LongPVo
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Regular Member
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Posts: 104
The state of camera calibration, ColorChecker Passport 3 ways, which is accurate?
Aug 26, 2016
Hi guys,
I shoot mostly products that require absolute accurate color reproduction and I have just done shooting the CCPP target and processed them by different programs ( Adobe DNG Profile Editor, X-Rite ColorChecker Passport Editor and basICC input) and it's really weird how they all look different. Let's get some background information out of the way before you can judge the profiles:
My laptop has a calibrated 95% wide gamut display.
I used a Panasonic DMC-FZ1000 to shoot the target under these pair of light sources: daylight and fluorescent studio strobe. I have made sure to do a custom white balance in the camera using the White Balance target in CCPP. Camera is set to manual and exposed with an external sekonic light meter, so this was F.8, 1/250th, ISO 125.
The RAW is converted to DNG via Adobe DNG Converter then I used the DNG to process the profiles. Interestingly, Adobe DNG Profile Editor and X-Rite ColorChecker Passport Editor can only accept DNG format, but the basICC input can accept the raw format as well (it was .RW2). I did an extra test to see if there is any difference in the basICC input profiles processed by .DNG and .RW2. The result is none.
These photos are export in sRGB for web view but I can attach the aRGB ones if needed.
The WB and Tint values are automatically chosen when I pick the CameraCalibration profile
RAW From Camera 5500k /-11 with Adobe Standard profile
5500k / -11 with Adobe DNG Profile Editor profile
5400k / -1 with X-Rite ColorChecker Passport Editor profile
4950k/ +14 with basICC input profile (Default Parameters -> Profile Type: Photography , Profile Optimization: ΔE 2000 , Illuminants CIE_D50 , Temperature: As Shot, Observer: 2 °, Exposure Offset: None
The same profiles applied to swatches:
Adobe Standard
Adobe DNG Profile Editor
X-Rite ColorChecker Passport Editor
basICColor input
According to this:
http://petapixel.com/2014/10/01/colorchecker-how-to-get-perfect-skin-colors-with-every-camera/
Their conclusion is Adobe DNG Profile Editor seems to be the most accurate, although they did a dual illuminants profile. At the moment I can't seem to find a proper tungsten bulb to perform this.
The X-Rite profile has the most punch in colors, then comes thebasICC input.
For those that wonder, basICC input can create .icc profiles for C1 as well, but only SINGLE ILLUMINANT profile.
Also it seems that the .dcp profile adds the WB/Tint values to the photos as well. And you can see how the three programs gives different WB/Tint values.
I'm lost now.