Camera Profile help needed

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Photog1man

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Hello,

I just purchased a Camera Trax Color Checker. It didn't come with software. I got it off Amazon. I'm trying to get photos with this color checker to make a camera profile from it. I shoot in JPG. Is there a way I can do this or do I need to shoot in Raw? I discovered I need to use a DNG file and Lightroom allows JPG to DNG conversion. I'm using the latest version of Lightroom CC

Thanks
 
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Hi, welcome to Lightroom Forums.

There is very little point in trying to make a camera profile if you shoot JPEG's.
Camera profiles allow one to get more accurate colour but this applies only to raw files.
One cannot do major alterations to colour in JPEG's for a couple of reasons.
The first is that JPEG files have the white balance "baked in" - raw files OTOH allow very easy alteration of the white balance as required.
The second reason is that a JPEG is an 8-bit file while raw files are, nowadays anyway, usually 14- or 16-bit files allowing much greater latitude because so much more baseline data is available.
Another reason is that the camera profile alters image data before any editing is done to a raw image. Considering that a JPEG is essentially an in-camera edited JPEG derivative of a raw image camera profiles just become redundant in this case.

If you want to learn to shoot raw, and then subsequently feel the need to make camera profiles I would suggest acquiring the x-rite colorchecker passport. The software that is used with it can then be downloaded for free off the web.

Tony Jay
 
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Is there anyway to color coreect my JPG images using the color checker I have now? The Camera Trax manual that came with my Color Checker says I can do it in Photoshop but not sure if I can in Lightroom
 
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Anything that can be done in Photoshop with regard to colour correction can be done in Lightroom but my earlier points about the differences between JPEG and raw files mean that you are limited in what can be done with JPEG images.
Nothing in the documentation that I can see makes any reference to JPEG images.

The way to do proper colour correction using DNG camera profiles is with raw files.

Tony Jay
 
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Don't sell yourself short.

I see your dilemma however great photographers are made by shooting lots of great images - in general one can does as well with your current equipment as much more expensive stuff.
(We all know that there are situations where a DSLR with appropriate lenses enable one to achieve shots not possible with your current equipment.)

In the interim start learning about the digital workflow required for raw images.
In addition, learn about colour theory and white balance and what DNG profiles really give you.

Then, when you are able to afford a DSLR you can hit the ground running.
I would take a good look at DSLR models that are couple of steps back from the cutting edge - these are cheap but still offer fantastic image quality, especially when mated with excellent lenses.

Let me know what genres you shoot - this will determine the sorts of DSLR's and lenses that I would recommend.
In some respects you are in good place - you can properly research your real needs without wasting a lot of money by buying inappropriate bodies and lenses.

As further encouragement for you, one of my buddies is a pro photographer who was a press/sports photographer in the past and still shoots for various agencies. I can tell you that when we shoot together he uses his iPhone more than any other camera. In fact, he is teaching me to be much more versatile by shooting with my smartphone.

So, do the yards and do your research. You will learn a lot and save a lot of money in the process.

Tony Jay
 
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Tony Jay said:
Don't sell yourself short.

I see your dilemma however great photographers are made by shooting lots of great images - in general one can does as well with your current equipment as much more expensive stuff.
(We all know that there are situations where a DSLR with appropriate lenses enable one to achieve shots not possible with your current equipment.)

In the interim start learning about the digital workflow required for raw images.
In addition, learn about colour theory and white balance and what DNG profiles really give you.

Then, when you are able to afford a DSLR you can hit the ground running.
I would take a good look at DSLR models that are couple of steps back from the cutting edge - these are cheap but still offer fantastic image quality, especially when mated with excellent lenses.

Let me know what genres you shoot - this will determine the sorts of DSLR's and lenses that I would recommend.
In some respects you are in good place - you can properly research your real needs without wasting a lot of money by buying inappropriate bodies and lenses.

As further encouragement for you, one of my buddies is a pro photographer who was a press/sports photographer in the past and still shoots for various agencies. I can tell you that when we shoot together he uses his iPhone more than any other camera. In fact, he is teaching me to be much more versatile by shooting with my smartphone.

So, do the yards and do your research. You will learn a lot and save a lot of money in the process.

Tony Jay
Click to expand...

Thanks for that information.

I had another question. In my color checker card manual that I got. It includes the RGB values of each color and explains how to set them in Photoshop. I know you said you can only create camera profiles using RAW. I was wondering what happened if I used photoshop and grabbed a photo taken with the color checker card and adjusted each color one by one using the RGB values that the manual gives me? I know this is time consuming but considering right now I only take pictures in certain places. (my house, my parents, outdoors where lighting is almost the same expect for the occasional rainy day) if that method of adjusting each color to it's correct RGB value would help me? I believe Photoshop has an automated section. Assuming I can do this couldn't I save this as an automated task and then apply it later to other pictures that I think really need it?
 
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Photog1man said:
That's a bummer. I can't afford a DSLR camera that takes raw photos at the moment.
Click to expand...
Used? If so, pick either Nikon or Canon, so any investment in lenses will be good when you can upgrade to a newer body. It's not clear that any of the other current DSLR manufacturers will survive long-term.

Phil
 
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PhilBurton said:
Used? If so, pick either Nikon or Canon, so any investment in lenses will be good when you can upgrade to a newer body. It's not clear that any of the other current DSLR manufacturers will survive long-term.

Phil
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I would buy used. I also edit films and my business consists of more film than photography so I had to spend my money for film stuff. I don't have much right now for a new or used DSLR camera.
 
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If the card has a neutral grey, that may be the most help. Include it in shots you take with the iPhone, at least one for each lighting condition, then in LR you can use the eye dropped associated with white balance to take a sample from the gray area (make sure it shows up large enough to get a clean pick from it). This will try (emphasis on try) to correct color balance in the JPG.

While it's conceivable you could use the other colors to adjust the photo in some fashion, I'm not aware of a way to do it automatically. You could work with the hue/saturation sliders in LR manually to adjust some of the colors so they look more correct, but that all presumes you have a calibrated monitor (my guess is you do not from the discussion).

But the grey sample can be useful. Just get a photo in the same light as the subject, e.g. if the sun is on the subject, have the sun on the card (and try to get an angle without glare); if it's shade, etc.
 
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You can try anything - my guess though is the result will be horrible.

Tony Jay
 
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