colorchecker passport and WB

rickp

I can't find this answer anywhere and x-rite still hasn't replied to my email.

Im thinking about getting a colorchecker passport, however I already have a photovision WB calibrating tool.

So my questions is, can I color correct by doing a custom WB only or is it a good idea to do a color correction with the colorchecker passport in addition to the custom WB?

thanks
R.

mrcoons

rickp wrote: »

I can't find this answer anywhere and x-rite still hasn't replied to my email.

Im thinking about getting a colorchecker passport, however I already have a photovision WB calibrating tool.

So my questions is, can I color correct by doing a custom WB only or is it a good idea to do a color correction with the colorchecker passport in addition to the custom WB?

thanks
R.

I use both. The Colorchecker Passport has a white balance target but I prefer to set my custom WB with the PhotoVision Calibration Target and check my exposure settings. It only takes a few more seconds to do both.
I use the Colorchecker to set my color profile and for portraits it gives me more options for warming or cooling skin tones.

rickp

Ok, so I'm not that far off base in thinking of using both.
I really like the photovision WB tool, I use it for both custom WB and exposure, so if I add the colorchecker passport I would be covering every aspect of things so to speak, color, WB and exposure.

R.

mrcoons

rickp wrote: »

Ok, so I'm not that far off base in thinking of using both.
I really like the photovision WB tool, I use it for both custom WB and exposure, so if I add the colorchecker passport I would be covering every aspect of things so to speak, color, WB and exposure.

R.

That's been my thinking anyway.

pathfinder

The use of a non-specular, medium grey reflector to set a Custom white balance jpg, and to offer an accurate exposure setting works very well.

The reflectors go by several names, BalanceSmarter, Lastolite , or Photovison - but they all seem to be non-specular surfaces that reflect equal amounts of red, green and blue light. When shot in Av mode, the histogram should yield three identical color spikes, one red, one green and one blue all in the exact center of your histogram. If you use the same exposure for shooting, that your camera chose for the jpg of the reflector, your exposure should be dead on.

I described their use, among other tools, here

The final choice of color balance is an artistic one, of course, and the Passport helps with this as it offers a warmer and a cooler white surface to use in editing in PS or LR.

rickp

pathfinder,
That's exactly how I get my exposure. I shoot the photvision tool and look for the 3 spikes. I usually shoot in manual and I'll also try to shoot a bit to the right even when I get my exposure with the calibrating tool. I try to get that right spike as close to the right edge without going over. It sound like most think its a good idea to use it, so I might take the plunge.

This brought up a question, I know using the CCP for portraits is how most use it, but lets say I want to use it for landscapes, is that possible too.
Lets say I shoot a subject like a mountain range or a cityscape from across a bay, does the CCP still work the same way? Meaning shoot am image with with it then you can color correct later.

R.

pathfinder

The real issue with the Passport, like any grey card you include in the frame, is that the light on a portrait of a person holding a Passport is likely to be uniform throughout the frame. This is also a potential issue with an Expodisc, like when shooting in a spotlit auditorium, too.

But a picture of a landscape, with a Passport included in the frame, but at a vastly different distance from the remote scene, MIGHT not have the same uniformity of color balance as when shooting up close. You could have light reflecting off a rock wall, a red barn, a green cornfield affecting the distant object that MIGHT not be replicated on your Passport.

I am not saying a Passport will not work for shooting landscapes or architecture, but that it must be used with caution and thought.

And remember, the final color balance in your image is ultimately a decision made by you, the artist, as what looks good to your eye. There is no single Correct answer, only the answer that looks good to your eye, and your image's needs.

For example, you can correct the very warm color balance of a sunset with a grey card reflector and a custom white balance, or with a Passport and editing in PS, but why in the world would you want to kill that warm late afternoon color balance. Its what you were wanting to capture in the first place, usually.

arodney

The WB (whiter patches) are spectrally neutral on the Passport which is useful, but for seasoning for taste, you have a range of warm and cool patches too, which make tweaking in LR/ACR really easy. IOW, its fine for WB (or gray balance with a JPEG), that’s part of its design.

rickp

pathfinder,
All good points, and I agree I dont' want to get rid of that warm sunny look. I guess the way to find out is to try it out and play with it.

Thank you all for the feedback.

R.