CUVPHI529A – Employ Colour Management in a Digital Imaging Workplace
Sue McArthur
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The first steps in image processing are the most important steps to optimized images. Adjustments made to your raw images can change the quality of your final output. Artifacts and loss of data can be a result if the changes to the raw file are not made correctly. Learn how to make the best changes and how to optimize files, individually or as a batch, using calibrated monitors and camera profiles by X-Rite.1
When editing images, wouldn’t it be nice to know the exact color of an object in the photo to determine whether your colors are accurate? Event and catalog photographers often shoot a large number of images that all require the same color correction. Generally, they’ll make edits based on a few key photos; then apply them to the rest of the images. This process can pose a problem if the edited images don’t contain every color found in the others. For example, one image may have a wide range of colors, but no yellows. Another may have no reds. Which image should you edit first? How will you know what effect your edits have on the missing color? Using the ColorChecker Passport’s spectrum patches during color correction of an initial image ensures you aren’t losing perspective on colors that might show up in subsequent images and increase the success rate during automation. To use the ColorChecker Passport spectrum patches, capture an image of the Creative Enhancement target under the same lighting that you use for your photo session. When you open the image of the target in your image editing software and make edits, you’ll see how they will affect the rest of the colors BEFORE you apply them to your images.3 Tip: Treat your profile as a starting point, then use the color and tone rendering controls to make specific adjustments. HSL Sliders One way to describe colors is by Hue, Saturation, and Lightness (or Brightness). Most photo editing applications offer HSL sliders to help you make specific color edits to these three characteristics. Remember that Raw editing is non-destructive, so feel free to play around with your HSL sliders to see how the colors in your target are affected. Hue is the main attribute of color that distinguishes it from others, such as red, yellow and green. Saturation describes the vividness of a color. More saturated colors are more vivid and pure. Less saturated colors will be less vibrant. Lightness describes how light or dark a color is.
Sue McArthur
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1. Take a photo of the colour checker passport with each different camera that you have so that you can get all your colours to look the same in your development and then create a dng from each camera you have, then export to your desktop then drag it onto the color checker passport software. The software then finds the squares to calibrate with and then you click create profile, so that you have the profile for that camera and place it in lightroom for you. I tend to create one for the scenario that I am working on that particular day so that not only do I have the white balance for that particular scene but to be doubly sure that the profile is correct, in case of any colour shift from the passport fading. 2. Then in Lightroom load your camera profile, in the camera calibration tab and enable the lens profile corrections and also tick the chromatic abberations tab. Change your lighting to whichever mode you shot it in eg flash, outdoor, indoor etc. 3. Check for any clipping in your photos 4. Then go to develop module and select all your photos shot with that camera, and press sync, so that they’re all synched with that camera profile 5. Make sure your computer monitor is calibrated with your Colour Munki2 by placing your colour munki very flatly on your screen and running through the machinations of the of visual display software step by step. The software will run through the measurements. You can change the candelas and luminance levels if your display is too bright, and your prints are coming out to bright, then you can drop the candelas down, which is usually 100cd2. You can look at the display in ambient light if you need to re-profile your monitor. Make sure to calibrate your monitor on a regular basis to ensure consistency in colour matching to your prints. You should take a flare and glare reading as well. When you have finished all this then you name the profile and nominate the time at which you want to be reminded to to profile again, e.g. once a week. 6. You need to profile your printer as well by doing a colour patch chart to match up the colours it will iterate between the patches on the screen to the printed patch chart. 7. Then after you have done that with your prints, you can then edit them to your own personal preferences after that.
Think about the intention of your print where is it going to be printed, that will help in determining a consistent output.
Sue McArthur
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In Lightroom, there are three strategies for applying settings to several images at once. Copy and Paste Settings is perfect if you have a few images shot under the same lighting that require the same color corrections. Simply copy the settings you adjust in one photo and paste them into other images. This can be done either in the Develop Module or the Library Module. Synchronize Settings is very useful to apply settings to a whole series of images. When viewing a series of images in the main window, or filmstrip, select an image that has the setting that you want to share across to other images. Select all of the other images you want to share the settings with and use the Sync option. Save as a Preset is ideal if you regularly shoot under the same lighting, such as in your studio. Simply save the settings as a preset and apply them to future images taken under the same conditions. You can apply a preset when opening images. In Lightroom, there are two strategies for applying settings to several images at once. Use these steps to copy settings from one photo and paste them into other images from the Develop Module. Select an image and set the white balance. If you’re using a custom DNG profile, set it; then make any necessary color corrections. Click the Copy button. The Copy Settings dialog window will appear. (You can copy and paste individual Develop settings from the current photo to another photo in Library and Develop modules. To paste settings to multiple photos, you must be in the Library module.) To copy the current photo’s Develop settings, do one of the following: In the Develop module, click the Copy button to the left of the toolbar, choose Edit > Copy, or choose Settings > Copy Settings. Select the settings you want and click Copy. In the Library module, choose Photo > Develop Settings > Copy Settings. Select the settings you want and click Copy. Select the settings to copy to another image. If you want to copy your camera DNG profile, make sure to select the Calibration check box. Click the Copy button. From the filmstrip at the bottom of the window, select an image. Click the Paste button. These settings will be applied to the selected image. Use these steps to copy settings from one photo and paste them into other images from the Library Module. Under the Photo menu select Develop Settings. From the sub menu, select Copy Settings. The Copy Settings dialog window will appear. Select the settings to copy to another image. If you want to copy your camera DNG profile, make sure to select the Calibration check box. Click the Copy button. From the grid or filmstrip view, select another image or group of images. Select Photo > Develop Settings > Paste to apply the settings. Lightroom allows you to synchronize settings in the filmstrip of either the Library or Develop modules, or in the Library Thumbnails. Click to select an image that has been edited to your liking. Select an image, or group of images, to which you would like to apply the same settings and hit the Sync… (or Sync Settings… ) button in the lower right corner. All of the settings from the first image will be applied to the selected images. If you shoot a lot of images under the same lighting on a regular basis, like a photography studio, it might be helpful to save a preset that can be used over and over. In the Develop Module, open an image of the ColorChecker Passport target that was shot under the desired lighting. Set the white balance and select your camera’s DNG profile. On the left side panel next to the word Presets, click on the + button. This will open a window that allows you to select any setting that you want to include in this preset. Select only the settings you need. Give this preset a meaningful name that describes the lighting conditions and camera that was used. Click the Create button. When you need this preset, simply open an image and select it from the list. Keep in mind, you may need to reselect your white balance for each shoot. Lightroom allows you to save your Camera Raw settings as a default. Since even the same model camera may capture color a little differently, it will be useful to save unique settings for each of your cameras. To ensure these settings are only used for a specific camera’s serial number and ISO setting, set that option in your Preferences. Under the Lightroom menu, on the Mac, or Edit menu in Windows, open Preferences. In the Presets tab, select the option to make specific defaults for individual cameras by serial number, or for specific ISO settings. Keep in mind, this feature may not be supported by every camera manufacturer.
Sue McArthur
watch this video re calibration http://vimeo.com/64641414
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This was an off camera flash photography session that was taken. These are the step by step processes that I used. First I took a photo of the xrite passport checker prior to the photo shoot. I then cropped the image to make a shot just of the checker. Then I exported the raw image to dng to the Xrite preset (see screen shot opposite) and named it “off camera flash canon 5d�. It then processed the preset at which time I had to restart lightroom in order to initiate the preset. Then you go to camera calibration to load the preset you have just created and then sync it to all your photos. see below screen shot. I then went ahead and synced all my images taken on that day to this camera profile, so that they were all the same colour. I white balanced the shot to auto as I did not like the white balance from the colour picker as it had a green cast to it. (see below image) No prints were made but had they been then the printer would have had to have been profiled as well as using the correct colour space for printing and loaded with the correct paper profile as well as having a calibrated monitor. The same process is followed for the next 3 image scenarios, but each time making a new profile according the lighting conditions.
Sue McArthur
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Outdoor shade First I took a photo of the xrite passport checker prior to the photo shoot. I then cropped the image to make a shot just of the checker.
Then I exported the raw image to dng to the Xrite preset (see screen shot opposite) and named it “outdoor shade�. It then processed the preset at which time I had to restart lightroom in order to initiate the preset. Then you go to camera calibration to load the preset you have just created and then sync it to all your photos. I then went ahead and synced all my images taken on that day to this camera profile, so that they were all the same colour. When doing visual color matching, be sure to use a calibrated monitor and controlled lighting conditions
I didn’t white balance the shot. No prints were made but had they been then the printer would have had to have been profiled as well as using the correct colour space for printing and loaded with the correct paper profile as well as having a calibrated monitor. The same process is followed for the next 3 image scenarios, but each time making a new profile according the lighting conditions.
Sue McArthur
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These shots were taken outdoor full sun First I took a photo of the xrite passport checker prior to the photo shoot and created a new profile
Then I exported the raw image to dng to the Xrite preset (see screen shot opposite) and named it “outdoor sun�. It then processed the preset at which time I had to restart lightroom in order to initiate the preset. Then you go to camera calibration to load the preset you have just created and then sync it to all your photos. I then went ahead and synced all my images taken. The images looked terrible so I reverted to the as shot state
I didn’t white balance the shot No prints were made but had they been then the printer would have had to have been profiled as well as using the correct colour space for printing and loaded with the correct paper profile as well as having a calibrated monitor. The same process is followed for the next 3 image scenarios, but each time making a new profile according the lighting conditions.
Sue McArthur
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These shots were taken indoor ambient The reasons for colour management in the photographic workflow are for the sake of consistentcy in the output of your colours, and your prints Outline of why the particular method camera colour management that was used was because that is the way we were taught to use the software and from videos on the product The research into the colour management method/s used is shown on the additional pages, including the bibliographies
These are the problems I encountered and I have produced two pages on this as to how they were solved in the workflow from capture to the final colour corrected image the effectiveness of the colour m a n a g e m e n t method used under the lighting circumstances. I wasn’t happy with the results in this instance so re- First I took a photo of the xrite passport checker prior to the verted to the “as shot” state and white balanced the photo shoot and created a new profile image.
Then I exported the raw image to dng to the Xrite preset (see screen shot opposite) and named it “indoor ambient”. It then processed the preset at which time I had to restart lightroom in order to initiate the preset. Then you go to camera calibration to load the preset you have just created and then sync it to all your photos. I then went ahead and synced all my images taken. The images looked terrible so I reverted to the as shot state
I didn’t white balance the shot and didn’t use the camera calibration as they looked terrible see below No prints were made but had they been then the printer would have had to have been profiled as well as using the correct colour space for printing and loaded with the correct paper profile as well as having a calibrated monitor. The same process is followed for the next 3 image scenarios, but each time making a new profile according the lighting conditions.
Sue McArthur
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These shots were taken indoor ambient because I wasn’t happy with the earlier example so I retried it.
I took a photo of the xrite passport checker prior to the photo shoot and created a new profile
Then I exported the raw image to dng to the Xrite preset and named it “indoor ambient�. I then processed the preset at which time I had to restart lightroom in order to initiate the preset. Then you go to camera calibration to load the preset you have just created and then sync it to all your photos. In this case the profile was still too green so I white balanced it first, then loaded the profiled then went ahead and synced all my images taken.
I have put the before and after photos here below. No prints were made but had they been then the printer would have had to have been profiled as well as using the correct colour space for printing and loaded with the correct paper profile as well as having a calibrated monitor. The same process is followed for the next 3 image scenarios, but each time making a new profile according the lighting conditions.
Sue McArthur
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some useful steps for profiling your Canon printer found on 4http://www.xritephoto.com/documents/literature/ en/CanonLeopardPrinterNTK_EN.pdf
CANON® PRINTER PROFILING: OSX 10.5 INTRODUCTION This document explains how to print a profiling test target from an ICC profiling application or Adobe® Photoshop® CS3 or CS4 and apply it in your Canon® print workflow. These instructions are only to be used if you are working with Adobe Photoshop CS4 on Mac® OSX Leopard® (10.5.x). To print the target, you must send RGB data to the printer with no conversions. Until recently, it has been a simple process to print the ICC profiling target from Photoshop. The simple rule was to turn off the color management in the Photoshop print dialog, then make sure color management was set to off in the printer driver, as well. However, Apple® has changed its print architecture. While older applications still print the same way, new applications like Adobe’s Creative Suite 4 (CS4) now work a little bit differently. When you turn off color management in the Photoshop CS4 print dialog, it turns ON the color management in the “Color Matching” section of Apple’s print dialog and greys out the option so you cannot turn it off. Here are two workaround options. This guide will walk you through the steps to perform both options. Choose the one that best suits your needs. 1. Print directly from an ICC profiling application, such as ColorMunki™ or i1Match. This avoids the new behavior of CS4 and Leopard ColorSync®. 2. Perform a null transform. This is your only option if you are profiling with ProfileMaker™ or MonacoPROFILER® and only have CS4 on Leopard. This requires some additional steps in the profiling process; however, after you have made the profile, there are no unusual work arounds for using it.
These steps are written for a Macintosh® running OSX Leopard® 10.5.x.
PRINTING THE TARGET AND CREATING A PROFILE When printing a target from Photoshop CS3 or Photoshop CS4, the simple rule is to turn off color management in the Photoshop print dialog as well as the printer driver. When printing from applications like i1Match or ColorMunki, simply turn off color management in the driver. Here’s how.
How to Print the Target From an ICC Profiling Application This option pertains to ICC profiling applications such as i1Match or ColorMunki. 1. From the ICC profiling application, press the Print button. 2. In the “Print” dialog, click the “Layout” menu and select Color Matching (in previous versions this was referred to as ColorSync®). 3. Select
Vendor Matching
(this may be called
Canon Color Matching). This is critical to turn off
color management. DO NOT select ColorSync because a profile pull-down will appear, and the profile will automatically be applied to your target.
1 X-Rite Color Services • 800.248.9748 x2685 • training@xrite.com
Sue McArthur
4 http://www.xritephoto.com/documents/literature/en/CanonLeopardPrinterNTK_EN.pdf
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CANON® PRINTER PROFILING: OSX 10.5 4. From the “Color Matching” menu, select then Advanced Settings.
Main,
• Do not make any changes in the “Color Adjustment” tab. • Under the “Matching” tab change the default from Driver Correction to No Correction. This will turn off color management. • Click OK.
7. We recommend saving these settings as a preset in order to use them quickly when printing from your applications. 5. The following settings will affect your print color and must be set to the same settings you will use later when applying the profile. • Media Type: The type of media you select will determine the amount of ink that is laid down. To determine which to select, start by choosing a media name that is similar to the type of paper that is loaded in the printer. • Print Quality: Select the same print quality you will use in production. • Unidirectional Printing: If you mark the Unidirectional, Thicken Fine Lines, or High Precision Printing check boxes, make sure to mark these same boxes when printing later. • Other check boxes: Use the same settings you set here when you print the profile. 6. Next, turn off color management in the Canon print driver. • Under “Color Mode” click the Set... button.
• Click the “Presets” pull-down and select Save As....
• Give your preset a meaningful name that includes the printer, paper type and quality. 8. Print and measure your target and build the profile as usual.
How to Print the Target From Adobe Photoshop CS3 and CS4 Performing a Null Transform A null transform is when a source profile has the same name as the destination profile. Since the software will see that the two profiles match, no conversion will be made. Performing a null transform will fool Apple’s print driver into not color managing your RGB target file. This work around is only for printing the ICC profiling target. The process involves a couple of steps we would normally recommend against, so it is very important to follow them exactly to disable Leopard’s color management without inadvertently applying any conversions.
2 X-Rite Color Services • 800.248.9748 x2685 • training@xrite.com
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CANON® PRINTER PROFILING: OSX 10.5 Here is how to perform the null transform to your ICC profile target.
5. Click the “Color Matching” menu and select Main, then Advanced Settings.
1. Open your target and assign a profile by selecting Assign Profile. Select “Generic RGB Profi le” from the pull-down.
6. The following settings will affect your print color and must be set to the same settings you will use later when applying the profile. • Media Type: The type of media you select will determine the amount of ink that is laid down. To determine which to select, start by choosing a media name that is similar to the type of paper that is loaded in the printer.
2. Select File > Print. In Photoshop’s print dialog box, set “Color Handling” to Photoshop Manages Colors. For the “Printer Profi le”, select Generic RGB Profile. You will not need to worry about rendering intent or black point compensation.
• Print Quality: Select the same print quality you will use in production. • Unidirectional Printing: If you mark the Unidirectional, Thicken Fine Lines, or High Precision Printing check boxes, make sure to mark these same boxes when printing later. • Other check boxes: Use the same settings you set here when you print the profile. 7. To turn off color management in the Canon print driver, click the Set... button under “Color Mode”. Do not make any changes in the “Color Adjustment” tab. 8. Select the “Matching” tab. This is where Photoshop CS3 and CS4 differ.
3. Click Print.
• In CS3 the mode shows as “No Correction”. Click OK.
4. In the printer driver, select the “Layout” menu and choose Color Matching (known as ColorSync in previous versions). Since you selected “No Color Management” in Photoshop’s print dialog, color matching is bypassed. No profile will be applied to your profiling target and the “Color Matching” options will appear greyed out.
• In CS4, the mode shows “ColorSync” with profile settings. Don’t worry, all profiles are being bypassed. Click OK.
3 X-Rite Color Services • 800.248.9748 x2685 • training@xrite.com
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CANON® PRINTER PROFILING: OSX 10.5 9. We recommend saving these settings as a preset in order to use them quickly when printing from your applications. • From the “Presets” pull-down, select Save As.
2. From the “Color Management” tab, set “Color Handling” to Application Determines Colors. Set the “Printer Profile” to your new custom built profile.
• Give your preset a meaningful name that includes the printer, paper type and quality. 10. Print and measure your target and build the profile as usual.
USING YOUR NEW PROFILE Once you’ve printed the target and created a new profile, select one of the following options to use it.
How to Print From Photoshop If you print from Photoshop, follow these steps to disable color management in the Canon driver. When using your profile, be sure to use the same printer driver settings. 1. In the “Photoshop” print dialog, select Photoshop Manages Colors and your new printer profi le. 2. Use your saved presets or the exact same settings you set in the “Main” window. 3. Click the Set... button and select No Correction. Color management will be disabled in the “Color Matching” window in the Canon driver.
3. If you saved your presets when you profiled your printer, use the “Presets” pull-down and select the saved presets for your printer, media type, and print quality. 4. If you did not save your presets or you want to make sure all of your presets are the same as before, select Printer from the “Applications” dialog box to set up the print driver.
How to Print from Other Graphics Applications Unlike Photoshop, applications such as InDesign® will not automatically disable color management in the “Color Matching” window in the Canon driver. When printing from these applications utilizing your new custom profile, follow these instructions: 1. Open your file and select File > Print.
4 X-Rite Color Services • 800.248.9748 x2685 • training@xrite.com
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CANON® PRINTER PROFILING: OSX 10.5 5. Click the “Layout” menu. Select Color Matching and make sure Vendor Matching (this may be called Canon Color Matching) is selected. 6. Click on the “Color Matching” menu and select Main. Use the same Media Type and Print Quality you used when you made the profile. 7. Under “Color Mode” click the Set... button. 8. Behind the “Matching” tab make sure Correction is selected.
No
9. When you have made all changes in the application color management window and the printer driver, print your document.
For information on a variety classroom, custom on-site, and highly interactive on-line training options, see X-Rite’s Color Services web site at http://www.xrite.com/top_services.aspx Contact us at: Email: training@xrite.com Classroom Training
On-Site Training
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Phone: 800.248.9748 x2685
5 The product names used in this Need To Know document are for educational purposes only and do not imply endorsement by the makers of those products, or the endorsement of those products by X-Rite. All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
CanonCS4LeopardPrinterNTK_05APR10 ©2009 X-Rite Incorporated. All rights reserved
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Bibliography 1 http://www.xritephoto.com/ph_learning.aspx?action=webinarsarchive&eventid=1482&eventdate id=5502 2 http://www.xritephoto.com/ph_learning.aspx?action=webinarsarchive&eventid=1353&eventdate id=5292 3 http://www.xrite.com/support_doc.aspx?Line=32&SupportID=5007 4 http://www.xritephoto.com/documents/literature/en/CanonLeopardPrinterNTK_EN.pdf
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