Color Correction with X-Rite Colorchecker Passport

[metaweb20]

Does Affinity Photo have a built-in feature to calibrate colors across a series of different photos using a tool such as X-Rite Colorchecker Passport which is integrated into other photo and video applications?

 

 

 

Thanks, Frank

[MEB]

Hi Frank,

Welcome to Affinity Forums :)

No, currently there's no built-in features to help calibrate colours, sorry.

You may want to add this to the Features Request section.

[David4]

Hi, metaweb20.  What is the color checker you are holding?   I know it's not the passport.

 

I use the classic 24 patch cardboard one, that's sort of 3.5 inches by 2 inches.

 

Using the application Raw Photo Processor 64, (RPP 64) I create my camera/sensor/lens/lighting custom profile.   AP cannot read RPP 64 profile, and staff has said it will be readable in a future release.

 

What you are asking for is marvelous! ! !     Do add to features request section.

 

Kind regards,

 

David4

[paristo]

Has there been any news about this being implemented to soon released 1.6 Beta?

 

What I would as well love to see, is a custom color profiling. Meaning that I can build a own custom color "passport" and then get it match that.

Something like where I can either just make a own color area (like painting on the wood the specific manufacturer paints) and then crop it and build a "map" to it that I then match later on by putting a rectangle around such. 

 

Or that I can make a list by first pointing the wanted colors as "source" and then in future just click the photo while AP goes through the list by requesting to click a corresponding color in the photo. 

 

This would help a lot in a photography without needing to carry extra panels etc. /Yeah yeah, the color passport is tiny etc but it is still one extra". 

[kolaborek]

@MEB any news about supporting color charts by AP?

[MEB]

Hi kolaborek,

Welcome to Affinity Forums

No news as far as i'm aware, sorry.

[Russ2]

Real shame about the none option for colour profiles with the colorchecker passport as I am sure it is used by thousands of photographers wordwide.

I use it for both PP and camera profiles in Lightroom, would like to say goodbye to Adobe but until this option is available in Affinity I am forced to stick with Lightroom 6.

Thanks,

Russ

[Russ2]

After contacting X-Rite with the same question on camera profiles I received this reply today 8/12/17

 

'Unfortunately we don't have a solution outside of Lightroom yet, however we are working with other software companies to integrate this in the future.'

 

How long is the future? Are Affinity one of those companies?

We wait like always!!!!

[WMax70]

Also missing this Color checker paspoort option either direct from Affinity or via the DCP.
However, many other programs also are missing this (Like DxO)
Hope it comes soon. But I could not find it on the roadmap so far.
Until now, I have to go via Adobe Elements -> PSD and inport the PSD to Affinity... Most of the time I stick to Adobe for those cases

 

Nevertheless, if there was a good dcp2icc converter then we would have some workaround. But this is also a struggle all the time.
 

[WMax70]

In meantime I invested a lot of time to get the accurate colors using color passport get near the same results like Photoshop.
Let me share them here, I hope more of you can benefit from it.
At least it is a workaround, which takes a bit more time than Photoshop, but it seems to work.

I'm a Nikon photographer, so I explain it for Nikon. But I guess the same applies for Canon and Sony users
First you need an option to get your .raw file converted to a .dng file 

1) Unfortunately, you cannot create a .dng file from affinity
Therefore
Download and install the free Adobe Raw to .dng Convertor:
https://helpx.adobe.com/nl/photoshop/using/adobe-dng-converter.html

Put your color checker files in one map.
Open de .dng convertor and start the conversion using the convertor. Do not change any setting into the Raw convertor.
Once you have the .dng file, open Color checker tool and create your specific profile.
This will generate a .dcp file.

2) Unfortunately, this cannot be used as a profile within Affinity.
Because of this, a icc file must be created.
A command line converter cam be found here:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/dcp2icc/files/

Just run the exe for example:
dpc2icc [dcpprofile]
eg:
dpc2icc Flash_lights.dcp 5200

This will create the icc file.
Register / install the icc file in Windows by right click the file and install it
 

Now open your Raw file in Affinity and do nothing.
Click "Develop" and go to adjustments.
Select soft proof and select the icc profile.
This should adjust all colors as close as possible to the correct color balance.
A hell of a job, but it works.
At least my products shoots match very close now.

 

Hope Affinity sees the need to include the color checker passport option into the software.
That would really help.
 

 

 

 

 

[v_kyr]

Quote

...A hell of a job, but it works...

Yep, many roads lead to Rome, though of course a shorter direct course (free after CPM - critical path method) would be desirable here for APh.

[WMax70]

On 2-1-2018 at 4:19 AM, v_kyr said:

Yep, many roads lead to Rome, though of course a shorter direct course (free after CPM - critical path method) would be desirable here for APh.

I agree. This way of working is far from what I call fun..

 

[SnakeArtworX]

Is there any update on this subject? I really want to use my X-Rite ColorChecker Passport Photo with Affinity Photo, but even if there was a bundle offer some time ago (X-Rite ColorChecker Passport Photo + Affinity Photo Licence), I really can't find an easy way to use it. How long do we have to wait for this feature?

[Russ2]

6 hours ago, SnakeArtworX said:

Is there any update on this subject? I really want to use my X-Rite ColorChecker Passport Photo with Affinity Photo, but even if there was a bundle offer some time ago (X-Rite ColorChecker Passport Photo + Affinity Photo Licence), I really can't find an easy way to use it. How long do we have to wait for this feature?

This has been requested since June 16 and noone from Affinity seems to be bothered with it. I purchased Affinity to get away from Adobe but the way things are going I am having a re-think but in saying that I also use On1 Photo RAW and have for a few years but even they cannot get up to speed with the X-Rite work flow. Russ

[WMax70]

On 4-3-2018 at 8:29 AM, Russ2 said:

This has been requested since June 16 and noone from Affinity seems to be bothered with it. I purchased Affinity to get away from Adobe but the way things are going I am having a re-think but in saying that I also use On1 Photo RAW and have for a few years but even they cannot get up to speed with the X-Rite work flow. Russ

We can blame Affinity, but I tested many Photo programs.
None of those I've tested could handle the color chart. Seems that is it design for Adobe.
Really amazing that so many users request for it, but only Adobe supports it.
I'm searching for methods using ICIO or such. But I do not get it understanding right now.
Seems to come from the movies industries with great opportunities.

Also missing the lens corrections for the Tamron 24-70 & 70-200 G2
I need to go out to shoot some profile photos to get it in the open lens correction database.
However, takes a lot of time to understand all those parts. The tutorials explain how to work with it, which is great but I'm missing the points to get it understanding what it realy does and how I really can work with it rather than downloading some pictures w/o understand why what and how.

Having Adobe Elements for the color correction psd. And importing the PSD in Affinity.
That seems to work, but this should not be the flow.

 

[InfoCentral]

Or Sypder CHECKR would be nice too.

 

[Russ2]

As you can see above there has been no reply  to this requset from anyone to do with Affinity since Nov 2017 and afraid this seems to be the norm from companies who make up these apps, get the money and turn invisable when customers ask for something that really must be simple to invoke as Adobe have done it for years.

[Roboror]

Hey Affinity. How come you are giving as gift with X-rite products but can not fully use them with you?

[Tick]

As you can currently get a free Affinity Photo license with the purchase of X-Rite's Colorchecker Passport, I had hoped that it would be supported directly in the software. Apparently, this is not the case, even though this feature has been requested since 2016. This is frankly a bit disappointing.

 

BTW, It seems that some people are resorting to using Davinci Resolve to color correct still images (photos).

 

 

[Patrick Connor]

@Tick and others in this thread

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums.

I can see that this is disappointing that we have not managed to integrate with the Colorchecker Passport. X-Rite have chosen to bundle us with their hardware, knowing this to be the case, but I would hope that the programmers will address this thread soon, or make a clear suggestion how best to proceed.

@James Ritson can you shed any light on this thread?

[Russ2]

Hi, well this topic was created way back on the 6th June 2016 and I understand that Affinity Photo is compaired to Adobe an affordable software as a stand alone product  but in

just over a months time this request for the option for users to be able to create there own Colour profiles will be TWO YEARS OLD!!! (Quote from Patrick Connor above " I would hope that the programmers will address this thread soon") and as pointed out previously AP is or was a FREE a product with the ColourChecker but still falling short in the options that these two items can do together.

 

 

[ReinhardK]

hi, i also think about buying ColorChecker Passport, so please can you make it work,
thanks in advance

[Shawn Young]

Any news on this topic? This is a deal breaker for me if I cannot use Color Checker Passport with Affinity Photo - I mean come on, why are we stuck with using Photoshop, it's 2018! Please Affinity... free us from the bondage.

[Shawn Young]

Please.

[Russ2]

7 hours ago, Shawn Young said:

Please.

Hi, Well as the last post here was back in June with NO reply from Seriff/Affinity (March I beleive was the input from them) I think we are flogging a dead horse, same as Skylum, not listening to there customers!!!!  Russ.