Camera Profile for Outdoor use

[walterh]

Hello , I am just playing around with the GRETAGMACBETH i1. Profiling the camera

using the ColorChecker works ok in tests but I do have very little applications

with standardized illumination (I do understand it will work fine in a studio

with fixed setup but I do not use a studio and my "tabletop studio" macro shots

often have "weird" illumination).

 

I wonder if there are cases where calibration (camera profiles) for outside

shots works well. Are e.g. overcast situations close enough, say near certain

hours of the day? I gave it a few tries but so far manual adjustment trying to

match a color card included in some shots seemed to work better than just using

an icc camera profile. Its just not always possible to have a card included. Any

positive experience before I give up?

[ellis_vener_photography]

Have you looked atthe Fors Script for calibrating a camera uand using ACR ?

 

http://fors.net/chromoholics/download/

[Ed_Ingold]

The profiles in the camera work well enough in standard light. In general, use "Cloudy" unless the main subject is in direct sunlight, or "Shade" where appropriate. These will get you in the ball park, and fine adjustments can be made in ACR or Photoshop.

 

I see little reason to use a Color Checker other than in the studio, or when shooting negative film. I see even less reason to create a custom profile except for critical applications or unusual lighting. If you must, however, there are better ways to proceed.

 

A better way to use a Color Checker chart is in Photoshop with the InCamera plug-in (q.v. Pictocolor). The Eye One software is limited and crude by comparison. Once you obtain a profile in this manner, it is "Applied" to the file(s), which is then "Converted" to a standard color space for portability.

 

All this presumes your monitor is calibrated.

[walterh]

Ellis thanks for the link. Looks promising. I have to try it out this weekend.

 

Edward - Yes it was my impression too that light conditions are too different in outdoor shooting - just wanted to know if I missed something. One camera profile I tried for a while for a macro setup was quite useful, but later it turned out that color filters for the two lightsources worked even better. I will have a look at Pictocolor. Thanks for your comment.