X-Rite ColorChecker Passport is a set of calibration targets and software for creating DCP camera profiles. The targets are in a book format (12.5×9×0.7 cm) with a plastic base and cover, which is convenient for use: the inner part can be stood up like a desk calendar on any reasonably flat surface. The set includes 3 targets: a ColorChecker with 24 color and gray patches, a light gray card for setting white balance during shooting, and a target for checking exposure and fine-tuning white balance in post (to simulate the use of warm and cool filters).
When using the target, place it where the key subject is in the frame and face it toward the camera. Please note: the gray patch on this target is lighter than an 18% gray card, so if you use it for exposure setting, apply a +2 to +3 stop compensation. The exposure control target allows you to evaluate exposure error during shooting and, when processing in a RAW converter, adjust exposure and saturation so that both the target’s brightness range and color range fit within the available range of the image file. The dynamic range covered by the 8 gray patches is 1:32 (5 stops). All patches in the light group differ by 1/3 stop; in the dark group, all patches except the darkest also differ by 1/3 stop, while the darkest differs from the adjacent patch by approximately 1/10 stop.
The 24-color target is used to build a camera profile for specific shooting conditions. If white balance is set correctly, colors in the photo are generally rendered realistically. In image encoding, universal color profiles are usually used. Because such profiles do not describe the physical characteristics of light sources and the spectral characteristics of sensor filters and sensors themselves, they only provide transformation parameters for some standard illuminants; therefore, color management results cannot be fully accurate. Typically, a profile is built from two target shots under two light sources, and other lighting conditions are interpolated from these data. For example, the spectral characteristics of fluorescent lamps cannot be accounted for using such profiles. Therefore, when accurate color reproduction is required, a profile must be created for specific lighting conditions (the light source and how surrounding elements modify the light). This is what the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport is intended for.
Please note: do not leave the target in direct light and do not touch the reference panels with your fingers. If one patch is damaged, the full cost of the target must be paid as a penalty.
Included: x-Rite ColorChecker target set, software disc, carrying case.