Calibration software and tools - which ones

[Steve Shaw]

....using a format with the widest possible color gamut, which these days is probably best represented by P3. Everything else can be and almost always is derived from that without a whole lot of trouble (despite Steve's "pain in the neck" comment to the contrary..). The primary exception to this would be a project that is a television series, which will likely live its entire life on an HDTV format.

How the hell can you easily fit a quart into a pint pot??? Grading for a wide gamut when the deliverable is a narrow one is a pain... and I have no idea how it can be otherwise. You have colours in the wide gamut that can't be displayed in the narrow one, so what are you going to do?

A re-grade I guess?

I use wide gamut when the main deliverabke demands it, and narow when it's better used. Horses for courses, as is always the best.

To say P3 is the best regardless is confising to say the least, and wrong the rest of the time.

It is best to use the correct space for the project. Conversion is available, but is never ideal.

 

[Steve Shaw]

Ok, to be serious, I have measured and calibrated many displays... few direct display monitors can do P3 accurately... other than high-end digital projectors.

If you want to be accurate measure your display primary gamut values - I think you'll be surprised. Close is not good enough. You actually need to be wider and then use a LUT or similar contril to make the display accurate as in their defaukt settings they won't be acurate throughout the range - and LUTs can only subtract, not add...

 

[M Most]

How the hell can you easily fit a quart into a pint pot??? Grading for a wide gamut when the deliverable is a narrow one is a pain... and I have no idea how it can be otherwise. You have colours in the wide gamut that can't be displayed in the narrow one, so what are you going to do?

A re-grade I guess?

No. A simple trim pass.

One can talk until one is blue in the face about the need for absolute accuracy on every color on the screen, or one can actually get some work done and realize that it's not nearly the big deal you seem to make it out to be. Colors not being absolutely identical across different display formats has been and continues to be a fact of technical life, but it's also often completely inconsequential if the creative intent is still represented. I've certainly got nothing against technical accuracy, but in the vast majority of cases I've encountered - and I've been doing this for a very long time - the need for that kind of extreme accuracy is often very exaggerated by technical types, but just not all that critical in most real world situations. What is critical is that the end result properly reflects the creative intent, and that doesn't always require that a particular shade of teal be exactly the same on a video version as it is on a film print.

 

[Mark L. Pederson]

This thread cracks me up.

This work is done DAY IN and DAY OUT with great success by MANY companies.

 

[Steve Shaw]

It's not a question of the work being done or not, or the level of actual accuracy attained, it a question of making sure people are aware of the requirements and possible issues.

I also do this work on a regular basis, but it helps no one to just say 'we do this' - you need to explain the various problems as well as the solutions.

Many customers will not accept a simple trim pass - they work hard to get a specific look, and want to know why that look is no longer there when viewed under different conditions.

As always, I aim to inform, not make workflows seem like some form of black art.

Regardless, accuracy of display calibration and understanding workflow problems that may be encountered is of use to all.

Ok, I'm bored with this thread. No more from me.

 

[Marin Balaic]

@roryhinds Did you get your Kona->HDLink->Panasonic chain working? I've been considering a similar setup but I'm not sure should I go with Kona or BMD Decklink, and HDLink seems to have its share of strange glitches, according to quite a few posts around here... so if you can share any info, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

 

[Marcus Struzina]

Rory, It would be interesting to know how you resolved your calibration in the end, which solution for calibration and display you've gone with and how it's been working? I'm trying to make the same sort of decision now. Cheers.

 

[Bing Bailey]

this maybe a dumb question , but why can't displays at this point autocalibrate based on the colour space you choose. surely they could have built in sensors on professional monitors that would take care of this. its seems calibration is a pain in the backside. requires expensive equipment to do it right manually. it would seem to me like a no brainer addition all professional displays should have. come to think of it I'm hoping reds projectors will auto calibrate in this way

 

[Ido Karilla]

No. A simple trim pass.

One can talk until one is blue in the face about the need for absolute accuracy on every color on the screen, or one can actually get some work done and realize that it's not nearly the big deal you seem to make it out to be. Colors not being absolutely identical across different display formats has been and continues to be a fact of technical life, but it's also often completely inconsequential if the creative intent is still represented. I've certainly got nothing against technical accuracy, but in the vast majority of cases I've encountered - and I've been doing this for a very long time - the need for that kind of extreme accuracy is often very exaggerated by technical types, but just not all that critical in most real world situations. What is critical is that the end result properly reflects the creative intent, and that doesn't always require that a particular shade of teal be exactly the same on a video version as it is on a film print.

I love your perspective on this madness!

 

[Steve Shaw]

I'm sure Rory will be along soon to tell you himself, but he is one of many LightSpace CMS users...

He's actually been a great help in continuing to improve the system!

Bing, calibration is automatic and very easy to do, and one LightSPace CSM system and probe can calibrate any displays you have, assuming you have LUT capability linked to the display.