Getting accurate natural colors from any digital camera with RAW option has been an elusive goal for digital photographers. It can be a challenge to get photographs with correct hue; where red is red, green is green and blue is blue – and to make photographs with sufficient saturation in all channels. Believing that this is the optimum starting point for efficient picture editing in RGB, QP has been at the forefront of addressing this challenge. QP’s second goal is to get the correct colors in a fast, accurate, uncomplicated, and inexpensive way.

QP has addressed these goals with the new QPcard 202 and QPcalibrator software, which perform color correction using color management and profiling at the first accessible stage in the digital image workflow – the RAW image. In order to accurately monitor each camera’s color property, QP has designed a new high quality, color target with modern camera sensors in mind. With only 35 carefully selected and individually manufactured color patches, QPcard 202 can meticulously pin-point color behavior of almost any camera in any light.

QPcalibrator software compares camera performance with the target colors and creates instructions for the profile on how to “move” small segments of colors (almost 1300) into correct position in a three dimensional color space. Color saturation is controlled in two stages: primary control in the matrix, followed by “soft clipping” in the lookup table. It keeps track of color saturation making sure no color channel is over-saturated with blocked or “flat” colors as a result.

Accurate Natural Colors in Three Easy Steps
• Take a RAW photo of QPcard 202.
• Process the photo using the free QPcalibrator software.
• In less than 5 seconds a custom, camera- and light- specific, RAW profile has been created and
automatically saved in the correct folder. Next time you open Adobe Camera RAW you will find your profile under the camera icon.
After doing this the first time, toggle between Adobe normal and your custom profile to compare the difference in color rendering between the profiles. You will be amazed by the difference.

QPcard 202

The design and preparation of the color card is crucial for successful color management of the camera.
QPcard 202 has 35 coated color chips mounted on a cardboard surface. The carefully selected color samples are individually mixed in order to achieve as straight-forward spectral response as possible. This is very important in order to avoid undesired metameric effects that can ruin correct evaluation of the color performance.

The color samples are divided into four groups. The primary group has 9 saturated samples of red, green and blue picked to accurately determine the spectral midpoints of the on-sensor filters. The secondary group has 12 samples of complementary colors chosen to properly graduate saturated colors. The grayscale group has 7 neutral samples of different lightness for white balancing and linearization of individual channel response. The pastel group with 7 lighter, still saturated, color samples helps fine-tuning skintones and lighter colors.

The corner-marks of the card are automatically detected by the QPcalibrator software and a grid covering the color patches is created. Every color patch is measured in 6400 spots and the 3200 lightest are discarded. This prevents small dust particles and minor reflections to interfere with the measurement.
Unlike older color targets on the market, the background has been intentionally kept white. This provides an opportunity to evaluate the evenness of the exposure of the card. If the card is unevenly lit, the software compensates in the linear RAW signal with maximum 1,5 EV, assuring high quality profiles even if the card isn’t perfectly photographed.

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