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Table of Contents
Summary of Contents for HutchColor HCT
- Page 1 USER GUIDE Version 43 February 2019...
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Page 2: Table Of Contents
Testing the new profile Camera profiling Defining goals Copy work (scanner on a tripod) Film-type profiling Camera profiling issues Benefits of the HCT in camera profiling Eliminating reflections Cross-polarizing Lighting evenness Initial camera setup Camera exposure White (or gray) balance Camera profiling curve Contrast or ‘f-stop’... - Page 3 Water-based cleaning (extreme cases only!) Longevity Testing the target Frequently-asked questions Older reference file date Does my software support the HCT? Grainy or noisy scans MonacoPROFILER rejects the target scan Gray patches not neutral Dark 35mm profiles HCT profiles darker than IT8 profiles...
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Page 4: Introducing The Hct
The HCT Precision Scanner Target Benefits and limitations For drum- and flat-bed scanning the HCT yields more precise color and tonal accuracy, especially in richly-saturated colors and very dark shadows. This leads to more precise scans and better correction of underexposed originals, however the amount of improvement may be affected by scanner setup, viewing conditions, subject matter and user-expectations. -
Page 5: Differences From It8.7/1 And 2 Scanner Targets
• Special manufacturing gives the HCT a wide density range that better represents the dynamic range of live originals. This means there is less chance that an HCT profile will ‘clip’ or ‘plug’ important detail in over- or under-exposed areas. -
Page 6: Requirements
An HCT’s manufacturing date does has no impact on its quality, effectiveness or longevity. To evaluate long-term stability, five HCT targets of various emulsion types were re-measured in 2011 and the new CIELAB data compared to ten-year-old original measurements. The worst delta E of all patches on all five targets was 1.7 (probably due to dust or positioning) and the average delta E on all five targets was less than 1.0. -
Page 7: Compatible Software
• X-Rite MonacoDCcolor • X-Rite ProfileMaker 5 For latest additions and alterations to this list go to www.hutchcolor.com/hct.htm. If your scanner or camera profiling software does not support the HCT, please contact the manufacturer and/or HutchColor, LLC. Trial software From time to time third-party demo or trial profiling software may be provided on the CD (subject to availability). -
Page 8: Scanner Profiling
Larger files will not increase profile quality. 16-bit-per-channel files may improve profile quality (slightly), especially if the device’s default response is very dark or light. For setup tips see the ‘Scanning_Guide’ at www.hutchcolor.com/CMS_notes.html. Pay particular attention to disabling automatic features, fixed end points and optimized tone curve. -
Page 9: Clean-Up In Photoshop
If none of these are available, calibrate on a piece of extremely bright, white, MATTE material. Ensure a steady supply and replace the white calibration patch whenever it gets dirty. Copyright © 2001 HutchColor, LLC User_Guide_43.docx 2/10/19... -
Page 10: Orientation And Cropping
The profiling software should ask you to locate the position of the target’s corners with a cursor, in effect “cropping” the target scan. Cropping methods and tools vary but the HCT’s cropping points (shown below) are the same for all software. Position the profiling software’s crop tool on the small crop marks embedded in the target. -
Page 11: Extended-Range Profiles
This problem is greatest in IT8.7/1 targets but may occur to a smaller extent with the HCT due to emulsion or processing variations. An effective way of solving this is to modify the target scan to ‘fool’ the software into thinking the target has a wider density range. - Page 12 • In the scanner profiling software, use the extended target file to create the scanner profile. Also build a normal profile with the un-extended HCT in case some originals don’t need expansion. Copyright © 2001 HutchColor, LLC...
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Page 13: Extending Highlight Detail
RGB units in the HCT’s white patch (produced by a Levels highlight entry of about 245) is usually enough. • Make sure the Levels change does not drive RGB values in the HCT white patch past 254. If it does, either reduce the amount of extension or change the scanner’s RGB setup to get a lower RGB value in the HCT white patch, then scan the target again. -
Page 14: Auto-Lightening Profiles
If, after setting white and black (e.g. with Photoshop Levels), all scans seem consistently too dark, you can build a lightening effect into the scanner profile by DARKENING the HCT scan slightly with a simple curve or levels adjustment. This fools the profiling software into believing the darkness is a scanner characteristic, which it 'corrects' with a complimentary amount of lightening. -
Page 15: Pseudo-Chrome Profiles
The following method can be used to make an excellent scanner profile for any film type for which there is no available HCT target. This is commonly the case for older emulsions that are no longer manufactured. Provided you have some representative examples of the film type in question, a good ®... -
Page 16: Correcting Gray Balance
• Tape the Kodachromes together to form a collage at least 4 inches by 5 inches in size. • Scan the collage using the same setup as the HCT target. In Photoshop, open both the HCT scan and the Kodachrome collage scan, then assign the normal ICC scanner profile to both. -
Page 17: Correcting Individual Color Hues
• In the layer Group on the HCT scan, duplicate both the “Curves 1” and “Hue/Saturation 1” layers, then move the “Curves 1 copy” layer to the top of the stack, as shown below;... - Page 18 Hue/Saturation layers must cancel each other. If you DO see a difference, check that the “... copy” layers are exact opposites of their respective correction layers. If necessary, adjust the “... copy” layers till there is no difference between “Group on” and “Group off”. Copyright © 2001 HutchColor, LLC User_Guide_43.docx 2/10/19...
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Page 19: Saving The Modified Hct Scan
Switching off the correction layers leaves only the inverted layers active NOTE : The image of the HCT target should now look as if it had been created on Kodachrome film (or whatever emulsion you are trying to profile). Typically this means it will look bluer than the actual HCT transparency target in the viewer, but the actual difference depends on scanner and film involved. -
Page 20: Testing The New Profile
• If the results look good, this is your Kodachrome profile (or the profile for your specific emulsion type). If you need to make more corrections, go back to the layered HCT file, alter the adjustment layers as necessary, and repeat the cycle to make a new profile. -
Page 21: Camera Profiling
21 Camera profiling IMPORTANT : As with all camera targets, HCT profiles are optimized for the dyes or colorants in the target itself. If the subject matter's colorants have different spectral reflectance curves, color accuracy may suffer from some degree of "metamerism failure". There is no simple solution for this, except manual color editing in Photoshop.. -
Page 22: Benefits Of The Hct In Camera Profiling
Eliminating reflections CAUTION : Reflections on the target may reduce profile accuracy. The glossy surface of the camera HCT helps reproduce deeply saturated colors in glossy originals, but it also poses a special challenge during capture. For best results, reduce reflections by as many of the following methods as possible. -
Page 23: Cross-Polarizing
TYPE of light, reflector, diffuser, filters, etc are used. If light position or angles are changed between profiling and live capture, just make sure the camera EXPOSURE and BALANCE are adjusted to compensate. Copyright © 2001 HutchColor, LLC User_Guide_43.docx 2/10/19... -
Page 24: Initial Camera Setup
‘cancelled’ by the profile – at least with most profiling software. So the best curve for camera profiling may NOT necessarily be the curve you would expect. Copyright © 2001 HutchColor, LLC User_Guide_43.docx 2/10/19... -
Page 25: Contrast Or 'F-Stop' Range
• Convert the image from your custom profile to your working space before editing. CAUTION : ProPhoto RGB is a dangerous editing space encompassing illegal (non-exsistent) CIELab calues. Safer editing spaces for highly-saturated images are DonRGB or BestRGB. Copyright © 2001 HutchColor, LLC User_Guide_43.docx 2/10/19... -
Page 26: Adjusting Profiling Curve, Exposure And Balance
• Adjust the shadow end of the curve until the black trap reads between 2 and 10 in all channels. If the black trap consistently reads 0, at least try to get the darkest patch of the HCT (patch V28) above 0 in all channels. -
Page 27: Changing Camera Settings For Live Work
CMYK separations. If you must edit the image, make the changes as adjustment layers and send the layered file to the printer. Copyright © 2001 HutchColor, LLC User_Guide_43.docx 2/10/19... -
Page 28: Recommended Workflow
2. Do NOT scan with any USM. 3. In Photoshop 6 (or higher), assign the scanner profile then (optionally) convert the image to an RGB working space like DonRGB4 (www.hutchcolor.com/profiles.html). 4. View the image through the CMYK profile with Command - Y. -
Page 29: Profile Testing
+ or – 2.0, but all L* errors should be in roughly the same direction (e.g. all high or all low.) Extremely dark patches may show more errors due to approximations in the profiling software or limitations in the scanner itself. Copyright © 2001 HutchColor, LLC User_Guide_43.docx 2/10/19... -
Page 30: Causes Of Error
To test extreme gamut compression, assign the scanner profile to the RGBXPLORER image available free at www.hutchcolor.com/targetsandimages.html. A bad profile may show sudden hue or lightness changes in one or more slices. A good profile will reproduce each slice smoothly, with no sudden hue or lightness changes. -
Page 31: Care And Maintenance
HCT dealer. You can check if an HCT has changed due to washing and drying by scanning it immediately before and after washing. If its RGB values remain within +/- 1 or 2 then it has NOT changed. -
Page 32: Longevity
32 Longevity The useful life of an HCT target depends on how the target is handled, used, viewed, and stored, as well as on the aging characteristics of the emulsion itself. Due to the wide number of variables, HutchColor, LLC cannot guarantee a specific lifetime for an HCT target. -
Page 33: Frequently-Asked Questions
HCT target? A: If you do not see the software listed on the HCT website, it may support the HCT but we may not yet be aware of this. Please ask the software manufacturer directly, and if it does, please let us know and we will up-date the HCT website accordingly, after testing the software. -
Page 34: Gray Patches Not Neutral
A: No. So long as the reference file contains the actual CIELAB value of each patch, the software should make a good profile. In the latest HCT design, some of the patches that were originally 'gray' have slight pastel-color variations to improve profile accuracy in near-neutrals. -
Page 35: Hct Profiles Darker Than It8 Profiles
How can that be an improvement? A: This is a normal and intentional result of the HCT having a lighter white patch and darker black patch than a typical IT8. The HCT's extended density range creates a profile that accurately... -
Page 36: 35Mm Reference Files
An easy way to test this is to place a mirror or piece of shiny black plastic in place of the HCT, look through the lens or make a capture of this ‘reflection tester’... - Page 37 Try profiling and shooting under tungsten illumination. It may be hot and slow but tungsten usually reduces metamerism problems. Copyright © 2001 HutchColor, LLC User_Guide_43.docx 2/10/19...
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Page 38: Warranty
NOT cover fading or deterioration of the HCT due to aging, exposure to light, improper storage or handling, or normal wear and tear. Liability is limited to re-measuring or replacement of the target at the sole discretion of HutchColor, LLC.
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