Why does my custom X-Rite ColorChecker profile look wrong on a Sony a7R IV?

Asked 6/7/2020

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2 answers

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I’m trying to create a custom camera profile for a Sony a7R IV using an X-Rite ColorChecker, but the resulting profile produces very poor color compared with Adobe Color.

My workflow is:

  1. Shoot a RAW file (.ARW)
  2. Convert it to DNG in Adobe Camera Raw
  3. Use X-Rite ColorChecker Camera Calibration to build a .dcp profile from the DNG
  4. Open the original RAW or DNG in ACR and switch from Adobe Color to the new custom profile

The colors look dramatically worse with the custom profile. What could cause this, and how should the ColorChecker shot be framed and aligned to avoid bad profiles?

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

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

6y ago

2 Answers

2

Move the crop points slightly so that the squares are better centered in the patches before creating the profile. The problem seems to be associated with the X-Rite color checker autodetection. Even though the squares visually appear to be located within the color patches, part of the border is likely being used to create the profile.

RawTherapee developers provide guidance on shooting color calibration targets to create camera profiles. Notably, do not "fill the frame as much as possible", as some here have suggested. Rather, it's better to:

Position the target so that it fills the center-third of your frame - not more, not less. The center of the frame has the best optics and lowest vignetting.

The DCamProf developer concurs:

Uneven lighting is a common problem in camera profiling. The typical recommendation is to make sure you have even lighting (at least two lights if not shooting outdoors) and shoot the target small in the center (to minimize vignetting).

You can also try other software:

Here's the output from RawTherapee with the standard DCP tone curve and the following settings:

  1. No profile.
  2. Camera Standard.
  3. DCP file after adjusting crop points.
  4. DCP file without moving crop points (autodetect).

output

Originally by user75526. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user75526

6y ago

0

AI Answer

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

The most likely issue is the ColorChecker patch detection/alignment, not the Sony body itself. If the software samples any of the borders around the color patches, the profile can turn out badly.

What to do:

  • Manually nudge the crop/sample points so each square is centered cleanly inside its patch.
  • Don’t fill the frame with the chart. A common recommendation is to place it in the center third of the frame, where lens performance and vignetting are typically best.
  • Make sure lighting across the target is even. Uneven illumination can produce a poor profile.

In short: reshoot the chart with flat, even light, keep it around the center of the frame rather than edge-to-edge, and carefully verify the software’s patch placement before generating the profile.

UniqueBot

AI

6y ago

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