for Camera Profiling and Display Calibration respectively. I've been printing for artists, photographers, galleries and museums for over 20 years now. If your work requires ACCURATE color, not "improved" color, I give basICColor Input 6 Pro and basICColor Display 6 my highest recommendation. Easily two of the best tools I've added to my toolbox.
« Last Edit: June 30, 2021, 02:13:26 pm by Roscolo »
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MichaelKoerner

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Re: Camera Profiling - Lumariver Repro, or Basiccolor Input 6 Pro?
« Reply #25 on: July 01, 2021, 05:08:52 am »

Just want to add my 2 cents about a brand new feature in Basiccolor Input 6 Pro: Measuring your own targets, inside the program, without any fuzzling around with measurement tools, data conversion and so on. Makes a huge difference for me.

MauriceRR

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Re: Camera Profiling - Lumariver Repro, or Basiccolor Input 6 Pro?
« Reply #26 on: July 07, 2021, 01:39:34 pm »

Some might also want to take a look to 3dlutcreator for color correction. It's also a very powerful tool wich has excellent merits and abilities in the color domain, not only creating lut correction and color profiles. It's a différent approach, but this software has some incredible features compared to basiccolor or lumariver.
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hyatts3

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Re: Camera Profiling - Lumariver Repro, or Basiccolor Input 6 Pro?
« Reply #27 on: July 20, 2021, 11:27:33 pm »

basICColor has resolved the issue with activating the licenses via offline activation now, and I'm activated and up and running with Input 6 Pro. Also added another Display 6 license to another workstation here. Hands down both of these tools are the best I've used for Camera Profiling and Display Calibration respectively. I've been printing for artists, photographers, galleries and museums for over 20 years now. If your work requires ACCURATE color, not "improved" color, I give basICColor Input 6 Pro and basICColor Display 6 my highest recommendation. Easily two of the best tools I've added to my toolbox.

May I ask which color target you’re using with Input 6 Pro?
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ned

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Re: Camera Profiling - Lumariver Repro, or Basiccolor Input 6 Pro?
« Reply #28 on: November 08, 2021, 01:50:53 pm »

I did hear from Franz this morning (after a bit of nudging). We connected via remote access and I was able to show him the issues I'm having. I'm sure he will work it out.

As an update, Franz worked with me several times over video conferencing to get this figured out. As it turns out, the software was crashing because of an error in my HCT target data file. Franz fixed the file and no more crashing. :-D
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HerveCornette

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Re: Camera Profiling - Lumariver Repro, or Basiccolor Input 6 Pro?
« Reply #29 on: November 10, 2021, 02:44:19 am »

May I ask which color target you’re using with Input 6 Pro?
ColorChecker SG and Munsell Linear Grey Scale (better precision on gray linearity).
Due to the stability of the dyes it is important to take your chart measurements regularly.
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