New X-Rite i1Profiler software available now

[Mark D Segal]

The software is available, can be installed, and can be run, you just can't unlock it's specific functionality without purchasing a licence code. So it's not fully functional, yet.

Cheers,
Bart

Beautiful, you can install the software, the mixing and matching of what is best to do with what where is a pile of confusion, people who know how to decode this stuff so mere mortals could make intelligent up-grading or changeover decisions aren't allowed to talk (yet), and in any case it's not fully functional because you can't buy a license code. Man alive - in properly functioning companies the staff who do this kind of thing would be looking for work the next morning.

How many years now has it been since they bought Gretag? Between then and now they couldn't have properly rationalized the program offerings taking the best from which each had to offer, put it into one comprehensive package with say two levels of purchase (Basic and Pro), and marketed the works with license code, applications and documentation in one seamless process and set of intelligible choices? Absent which, I'll stick with my Pulse Elite for the printer profiles and BasicColor for the display - works well enough for present purposes and I don't have the time or patience to muddle through all this bullocks from X-Rite - so one customer for up-grading lost, and I only mention this not because other users should necessarily care what I in particular am doing - but just to send XRite a message that they need to get their act together, because if I'm in this mode, there may well be many more like me. It's all just too damn disjointed and bewildering relative to what it can and should be.

[digitaldog]

Beautiful, you can install the software...

That wasn’t the intent (IOW, that URL was not supposed to go live). So forget about any frustration in not hearing details while being able to download the software. That wasn’t by design. 

How many years now has it been since they bought Gretag?

in 2006 X-Rite “acquired” GMB.

Between then and now they couldn't have properly rationalized the program offerings taking the best from which each had to offer, put it into one comprehensive package with say two levels of purchase (Basic and Pro), and marketed the works with license code, applications and documentation in one seamless process and set of intelligible choices?

Well, no. Your frustration is justified and understood (by me).

[aaronchan]

You are ABSOLUTELY WRONG!

They replied me within 20 mins!
This is so far the best customer service I have ever get from X-rite.

But the thing is where should I start to play around with this new monster with my printers and my RIP...?

[digitaldog]

But the thing is where should I start to play around with this new monster with my printers and my RIP...?

Assuming you have a functioning product, try importing CGATs data measurements you hopefully have from the profiles you built in the past. You can load and regenerate a new profile using the new color engine and do some side by side tests. Again assuming you have a functioning product, build a new custom target, measure and build a profile from scratch, compare that again to the original profile.

[Doyle Yoder]

Assuming you have a functioning product, try importing CGATs data measurements you hopefully have from the profiles you built in the past. You can load and regenerate a new profile using the new color engine and do some side by side tests. Again assuming you have a functioning product, build a new custom target, measure and build a profile from scratch, compare that again to the original profile.

"•   i1Profiler allows the import of CGATS measurement files from other applications. However, the color engine has been optimized to work with the patch sets generated within i1Profiler. The profile quality from profiles made entirely within the i1Profiler workflow will exceed profiles made from legacy targets and measurements."

"•   When saving spectral data from other application to use in i1Profiler, scale the reflectances from 0-1.0. Data scaled from 0-100 will not be interpreted correctly in i1Profiler."

"This release of i1Profiler contains a new release of X-Rite Device Services; a separate application that handles all communication between applications and X-Rite measurement devices." I no longer have to go to System Preferences to disconnect the device for X-Rite Device Services so that I can use it with other profiling or calibration software.

[digitaldog]

"•   i1Profiler allows the import of CGATS measurement files from other applications. However, the color engine has been optimized to work with the patch sets generated within i1Profiler. The profile quality from profiles made entirely within the i1Profiler workflow will exceed profiles made from legacy targets and measurements."

I’ve built a lot of profiles using an older PMP target in i1P along with ProfileMaker Pro and it works just fine. Should one build a target in i1P instead? Yes, more about why when the embargo is up. But one can take legacy CGATs data and build a new profile and see the differences and results from the new i1P engine.

[PhilipCummins]

Actually it makes me wonder if it's possible to upgrade to i1Profiler, then purchase (at a small cost) ProfileMaker Pro for the additional features (camera, scanner etc) - this would be good for i1 XT[reme] owners?

[digitaldog]

Actually it makes me wonder if it's possible to upgrade to i1Profiler, then purchase (at a small cost) ProfileMaker Pro for the additional features (camera, scanner etc) - this would be good for i1 XT[reme] owners?

Or purchase PMP and get a free upgrade to i1P?

[Rhossydd]

then purchase (at a small cost) ProfileMaker Pro for the additional features (camera, scanner etc) - this would be good for i1 XT[reme] owners?

Have you seen the cost of PMP ? it's a lot more than i1Profiler

[Michael HG]

I downloaded the software to test it. With connection of i1pro monitor calibration is activated automatically (i1pro acts as a dongle).

I tested the monitor profiling. I could not find individual gamma (what gamma is it actually?). Black point could not be adjusted, too.
Does it hardware calibration (like basicColor products)? I guess not.

Which special features can I expect from rgb profiling (as I do not use a RIP).

Best
Michael

[Czornyj]

You can choose the target TRC in profile settings (gamma 1.8, 2.2, 3.0, sRGB only). You can also adjust bkpt with "target contrast ratio". There's no hardware calibration.

As for RGB profiling, new iterative profiling and perceptual gamut mapping options look promising.

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

There's no hardware calibration.

Hmm, no hardware calibration, no camera/scanner profiling. Seems limited for the money.

As for RGB profiling, new iterative profiling and perceptual gamut mapping options look promising.

If we are to believe the limited info so far available. We'll have to wait and see what it brings in practice, the long delay in introduction is not confidence inspiring.

Cheers,
Bart

[PhilipCummins]

Or purchase PMP and get a free upgrade to i1P?

Have you seen the cost of PMP ? it's a lot more than i1Profiler

I've considered that, the concern is purchasing deprecated software (PMP5) at quite high cost (~$1800 US) vs upgrading from an existing i1 XTreme (with i1 Match) at $500 and waiting for the additional features of PMP5 to be converted over to i1Profiler. That's why a license downgrade from i1Profiler to PMP5 while the features are ported over would be a nice touch... (though, I can probably just use i1 Match instead).

[Mark D Segal]

I think X-Rite should provide a mini-max purchase optimization algorithm with an options matrix, a linear programming engine (under the hood) and a nice neat GUI that helps prospective customers make purchase decisions that optimize cost-effectiveness. 

[Alan Goldhammer]

I think X-Rite should provide a mini-max purchase optimization algorithm with an options matrix, a linear programming engine (under the hood) and a nice neat GUI that helps prospective customers make purchase decisions that optimize cost-effectiveness. 

They already do; it's called ColorMunki! (and this is no April Fools' statement)

[Mark D Segal]

They already do; it's called ColorMunki! (and this is no April Fools' statement)

If I were X-Rite I wouldn't be happy to countenance the possibility that the 500 package outperforms what they otherwise sell for mega-bucks. They can't be THAT dumb. (And that's not an April Fool's Day statement either!)

[Styx]

You can make the comparison? I am interested in your opinion. This is RGB ICC profiles measured to Canon iPF8300 Adobe plugin. iPF8300. Thank You.

bas - basICColor Print
PM - Profile Maker
i1Prism - Easy Media modul from Caldera rip with i1Prism engine (same to i1Profiler?)

http://www.uloz.to/8514505/test-zip

[djoy]

*sigh* 

It was an exercise in pain just to get X-Rite to allow upgrades at all, they appeared either quite content or completely oblivious to letting their existing customers hang out to dry.

Then the revelation of the features which were killed, like scanner profiling, because of apparently a lack of need. Err, what?

Then the constant delays, PMP5 barely updated in 6 years and now finally, they release the successor, and the product is ..... wanting.

Shouldn't the flagship product be the most fully featured, not the best selling one?

It really does seem like X-Rite has no idea who it's customer base is or what they do, or perhaps they've realised that there is more revenue in the prosumer market than they were getting from their flagship products.

I remember similar difficulties when Munki was released, limited installation restrictions etc. And yet they still bring out wonderfully useful gadgets like the colorchecker passport. There's no consistency.

Lack of competition apparently does breed complacency.

[Mark D Segal]

*sigh* 

Lack of competition apparently does breed complacency.

......as well as managerial incompetence.

[Rhossydd]

Shouldn't the flagship product be the most fully featured, not the best selling one?

I wonder if they consider it their "flagship" product ? PMP5 is still listed as current and costs more than twice as much!

Reading Andrew's review it stuck me they would have been better off just putting the i1prism engine into their existing products as upgrades, rather than trying to build an entire new product. I get the impression that it's going to take a long time until this package has all it's bugs and quirks sorted out, and the feature omissions.

Paul