Colour correction with colour chart

[fotoseb1207!]

we try to improve the colour display of our picture-files compared to the original sample which we are shooting in our photostudio;

we are looking for a kind of plugin for PS RawConverter or PS which makes it possible to analyse and correct imgages automatically, when we shoot the images in addition to a Gretag Macbeth Colour Chart [24 targets].

We found out, that there are tools available which make it possible to correct video clips automatically, which have been shot the the colour chart. So - is there something compareable available for photography?

To mention: we are not looking for a technic to produce camera profiles, which can be loaded, when we change the camera and lense - no that is not the point; we need an analysis of the image, which results out of a combination of camera, lense and light

thanks for your feedback :_)

[D Fosse]

I usually just pin the contrast curve manually, using the gray patches to get the numbers close - and then adjust individual colors visually.

Each patch has standardized Lab values. These can be translated into any other color space - or Lightroom %.

IME, chasing a perfect colorimetric match is futile. Even if you could get there, the result wouldn't necessarily look good or credible. A digital file is not the same as a physical object. What you should aim for is equivalent color, not identical color.

For shooting artworks, I use cross-polarized light to eliminate reflections. But this in itself alters color relationships, and renders the color checker less of a reliable reference. So I do it by eye (and a good accurate monitor).

Another complication is print. In that case you can't go by numbers - you have to allow for paper color and maximum ink. This will in itself compress the tonal range, and so you have to "reverse-expand" to make sure the final result gives the same visual experience as the original.

And of course a colorchecker is only valid for perfectly flat objects. Any 3-dimensionality, and all bets are off.

[NB, colourmanagement net]

@fotoseb1207! the accepted tried and true method for this is to use a really good ICC profile.

I have worked with fine art copy photographers (such as Christie's the auctioneers) some of whom make a new ICC capture profile for every setup and say they get an excellent match (this is done using a colorchecker SG and basICColor input profiling software in much of the art capture world)

I do not know of a method that looks at the captured chart and algorithmically corrects it - other than an ICC profile which was designed to do pretty much exactly that.

D Fosse writes

"chasing a perfect colorimetric match is futile. Even if you could get there, the result wouldn't necessarily look good or credible. A digital file is not the same as a physical object. What you should aim for is equivalent color, not identical color."

I agree, the profiling software manufacturers are generally not sdekign. an exact coltimetric match but a good equivalent appearance. 

I hope this helps
neil barstow, colourmanagement net - adobe forum volunteer - co-author: 'getting colour right'
google me "neil barstow colourmanagement" for lots of free articles on colour management