How to Calibrate a Digital Camera

If you find yourself making the same adjustments time and time again on your digital photos, it may be time to calibrate your digital camera. Doing this brings out the sharpest colors possible for your camera. You can use color images from your scanner if you have already calibrated it. If not, these steps can help you with the process.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Colorimeter or spectrophotometer
• Neutral gray card
• Camera-profiling chart and software

1. Calibrate your computer monitor first. Use a colorimeter or spectrophotometer to measure the colors. Use the software that comes with the program and follow its directions carefully to calibrate the computer monitor. Save your changes. Don't re-adjust the monitor settings.

2. Purchase a neutral gray card. You also need to purchase a camera-profiling chart. If possible purchase the same brand as the colorimeter or spectrophotometer. That way the colors truly match.

3. Set the gray balance on your digital camera at an equal number such as 144, 144, 144. Since each camera is slightly different, follow the directions that came with your camera to accomplish this step.

4. Take a digital picture of the camera-profiling chart. Make sure you have plenty of good, soft lighting for this step. Use your photo-editing software to retouch the image to remove any blemishes that may occur in this step.

5. Use the camera profiling software that came with the chart. Choose the correct reference file for the profile chart that you used. Load the camera file that you corrected into the program. Crop the file to match the camera-profiling chart.

6. Save the custom file you just created. From now on, all the digital image colors your camera takes automatically adjust to this profile.

Who Can Help Sponsored