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Guide / Create and apply a CCM profile
Create and apply a CCM profile
Calibrate your capture setup with a transmission chart and save the result as a CCM profile. This corrects color differences introduced by the camera and light; it is not a film look or the in-roll Color Chart method.
What a CCM does
A CCM, or Color Correction Matrix, calibrates the capture setup’s color response. Different cameras or lights may record different colors from the same film. White balance corrects only part of this difference.
To make a CCM, photograph a transmission chart with known reference values using your capture setup. The app compares the recorded patches with their references and creates a correction profile. Use that profile for film captured under matching conditions. The chart ID, sample positions, and capture settings must all match.
Understand CCM with the spectral plots
- Film dye density
The upper Dye Density Curves are dye densities, not sensor responses. Yellow, magenta, and cyan each absorb over a range. Changing the source changes which wavelengths contribute to the record.
- Camera spectral response
The middle Sensor Sensitivity plot shows red and green responding to some of the same wavelengths. Illumination, film transmission, and camera response jointly determine channel values. Overlap is not proof of information loss or impossible accurate calibration.
- The calibration reference
The lower Status M plot is a negative-density measurement reference, not an ideal camera specification. A chart relates input to reference without requiring identical curve shapes. A CCM neither changes sensor filters nor recovers a complete spectrum. Negative and reversal have separate calibrations.
- Capture a matching chart
Use the camera, light, and input settings used for film capture.
- Compare with known references
Compare recorded patches with their references to derive a correction.
- Save and apply the profile
Apply the correction to film captured under matching conditions.
- How is it different from white balance?
White balance primarily adjusts overall warmth and neutrality. A CCM uses multiple known patches to calibrate relationships between recorded colors. A neutral-looking white does not establish accuracy for every color, and a CCM is not a creative film-style filter.
- What does it correct for each film type?
A negative CCM calibrates capture input before film conversion handles the roll’s base and tone; it does not simply subtract orange. Reversal is already positive, but capture can still introduce color errors, so it has its own calibration. The profile types are not interchangeable.
- When should you recalibrate?
Reuse the profile while the camera, light, and input settings stay unchanged; there is no need to remake it for every roll. Recheck after changing the camera, filters, light spectrum or intensity, input mode, or related corrections. Single-shot, Bayer three-shot, and Monochrome three-shot use different profile types.
- How do you judge the calibration?
Check the chart ID, sample boxes, and capture conditions, then review the fit error and inspect other references or several photographs. A small error does not guarantee accuracy for every film. If the camera has recorded different spectra as the same values, a CCM cannot distinguish them again. It also cannot recover losses from clipping, blur, or misalignment.
Before you start
Have a chart RAW captured under the same conditions as your film. Match the camera, light, and input settings, including flat-field correction if used. The tutorial filenames and card ID are examples; use the number on your own chart.
Steps
Enable flat field if needed, then create a CCM
Usually, leave input color at Automatic; making a CCM does not require changing it first. If using a custom input ICC, settle that choice first. Build and enable flat-field correction before making the CCM if you plan to use it. Return to the Contact Sheet and open New CCM Profile from the top CCM dropdown. Check Source / Input. B&W projects have no color CCM; three-shot projects use the Trichrome CCM instructions.
CCM dropdown: No CCM skips CCM, New CCM Profile opens the creation window, and existing profiles can be selected directly.Select image to enlarge The New CCM Profile window
After clicking New CCM Profile, check Source / Input, then choose the chart with Choose Image. Opening the window does not create or apply a profile.
The New CCM Profile windowSelect image to enlarge Choose the chart image
Use a supported 24-patch transmission chart with reference data for its card ID. A chart on a screen or a reflective chart photographed on film cannot replace it. Capture RAW with the camera, lens, aperture, focus, light, and positioning used for film. The chart should have four rows and six columns, with the first row running dark to light from left to right. Do not rotate or mirror it. Check that no patch is clipped in any channel and that there are no reflections, shadows, or flare. Open the file with Choose Image. RGB / White are example filenames only. This step needs a network connection and valid account access; resolve sign-in or access errors before continuing.
Enter the card ID and check the target
Enter the six-digit number printed on your chart under Card ID, including leading zeros. For color negatives, normally choose APD; use Status M only if your later workflow requires it. These are not style options. For reversal, start calibration from a Reversal project and use its own reference, not a negative target. The service also needs reference data for that card and target. If it reports an unsupported target, check the ID and service message rather than selecting a different target to get past the error.
Align the chart and check sample boxes
Try Auto Align, then inspect every patch. When four valid corners are absent, follow the preview prompt to click the patch array’s top-left TL, top-right TR, bottom-right BR, and bottom-left BL. Drag numbered handles to refine existing corners. Frame the patch array, not its case or four patch centers. Each sample box must sit fully inside the intended patch, clear of text, black borders, and neighbors. Correct orientation/corner placement before fitting.
Check the card ID, corner order, and sample boxes inside each patch.Select image to enlarge Run Test Fit and check the result
Click Test Fit and wait. Check for service errors or fit warnings before reading MSE Before / After. After should be lower, but a smaller error does not guarantee accurate color in every photograph. Off-diagonal has no universal pass value either; there is no need to reproduce the screenshot numbers. If warned, check clipping, card ID, target, chart orientation, and sample boxes. Use the window’s sign-in action if prompted. If the service is temporarily unavailable, keep the sources and try again later.
Test Fit has returned a result: read MSE Before / After and any warnings. Profile name is still empty here; name and save the profile next.Select image to enlarge Name, save, and apply
Enter a recognizable name under Profile name, such as the capture setup or intended use. Save stores the profile; Save and Apply also applies it to the current project. Wait for any required reanalysis and confirm the profile in the CCM selector.
No CCM: Convert is on, with dmin+dmax and Standard selected. Switches every 2.8 seconds. Compare skin, snow, grass, and sky across the roll, including casts in neutral areas at different tonal levels. CCM is not a saturation filter. This example has no independent physical color reference, so greater saturation alone does not establish accuracy. Pause or choose a state manually.
Inspect one photograph
Double-click a photograph in the Contact Sheet to open the Viewer. Inspect skin, snow, and sky, paying particular attention to casts in neutral areas. To compare your own photograph, return to the Contact Sheet, switch between No CCM and the matching profile in the top CCM dropdown, wait for reanalysis, then reopen the same frame. Keep the conversion method, exposure, white balance, and View unchanged so that other edits do not confuse the result.
CCM off: no CCM profile applied. Switches every 2.8 seconds. Pause or select a state manually; click the image to enlarge it. These are the same photographs used on the home page. Without an independent physical color reference, greater saturation alone does not establish accuracy.
Check the result
The profile is saved, the CCM dropdown shows the intended profile, and reanalysis has finished. Check the card ID, sample boxes, and capture conditions before saving—not just the error numbers.
Common issues
- Test Fit fails: read the complete error. Account or service entitlement errors require checking sign-in and valid access; moving chart corners repeatedly will not resolve them.
- Save is unavailable: check the required profile name and any outstanding fitting or target-request error.
- Unexpected colors after applying: check capture matching, input settings, flat-field consistency, and sample placement before compensating with white balance.