Monday, October 8, 2012

Hunt's Camera Special for Council Members!


Camera Council Blog Special for October 2012

X-Rite Passport Color Checker
Special $90.00

For Specials Contact: Keith Patankar
781.462.2340
Patankar@wbhunt.com


X-Rite ColorChecker Passport
Keith Patankar
Hunts Photo and Video

Color accuracy and consistency is one of the most important things to get right. In today’s digital world we are using multiple devices to output, sending images through different sources, all interpreting color in different ways. Every camera’s sensor is different and light consistently changes from scene to scene. One tool to get accurate color every time is the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport. The Passport is a 24 patch color chart that is designed to create a custom profile for your digital camera. It includes a white balance card and warming and cooling swatches. The ColorChecker is the size of a passport you would carry to travel internationally. You can fit it in your pocket and have it to use as a custom target any where any time. Just don’t get it stamped by customs.

            How it works. The first thing you do before you start shooting is to use the white card to create a white balance for the lighting you are shooting in. Once you create a custom white balance you will take the target color chart and place it in your scene to take a photo. The ColorChecker does not need to fill the frame. You just need to see all the patches in the photo. If the light changes you will re-shoot the passport in the scene. After you are done shooting you then can import the images either to Lightroom or Adobe Camera Raw. The software allows you to go into the profiles in both these programs and change the profile to the custom profile you setup by shooting the passport in your scene. From there you can sync multiple images with the same lighting to match your custom profile. You can even use the eyedropper to click on the warming or cooling patches if you would like to warm or cool the scene.


            This tool helps to create a foundation of accurate and consistant color thoughout your images. I found the biggest changes to be in tones of greens, blues and purples. I shoot a lot of fashion and designers create garmets with color tones  that just don’t look the same in my camera as they do in real life. The ColorChecker Passport changes that and brings out the correct colors that are visible to the eye. Fall foliage and fruits are another example of colors that may not look the same when shot regularly with your digital camera. By creating this custom profile we are getting exactly what we see and can duplicate it even if we shoot other images with a different camera. For under $100 this tool should be a staple in everyone’s camera bag.

Keith Patankar works in outside sales, marketing and specialty market at Hunts Photo & Video in Melrose MA. Please feel free to contact Keith directly at 781.462.2340 with any related questions.

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