Free ColorChecker Passport DNG ProfileManager & Interactive Training – Simply Register Your Passport Today!

X-Rite now provides even more value for your ColorChecker Passport. You’ll receive download links for these tools when you register your Passport on line at XritePhoto.com/Register:

• DNG ProfileManager Software
• Interactive Training Video

DNG ProfileManager

The X-Rite ColorChecker Passport DNG ProfileManager software provides a single list of all installed DNG profiles, including non-printing image data such as file name, camera, light-source(s), and creation date. It also filters by camera or it can sort by any column header to provide the ability to correctly rename profiles (both internal and external names). Users can easily enable/disable profiles to prevent profile overload in Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) and quickly collect and export DNG profiles for backup or distribution.

Supported operating systems: Windows XP, Vista and 7; Mac OSX 10.5 and 10.6
Supported languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese

Interactive Training Video

The ColorChecker Passport Interactive Training Video provides clear easy to follow instruction on how to use the Passport in both Raw and JPEG workflows. You’ll learn how to white balance in your camera and in your software, how to use the Passport to evaluate exposure and how to correct for under- or over-exposure. You’ll also learn how to correctly use the Passport to create custom camera profiles in a Raw workflow for even more accurate color. This video is divided into easy-to-follow sections and can be viewed in any order to fit your needs (English only).

Register your ColorChecker Passport online today and get all the benefits: http://www.xritephoto.com/register

I recently visited Quato in Germany as part of the process of The Colour Collective becoming a reseller of their monitors. We have been reselling colour critical displays from EIZO and NEC for many years and I’ve been involved previously with older marques such as Barco and PressView but still I was very impressed with Quato as a company and their products. It is rare in these days of mass manufacture to find a company producing small numbers of high quality products to very exacting standards.

Quato only produce a few thousand screens a year. They are produced in factory in Taiwan that is shared between Quato and several medical monitor manufacturers so the very high standard of quality assurance are used. When it arrives in Germany each screen is checked by hand. It is warmed up and calibrated and only passed for sale if it passes very stringent uniformity tests – much tighter than their competitors. If the screen drifts out of uniformity during its life it can go back to Germany for readjustment. Their dead pixel policy is very good as well. They guarantee no sub-pixel failures in the centre of the screen and no more than 2 or 3, depending on the model, over the rest of the screen.

Their iColor Display software that calibrates the software is packed full of useful features including the UGRA UDACT software for checking that the calibration and uniformity conforms to elements of ISO 12646 and the requirements of printing standards organizations such as FOGRA. It is also unusual in that it will calibrate not only Quato displays via the hardware connection but also other displays via software calibration, enabling both a main and palette monitor to be profiled by the same software for example. They bundle the X-Rite DTP94 with iColor Display because they have found it to be the most reliable device and X-Rite manufacture it specially for them. The companies active participation in many industry bodies such as FOGRA and the ICC is a measure of their commitment to colour science and quality.They also produce print profiling software that they claim is far more accurate than others. I’ll be testing that soon.

If you are looking for absolutely the best colour critical monitors on the market and need very high degrees of colour accuracy for soft-proofing or retouching then you should certainly consider a Quato. Such quality doesn’t come without a corresponding price tag though so these screens aren’t for everyone but as I said if you need to go that one step further in search of colour excellence then Quato could be the answer.

You can purchase Quato monitors in the UK from our online partner, Native Digital.

Come and visit us in Hall 11,  stand F222 at IPEX from May 18th – 25th at the NEC, Birmingham.

We’ll be showing the latest versions of the ProofMaster and PrintFactory RIPs by FourPees, along with Quato monitors.

You can register your attendance at IPEX here.

January 27th 2010 – Colour management specialists The Colour Collective announce the release of version 4 of the ProofMaster and PrintFactory RIPs from Four Pees.

ProofMaster offers a complete proofing solution for offset, gravure, flexo, newsprint and packaging simulation. ProofMaster’s sister brand PrintFactory offers a completely new point of view on banner and sign production. In this environment, PrintFactory becomes the heart of the production process offering job preparation and editing, printing, cutting and proofing from the same platform.

Version 4 of both RIPs have improved compatibility with Mac OS X 10.6 and Windows 7, new support contracts, additional drivers for new printers and a generic printer driver allowing the RIP to control any printer.

ProofMaster Certify and ProofMaster Plus (renamed for this release) benefit from improvements in nesting and colour management but PrintFactory has the lion share of the new features. These include:

• New Applications
  • PrintFactory WebFront
    • PrintFactory WebPortal for job submission and job preview
  • PrintFactory Output Inspector
    • 100% output preview and control, including raster preview
  • PrintFactory Media Manager
    • Allows for easy management of different media profiles
• Improved PrintFactory Editor
  • Full Color Management control
  • Full control over Printer and Media
  • Get a color-accurate view through built-in softproofing
  • More Adobe Creative Suite Look and feel
  • Added shortcuts for increased operator productivity
• Improved Super Tile Tool
  • Any tiling setup is possible
  • All tools for vehicle wrap setups
  • Multi tiling setup per file
  • Mirror tiling for vehicle reverse side
  • Save setup as template for fully automated scaling and tiling
• Improved White ink and Varnish tool
• “Cutting edge” Contour cutting technology
  • Full flexibility in defining and generating contour cutting lines
  • Full iCut and GTK support
  • Barcode support for most cutters
• PrintFactory Spectro LFP
• Spectrophotometer especially designed for LPF applications. Reads transparent and thick media

Customers who have bought either RIP since October 2009 are entitled to a free upgrade. Upgrade pricing depends on the version and options already purchased. Customers should call Tony Kirk on 0845 0946062 for more details.

About Four Pees
Named after the four P’s of marketing – product, price, place and promotion – Four Pees’ mission is to add value to technology developers, resellers and end-users in print and publishing markets by providing dedicated marketing services, a skilled sales-force, product know-how and implementation services. Four Pees is worldwide distributor of ProofMaster, for colour-accurate contract proofs and PrintFactory, a production suite for large format printing.
Four Pees was established in 2007 by Tom Peire and has grown into a team of seasoned marketing, sales and service professionals. For more information, please go to www.fourpees.com.

About The Colour Collective
The Colour Collective exists to help customers achieve excellent results in their colour workflow, weather design, press, photography or video based, buy advising and supplying the very best hardware and software solutions, consultancy and training. For more information, please contact www.colourcollective.co.uk or call 0845 094 6062.

As well as the above RGB image (also available as CMYK – contact us if needed), we’ve also included a ‘Gradient Test’ file and a ‘Square Black Level Test’.

The files are all packed together as a ‘ZIP’ file. It’s quite large (>10Mb) so be patient as it downloads!

Click on the ‘ZIP’ icon to download them to your computer:

For details on using them, please refer to our Practical Colour Managment book.

For a long time I’ve mentioned when training that colour management is a form of quality assurance. You don’t recalibrate to profile a device because you think it’s inaccurate. You test, re-calibrate and profile the device regularly so you know it’s not inaccurate. Colour management should not be used to fix problems but to prevent them. I recently was asked to join an ISO 9001 with 12647 auditors course and had the opportunity to learn a lot more about quality systems and came to realise how well colour management fits into them.

ISO 9001 is a long standing quality management system standard and the BPIF (British Printing Industries Federation) are formulating a new standard that links ISO9001 with ISO12647, the printing press standard, to allow companies to be certified by internationally recognised bodies as being able to print to ISO 12647 and have the supporting quality systems in place to ensure both conformity to the standard and customer satisfaction.

Colour management should not be used to fix problems but to prevent them – Rob Griffith

I was slightly dubious about 9001 before the course. The pre-press and design companies I worked for before joining The Colour Collective were all very small and didn’t have very much in the way of formalised systems and procedures. Some of the ISO standards have a poor reputation as being more about ticking the right boxes than actually changing how companies work.

However as the course went on I realised that the majority of the standard was common sense; learning from mistakes and ensuring they don’t happen again, focusing on customer satisfaction, having procedures in place that make it hard for human error to occur, making sure management is fully behind delivering quality products and services and always trying to get better and better at whatever the company does should be at the heart of any organisation.

Any design, pre-press or print company has a series of interlocking procedures that feed the work from receipt of the customer’s files or instructions through to a finished piece of print etc. The interfaces between one department and another is where error usually occurs. Do sales get the right instructions from the customer? Does production check that all the right fonts have been included? Does the press operator check that the print matches the proof? Looking at the processes in your business and building quality checks into them is a sure way to reduce errors , have more satisfied customers and increase profits.

Certainly any printing company that aims to print to the very tight specifications of ISO 12647 needs very good quality systems in place. However, they shouldn’t go for ISO9001 certification just to put another logo on their website and tick the right boxes for their customers. They should do it because they want to produce great print every time. They need to retain the passion of print as a craft but unite that passion with the control of a 21st century manufacturing process.

I aim to start auditing ISO 9001 with 12647 systems soon and also get involved with consultancy work helping printing companies and others, achieve the standard not so that they can tick the boxes and get a 9001 certificate but so they can raise their quality levels and exceed their customer’s expectations.

Rob Griifth
The Colour Collective Ltd

Click here to get your copy!

The new X-Rite ColorChecker Passport has just been released.

You can purchase the ColorChecker Passport from our web fulfillment partner, Native Digital.

It promises to deliver much more than the traditional ColorChecker card and offers more than the Datacolor SpyderCube in some areas. Here’s the blurb from the manufacturer to give you an idea…

RAW COLOR POWER

Control and Creativity from Capture to Edit

Reduce your image processing time and improve quality control in your Raw workflow by combining the powerful color capabilities of the ColorChecker Passport and Adobe® Imaging solutions. Quickly and easily capture accurate colour, instantly enhance portraits and landscapes, and maintain colour control and consistency from capture to edit.

ColorChecker Passport – Overview

Superior color results in a fraction of the time!

ColorChecker Passport is a powerful ‘capture to edit’ color solution for any photographer looking for more accurate, consistent colour and creative flexibility. And when you combine ColorChecker Passport with Adobe® Imaging solutions you’ll gain even greater benefits.

ColorChecker Passport combines three photographic targets into one pocket size protective, multi-positionable case that adjusts to any scene. Together with the included camera calibration software, you get the ultimate in functionality, flexibility and portability.

There are so many ways to incorporate ColorChecker Passport into your Raw workflow. Whether you take advantage of the entire solution, or just a couple of ColorChecker Passport’s many features, you’ll realize improved quality and productivity almost immediately.

Creative Enhancement Target – neutralize and create your look with enhancement patches; check and evaluate shadow details or highlight clipping; check and control color shifting

Classic Target – industry standard color reference target for creating DNG profiles and for evaluating specific colors

White Balance Target – create custom in-camera white balance for a consistent white point in a set of images, eliminating the need to correct each image later

Camera Calibration Software – includes both a desktop application and an Adobe® Lightroom® Plug-In for creating custom DNG profiles

Click image to enlarge

Portable Protective Case – adjusts to accommodate multiple positions so you can adjust the targets to any scene.  Also includes a handy lanyard.

SHOOTING JPEG NOT RAW?

You’ll still gain many great benefits when you include ColorChecker Passport in your workflow.

White Balance Target

• Ensure your JPEG files are captured with the correct white point
• Eliminate the chance of any extreme white balance errors which cannot be corrected later in JPEG workflow
• Save time on post production edits of each individual shot

Creative Enhancement Target

• Evaluate and optimize shadow details or highlight clipping with gray ramp patches
• Use as visual reference for color spectrum and color adjustment with HSL (hue, saturation, lightness) patches
• Warm or cool images

Classic Target

• Photograph the Classic target in the same lighting as your images and use as a visual reference to help with color correction

A Color-Managed Workflow that Inspires Creativity

ColorChecker Passport offers you an unparalleled tool to attain full color control and customized creative enhancement from image capture to post-processing.

The art of color management is all about getting your colors to match from input to output. That means your camera captures true colors, your monitor displays them accurately, and your printer produces a photo that matches what you see on screen. The ColorChecker Passport is an essential component to attaining a 100% color-managed workflow. Plus, the included Enhancement target helps you take your vision one step further by providing the creativity to quickly and easily edit and express your colors just as you’ve always imagined. Whether it’s a studio shot, a colorful nature scene or a multiple photo event, you can extend the power of your photo editing software with one-click enhancements that articulate your inspiration.

Shooting Raw provides greater flexibility to color-adjust images based on how a particular camera captures color. A calibrated Raw workflow minimizes color differences between cameras and lenses, adapts for mixed lighting, and makes it possible to color match across different scenes. ColorChecker Passport makes the camera calibration experience fast and easy. You’ll have greater capability to edit color because you’re starting with a consistent foundation. Plus, you’ll be able to take advantage of your Raw processing software to automatically apply your profiles to a large number of images.

If your Raw processing application does not support custom DNG profiles, you can still use ColorChecker Passport to provide a physical reference for color editing. The Enhancement Target also offers such things as exposure evaluation and one-click white balancing for Raw editing packages that support these features.

The ColorChecker Passport includes the following features:

WHITE BALANCE TARGET

Starting with an accurate white balance ensures the colors you capture are true and provides a point of reference for post-shoot editing. The ColorChecker White Balance target is an all-new spectrally flat target that provides a neutral reference point across different lighting conditions that you encounter during a photo shoot. Since the target reflects light equally across the visible spectrum, creating an in-camera custom white balance can properly compensate for varying lighting.

You’ll be able to:

• Eliminate color casts
• Improve the color preview on your camera’s display so your histograms are more reliable
• Make post production color editing faster and easier by eliminating the need to neutralize each image individually

Setting a custom white balance for each lighting situation will make the previews on your camera’s built in display more color correct, make your histograms more reliable, and speed up post production color editing. Raw shooters can capture anytime during the session to gain these benefits, while JPEG shooters should make it your first shot.

Why can’t I use just any white object?

White balancing on a piece of paper or other gray element in the scene may seem like a simple workaround, but most objects are not actually neutral under all lighting conditions; and they’re certainly not consistent. An inaccurate white balance will result in color casts and a lack of consistency between lighting conditions.

CREATIVE ENHANCEMENT TARGET

The all-new Enhancement Target provides a higher level of color creativity and control to your workflow. The Enhancement target includes four rows of color patches designed for image editing with just the click of an eyedropper. Whether it’s a studio shot, a colorful landscape or a multiple scene photo event, you can extend the power of your photo editing software in virtually any Raw processing software.

Two rows of warming and cooling patches in the middle guide you to create pleasing and repeatable edits. Creatively refine the color of your image by adding warmth to skin tones or boost the deep greens or blues in a landscape. Simply click through the patches to view the adjustment, and select the one that provides your optimal look. Then, save the setting and apply it to other images that were shot under that same lighting to create pleasing edits – it’s that easy!

When it comes to clipping, the Enhancement target highlights the power of working in Raw. A row of clipping patches across the bottom serve as a visual reference for judging, controlling and editing images for shadow details or highlight clipping. Although it may appear from a preview that shadow or highlight details have been lost, it is possible that the processing software just clipped them and they are still available in the Raw file. With some careful adjustments, you may be able to bring them back.

The clipping patches are separated into two groups: light and dark. The light patches are ordered with 1/3 of an F-stop difference between them. The dark patches are ordered the same, with the exception of the last patch; which represents the blackest patch in the ColorChecker target. The exposure difference between the darkest and next darkest patch is approximately 1/10th of a stop, and the dynamic range of the target is about 32:1 (5 stops). In Adobe applications, use these patches along with the clipping preview to ensure you are not losing details.

Across the top of the Enhancement target, the top HSL (hue, saturation, lightness) row includes 8 spectrum patches to ensure color fidelity across all hues so you can evaluate and edit for any color shifts.

CLASSIC TARGET

Photographing the industry standard ColorChecker Classic is an important step in attaining consistent, predictable color at capture. The ColorChecker Passport includes a travel-sized version of the Classic 24 patch target.  When combined with camera calibration software you can produce DNG profiles of your camera’s response to scene lighting to get consistent, predictable and repeatable results from image to image and camera to camera. 

The Classic target also provides a visual point of color reference. Photograph it in the same lighting as your images; then open it in your photo processing software as a reference to help with color correction. Each of the 24 color patches represents the colors of natural objects, such as sky blue, skin tones and leaf green; and each patch reflects light just like its real world counterpart. Each square is individually colored using a solid tone to produce pure, flat, rich color without dots or mixed tints.

The Classic can help you make global corrections based on accurate information. If you shoot a large number of images that all require the same color correction, you know that editing a few key photos and applying your changes can sometimes change colors you didn’t intend to be changed. A shot of the ColorChecker Classic captured under the same lighting as your images will provide a point of reference, so you can see exactly how changes will affect the rest of your colors before you apply them. Since your changes can be applied to one photo or a group of images, you’ll achieve consistency throughout your images.

CAMERA CALIBRATION SOFTWARE

Build custom DNG profiles with the ColorChecker Classic Target, the industry standard 24-patch ColorChecker. With the included ColorChecker Passport Camera Calibration Application and Lightroom® Plug-In, you can quickly and easily build DNG profiles for Adobe® Imaging solutions including Lightroom®, Photoshop®, Photoshop® Elements, Camera Raw (ACR) and Adobe® Bridge.

This new advanced profiling technology provides excellent results with just the small 24-patch ColorChecker Classic target, producing DNG profiles that work exceptionally well, even in unusual artificial light sources. Plus, software auto-detection will locate the target automatically.  Whether you are shooting with just one camera or multiple cameras, you’ll easily establish an accurate color foundation and maintain control of your colors.

• Camera calibration for Raw shooters enables greater capability to calibrate and correct color
• Accurate color gives a consistent foundation for creative interpretation
• Minimize color differences between cameras and lenses
• Adapt for mixed lighting
• Make color balance match across different scenes

A very powerful feature of the software is the ability to create dual-illuminant DNG profiles. This type of profile takes into account two different light sources to create a single profile, which can be applied to an even wider variety of lighting conditions. Dual-Illuminant profiles can be made with any two of twenty-one supported illuminants, allowing you to create a profile for just about any kind of lighting condition you may encounter. Dual-illuminant profiles allow you the freedom to move between the represented lighting conditions without switching profiles.

PASSPORT-SIZED CASE

ColorChecker Passport is so convenient and portable. Make sure you take it with you to every shoot! The ColorChecker Passport’s travel-sized case provides the ultimate in convenience. Made of a rugged material, it houses and protects the three ColorChecker targets from the elements and daily use to extend their lifespan. Plus, the handy lanyard makes it easy to transport and keeps it handy during every photo shoot.

The Passport case adjusts to multiple positions to self-stand, allowing you the flexibility to place the targets exactly where you need them. Whether you need a single shot of the White Balance target, a 90-degree shot of the Classic or Enhancement target, or a parallel shot of them together, the Passport case can be perfectly positioned.  ColorChecker Passport also includes a convenient lanyard.

Specifications

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Windows®

• Microsoft® Windows® XP 32 or 64 bit (with latest Service Pack installed) or Microsoft® Windows Vista® 32 or 64 bit (with latest Service Pack installed)

• 512MB RAM

• Intel® Pentium® 4 or AMD Athlon XP™ or better CPU

• 200 MB of available disk space

• User must have Administrator rights to install, uninstall the application.

• Monitor resolution of 1024×768 pixels or higher

• Internet connection required for software update

Macintosh

• Mac® OS X 10.4.11 or 10.5.x (with the latest update installed)

• 512 MB RAM

• G4 Processor or higher (G5 recommended)

• 350 MB of available disk space

• User must have Administrator rights to install and uninstall the application

• Monitor resolution of 1024×768 pixels or higher

• Internet connection required for software update

Compatible Software Supporting DNG Profiles

• Adobe® Lightroom® 2.0 or newer

• Adobe® Camera Raw 4.5 or newer

• Adobe® Photoshop® CS3 or newer

• Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 7 or newer

• Adobe® Bridge CS3 or newer

For use in a Raw editor

• Any Raw editor with click custom white balance capability

LANGUAGE VERSIONS

This product is available in the following languages:

•        English

•        French

•        Italian

•        German

•        Spanish

•        Portuguese

•        Simplified Chinese

•   Japanese

ColorChecker Passport Physical Specifications

Size: 125mm (H) x 90mm (W) x 9mm (T)

Weight: 80 grams or 3 oz

Humidity range: 85% or less, non-condensing

Temperature range for normal use of the case: 32 – 104 degrees Fahrenheit / 0 – 40 degrees Celsius

Our own testing shows that both the Eye-One series (Eye-One Display LT, Eye-One Display 2 and Eye-One Pro) along with the Spyder3 (Spyder3PRO and Spyder3Elite) will work just fine, although there are some issues with the X-Rite DTP 94 (aka Monaco Optix XR).

The DTP94 was officially discontinued by X-Rite a few years ago, just after their merger with GretagMacbeth, however it has still been available as an OEM product from some sources, although X-Rite themselves have no longer been officially providing software upgrades (which has led to some issues with new operating systems such as Windows Vista).

Despite the fact that the DTP94 is still regarded by some as one of the best devices of it’s kind, it can struggle with TFT displays that exceed 100% Adobe RGB gamut, such as the latest version of the NEC SpectraView Reference 2690. There is a work-around or ‘fudge’ as it’s technically called – get in contact if you want to know more.

For more information on our testing results with calibrators, check out this article here.

For more information or to buy an Eye-One Display, click here. For Spyder3 information, click here.

If you find that you are always doing the same tweaks to every shot then it could be a sign that the built in profile isn’t working very well for you. What DNG Profile Editor allows you to do is to tweak the built-in profiles to suit your own camera and preferences. It also allows you to build a new profile from a shot of a Macbeth Color Checker (converted to Adobe’s DNG format).

The new profile is then saved and is accessible in ACR or Lightroom. In my own quick test I shot the Macbeth under daylight on my D70, built a profile and then applied to a shot of my daughter I took a few months ago. The result was a definite improvement in colour saturation and accuracy versus the standard ACR 4.4 profile.

Downloading DNG Profile Editor and using a Macbeth Colorchecker could make a significant increase in the accuracy of your shots and also decrease the time it takes to process your RAW files.

To download the free (unsupported) application, go here:
http://labs.adobe.com/wiki/index.php/DNG_Profiles:Editor

For information or to buy a ColorChecker chart, go here:
http://www.nativedigital.co.uk/shop/product.php/44/macbeth-colour-checker-chart-v1