X-Rite Color Checker Passport (Mac/PC)

It sounds like a cliché, but I thought my colour accuracy was pretty good until I used the ColorChecker Passport.It's all very well having a colour-calibrated monitor (a LaCie 526) but if the camera isn't also calibrated, an unknown variable is introduced into the workflow and while the Nikon D3 can be expected to produce excellent results, and it does - it's still an unknown.I installed the provided software (and immediately updated it to the current version) without issue and it correctly identified the ColorChecker I'd included in one of my images. Once the profile was created and saved I applied it (Lightroom under Win7 Pro 64-bit) to some RAW images and they came to life in a subtle yet impressive way - a clear improvement.As a Lightroom plug-in is also provided and automatically installed the process is easily incorporated into the usual RAW workflow without having to use an external program so rather like a white balance card (which the ColorChecker also incorporates), it's a simple matter to include a snap of it during any photo-shoot session to obtain excellent accuracy irrespective of lighting conditions.

I bit the bullet and reluctantly stumped up the price for this x-rite colour checker. Prior to this I had been trying to calibrate with a cheaper printed card version. I had given up and ended up using the adobe 4.4 profile in lightroom as it seemed to do a far better job.Once I opened the x-rite I realised immediately how inaccurate the spurious printed card was and why I had had so many problems. Also how much time I had wasted. It's also very easy to create profiles in lightroom and I now have one for each studio light set up. It works, the colours on my calibrated monitor look spot on and I can relax in the knowledge they are accurate. With the time it saves and the accuracy it adds I feel silly for not having this before.I couldn't work without this and I have gone from thinking it was overpriced to an essential tool for which I would be prepared to pay double.

Last year I caught the long exposure photo bug; I have enjoying just watching the world for a few minutes whilst my sensor catches up. What I didn't enjoy was fixing the red color cast on my photos. I read about the ColorChecker and its abilities to automatically calibrate color on images through a a ligthroom plug in. I held off buying it for a while; as for an amateur this is a considered purchase. I finally had the chance to use it over the past few weekends taking pictures of snow melt in the peak district.On the day of your photo shoot you need to take an image of the chart in the scene with the same camera and lens (and filters) you are going to use for the shots. My example is attached. When you get back you import the photo into the included ColorChecker software and give it a name. The colorchecker software then finds the card in the image and creates a custom color preset (you give it a name) that you can apply in Lightroom from the Camera Calibration profiles menu. Once you have the preset you can quickly color correct all your photos from that scene in one pass.For long exposure shots it was a bit of a palaver getting the color card in the scene; but once it was loaded as a correction it quickly removed the red shift from my long exposures; and so for me was perfect.In the Colorchecker box you get color card; along with a greyscale card. The card itself isn't water protected so you need to keep it dry otherwise the color chips might run. You also get a CD to install the software from (though if like me your laptop doesn't have a drive you can download it from the x-rite website.Having tried it with long and short exposures the speed of correcting colors in images is definitely worth the money; and if you are a professional photographer this will likely save you hours recovering colors on images. As an amateur its a considered purchase; but likely worth the investment. 4*

I use a 5D4 and a collection of Canon's best L lenses. I shoot mostly studio portraiture, outdoor portraiture in mixed lighting (natural + strobe), landscapes and travel photography. I am obsessed with image quality. I process in Capture One, and make my colour profiles with Lumariver Profile Designer.This product has totally revolutionised the colour accuracy and quality of my pictures, and saved me massive amounts of time in post. It's a whole new World. I will never be without one of these again. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that without this product (or one like it), truly accurate colour rendition is not possible.It's an absolute must-have. If you're a pro, this is a no-brainer.

I liked it when I got this colour checker in this nice box, with disc to set up software and plug in to your computer, well I downloaded everything straight from the site, they send you links when You register your product. It doesn’t look cheap as many people tell, and yeah it’s expensive, overpriced? Maybe, but I believe it makes its job, the colours are true and checked by this company who works specific with colours for years, and for me it’s another purchase to minimise my time for corrections, especially when you are that kind of perfectionist and time saver, this one not for video but I’ll use it for both ways anyway.