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How to calibrate and profile a digital camera

Learn the elements of digital camera calibration and profiling for photographers.

Why should I calibrate and profile my digital camera?

If you notice the colors and levels from your camera consistently looking "off" you can save time by calibrating your camera rather than adjusting each image. Custom camera profiles can greatly improve your color accuracy.

How do I calibrate and profile my digital camera?

1. We recommend first calibrating your computer monitor so to correctly asses color balance from the camera. ( How do I calibrate my computer monitor? )
2. You will need a neutral gray card to photograph as a reference and camera profiling chart. Purchase a new neutral gray card and camera profiling charts.
3. Gray balance your camera until the RGB values in Photoshop are equal, i.e. 144, 144, 144.
4. Using the gray balanced setting take a picture of the camera profiling chart.
5. Retouch the image in Photoshop to remove any blemishes or hairs.
6. Open camera profiling software. Select reference file for the profilng chart used.
7. Load corrected camera file.
8. Crop file.
9. Save the custom ICC camera profile. Future photograph image colors will be adjusted according to this profile and hence accurately capture the true source colors.

Contact us for more information on Calibrating and Profiling your Camera.