Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
PS: I understand that 'preferred colors' is an extremely subjective thing. That getting these 'preferred colors' might require tons of subjectives adjustments. That there are tons of unknowns in the samples I checked, as well as in my own photos (illuminant, light scattered/reflect by surrounding objects, etc.). That my CCSG color target is not perfect. That my technique to shot it is not perfect. That the illuminant is not the exact same one. Etc.Have you done the same for your Sony a7R IV and Sony a7 III ?From a practical perspective, I'm struggling to create color profiles with 'pleasant skin tones' for my Sony a7R IV and my former Sony a7 III.
I have also downloaded samples taken with Canon cameras. I have created a color profile from the Canon EOS R DPReview studio scene and Lumariver. I know that their CC24 is (at least) from 2013, so it may have faded. I also don't know the exact illuminant they use. But the idea behind was to create a 'neutral' profile, with no subjective adjustment except the tone curve.
I carrefully inspected the Canon EOS R samples using the created profile and did not notice the issues with skin tones.
If the results are not to your liking, have you asked Lumariver technical support to help?
Seeing first!This portrait looks nice to me. Are you seeing those greens or you are talking about the RGB values?
Hello again Jim!Brown isn't a hue. There's a green hue shift, and something else. What is that something else? Luminance? Desaturation?But do you think that, for example, the hue shift towards a 'slightly greenish brown' of caucasian skin tones when viewed from an angle and in the shadow is really caused by cross-talking?
Measure the skin tones in Photoshop in CIELab. Make the skin tones look right. Then measure again. Post the two sets of CIELab values.
When you say at an angle, do you mean that the lens axis is not orthogonal to the person's skin? Maybe you should post an example photograph.
Shadows are usually bluer than sunlit areas, because they are lit by the sky.
Jim
Got the Sony a7R IV before lockdown, so limited pictures library for the moment. All pictures with skin tones I got are family portraits, so I won't post them on a public Internet forum.
That said, here is an example from DPReview samples that illustrates what I'm talking about:
https://www.dpreview.com/sample-galleries/0635778599/sony-a7r-iv-sample-gallery/8559074145
Here is what it's looks like converted with a matrix only color profile, then exported to sRGB:
View attachment d2e75f53ce6d459cae447c04b496b8dc.jpg
With color patches (from 11*11px average):
View attachment 04e3f9975636407ea40e0a24d3f4a98e.jpg
link to full resolution : https://ibb.co/JkYpfLy
Of course, I do expect lightness, but also hue and saturation variations accross her face. Due to natural variations in her skin color. Due to her makeup (she obviously has some). Due to the lighting (the main light may have a color cast). Due to the angles between light sources, skin surface and camera. Etc. In addition, her skin may be catching some indirect light with strong color cast, scattered/reflected by her surrounding. Finally, we don't know the particular lighting that was used for this shot.
With all these reservations about that particular example (please take it as an illustration, not more!), I'm surprised how skin hue shifts towards green when viewed from an angle. This is something I noticed in almost all my familly portaits, no matter they were shot under direct sunlight, shadow, in halogen light (yeah, I still have halogen bulbs at home) or flash. And it's, in my opinion, unpleasant.
This is attenuated when using a color profile with LUT (very same than previous one except LUT, generated with Lulariver from a ColorChecker Digital SG shot under midday natural light). But in order to do so, I have to allow 'sharp bends' in the LUT (Lumariver has two settings for that), because light skin tones patches of the CCSG lean towards negative hues shift while dark skin tones patches leans towards positive hue shift. My understanding is that this may result in some posterization...
blog.kasson.com
Does this help you understand what skin spectra look like?Of course, the chart may no reflect actual skins reflective spectra. There might be some errors in some patches (I don't have a spectrophotometer to check). There might be some operator error (it's a difficult target to shoot due to glare and I struggled at the beginning). But what Lumariver tells from the target shot is in line with what I noticed before I started making profiles...

Thanks for your reply.Yellow skin + bluish light to shadows -> greenish reflection. That's what will be a result from a matrix optimized for some colour reproduction accuracy. One can slightly reduce the effect by CFA design, but not without trade-offs.Disclaimer:
=============
- I'm a hobbyist, with limited technical background on that particular topic...but eager to learn!
- I'm not a native English speaker, so my wording may be inacurate not only because of my lack of technical knowledge, but also language/translation issues.
- That said, I think I roughly understand the overall idea and differences behind 'colorimetry', 'color appearance' and 'pleasant colors'.
- I don't want to (re)start any brand war!
Hello!
I was playing around with Lumariver Profile Designer, an X-Rite ColorChecker SG color target an my Sony a7R IV. I was very surprised to see the color differences in skin tones I got with 'matrix only' profile. Those were backing up impressions I got, like hue shifting to more 'greenish' when in the shadows.
I also played around with other cameras files, in particular Canon ones, and this issue was less noticeable.
I was wondering how the camera sensor, in particular the CFA design, could impact that.
Mays you have more info' ?
Matrix transforms are usually not all what you want to use in raw conversion, because of this and other similar problems.
Could you please answer this one?Have you done the same for your Sony a7R IV and Sony a7 III ?From a practical perspective, I'm struggling to create color profiles with 'pleasant skin tones' for my Sony a7R IV and my former Sony a7 III.
I have also downloaded samples taken with Canon cameras. I have created a color profile from the Canon EOS R DPReview studio scene and Lumariver. I know that their CC24 is (at least) from 2013, so it may have faded. I also don't know the exact illuminant they use. But the idea behind was to create a 'neutral' profile, with no subjective adjustment except the tone curve.
I carrefully inspected the Canon EOS R samples using the created profile and did not notice the issues with skin tones.
The problem may be in how the shots were taken. It always pays to send the raw files and ask.Yes, but as for the Sony a7 III since I sold it recently I only have color Passport Photo target shots to work with. Not enough skin tones patches to do anything good...If the results are not to your liking, have you asked Lumariver technical support to help?
I'll try to email Anders Torger (developper of Lumariver); he was very helpful on other topics. But I don't thinks Lumariver is what causes the problem.
Here it is: https://ibb.co/7tP6TkqDo that again and put in the Lab values.Hello again Jim!Brown isn't a hue. There's a green hue shift, and something else. What is that something else? Luminance? Desaturation?But do you think that, for example, the hue shift towards a 'slightly greenish brown' of caucasian skin tones when viewed from an angle and in the shadow is really caused by cross-talking?
Measure the skin tones in Photoshop in CIELab. Make the skin tones look right. Then measure again. Post the two sets of CIELab values.
When you say at an angle, do you mean that the lens axis is not orthogonal to the person's skin? Maybe you should post an example photograph.
Shadows are usually bluer than sunlit areas, because they are lit by the sky.
Jim
Got the Sony a7R IV before lockdown, so limited pictures library for the moment. All pictures with skin tones I got are family portraits, so I won't post them on a public Internet forum.
That said, here is an example from DPReview samples that illustrates what I'm talking about:
https://www.dpreview.com/sample-galleries/0635778599/sony-a7r-iv-sample-gallery/8559074145
Here is what it's looks like converted with a matrix only color profile, then exported to sRGB:
View attachment d2e75f53ce6d459cae447c04b496b8dc.jpg
With color patches (from 11*11px average):
View attachment 04e3f9975636407ea40e0a24d3f4a98e.jpg
link to full resolution : https://ibb.co/JkYpfLy
Of course, I do expect lightness, but also hue and saturation variations accross her face. Due to natural variations in her skin color. Due to her makeup (she obviously has some). Due to the lighting (the main light may have a color cast). Due to the angles between light sources, skin surface and camera. Etc. In addition, her skin may be catching some indirect light with strong color cast, scattered/reflected by her surrounding. Finally, we don't know the particular lighting that was used for this shot.
With all these reservations about that particular example (please take it as an illustration, not more!), I'm surprised how skin hue shifts towards green when viewed from an angle. This is something I noticed in almost all my familly portaits, no matter they were shot under direct sunlight, shadow, in halogen light (yeah, I still have halogen bulbs at home) or flash. And it's, in my opinion, unpleasant.
This is attenuated when using a color profile with LUT (very same than previous one except LUT, generated with Lulariver from a ColorChecker Digital SG shot under midday natural light). But in order to do so, I have to allow 'sharp bends' in the LUT (Lumariver has two settings for that), because light skin tones patches of the CCSG lean towards negative hues shift while dark skin tones patches leans towards positive hue shift. My understanding is that this may result in some posterization...
I answered you here: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/63969539Could you please answer this one?Have you done the same for your Sony a7R IV and Sony a7 III ?From a practical perspective, I'm struggling to create color profiles with 'pleasant skin tones' for my Sony a7R IV and my former Sony a7 III.
I have also downloaded samples taken with Canon cameras. I have created a color profile from the Canon EOS R DPReview studio scene and Lumariver. I know that their CC24 is (at least) from 2013, so it may have faded. I also don't know the exact illuminant they use. But the idea behind was to create a 'neutral' profile, with no subjective adjustment except the tone curve.
I carrefully inspected the Canon EOS R samples using the created profile and did not notice the issues with skin tones.
I will follow your suggestion. Thanks!The problem may be in how the shots were taken. It always pays to send the raw files and ask.Yes, but as for the Sony a7 III since I sold it recently I only have color Passport Photo target shots to work with. Not enough skin tones patches to do anything good...If the results are not to your liking, have you asked Lumariver technical support to help?
I'll try to email Anders Torger (developper of Lumariver); he was very helpful on other topics. But I don't thinks Lumariver is what causes the problem.
I was referring to your "I have also downloaded samples taken with Canon cameras. I have created a color profile from the Canon EOS R DPReview studio scene and Lumariver", sorry if I'm misunderstanding your reply.I answered you here: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/63969539Could you please answer this one?Have you done the same for your Sony a7R IV and Sony a7 III ?From a practical perspective, I'm struggling to create color profiles with 'pleasant skin tones' for my Sony a7R IV and my former Sony a7 III.
I have also downloaded samples taken with Canon cameras. I have created a color profile from the Canon EOS R DPReview studio scene and Lumariver. I know that their CC24 is (at least) from 2013, so it may have faded. I also don't know the exact illuminant they use. But the idea behind was to create a 'neutral' profile, with no subjective adjustment except the tone curve.
I carrefully inspected the Canon EOS R samples using the created profile and did not notice the issues with skin tones.
Yes, but a7 III ColorChecker Passport only, while a7R IV ColorChecker Digital SG. Also I tried more illuminant for the a7R IV: direct sunlight, cloudy day, halogen...
a7III profile from CCP => no help
a7R IV profile from CCSG => does help, but does not solve the issue, plus I have to play with 'min. chromacity distance' and 'worst compression' settings (allowing more bends in the LUT if I understand correctly) to get a real improvement.
I will follow your suggestion. Thanks!The problem may be in how the shots were taken. It always pays to send the raw files and ask.Yes, but as for the Sony a7 III since I sold it recently I only have color Passport Photo target shots to work with. Not enough skin tones patches to do anything good...If the results are not to your liking, have you asked Lumariver technical support to help?
I'll try to email Anders Torger (developper of Lumariver); he was very helpful on other topics. But I don't thinks Lumariver is what causes the problem.
Oh, sorry, I did not get you!I was referring to your "I have also downloaded samples taken with Canon cameras. I have created a color profile from the Canon EOS R DPReview studio scene and Lumariver", sorry if I'm misunderstanding your reply.I answered you here: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/63969539Could you please answer this one?Have you done the same for your Sony a7R IV and Sony a7 III ?From a practical perspective, I'm struggling to create color profiles with 'pleasant skin tones' for my Sony a7R IV and my former Sony a7 III.
I have also downloaded samples taken with Canon cameras. I have created a color profile from the Canon EOS R DPReview studio scene and Lumariver. I know that their CC24 is (at least) from 2013, so it may have faded. I also don't know the exact illuminant they use. But the idea behind was to create a 'neutral' profile, with no subjective adjustment except the tone curve.
I carrefully inspected the Canon EOS R samples using the created profile and did not notice the issues with skin tones.
Yes, but a7 III ColorChecker Passport only, while a7R IV ColorChecker Digital SG. Also I tried more illuminant for the a7R IV: direct sunlight, cloudy day, halogen...
a7III profile from CCP => no help
a7R IV profile from CCSG => does help, but does not solve the issue, plus I have to play with 'min. chromacity distance' and 'worst compression' settings (allowing more bends in the LUT if I understand correctly) to get a real improvement.
I will follow your suggestion. Thanks!The problem may be in how the shots were taken. It always pays to send the raw files and ask.Yes, but as for the Sony a7 III since I sold it recently I only have color Passport Photo target shots to work with. Not enough skin tones patches to do anything good...If the results are not to your liking, have you asked Lumariver technical support to help?
I'll try to email Anders Torger (developper of Lumariver); he was very helpful on other topics. But I don't thinks Lumariver is what causes the problem.
Close enough with Rec.2020. Using OLEDs rather than LCDs makes it easier I guess.As far as I know, we don't have any RGB displays that use spectral primaries. It would be possible to build one, but I don't think most people would want to pay for it.For enough. I was misinformed, but I don't find it very satisfactory.I've never used it that way. I've not seen others make that distinction. Here's an example of the usage that I've seen:I was under the impression that tristimulus implied three visible colours (CIE RGB) rather than unreproducable virtual colours that don't have a corresponding wavelength.So you are talking about the available devices, not tristimulus color spaces in general. XYZ is certainly a tristimulus space, and can encode all the colors that the standard observer can see. It does, however, have non-physical primaries.I am talking about the fact that a large range of colours we can see is not reproducable on any RGB or CMY based colour device, and on sRGB, about 64% of them.Please explain.Tri-stimulus colour spaces don't replicate human vision either
Are you talking about:
Or something else?
- Departures from color-normalcy?
- Variations in color responses within the color-normal range?
- Spatial effects?
- Adaptation?
- Non-physical primaries?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIE_1931_color_space
A pertinant quote: "The CIE XYZ color space encompasses all color sensations that are visible to a person with average eyesight. That is why CIE XYZ (Tristimulus values) is a device-invariant representation of color.[5]"
I meant it is a radiation frequency that cannot be produced (visible or not) so there is no way to recreate the colours in CIE XYZ (even accounting for the invisible non colours) using any three actual physical means.By the way, I don't think you meant to use the word "colours" after "unreproducible". If you can't see it, it's not a color.
If the spectral primaries define the extent of the space and therefore the red channel hue, I would have thought that was a problem.I see no evidence of that, from looking at the numbers. But I can't disprove your speculation. There's a likely exception, and that's spectral primaries,While it's true that most OOG colours are cyan tones, red/blue response can have a fairly serious impact on colours along the line of purples.I wouldn't say that the color science of a LI sensor is in any global way better than that of the sensors that we have. The people who design those CFAs know how to get close to LI, but they choose not to because of the sensitivity and SNR issues of LI CFAs. Not sure I agree about the larger gamut making the situation worse, since the memory colors tend to lie within Adobe RGB.Good sensor colour science (closer to LI) is less import with smaller gamuts, but becomes more problematic with large ones, like the future Rec.2020 standard.
Sure, it may not be a big deal, but AdobeRGB red (for example) is distinctly more orange than DCI-P3. Filter designs assuming AdobeRGB as an output space may not cut it in future.
Jim
Hi,Disclaimer:
=============
- I'm a hobbyist, with limited technical background on that particular topic...but eager to learn!
- I'm not a native English speaker, so my wording may be inacurate not only because of my lack of technical knowledge, but also language/translation issues.
- That said, I think I roughly understand the overall idea and differences behind 'colorimetry', 'color appearance' and 'pleasant colors'.
- I don't want to (re)start any brand war!
Hello!
I was playing around with Lumariver Profile Designer, an X-Rite ColorChecker SG color target an my Sony a7R IV. I was very surprised to see the color differences in skin tones I got with 'matrix only' profile. Those were backing up impressions I got, like hue shifting to more 'greenish' when in the shadows.
I also played around with other cameras files, in particular Canon ones, and this issue was less noticeable.
I was wondering how the camera sensor, in particular the CFA design, could impact that.
Mays you have more info' ?
Thanks for your feedback.Hi,Disclaimer:
=============
- I'm a hobbyist, with limited technical background on that particular topic...but eager to learn!
- I'm not a native English speaker, so my wording may be inacurate not only because of my lack of technical knowledge, but also language/translation issues.
- That said, I think I roughly understand the overall idea and differences behind 'colorimetry', 'color appearance' and 'pleasant colors'.
- I don't want to (re)start any brand war!
Hello!
I was playing around with Lumariver Profile Designer, an X-Rite ColorChecker SG color target an my Sony a7R IV. I was very surprised to see the color differences in skin tones I got with 'matrix only' profile. Those were backing up impressions I got, like hue shifting to more 'greenish' when in the shadows.
I also played around with other cameras files, in particular Canon ones, and this issue was less noticeable.
I was wondering how the camera sensor, in particular the CFA design, could impact that.
Mays you have more info' ?
Some thoughts...
I perfectly understand that!Pleasant color may not be accurate color,
That's my concern!though accurate color may be a good starting point.
I completely agree!Next, white balance is probably the most important factor in color rendition,
Once again, I completely agree!as long as illumination is continuous spectrum. Flourescents add their problems of their own.
Thanks for the link...unfortunately it won't help with the issue I have.Regarding skin tones, Andrew Rodney has a nice video on correcting skin tones.
I have no problem with colors except skin tones.I don't have a lot of personal experience with skin tones. But I did some testing with color rendition of very different cameras, without seeing huge differences.
![]()
The P45+ is an MFD back using a Kodak CCD from 2007, A900 is regarded as one of the best compromises regarding CFA design and the A7rII is the camera I use right now.
Differences are better viewed in a stacked TIF available here .
Thanks for sharing.All cameras were tested with profiles generated with LumaRiver using the ColorChecker in each image.
Obvious no skin sample... :-(, sorry!
Best regards
Erik
I'd suggest using a spectrometer or at least a colorimeter to measure the lighting and help with the gel calculations.
For example, I have a Godox AD200Pro and Godox V1. I did a few autoportrait to get familiar with them. I was really suprised how skin tones, despite careful WB adjustment on reference, looked VERY different between the two. And VERY different from daylight. Of course, those are flash tubes light, not a 'perfect' illuminant'. So I expected differences. But not to such extent! I also planned to use both in a two lights setup...but that's impossible because the areas lit by one or the other look to different. There is a tint difference I could get (mostly) rid of with a colored filter (V1 more green), but I'm affraid it goesway beyond that.
My desktop monitor is calibrated.When you say "Here is what it's looks like", you mean "Here is what it's looks like on my monitor". Monitors vary.
The hue angle shifts in the darker of the skin sample pairs are towards yellow, not green.Here it is: https://ibb.co/7tP6TkqDo that again and put in the Lab values.Here is what it's looks like converted with a matrix only color profile, then exported to sRGB:
View attachment d2e75f53ce6d459cae447c04b496b8dc.jpg
With color patches (from 11*11px average):
View attachment 04e3f9975636407ea40e0a24d3f4a98e.jpg
link to full resolution : https://ibb.co/JkYpfLy


Not affended at all.The hue angle shifts in the darker of the skin sample pairs are towards yellow, not green.Here it is: https://ibb.co/7tP6TkqDo that again and put in the Lab values.Here is what it's looks like converted with a matrix only color profile, then exported to sRGB:
View attachment d2e75f53ce6d459cae447c04b496b8dc.jpg
With color patches (from 11*11px average):
View attachment 04e3f9975636407ea40e0a24d3f4a98e.jpg
link to full resolution : https://ibb.co/JkYpfLy
That could be due to the lighting. I don't find them offensive. Are you sure you're color-normal?
Jim
Yup.Not affended at all.The hue angle shifts in the darker of the skin sample pairs are towards yellow, not green.Here it is: https://ibb.co/7tP6TkqDo that again and put in the Lab values.Here is what it's looks like converted with a matrix only color profile, then exported to sRGB:
View attachment d2e75f53ce6d459cae447c04b496b8dc.jpg
With color patches (from 11*11px average):
View attachment 04e3f9975636407ea40e0a24d3f4a98e.jpg
link to full resolution : https://ibb.co/JkYpfLy
That could be due to the lighting. I don't find them offensive. Are you sure you're color-normal?
Jim
My professional activities include training, with a vast majority of male worker, so this is something I'm precautious with.
(When you realize your trainee cannot read your graph...)
The reason I asked is that I would not consider the darker skin samples to be greenish, and it they don't measure greenish. In fact, they are within the range of hue angles that I measured with my i1Pro3:Yes, I'm am color normal. I was checked several times, including for my former work, it was mandatory for some of my activities.
In this particular example, it may be the lighting. Too many unknowns.
Like I said, this example is used as an illustration only.

What is puzzling me is that I noticed such shift in a vast majority of my shots. With direct sunlight, in the shadow, in extrior, in interior, with flash...
blog.kasson.com