Camera Profiling
Camera Profiling
- Subject: Camera Profiling
- From: Lindsay Merritt <email@hidden>
- Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:05:04 +1000
Hi folks.
OK, I know the general opinion on camera profiles and their worth but
please, bear with me.
I have a new Canon 7D and I use the latest version of Capture One V5
to process my raw files. I love the output of C1, have used it for
many years and don't want to change.
The problem is, the skin-tones I get from the 7D are just awful when
processed in C1. The skin-tones could only be described as luminous
orange. I've satisfied myself that this is a C1 profile issue for this
camera. I did this by using a 24 patch ColorChecker card and by using
both the DNG profile editor and ColorChecker Passport for ACR. The
camera produces excellent results either with the standard profile or
my custom one in ACR.
We can shoot anything up to 15 portrait sessions a day in our studio
and I need speed and reliability, hence Capture One. I don't like
using ACR and LightRoom not only will nor launch on my brand new Mac
Pro, I don't like the interface and dislike the external database.
Trust me, Capture One and I are friends...
My camera room is painted grey so as not to add color casts. My
Elinchroms are gelled to match at 5250K as measured with my Minolta CT
meter. We use a WhiBal reference in the first frame of every shoot.
This is to allow as perfect a color rendition as possible with the
least effort required in post production. This system has worked
perfectly for years until now.
I decided to build a custom profile for the 7D. I'd done them before
when I photographed artworks with a Kodak DCS 760. The results were
outstanding (and published). This process required a linear gamma tiff
file. I can't remember the software I used to create the profile but I
think it was made by Profile City (now defunct).
I set the lighting to perfection and using a Kodak Grey Card,
established the exposure with the Histogram, one line dead in the
middle of the screen, double checked the exposure with Minolta Falsh
Meter 1V and it matched to the tenth of an f-stop. Lighting was even
(and proven so when later measured with the Eyedropper Tool in CS4).
I photographed both the GMB ColorChecker DC card and the GMB
ColorChecker SG card to see which would produce the best results.
At this point, this is where I ran into trouble. I believed that the
profile should have been created from a linear gamma, tiff file with
no embedded profile and ProfileMaker was telling me that the image was
too dark. It wanted a processed ProPhoto RGB tiff file. I installed
Canon Digital Photo Professional in the hope that this would help but
not only did I have to embed a proffile, the largest available was
Wide Gamut RGB.
When processed, obviously a tone curve gas been applied and the file
looked normal, and what ProfileMaker was expecting but I knew that the
result would not be satisfactory and was proven right. I checked the
gamut volume against the Capture One standard CanonEOS7d-Generic.icm
profile in ColorThink 3.0 Pro. I knew then I'd not succeeded but tried
the profile out anyway. No deal.
I have ColorEyes 20/20 and reinstalled that but if anyone has used
that, it gives you the name of an animal and you require the match-
phrase. I did that, received my match phrase and when I relaunched the
application the following day, my bloody animal had changed and the
match phrase no longer matched. Who knew?
I've e-mailed for another match-phrase with the new animal but have
not been answered. I'm sure they believe I'm attempting multiple
installs...
So finally, my question. What do I need to do here? I can't see that
using an exported Tiff file complete with an embedded profile and tone
curve applied can possibly allow me to build a profile worth a damn.
Am I missing something? Is there software that will build an accurate
profile from an untouched converted linear gamma TIFF file? What
software (if not ProfileMaker) would Capture One be using to build
*their* profiles?
I can't test ColorEyes 20/20 (no match phrase) but the manual leads me
to believe that I'm heading to the same dead end that ProfileMaker
took me.
I'd accept any advice, am happy to provide the raw files I took of the
test charts etc.
Anyone, please?
Cheers,
Lindsay Merritt M.Photog.
About Faces Photography
318 Princes Highway
Bulli. NSW.
Australia 2516
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