The two areas that I shoot and sweat over on my PC is:
getting the correct color for my landscapes and
getting my two dimensional artwork digitized for correct color printing.

I am about to buy a color checker card (and possibly a white balance card while I'm at it) I have no experience using these cards.
1. I see that MacBeth color checker card is discontinued, Is X-rite color card just as good?

2. I was thinking about shooting a mini color checker next to my artwork. For landscapes I was thinking of shooting a shot of the mini-checker under the current lighting of the landscape.
Do you know of any sites that will explain how I would use the color checker to correct my digital files/pictures for printing artwork and also using for color temperatures of "regular" photography? Other than using my computer software to click on white balance on a light grey spot on the color checker, is there anything else that I need to learn and understand? If the grey matches and the other colors don't then what?

3. I shoot in raw and occassionaly jpeg with a Canon Powershot s70 and s80 respectively. (Both have custom white balance available as camera settings)
Also, while I am ordering a color checker card, would a white balance card be of any help for me? (Custom white balance in the camera, for jpegs?) Can you use a grey card for custom white balance use when setting custom WB in the camera? If so, which card would one use? I see a lot of different WB cards listed. I don't quite understand what the differences of them are and how one decides which one they need.

Thanks
Linda
(Goldilocks)
\

Check out the Expo Disc. This is what I use and get really good results on my color
balance. I do landscape photography. I believe this is for digital slrs only. Check their site.

Best Regards,
Greg....

Unfortunately, my camera does not have the capability to attach a filter. So, I'm still looking for suggestions.

Same card.

If you can, place card in scene, white balance on 2nd white in the Raw converter. That's about it!

What about this gizmo?

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/...es/whibal.shtml

Why would one use this instead of the Gretag-MacBeth card?

The nice thing about the Macbeth card are the other reference colors. But I wouldn't take it out in the snow or rain, plastic white balance cards would hold up better.

What is the 2nd white in the Raw converter? Presently, I am using Raw Shooter Premium.

If one uses a white/grey balance card for in camera custom balance, does the card need to taKe up the whole picture frame to get an accurate reading/setting? I would imagine that this would be difficult to do with a mini-card in the field. What percentage of the frame does the card need to take up for setting an in-camera white balance? (This question is concerned when shooting in jpeg)

White balance, using whatever tool is provided on that square.

And yes, a smaller target makes this more difficult.

I like the MiniMacbeth CC Card for close-up and macro work. As Andrew says, you get more than just the white balance that way. It is small enough to easily fit in your pocket. It comes with a small plastic pouch to keep it dry.

It is pricey. Pretty much the same price as the full size Macbeth CC Card.

Unless you need precise colors for a subject, there really is little reason to hassle with an Expodisc, Macbeth CC Card, etc. Not if you shoot RAW. You can always adjust the WB in ACR or whatever RAW processor you use. Then adjust the tone and color as you would for any photograph.

Color calibration is important when you shoot commercial subjects. Vendors pay a lot for their logos and other branding, and those colors need to be accurate. Using something like a Macbeth CC Card is standard practice.

But for landscapes and such, working with a Macbeth CC Card is generally a PIA that slows you down *A LOT*. Same with an Expodisc. I have one. Neat tool. But I can adjust white balance when I load my RAW files. Unless I was doing a catalog shoot for a flower catalog, whether I got the exact color for a tulip I'm shooting is not something I much care about. I aim for a color that pleases my creative eye.

Cheers,

Mitch

They are all actually hand made!

The whibal does not need to take much of the frame. Just enough to click the white balance eyedropper on it in your raw converter. I belive http://www.whibal.com has a video on using it.

Second square in from the left on the bottom row. On the back of the chart it should be labeled 'CC 20', 'Neutral 8'

Hi!

In this case you would need to fill the entire frame with the neutral target such as the Gretag/X-rite/Munsell white balance-card ( http://www.xrite.com/product_overview.aspx?ID=944 ).

Cheers,
J

2. I was thinking about shooting a mini color checker next to my artwork.

Linda,
I use the large Color Checker next to artwork. Then use the Selective Color layer in Photoshop to adjust the Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Cyan and Magenta squares to the proper color. Also the Black, Midtone and White.

This provides a "preset" color correction layer for art that is shot using the same light source.

It is not perfect but does deliver an image that is reasonably close to the artwork's color.

I generally do the color correcting in ProPhoto, then convert the image to sRGB before saving to web in Photoshop. These web images are acceptable when viewed on a "normal" monitor.

David

Mike,
I do the script to get the color checker/camera/light profile.
Then I do the selective color to get a more accurate color rendition of the artwork.

I strongly suggest that anyone using a color checker do the script to get a camera "preset" for ACR.

I have one for sun, one for my strobes and one for table top strobe setup.

When doing artwork I do a color checker shot before doing the artwork and run a script on that as well. Then do the selective color as an additional correction.

David

That sounds logical to me. How complicated is this to do? IOW what level of expertise does one need and are you? What script do you use?

Also, I'll be away from home for another month, without a decent monitor: just an HP laptop with terrible glare. I just picked up the mini MacBeth color checker card and would like to shot my artwork so that I can make prints at home. (Most of the originals will not be going home with me) What are the important things that I should do for shooting the artwork? I'll be shooting watercolors and pastels, sizes 12 x 18 inches and smaller. I'm working from other peoples homes: Tungsten, daylight (outdoor or indirect indoor), shade, and built-in camera flash are all that I can think of that is available.

What does one do with the other colors on the color checker chart? I mean other than the gray used for one click WB? IOW, what would the color checker chart do for me that the WhiBal does not?

Nill
~~
www.toulme.net

...and why would one use the gray card to check white balance?
Wouldn't one use the white card?
So then what purpose do the black and white card serve?

Raw data is linearly encoded. Half of all the data is in the first stop of highlights, that's why we white balance in a Raw converter. A rendered image has a gamma encoding, gray balancing here works fine.

I love your straighforward answers. But could you elaborate a little so I understand? Exactly what do you mean by first stop of highlights and rendered image? And if you can elaborate on the concept of what you wrote or refer me to a place that would be good too.

Must read here on LL:
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorial...ose-right.shtml

You'll see that a Raw document has half of all the data in the first stop. Michael's illustration shows this clearly.

A rendered image is what you get out the back end of a Raw converter. Pixels in some color space based on a color appearance you set in the converter, from the Raw data itself.

This is another must read:
http://wwwimages.adobe.com/www.adobe.com/p...renderprint.pdf

Linda,
I would take an image of just the color checker. Then one with the color check and each piece of art. And also make another image in "exactly" the same light of just the art.

Then you can use the color checker image to run the script. There are three versions, I am at the wrong computer to give you the link. (Tom Fors is the original developer, the one that seems to give me the best results is a version of Tom's script that has additional parameters.)

Since you are working with a computer without a calibrated monitor, most of this workflow will probably have to wait till you get home.

Running the script and inputing the results into camera raw is the first step.
Then when you open an image of the art with the color checker you can do a white balance by clicking the eye dropper on the second gray square. and then open the image in CS3.

I then open a selective color layer. It has options to select Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Cyan, Magenta, white, midtone, black.

I start with black. With that selected place the curser over the black square on the color checker and notice the RGB readings in the info window.

There is a reference (again i will have to provide the link later) available that has Color Checker readings for the most widely used color spaces. Use the sliders (They are the complements of RGB) to adjust the RGB readings to match those in the reference.

When you are done, save the layer as a preset for that piece of art and then open the image without the color checker using same setting in Camera Raw you set for the previous image.

Then when it is opened in CS3 add a selective color layer and load the saved preset.

I have found, using this workflow and then converting the image to sRGB and saving for the web from CS3 that the resulting JPG prints a reasonable facsimile of the art on a standard printer without any color management. i.e. anyone can print a reasonably good image.

David

Here is link to the script I prefer:
http://21stcenturyshoebox.com/tools/ACRcalibrator.html

and here is the website with the color checker reference:
http://brucelindbloom.com/

David

I have PS CS2. I could use the Adobe Camera Raw within CS2 (not sure where to look to find out what version of Adobe Camera Raw I have) and RSP. If I want to attempt David's methodology, what would be best to use with my software? (I'm assuming it is possible with CS2)

Linda,
The scripts for calibrating your camera should run in CS2 just as well.

I do not remember if the selective color layer option is available in CS2.

If not it becomes tedious to do the color correcting on the RGBYCM/WMB squares.

David