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Digital Kolor Kard Color Checker and 18% White Balance Card | 
| Brand: Digital Image Flow
Category: Photography
Buy New: $5.99
as of 9/5/2010 16:14 CDT details
Seller: digital_image_flow
Rating:  2 reviews
Media: Electronics
MPN: DKK
Model: DKK
UPC: 012562284286
EAN: 0012562284286
ASIN: B0036L8TGC
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Easy accurate white balance and color balance 18% target | | • | Precise exposure control, shadow detail and highlight clipping evaluation | | • | Color reference target for profiling digital cameras with ACR script | | • | Sold as a 2-pack with protective poly bag and easy instructions |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The Kolor Kard is a 5 by 7 inch (127 by 177.8 mm) postcard weight paper card. On the front there are 15 printed reference color targets protected by a matte coating. The reference color patches facilitate white balance and exposure for film and digital photography, as well as the setup, profiling, and adjustment of color scanners, digital cameras, digital video, digital printers, and digital display systems. The reference color names and their CIE Lab color values are printed on the reverse.
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| Customer Reviews:
Useful color profiling and white balance tool January 31, 2010
Frank Edema (intransit, USA)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
This is a low-cost alternative to other color profiling and white balance cards that can cost 60 to 70 dollars. My total cost for this card was about 9 dollars - big savings! The cost of the card itself is pretty nice. If you add the 4.50 shipping that all Amazon sellers are forced to charge by Amazon, you get a very reasonable total cost, delivered to your door. The seller's price is low so it basically offsets the shipping fee. I saw this card on Ebay for the same total price.
There's a lot here for the money. It comes as a pack of 2 cards in a plastic bag. I found the easy to use instructions about white balance at the seller's site. I use it for white balance and exposure control with my Canon EOS 5D Mark II 21.1MP Full Frame CMOS Digital SLR Camera (Body Only). I'm a semi-pro photographer, which means I shoot a lot, but I only sell a few images, mostly to calendar companies and some prints. I usually shoot RAW. I carry the card in my photo bag (the card is a medium weight cardboard - like a normal postcard).
When I need a white balance reference I just have my subject hold the card and take a shot. I click on the 50% gray area (18% gray) to set the white balance, using the white balance dropper tool in Adobe Lightroom. If I'm looking for exposure control, I place the card in the shot and just shoot a test shot using auto-exposure. Then, using the camera's view screen and zooming in on the image of the grayscale on the card, I check to see if the dark patches are all distinct (good shadow detail) and that the lightest patches aren't blow out (clipped). If i see problems then I add some exposure compensation as needed. Works well and fast.
One thing I like is that the color patches are CYMK colors which I can use to visually verify the output from my printer - although I don't have a problem with printing - my work is sold for digital display and the buyer takes care of the printing. The color patches in your photos can be compared to the real thing to make sure you got your colors right.
The card can be used for profiling of your digital camera. I have done this with my Canon 1DM4 - it requires CS2 or higher. There is a script you can download from their website to automatically calibrate your camera, using ACR (Adobe Camera Raw) in Photoshop. This is something only pros and very serious others should do, since the level of color accuracy you get just using this card to color balance is very high. Camera calibration is a step beyond that - basically perfecting the color response of ACR for your camera. If I was doing fine art reproduction or commercial product shots I'd use that feature of this card but I haven't needed it so far. Nice to know it's there.
Overall a good little tool for the money.
Improve Your Photographs August 8, 2010
James Thomson (Burlington Ontario Canada)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I was sceptical about the value of this tool because of the low cost compared to the $$$ alternatives. I took a chance and ordered one anyway, hey its less than $10. It came in the mail on Friday and I spent most of the day Saturday playing with it.
For any one with a digital camera that can use custom white balancing its a must have. The difference in the color of the pictures when properly balanced is amazing. You take a picture of the large grey section on the back or the card to set the custom white balance and then shoot using the settings. The color output is much better than using the auto white balance settings present in the camera.
Taking a picture of the front of the card allows you to compare color of the picture on your monitor with the colors on the card and you might be surprised at how poorly your monitor is rendering the colors. Very useful for adjusting the calibration of the monitor. It's only visual calibration but it makes a big improvement, my monitor was way short on red. Lastly you can compare the output of your printer with the card and make adjustemts to the color.
The more costly alternatives may do a better job, may give better color accuracy but I'm really satisfied with how this worked out.
Its made a big improvement in the color of my pictures, my monitor and even my printer. A great value buy.
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