In this video, I'm going to show you how to get very accurate colours in your photographs using a colour calibration tool such as the X-Rite Color Checker passport. If you do any catalogue photography work or any other photography work where it is critical to get accurate colours, then this is the video for you. I go through every step of the way an accurate colour profile so that your colours will be spot on every single time. This is perfect for when you need to re-create colours such as catalogue work or e-commerce sites where color becomes a factor in someone deciding to make a purchase. If you have any questions about anything in this video, please let me know by leaving a comment or a question in the comments section below. Alternatively, you can reach me through any of the usual social media platforms. You will find the links to all of those below. If you would like to know more about the Color Checker Passport from X-Rite click this link. amzn.to/3nYAqy2 BONUS DOWNLOAD ADOBE LIGHTROOM KEYBOARD SHORTCUT GUIDE: --- bit.ly/3eK6QVL FREE Preset for you to download: --- www.dancantero.com.au/presets Come say hi on social Website www.dancantero.com.au Facebook facebook.com/DanCantero/ Twitter twitter.com/DanCantero Instagram instagram.com/dancanterophotography
Thanks for video. I have 2 questions. Do you need to repeat the process if you're shooting natural light then switched to flash? 2nd question. Do you have to set the white balance in camera, or can you use auto balance?
Hey Paul! 1. Yes. Any time that the light changes you need to repeat the process. This is because you need a fresh sample of what the different light is going to the colors. 2. The white balance won't matter as long as you are shooting RAW. Showing in RAW will allow the white balance to also be corrected as part of this process. Hope that helps. Dan
Nice video. Thank you. I'm about to photographs a large amount of custom finish samples for cabinet door. I think the monitor calibration is key as well. AND< that brings me to the issue with this level of detail. For print, sure. For internet media, it doesn't matter. Every monitor will show a different shade. Unless, we teach the end user to calibrate their monitor (if even possible) it's not worth my time doing all this extra work. I'm wondering how accurate iPads/Pro's are out of the box? If anyone knows, I'd appreciate the feedback. I'm new to all this. However, we can't find anyone to take on the task at a reasonable price. So, doing it in-house. Of course, if I can't find a plug and play viewing option with pre calibrated viewing, not sure I'm going to even both color correcting.
From what I've seen they are pretty accurate (although nowhere near a properly calibrated monitor). Just remember to turn off True Tone. Most people will view your images on a browser and who knows what type of monitor. That is the reason there is a color space specifically created for internet browsers which is much smaller but renders more acceptable images. If the lighting is going to be repeatable and you don't want to bother with something like a color checker passport, just use a sheet of photocopy paper and use something like Lightroom with the eye drop tool to fix the white balance and you should be 90% there. Hope that helps. Dan
I would imagine that after prolonged use, you would end up with hundreds of Profiles, each one only used for photos from a specific shoot. Do you find that it gets difficult to organize them? Or hard to find the new one you just created, given then number of similarly named profiles? Is there a way to group them into folders/groups to make the list easier to navigate? Thanks, good video.
Hey Tony, to be honest I don't keep them around because it is unlikely I will ever use them again because each situation is different. So for me, I find it is easier to delete them. I only keep a few of them where I know that I can recreate the light exactly the same. An example would be when I am shooting products and I use the same lights. As far as organizing them, yes you can. Anthony Morganti did a great video that shows you how to do this and it starts around the 5 minute marker. Hope that helps. th-cam.com/video/6S1oFzfqOmY/w-d-xo.html
@@DanCantero Thank you for the reply. That helps, as i can see how the lighting would likely change in each instance. But that leads to a follow on question: If you delete the Profile after you finish editing the photo, what happens if you go back to revisit the photo later? (e.g. client requests another print, different size, and or with a modification, etc) If the Profile is deleted, do the colors revert back to what they looked like before you applied the Profile? Or do they stay the same until such time as you actually change to a different profile? Thanks
Hi John, yes it works great for portraits. It gives you a really accurate point to start from and you can make your edit from there. Sometimes my camera introduces a bit too much red on the skin depending on the lighting and this is a way to help reduce it a little. At the end of the day, it should look more accurate.
Hi, i am using color checker passport to get accurate color of clothing fabrics, my lighting setup consists of single light source i.e godox SL60 having 5600 kelvin color temperature but still after calibration I am not getting the accurate colours. What could be the reason? and should is change my light source to 6500k? Which depicts the more accurate colors 5600k or 6500k? My light source has cri of 95.
Hi Shobhit, have you checked the calibration of the monitor? I've had similar issues before. The best way to test this is to see the image on a different monitor. Also, is the problem after the export of before the export. Lastly, make sure you are not mixing any other light with it which can throw it off a bit.
Hi Elizabeth, I shoot mostly on faithful but because I shoot RAW it doesn't really matter because those profiles don't get baked into the RAW file and you can change it later. It only affect the JPG being shows to you on the back of the camera.
Sure can! Just launch camera raw and click on the 4 small tiles next to the profiles dropdown. Then click on the 3 dots (...) and you will find the import presets option.
1. how come NO ONE and I mean NO ONE ANYWHERE explain what EACH panel of the checker is four? 2. There are TWO grays a 12% gray and 18%...WHY?? Please make a video explaining and using each page of the colorchecker passport 2...PLEASE?
In the 1970s I worked as lab technician in the National Geographic photo lab and later was production manager at a web offset printer which helped develop the SWOP CYMK standard based on CIE*Lab colorspace. The ASA metering standard base on a ROT landscape with 1/3 sky and 2/3 land was 18%. When the ISO standard was established in the early 1970s the International Standard Organization changed it to 12% and that is the calibration point for all modern cameras, meters and film which show speed in ISO units. It is why if AE in a digital camera measures an 18% card its histogram spike will not fall in the middle but one from a 12% card will. The story of why Kodak didn’t change its 18% cards to the new ISO standard is that Ansel Adams who based his Zone System around Zone V = 18% reflectance and metering off an 18% card for exposure (with ASA calibrated meter) lobbied Kodak not to change it. But if you try to do Zone System work metering exposure with a modern 12% meter off an 18% card your exposures will be off by 1/3 stop. Kodak in the instructions for the 18% cards mentions this adjustment is needed. The colors on the color checker are selected based on the SWOP CYMK ink gamut (Standard for Web Offset Printing/Proofing) used for printing magazines and books on web presses. If you reproduce it accurately in RGB when editing, without pushing saturation beyond the AdobeRGB gamut which was designed to fit SWOP, then what is printing in a magazine or catalog should be a close match to what is seen on screen when editing. CYMK inks are cross-contaminated in Cyan and Magenta and RGB monitors can display saturated blues and purples a printing press can’t print. Conversely yellow ink on high reflectance white paper can produce purer more saturated yellows than a monitor. To get the best impression of what an RGB screen image will look like when printed learn how to to use soft proofing in Photoshop and other editing programs which uses the printer’s ICC profile to conform the gamut of the monitor to it.
In this video, I'm going to show you how to get very accurate colours in your photographs using a colour calibration tool such as the X-Rite Color Checker passport.
If you do any catalogue photography work or any other photography work where it is critical to get accurate colours, then this is the video for you. I go through every step of the way an accurate colour profile so that your colours will be spot on every single time.
This is perfect for when you need to re-create colours such as catalogue work or e-commerce sites where color becomes a factor in someone deciding to make a purchase.
If you have any questions about anything in this video, please let me know by leaving a comment or a question in the comments section below. Alternatively, you can reach me through any of the usual social media platforms. You will find the links to all of those below.
If you would like to know more about the Color Checker Passport from X-Rite click this link. amzn.to/3nYAqy2
BONUS DOWNLOAD
ADOBE LIGHTROOM KEYBOARD SHORTCUT GUIDE: --- bit.ly/3eK6QVL
FREE Preset for you to download: --- www.dancantero.com.au/presets
Come say hi on social
Website
www.dancantero.com.au
Facebook
facebook.com/DanCantero/
Twitter
twitter.com/DanCantero
Instagram
instagram.com/dancanterophotography
Very simple and helpful tutorial. Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Awesome video. Thank you for sharing. Clear and informative, great work.
Thanks Pete!
Dan, thank you so much.
You help me !!!
Happy to help!
Excellent, I learnt a lot.
You’re welcome.
This was very helpful! Thank you so much!
Glad it was helpful!
Very much informative.. thank you Man.
Glad it was helpful!
Great video helpful tips Cheers 🤝🏻
Glad you liked it.
Thanks for video. I have 2 questions. Do you need to repeat the process if you're shooting natural light then switched to flash? 2nd question. Do you have to set the white balance in camera, or can you use auto balance?
Hey Paul! 1. Yes. Any time that the light changes you need to repeat the process. This is because you need a fresh sample of what the different light is going to the colors. 2. The white balance won't matter as long as you are shooting RAW. Showing in RAW will allow the white balance to also be corrected as part of this process. Hope that helps. Dan
@DanCantero awesome. I appreciate your reply. I look forward to your next videos. Thanks Dan.
Nice video. Thank you. I'm about to photographs a large amount of custom finish samples for cabinet door. I think the monitor calibration is key as well. AND< that brings me to the issue with this level of detail. For print, sure. For internet media, it doesn't matter. Every monitor will show a different shade. Unless, we teach the end user to calibrate their monitor (if even possible) it's not worth my time doing all this extra work. I'm wondering how accurate iPads/Pro's are out of the box? If anyone knows, I'd appreciate the feedback. I'm new to all this. However, we can't find anyone to take on the task at a reasonable price. So, doing it in-house. Of course, if I can't find a plug and play viewing option with pre calibrated viewing, not sure I'm going to even both color correcting.
From what I've seen they are pretty accurate (although nowhere near a properly calibrated monitor). Just remember to turn off True Tone. Most people will view your images on a browser and who knows what type of monitor. That is the reason there is a color space specifically created for internet browsers which is much smaller but renders more acceptable images. If the lighting is going to be repeatable and you don't want to bother with something like a color checker passport, just use a sheet of photocopy paper and use something like Lightroom with the eye drop tool to fix the white balance and you should be 90% there. Hope that helps. Dan
@@DanCantero Thank you. Good info. 👍
I would imagine that after prolonged use, you would end up with hundreds of Profiles, each one only used for photos from a specific shoot. Do you find that it gets difficult to organize them? Or hard to find the new one you just created, given then number of similarly named profiles? Is there a way to group them into folders/groups to make the list easier to navigate? Thanks, good video.
Hey Tony, to be honest I don't keep them around because it is unlikely I will ever use them again because each situation is different. So for me, I find it is easier to delete them. I only keep a few of them where I know that I can recreate the light exactly the same. An example would be when I am shooting products and I use the same lights. As far as organizing them, yes you can. Anthony Morganti did a great video that shows you how to do this and it starts around the 5 minute marker. Hope that helps.
th-cam.com/video/6S1oFzfqOmY/w-d-xo.html
@@DanCantero Thank you for the reply. That helps, as i can see how the lighting would likely change in each instance. But that leads to a follow on question: If you delete the Profile after you finish editing the photo, what happens if you go back to revisit the photo later? (e.g. client requests another print, different size, and or with a modification, etc) If the Profile is deleted, do the colors revert back to what they looked like before you applied the Profile? Or do they stay the same until such time as you actually change to a different profile?
Thanks
Well explained. Do you think the Color Checker would work well for portraits?
Hi John, yes it works great for portraits. It gives you a really accurate point to start from and you can make your edit from there. Sometimes my camera introduces a bit too much red on the skin depending on the lighting and this is a way to help reduce it a little. At the end of the day, it should look more accurate.
Hi, i am using color checker passport to get accurate color of clothing fabrics, my lighting setup consists of single light source i.e godox SL60 having 5600 kelvin color temperature but still after calibration I am not getting the accurate colours. What could be the reason? and should is change my light source to 6500k? Which depicts the more accurate colors 5600k or 6500k? My light source has cri of 95.
Hi Shobhit, have you checked the calibration of the monitor? I've had similar issues before. The best way to test this is to see the image on a different monitor. Also, is the problem after the export of before the export. Lastly, make sure you are not mixing any other light with it which can throw it off a bit.
Did you shoot in standard or faithful ?
Hi Elizabeth, I shoot mostly on faithful but because I shoot RAW it doesn't really matter because those profiles don't get baked into the RAW file and you can change it later. It only affect the JPG being shows to you on the back of the camera.
Can this profile be put into Camera Raw instead of Lightroom? I prefer to organize my files with Bridge, so don't use Lightroom.
Sure can! Just launch camera raw and click on the 4 small tiles next to the profiles dropdown. Then click on the 3 dots (...) and you will find the import presets option.
@@DanCantero yay!
When I go into the export with preset menu, the colour checker camera calibration option doesn't come up. Do you know why this is? Thanks in advance.
Wait .... what?
1. how come NO ONE and I mean NO ONE ANYWHERE explain what EACH panel of the checker is four? 2. There are TWO grays a 12% gray and 18%...WHY?? Please make a video explaining and using each page of the colorchecker passport 2...PLEASE?
That's a really good point. Thanks for calling it out. I've added it to my video list.
In the 1970s I worked as lab technician in the National Geographic photo lab and later was production manager at a web offset printer which helped develop the SWOP CYMK standard based on CIE*Lab colorspace.
The ASA metering standard base on a ROT landscape with 1/3 sky and 2/3 land was 18%. When the ISO standard was established in the early 1970s the International Standard Organization changed it to 12% and that is the calibration point for all modern cameras, meters and film which show speed in ISO units. It is why if AE in a digital camera measures an 18% card its histogram spike will not fall in the middle but one from a 12% card will.
The story of why Kodak didn’t change its 18% cards to the new ISO standard is that Ansel Adams who based his Zone System around Zone V = 18% reflectance and metering off an 18% card for exposure (with ASA calibrated meter) lobbied Kodak not to change it. But if you try to do Zone System work metering exposure with a modern 12% meter off an 18% card your exposures will be off by 1/3 stop. Kodak in the instructions for the 18% cards mentions this adjustment is needed.
The colors on the color checker are selected based on the SWOP CYMK ink gamut (Standard for Web Offset Printing/Proofing) used for printing magazines and books on web presses. If you reproduce it accurately in RGB when editing, without pushing saturation beyond the AdobeRGB gamut which was designed to fit SWOP, then what is printing in a magazine or catalog should be a close match to what is seen on screen when editing.
CYMK inks are cross-contaminated in Cyan and Magenta and RGB monitors can display saturated blues and purples a printing press can’t print. Conversely yellow ink on high reflectance white paper can produce purer more saturated yellows than a monitor.
To get the best impression of what an RGB screen image will look like when printed learn how to to use soft proofing in Photoshop and other editing programs which uses the printer’s ICC profile to conform the gamut of the monitor to it.