New in Lightroom 3 is the ability to make lens corrections similar to those possible with an articulated view camera. I’m absolutely loving this feature. Below is an example of a snapshot processed through Lightroom without any compensation for the distortion of the buildings caused by misalignment of the film plane to the buildings. Mouse over the image to see the corrected image. The lens corrections feature allows you to straighten vertical lines and correct for pincushioning or barrel distortion.

Roll over to compare before and after.

The lens on the Lumix LX3 un-corrected, adds a wicked amount of distortion all by itself. Lightroom corrects for this when it converts the RAW file. Jpegs from the camera have this distortion corrected in the camera as the Jpeg is prepared. The only time you would even notice it is when using a RAW convertor that doesn’t automatically correct it. The distortion I’ve corrected for in this photo was caused by how I held the camera as I took this picture. I like seeing the buildings straightened out instead of leaning into the street. Using this feature does chew up some of the image. Shooting wider or looser is one defense or I could have held the camera parallel with the vertical lines in the scene.

The Internet is a wonderful thing. Earlier I posted a short piece about creating more accurate color from the RAW images of my Panasonic Lumix LX3. I admit it wasn’t really that great a post. But it gets more hits than anything else I’ve written. That means that wherever you are, whoever you are, you can help others by just writing something and throwing it up on the Internet’s collective wall. People who are looking for that info will find it.

Still searching for accurate color from the LX3, and feeling bad about the previous post not really solving the problem, I’m back with more info.

I recently purchased the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport. (pictured below) For under a hundred dollars, it’s an easy-to-carry color chart for creating custom camera profiles for use in Lightroom or Adobe Camera Raw. Camera profiles provide a baseline understanding for the RAW conversion software to make accurate conversions. It’s the translation device between the value of the color recorded and the value it should be output at. Since two seemingly identical cameras will produce different colors because of slight differences in manufacturing or alignment, only a custom profile will allow the two cameras to match. Custom profiles can even get two completely different cameras, a Nikon and a Canon for instance, to agree on the colors they’re seeing.

The bottom portion of the color chart pictured is a Macbeth Color chart. That’s a standardized collection of colors with specific values of hue and saturation, used to calibrate color reproduction systems in photography, television, film and image scanning devices. If you need to know whether your color is correct you need a shot of some colors that can be identified as having specific values. The Macbeth color chart provides that reference. The top portion of the Passport Color Checker is used for determining exposure and for white-balancing during the processing of RAW files. The patches in the center are used for “warming” or “cooling” portraits or landscapes. White balancing on a cooler patch will yield a warmer picture. Inside its plastic case there’s a neutral card for white balancing to the light you’re shooting in.

There are two parts to the ColorChecker system. The color chart and software for creating custom profiles. There is a plug-in for use within Lightroom. Also a stand-alone profile generator for use with RAW files first converted to DNG. The software “knows” what the specific color values are on the chart, it then creates a profile that alters the values accordingly to reproduce those colors in in your image.

Roll over to compare camera Jpeg to custom profile. Click to see Adobe version

Alright, so if this will provide me a reference point for interpreting the colors in a scene, do I need to pull it out every time I take pictures? That’s up to you. If a specific shade of purple is important, such as in a product shot or a reproduction of another image or artwork then yes. If you achieve the feeling and composition in an image that you intended through normal editing then by all means forget this system. No one will ever know what that flower looked like when you took the image, compared to the image you’re presenting. They’re never going to be side by side.

I was having difficulty processing images of red cars. Matching the red in my memory with my Lightroom output was very difficult. Also difficult was maintaining detail in the richly saturated areas of those cars. Other colors seemed off to me as well. Getting the grass at a car show in the park to feel natural was difficult at times. So I’m thinking that when I attend a car show I’ll white-balance to the passport neutral card and shoot the color chart to create a DNG color profile for that event. I’ll pull it out when traveling as well. I learned that color in a photograph can be influenced by many different factors. The amount of moisture in the air will alter colors differently in say, Phoenix versus San Diego. Particulate pollution, smog, haze, even latitude on the globe and the time of year will influence what colors are absorbed and which will get excited in any environment. I realize this can be what gives photos from any place their flavor, but I also realize that Ferrari red doesn’t change. So hopefully this tool will at least give me options.

Now for better-than-average color you could just create a few profiles for your camera that cover the basics: overcast, daylight, and flash. That should give you a much better starting point for any picture than the Adobe Standard profile available in Lightroom. Now here’s the truly helpful part of this post. I’ve created these basic profiles and I’m going to share them here. These are only for the Lumix LX3. They’ll work in Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw. They were made under an overcast sky and bright sun (in Los Angeles, in April), I never did the flash profile, as I realized I’d never use it. They were also created with my camera, not yours, so at best they can only be considered mostly right. Try them and see if they help your situation. Download them, un-compress the zip file and follow the path below on your Mac, substituting your home directory for mine. If your still using a PC, you’ll need to figure out where it keeps the user created camera profiles.

OS X Path to camera profiles

I shouldn’t have to explain to anyone reading this the virtues of shooting RAW vs Jpeg. So lets just agree that the camera’s Jpeg will suck compared to a processed RAW version even using the Adobe Standard profile. So what about a comparison of the X-Rite Color Checker custom profile to the Adobe profile? Here ya go.

Using a few shots hastily gathered outside my home here’s a taste of what a custom profile can do you for you. These shots are a processed RAW file using the Adobe standard profile that comes with Lightroom and ACR. Then an example of the same RAW processed file using the custom X-Rite profile created from the color chart. The biggest differences are in the blues and reds. Here’s a shot of Adobe’s DNG profile editor application in action to show how much some of the color samples are modified in order to match the color chart. In the image below, the purple color is selected to to show how far it was shifted.

Adobe DNG profile editor

The profile editor above is not a normal part of using the X-Rite Color Checker Passport system. I’m using it to show what’s happening for you behind the scenes when a custom DNG profile is created. This is the translation process between what was recorded and what is reproduced that I mentioned earlier. Without the intervention of the custom profile, the Adobe profile missed several of the color targets by significant amounts.

Roll over to compare custom X-Rite profile to Adobe profile

Roll over to compare custom X-Rite profile to Adobe profile

Roll over to compare custom X-Rite profile to Adobe profile

Hopefully you realize that accurate color in the processed image is contingent upon a properly calibrated monitor. I use the Pantone Huey calibration tool on my monitors. Accurate prints require you to have the profile of the printing device being used. This is a huge subject that may require more research on your behalf. My concern here is in getting the color in my processed RAW images to better match what I saw when I took the picture.

I’ve been using Lightroom 2.6 to do my conversions. It’s pretty quick, and I love the gradient filter tool. But, I have been experiencing less than desirable results lately, specifically with my LX3. The pictures had either a green or magenta cast to the shadows, and reds were very difficult to get right. I searched the Internet for a camera calibration profile that matched my camera and came up empty. Adobe’s RAW conversion software recognizes the camera and corrects for lens distortion, but it misses the color.

I found someone sharing his camera calibration settings for the LX3.  They’re not for every situation, but they are a great starting place. The settings are:

RedHue -4

RedSaturation +21

GreenHue -14

GreenSaturation -20

BlueHue +3

BlueSaturation -6

I added -6 to the shadow tint setting.

Now I’m applying this to all my LX3 RAW conversions first before making individual adjustments in Lightroom.

But what about Lightroom? Is it still my first choice for quickly correcting a group of images?  I decided to compare it again to RAW Developer and to the new Lightroom 3 beta.

Armed with the camera’s Jpegs as an example of what the camera felt the pictures should look like, and my memories of the mornings visit to the car show, I set out to establish a RAW conversion work flow that would provide consistent, accurate results, that I could be happy with. I made 2 runs through my pictures with Lightroom 2, Then I did them all again with RAW Developer and then Lightroom 3.0 Beta. I also have the light version of Capture One but I didn’t include it in this test. Long story short I have found happiness in Lightroom 3.0. I was able to achieve pleasing color and sharpness from Lightroom 3. Lightroom 2.* gave me mixed results. I had a  lot difficulty with the shadows. They also lacked sharpness.  Raw Developer had excellent color at times and was sharper than the Lightroom 2.

All of the images in the car show gallery that are affected such as this example, were done in Lightroom 2.0. That’s where my presets are and since affected shots aren’t so much about accuracy, they’re “good enough”.

Processed in Lightroom 2.*

Lightroom 3.0 beta was the only converter that made it easy to get the shadows correct. It’s as if Adobe has been sabotaging my Lightroom 2.0. to drum up new business for LR 3.0. This image sold me on Lightroom 3.0.

Converted in Lightroom 3.0 beta

The car is black. Yeah, there’s a hint of the blue sky in that black, as there should be. What Lightroom 2.0 and even Raw Developer (to a much lesser extent) did, was add either Magenta or green to those shadows. This shot rocks in comparison. I apologize for not saving all the examples for inclusion here. You’re just going to try LR 3.0 for yourself to see if it works for you.

Raw Developer created a finely detailed sharp image with excellent color. However, it doesn’t correct for distortion. I could do that correction in Photoshop, but that’s another step I don’t want to take. There is one image in the car show pictures that’s from RAW Developer. The color of the carpet was the most difficult to get right. I also really like how sharp the steering wheel is.

Developed with RAW Developer

Left the house early to check out the new home of the Supercar Sunday meet in Woodland Hills. It was a lot bigger than I’d expected. For a ridiculously cold morning there was quite a turn out.

There were three Mercedes 300 Gullwings, a Ferrari F40 and this Porsche Carrera GT. Tesla was there with 4 cars and a few salesmen. Lotus Elise/Exiges were everywhere. A great morning for motoring and sightseeing.

I think it’s great how guys with half million dollar cars will get out of the house early on Sunday to share their rides with the masses.

Click the photo for more pictures

A road trip much better suited to younger folks. We left my house at 3:00 A.M. Sunday. We arrived in Monterey at 8:00 A.M. Had breakfast at a local diner and were in the raceway by 9:30. Walking though the paddock areas we were free to enjoy the cars close up. The crowds were not large and it was very easy to move about and enjoy the sights, sounds and even smells of all the old cars assembled there.
I’m very happy with the how my pictures came out. Pretty much every picture from the paddock area was taken with the Lumix LX3. This link will take you directly to my favorite view in my Vintage Races gallery. Use the arrow keys after following the link to advance the pictures.
We left Monterey at about 4 and traveled south on Carmel Valley road. It was about 50 miles of unspoiled California. The road narrowed in places and the center line wasn’t even there. Tight and twisty I’m sure we all wished we were behind the wheels of our own cars.

These shots were all taken with my relatively new Lumix LX3 camera. They’re mostly all of the Santa Yanez Mission in Solvang, California. A couple towards the end are from the surrounding area.

New photos just posted from: the “Queens English” car show at Woodley park on March 08, 2009. This was my new Panasonic LX3’s first real assignment. I left my SLR at home to force my self to see things through only the new camera’s eyes (eye).
Lots of gorgeous cars. Jay Leno arrived this year driving McLaren F1, a 240 MPH super car from the late 90s.  Roughly a million dollars new.

A pity I never made it through the rows of Triumphs or the Austin Healeys.

Here come the Germany photos. I’ve decided to simply post them as as they occurred starting with a collection of shots spanning the entire vacation. Then, galleries will be added of the different locations. On the photo page the newest galleries will be presented at the top as they are created. Check back often, It’ll take a while to get them all built and posted. The individual galleries will also have a lot of short video clips. The more artsy pics, will appear on evrange.com after more time goes by. After you enter the Germany Gallery click on the “Map This” button to see the sights we visited on Google Maps. Select the gallery from the “Photos/Family” page.

I love the idea of websites that host pictures. I have photos scattered a few different services on the Web.

I started with a service called PBase.com. I liked Pbase (my account has expired, but the pictures are still there) because of it’s classy interface and because it categorizes the equipment used to take a photo. For instance you can search for images taken with a certain lens or camera. I also used Picasa, a free service of Google. The main draw here is it’s free and it integrates somewhat into my other Googles services such as Gmail. I also have pictures hosted here on my own site, (see the photos link above).

I  also use my website EVRange.com as my photoblog. But now I have signed up with another site called Smugmug.com. Why another service? Smugmug offers unlimited photo hosting and virtually unlimited bandwidth to display my pictures. They’ll automatically resize pictures and offer them in a variety of sizes and with a variety of themes in neatly organized galleries. I can also modify my Smugmug site to share the appearance and header/navigation banner of this site. Once that’s done it’ll integrate it into this site so it will appear to be a part of it.

So stay tuned, for a slick new integration of Smugmug into this site.