Colour saturation issues with Canon DSLR

[andrew bret]

Hi,
Just wondered if anyone had come across this issue before?

When I import my Raw images from my Canon Eos5D and Eos1DS 111, the images look momentarily punchy and vibrant - as they do on my camera back screen - then, once they have imported fully, they become noticeably flatter and less vibrant.
Obviously I realise I can get around this by using colour saturation and contrast settings, but I never had this sisue whilst importing from my H20, therefore I wonder if I am doing something wrong here?

Both cameras are set to AdobeRGB, but I have also tried importing as SRGB with the same results. I also check that the correct colour settings are altered in Capture One Prof to match whichever camera I am using. Strangely, I have tried the same thing with Aperture and don't have these issues!

Any hints, help or advice would be greatly appreciated. A solution would certainly make my life a whole lot easier.

[Paul_Steunebrink]

...
Both cameras are set to AdobeRGB, but I have also tried importing as SRGB with the same results. I also check that the correct colour settings are altered in Capture One Prof to match whichever camera I am using.
...

Your remarks regarding color management are confusing to me.

First, when taking pictures and saving them as raw with your Canon DSLR, it is not relevant which working space you set on the camera (either AdobeRGB or sRGB). This is for JPEG or raw when you use Canon DPP. This is a common misunderstanding.

Next, what INPUT profile do you select for your camera in CO3.x? This should be a camera profile like Canon 5D and not a working space profile like AdobeRGB. Again, do not follow the color working space setting in the camera to set as input profile.

For OUTPUT (destination or web) you can either select a color working space like AdobeRGB or sRGB or embed the camera profile.

[andrew bret]

Hi,

Thanks for your help. I appreciate your advice.

The input profile I always select in CO3 is either for Canon 1DS 111 or 5D - whichever camera I'm using at the time.

I guess - like you say - if shooting SRGB or Abode in camera makes no difference, then this is not the cause of the colour saturation / contrast shift I'm experiencing.

Just to make clear: when I import from the CF card, black bars show either side of the image in CO3. As soon as the black bars disappear and the thumbnail is fully processed, the colour saturation / contrast flattens off.

[Darko1]

What's happening here is that with Canon cameras, Raw files always have a small-ish embedded jpeg that is created with whatever current Picture Style settings you have set in camera. When C1 first opens a batch of photos, it initially displays that image (or maybe just the thumbnail image, which would look the same) as a placeholder until it is able to set up the preview image of it's own.

[andrew bret]

Thanks for this.

Is there a work around - you know of - that will enable me to see the same preview image as I see on camera?

Currently, I have to import, then add contrast and saturation to get somewhere near to where I was at capture. This is very time consuming and - as I supply colour libraries with images in the thousands - I am sure you can imagine the hours this takes!

Any advice, greatly appreciated.

Andrew Bret Wallis

ABW Photography Ltd

[Darko1]

Unfortunately, the only way to get exactly what you see in camera right of the bat is to just use Canon's DPP software.

Your best bet is to just get your settings on an image as close as you can to how you want it to look and then create a style. Then you can just apply that style to every new set of images as you bring them in.

[Keith Carpenter]

ErnesttheGoose,

Dead-on color is possible in Capture One.
The transition you witness is file thumbnail created and then color management settings are applied to files.
Be sure the color management settings are correct.
C1 Mac does soft proof quite accurately if settings are right at Proof Profile.

See KB 2015
http://www.phaseone.com/HOME/Content/Su ... 20-%20Main

Also, if you're using a custom WB or Auto WB setting in-camera, it may not be interpreted accurately. Better to use an in-camera preset
KB
http://www.phaseone.com/HOME/Content/Su ... 20-%20Main

regards, kc