User Guide

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Enhancing Images with the ColorChecker Creative

Enhancement Target

Exposure Verification and Correction

The ColorChecker Passport provides a convenient, robust solution to color correction in the field. Without a visual

reference, it can be a challenge to judge, control and edit images for the best shadow details and to ensure

highlights are not clipped. It’s also hard to tell what your selective edits will do globally in other color regions. The

Creative Enhancement target provides a visual 1/3 stop gray ramp to control shadow details and highlight clipping.

The Creative Enhancement target contains a collection of 8 patches that are designed to warn photographers of an

exposure problem. The patches are separated into two groups: light and dark. The light patches are ordered with

1/3 of an F-stop difference between them. The dark patches are ordered the same, with the exception of the last

patch; which represents the blackest patch in the ColorChecker target. The exposure difference between the

darkest and next darkest patch is roughly 1/10

of a stop. The dynamic range of the target is roughly 32:1, or 5

stops.

So what does this all mean? First and foremost, every patch should be visibly different in the final reproduction, or

there is something wrong with the workflow. The most typical problem is over-exposure. In this case, the two

whitest patches may not be different. In other cases, the shadow detail will not be resolved. This is a very typical

issue in an sRGB workflow when the camera or color management system sets the black point to zero rather than

physical black point in the scene.

Identifying Clipping

Clipping can be your enemy. In a wedding portrait, it is important to capture the fine details of the dress. If the

highlights are too bright, you will lose that detail, and the bride will surely notice. On the other hand, if you are

shooting a dark product, such as a leather couch, it can be difficult to hold the fine shadow details that show the

surface texture.

This is where the power of Raw stands out. Although it may appear from a preview that shadow or highlight details

have been lost, it is possible that the processing software just clipped them and they are still available in the Raw

file. With some careful

adjustments, you may be

able to bring them back.

However, once the details

get clipped in a JPG or TIFF

file, they are gone forever.

Not all clipping is bad. For

instance, you may want to

throw something in silhouette

for creative reasons. That

would require clipping.

Similarly, when shooting very

shiny objects like chrome or

jewelry, you probably want to

clip the “specular” highlights

for a pure, bright, shiny white

appearance.

This image offers an example where shadow clipping is perfectly acceptable.