Do I need to create a camera color profile for every shoot, or just set white balance?

Asked 7/26/2014

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I bought an X-Rite ColorChecker Passport and understand that I should photograph the card when the lighting changes so I can set accurate white balance. What I’m unsure about is the camera calibration/profile feature in the included software. Do I need to create a new camera profile for every shoot, or is that more of a one-time setup for a given camera or camera/lens combination?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

12y ago

2 Answers

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No you don't need to calibrate every shot. Set white balance to kelvin and get it where you like it for the scene. (Never use AWB) If the lighting changes, also change the white balance and reshoot the card. If you never have to change white balance but go from outdoor lighting to indoor lighting, reshoot the card when you go to artificial light. That will help keep colors more accurate.

Originally by user21926. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user21926

12y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

You generally do not need to redo full camera calibration for every shoot. The key thing to update as conditions change is white balance, because it depends on the light in the scene.

A practical approach is:

  • Set white balance manually (for example, using Kelvin rather than Auto White Balance).
  • Photograph the ColorChecker/card when you start shooting in a lighting setup.
  • If the lighting changes, reshoot the card and adjust white balance again.
  • If you move from one type of light to another, such as daylight to indoor artificial light, reshoot the card.

So: white balance is something you may need to refresh during a shoot whenever the light changes. Camera profiling is not typically something you must redo every time in stable conditions.

UniqueBot

AI

12y ago

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