X-Rite ColorChecker Passport specifically targeted at DNG workflow

Hi folks, I reviewed the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport system
(review of ColorChecker Passport here: http://www.it-enquirer.com/main/ite/more/colorchecker_passport/)
What I find mildly annoying in this X-Rite solution is that it only creates DNG profiles. While that is great when you're working with Lightroom and Photoshop only, it's ineffective if you also use other applications like Capture One Pro.
You can of course use the ColorChecker hardware to create an ICC profile, using ProfileMaker, but I was wondering if one can't convert a DNG profile to ICC. I tried to open the DNG profiles on my Mac OS X machine, but they aren't package bundles, so there is no measurement data to be extracted for example...

With full disclosure, I don't own the color checker passport but I've played around with it and I agree that it is pretty cool. I haven't used it in conjunction with an Aperture workflow, but Aperture is my main tool in processing/maintaining my image files (along with photoshop). The software that allows the colorchecker to work with photoshop/acr/lightroom is pretty usefull, but unfortunately, as you've found, the colorchecker doesn't work with Aperture in the same way.
My suggestion would be that while you can't create profiles in the same fashion in Aperture using the colorchecker as the colorchecker does with lightroom, you can still make a preset based upon the passport itself.
I'm pretty sure that you could make global adjustments/enhancements to an image of the passport, make a preset, and apply it to other images in similar lighting. Not as slick as the interfacing of the colorchecker and acr/lightroom but I'm pretty sure it would work nicely.
I'd be curious to hear with others have to say.
Best,
CD
Message was edited by: ChristopherDavid

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X-rite colorchecker passport profile created but does not appear in the Camera Calibration tab!

I have installed x-rite colorchecker passport and lightroom 5.0. I followed the tutorial in setting up my camera profile and lightroom reported created successfully. However after restarting Lightroom, I could not find my created profile other than the Adobe Standard in the Camera Calibration tab.
Please help !

X-Rite has a free DNG Profile Manager that can be downlaoded after registering your ColorChecker Passport here:
http://www.xritephoto.com/ph_registration.aspx
You will be offered a link to download the free app. See if the profile you created is visible with the app.
Here's where the user camera profiles should be located with LR5:
Windows—C: \ Users \ [your username] \ AppData \ Roaming \ Adobe \ CameraRaw \ CameraProfiles \
Mac—Macintosh HD / Users / [your username] / Library / Application Support / Adobe / CameraRaw / CameraProfiles /
Profiles are camera model specific so a Canon 600D camera profile will only be visible when a 600D raw image file is selected. You need to create profiles for each camera model separately.

X-Rite ColorChecker Passport workflow?

Anyone using an X-Rite ColorChecker Passport for adjusting color, or creating profiles? I'd like to do this for important shots, or shooting sessions with consistent light.
It is very useful to shoot a test shot of the ColorChecker Passport and use it with the ColorChecker software, ACR 6, and Photoshop CS5 to adjust color in a particular lighting situation. IMO, it improves color from shots with a Nikon D700. It also helps keep color looking consistent when shooting with two different cameras.
I'm trying to figure out if there is a way to use ColorChecker test shots in Aperture. Anyone have suggestions?

With full disclosure, I don't own the color checker passport but I've played around with it and I agree that it is pretty cool. I haven't used it in conjunction with an Aperture workflow, but Aperture is my main tool in processing/maintaining my image files (along with photoshop). The software that allows the colorchecker to work with photoshop/acr/lightroom is pretty usefull, but unfortunately, as you've found, the colorchecker doesn't work with Aperture in the same way.
My suggestion would be that while you can't create profiles in the same fashion in Aperture using the colorchecker as the colorchecker does with lightroom, you can still make a preset based upon the passport itself.
I'm pretty sure that you could make global adjustments/enhancements to an image of the passport, make a preset, and apply it to other images in similar lighting. Not as slick as the interfacing of the colorchecker and acr/lightroom but I'm pretty sure it would work nicely.
I'd be curious to hear with others have to say.
Best,
CD
Message was edited by: ChristopherDavid

Colorchecker Passport not working in Lightroom 5.6

I have been using the colorchecker passport while photographing my art for about a year now and have not had problems with it until recently. Now Lightroom 5.6 will not show my profiles in the camera calibration area nor will it create a new profile. When I try to create a new one it says it cannot be generated. When I run a report I get this message:
Plug-in error log for plug-in at: C:\Users\Joshua\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Lightroom\Modules\XRiteColorCheckerPassport.lrplugi n
**** Error 1
This plug-in’s post-processing task did not finish successfully.
XRUtility.lua:86: <AgErrorID>canceled</AgErrorID>
I tried creating a new profile with the x-rite Camera Calibration Software and got the same report. I don't know if the problems in with the OS, Lightroom, or x-rite. Here is what I am using:
Windows 8.1
Lightroom 5.6
ColorChecker Passport Adobe Lightroom Plug-in (3/15/2011)
Color Checker Camera Calibration 1.0.2 (6/22/2010)
I also tried removing all the x-rite software (both the plug-in and stand along software) and reinstall it, but that did not fix anything.
Any ideas?

If you can figure out how to upload your newest DNG to Dropbox I may be able to help you analyze what is wrong, otherwise, I can only guess from what you've said. A partial substitute for uploading the DNG would be to post a screenshot of what it looks like as you did, originally so at least a judgment can be made about whether it is shot correctly or not.
The DNG you linked from Dropbox gives me a reasonable error message, yet it seemed to give you something else. This is what I don't understand, unless you're using the older CCPP app, rather than the slightly newer one, so first, make sure you've downloaded the 2010 version of the software and the 2011 version of the plug-in that interfaces with the software, in case what you've installed from the disk is the original version.
One of these links appears to be just the plug-in and one has both the software and the plug-in as separate items. I assume the plug-in is the same for both but I'm including both links just in case one is newer. Since the one that is just the plug-in mentions Windows 8, I assume it is the most up-to-date.
ColorChecker Passport Adobe® Lightroom® Plug-In N/A
X-Rite ColorChecker Passport – X-Rite Photo – X-Rite Passport
Secondly, if you still have them try profiling the original NEFs instead of the DNGs.
Thirdly, if you must make DNGs, it can matter what the Compatibility Level is and try an older one, since the CCPP software hasn't been updated in several years. This doesn't seem to matter for some cameras but it does for others.

Colorchecker passport and the DNG profile editor

I finally got around to getting a Colorchecker passport to use with the DNG profile editor.
I was secretly hoping I could save time by shooting the chart on location and make an instant profile out of that - then the colors would be at least "close ballpark" so I would just have to apply white balance and then move on to more specific adjustments. But of course it wasn't that easy, it still takes a fair bit of color tweaking to get right in most circumstances.
So I'm wondering if my energy would be better spent trying to perfect one good dual illuminant general profile. For this I would use 3000 K tungsten at one end and 5500 K studio flash at the other. Or would it be better to use overcast daylight? In either case it's obviously important to ensure the chart is absolutely evenly lit.
And then I should probably have a separate profile for fluorescent tubes.
I'm curious what other people's experiences with the colorchecker/DNG profile editor are? How are you using it?

The color profile changes with the lighting, so a profile that was computed for daylight won’t be right for tungsten or fluorescent. Keep in mind that a custom camera profile is the set of corrections on top of an existing Adobe profile that the DNG has assigned to it, perhaps Adobe Standard, and all Adobe profiles are dual-illuminant profiles, so it makes sense you’d want to also create a dual-illuminant profile for general purpose use that has the same two lighting scenarios as Adobe used: 2850K and 6500K. The 6500K is the tricky one because full sun is warmer, closer to 5000K, and you need the right amount of haze to create 6500K sunlight, unless you are using standard D65 bulbs, indoors, which is likely what Adobe does.
I use a dual-illuminant profile for general purpose use, but since the WB-Tint values of both the tungsten and daylight ends are close to zero, lighting that has a tint not close to zero needs a separate profile. The common example is the greenish light from fluorescents, and I have several single-illuminant profiles for various artificial lighting scenarios with WB-Tint values that are relatively non-zero. I also have ones for very red sunsets and very blue twilight. If I had studio lighting I’d make a profile for that. Sometimes I make a custom profile for a church or other venue that has significant non-neutral walls or ceilings, or where sunlight through the stained-glass windows shining on the walls are giving a significant color-cast including a non-zero tint value to the lighting. If you know you’ll be doing some shots near a large amount of tall, green vegetation then a custom color profile can correct for the green tinge to the ambient lighting coming down from above mixing in with the sunlight.
Adding to the suggestion about wearing neutral clothing, I’d argue for dark neutral clothing because something lighter clothing will reflect environmental colors (sunlit vegetation or brick walls, etc, outdoors) and not be neutral.
Besides non-neutral clothing, try to avoid areas that have green grass or tree leaves or brick buildings that also color the light and reflect off the colorchecker. For the sunlit shots, I put my colorchecker face up on the sidewalk or parking lot, to avoid coloration from the grass and far away from trees or buildings especially in the direction I’m pointing the camera, so the only lighting is direct sun and ambient blue-sky, possibly diffused by hazy clouds. I point the camera down at the colorchecker, at a 45-degree angle and at a compass direction and not directly toward the sun, nor directly away from the sun. I try to shoot the target that is face up on the ground perhaps at a 90-degree angle from the sun to minimize any residual glare from the colorchecker’s slightly non-matte surface. Obviously directly away from the sun, the color-checker will have my shadow on it or I will be blocking the light from the sky near the sun.
I use the same sort of process for the tungsten end, choosing a room with neutral walls and put the target relatively flat on the floor facing up, perhaps tipped up somewhat toward the light, but not so much as to have any glare from the lighting, either, in other words, not with the lighting directly behind the camera, but somewhat over to the side.

Aperture and colorchecker passport from X-rite

the colorchecker passport is a tool to make color corrections by camera profiles.
(http://www.xritephoto.com/phproductoverview.aspx?id=1257&tab=videos)
nice program to get my color workflow better accept i use aperture and.. that just doesn't work some how. even adobe's lightroom got a plugin for this beautiful thing but aperture doesn't give any options to use a camera profile. Unbelievable because this is so important if you're doing commercial photography.
I hope some one can help me with my issue because i dont want to leave aperture and work with lightroom...

Just one other comment about this kind of workflow in general.
While absolutely accurate color rendition and absolutely neutral WB can have their uses they are few and far between. Virtually every single commercial image ever viewed has nowhere near "accurate" color or WB. In fact the whole demo video itself is shot so freaking warm it's actually funny. Not only is the video shot warm but just about everything done, from the time of day it was shot to the use of gold reflectors is done to achieve warmth of color while the guy talks on and on and on about how the product helps you achieve accurate color - that's hilarious. Why would you ever go through the trouble to get the light and color so warm just to neutralize it out. His video shooter/processor/editor didn't think it was such a good idea to neutralize it - in fact the video guys actually cranked it up. Really funny stuff. Hmmm what happens when you shoot when the sun is really really warm and you use a gold reflector and a neutral WB target to adjust your WB? Answer = gold/warmth goes away - freaking brilliant. Hmmm maybe he should talk about how the video guys just set the WB to 5500 or even higher temp and captured all the wrong but warm color.
RB
Message was edited by: rwboyer
Message was edited by: rwboyer

Does X-RIte MSCCPP ColorChecker Passport work with Photoshop Extended CS3 Version 10.0.1 running under Mac OS 10.6.8?

My iMac is running 10.6.8, but some of the newer color checkers require 10.7 or higher.
Amazon has a listing for the X-Rite MSCCPP ColorChecker Passport. The system
requirements mention Adobe Camera RAW 4.5 or newer, Mac OSX 10.4.11 or 10.5X.
Will the X-Rite work with my CS3 Extended version 10.0.1?

Thanks to all participants for their advice. Having purchased the Xrite MSCCPP ColorChecker Passport, I can say that
the short answer to my question (amended to saying my camera is an Canon XTi) is "yes".
Instructions for using a newer version of the CCP are given at
http://www.xrite.com/documents/manuals/en/ColorCheckerPassport_User_Manual_en.pdf.
The same steps apply to the MSCCPP version.
In the reviews of the MSCCPP on Amazon, be sure to read Louie Aquinaldo's advice about not upgrading
from the included software version 1.0.1 to 1.0.2.

X-Rite's ColorChecker Passport with Aperture

I would like to use X-Rite's ColorChecker Passport with Aperture.
Is anybody aware whether Apple's Tech people are talking to X-Rite to enable using both together?

The ToU forbid discussion of anything but released products. You will not find an answer here. Fwiw, I have no idea.
The Passport is an object with no electronics. How does Adobe's software communicate with it?

ColorChecker Passport-Color Profiles

Hi there,
I am photographing paintings with Elinchrom flashes with an even light and I use the ColorChecker Passport from X-Rite to keep a reference in order to match the colors.
Till now, I've been using the software DNG profile manager, provided with the ColorChecker Passport from X-Rite, which creates a camera profile that should be helpfull to get the right color. Once I've applied the new camera profile (after restarting lightroom), I do the white balance. It's recommended on the X-Rite tutorial to use the target number 20 called "neutral 8" to do the white balance. I've also tried the target 22 called "neutral 5", and it seems to get slightly better results.
I've noticed that even creating a color profile and doing the white balance the colors don't match. I am using a mac laptop screen that I calibrate quite often, which is not very helpful for obvious reasons, but that helps to keep track of the general look of the image, so that's why I keep the color adjustment to the RGB numbers.
I've downloaded the following PDF; here there is some information about the RGB values of various ColorChekers:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CB4QFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.babelcol or.com%2Fdownload%2FRGB%2520Coordinates%2520of%2520the%2520Macbeth%2520ColorChecker.pdf&rc t=j&q=ColorChecker%20rgb%20values&ei=wOCdTbG7NIyDhQelj5G8BA&usg=AFQjCNGj3wUpWC_uMxgMCeR3GI yN7kDU0A&sig2=mPf1grSAULxyMs_SanYVNw&cad=rja
Using these values and a selective color layer in photoshop I get close to the real colors, although it is not good enough.
My questions are:
1-Does anybody know the ColorChecker Passport RGB (Adobe 98) values?
2-I've tried to use the DNG profile editor because it seems a precise tool for this, but it doesn't recognise the 5D Mark II files. Is it because this application hasn't been updated? It also seems to work only with 6500K or 2850K, which is not the case of the Elincrhom 600 monoblocks I am using (which I think are around 5000K.
3-Could anybody recommend a workflow that's better to match the colors?
I have more questions, but I think these three are a good start.
Thanks!

Here are color-error analysis plots for several camera calibrations using the fine-art color-checker calibration shot uploaded, earlier.
The three profiles tested were:
1) A custom Elinchrom Flash profile I created from the color-checker using the DNG Profile Editor,
2) The Adobe Standard camera profile,
3) The custom profile provided by Gustov.
My general comment would be that the Adobe Standard profile has about the same error as the custom profile I computed using the DNG Profile Editor but the Adobe profile has a more even distribution of the color error.
The profile Gustov provided seems to be very close in the yellow area, but quite far off in the reds, blues, and violets. This can also be seen as a severe shift toward the green of the WB Tint slider value when the profile is selected for the As Shot WB as compared to the almost zero value when using the Adobe Standard profile.
These color-error plots were created using the ColorCheck module of Imatest Studio 3.7 from www.imatest.com. The program compares the measured color values from a color-checker image to the standard color numbers of the Color Checker then plots the difference on a CIE chromicity diagram, where the squares are the standard color position, the circles are the measured color position, and length of line in between is the color-error. In general, error in-and-out from the center is saturation error, while error around the center is hue error. In a 3D plot luminance error is also shown but harder to visualize without a way to rotate the plot around. Imatest provides this visualization in its Multicharts module.
I used the ProPhotoRGB colorspace when saving the TIF out of ACR because the standard ProPhotoRGB color-checker numbers in Imatest are for D50 lighting whereas the AdobeRGB standard numbers are for D65 lighting. As the image-filenames suggest, I used a linear toning curve and a black-point of 0 when saving out of ACR, but left the brightness at 50 and the contrast at 25. I tried zeroing out the brightness and contrast or using the Medium Contrast toning curve but things were way off. Using a blackpoint of 0 instead of the default of 5 also made things slightly better. There are scripts that can compute the optimal toning values for the gray patches but I was only comparing profiles, not trying to optimize them completely.

ColorChecker Passport - Camera Raw

Hello,
I recently purchased the ColorChecker Passport from X-Rite...
When I click on "Create a Profile"... I have an error message saying that it is not possible to create a profile with this image... This message can appear at the beginning of the process or at the very end (after many tries)... (see image... sorry it's in french !)... My picture is not overexposed... not even cropped !
I'm not able to solve this problem...
Hope you have a solution...
Many thanks for your help...

Hi
May be one ore more (R, G ord B) channels are burned-out for one or more tones.
You could test it with ACR.
It's better to manually expose using if possible the "spot" type exposure on Your camera measuring on exactly the 4th gray patch on the last row (this patch corresponds to 18% gray metering). This should assure well-exposed images.
Be careful to make the target planar to the lens axis and do not put reflecting obljects around the target, even if out of scene. This can relfect on the target itself.
If You are unable to obtain a good picture, You can attach one of Your RAW to verify overexposed areas.
Massimo

ColorChecker Passport

I cannot get files that have been copied as DNG into lightroom to work with the ColorChecker Passport plug in. If I use the stand alone adobe convertor they work.
The files converted by lightroom also show as non valid DNG files when you try to use theColorChecker Passport stand alone profile creator.
I am using a Mac on os x and the camera is a panasonic gh4.

It is good you like knowledge and correct understanding, whatever that is . Knowledge and correct understanding is based upon information. Below is a table with LR Camera Raw Compatibility levels (6 as you correctly said), Camera Raw versions (30, if I did not miss any) and a list Adobe DNG Converter versions (42, if I have not missed any). In the interest of knowledge what I would like to know is:
1) which version of the DNG specification each version of the Adobe DNG Converter supports
2) If converting RAW files within LR, which versions of the DNG specification applies for each compatibility level.
This is really my main interest in this thread and I cannot find that information anywhere, all I conclude from the thread is that 4.6 and later is likely to use DNG file specification 1.2 and 7.1 and later is likely to use DNG file specification 1.3 or 1.4 (my guess is 1.3).
Happy to open a new thread if this is of any interest.
LR Camera Raw Compatbility
Camera Raw
Adobe DNG Converter
2.4
2.4
2.4
3.1
3.1
3.2
3.2
3.3
3.3
3.4
3.4
3.5
3.5
3.6
3.6
3.7
3.7
4.0
4.0
4.1
4.1
4.1
4.2
4.2
4.3.1
4.3.1
4.4.1
4.4.1
4.5
4.5
4.6
4.6
4.6
5.1
5.1
5.2
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.4
5.4
5.5
5.5
5.6
5.6
5.7
5.7
6.1
6.1
6.2
6.2
6.3
6.3
6.4
6.4.1
6.5
6.5
6.6
6.6
6.6
6.7
6.7
6.7.1
7.1
7.1
7.1
7.2
7.3
7.4
8.1
8.2
8.3
8.4
8.5
8.6
8.7
8.7.1

Lightroom 5.5 and Colorchecker Passport profiles

Hello,
Having calibrated my Sekonic L-758 meter, I have subsequently been trying to create a camera color profile in Lightroom 5.5, following instructions available online from webinars such as Joe Brady's. Having taken my 3 RAW photos of the Passport, I converted the middle one to DNG format and created a profile using "Export with Preset | Colorchecker Passport in Lightroom. According to the software, the profile was created, however it never shows as it should in the Camera Calibration section of the Develop module of Lightroom. Can you tell me in which folder the .dcp file representing the profile should be located for Lightroom to take it into account? My PC runs Windows 7, fully updated. Many thanks in advance.
Best regards,
Dominique

You do have to restart LR to have it rescan what is in the Users CameraProfiles folder.
In your initial description of how you created the file, you said you converted to DNG and then Exported with the CCPP preset. In my experience you do not have to convert to DNG, first, just select the raw file and Export with Preset. The process that requires converting to DNG, first, is if you use the Adobe DNG Profile Editor to make your color profile.
If you want you could post the Fuji raw file, not DNG, here, someone else to try it and see if the same thing happens. Use dropbox.com or similar and post the download link.

Lightroom 5 colorchecker passport

I was not able to send a prset file to colorchecker passport. Bcs: The profile could not be created. "Could not generate illuminant from DNG. Images must be created using asupported illuminant and correct exposure."
Thank you for the help.

Hi Sprengel,
I don't mind but I don't think it is the raw file problem becuse I did try with my other cameras such has Leica, Olympus...and it came out with the same problem.
Here is the information of the prompt up flash:
From C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Lightroom\Modules\XRiteColorCheckerPassport.lrplu gin with the information below:-
OMP: Warning #2Cannot open message catalog "2052\libiomp5ui.dll
OMP: System error #126: cannot find the modules。
OMP: Info #3: Default messages are used
OMP: Error #15: Initializing libiomp5md.dll. but found libguide40.lib already initialized.
OMP: Hint: This may cause performance degradation and correctness issues. Set environment variable KMP_DUPLICATE_LIB_OK=TRUE to ignore this problem and force the program to continue anyway. Please note that the use of KMP_DUPLICATE_LIB_OK is unsupported and using it may cause undefined behavior.
Hope this will help. Thank you again.
Regards.

Xrite colorchecker passport CD won't open

I'm shooting jewelry, and having trouble with some colors. I just bought xrite color checker passport, and the CD won't open. What can I do?

May be a problem with your drive. You can download the same software directly from X-Rite's web site. Click on the Mac download link. Don't know why it says ColorChecker Camera Calibration on the download page. What you get and install is ColorChecker Passport. Same as what's on the disk.

Do ColorChecker Passport camera profiles move with the image?

Hi. I work in an office where 3 of us process DNGs into psd's. When using a colorchecker passport-made camera profile on User 1's mac, we then open the image on User 2's mac. If we look at the DNG in Camera RAW on User 2's mac, the camera profile User 1 chose is no longer listed in the camera calibration tab. Is this a problem? Does the info still hold in the DNG for User 2? Is the only solution to for User 2 to copy the profiles from User 1? Thanks, in advance, for your help!
-Bret

Look in the Camera RAW preferences, and see if you have Save to XMP or Save to Camera RAW Database set for where to store settings, and also whether you have Update JPG Preview enabled or not for the DNGs in question on User1’s computer. I don’t know if having both of these enabled would help store the profile for use on User2’s computer or not.

X-Rite ColorChecker Passport specifically targeted at DNG workflow

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