Description
Shipping in Fall 2024
DT Nexus Transmissive Profiling Target is the first modern emulsion-independent color calibration for the scanning of film and other transmissive materials. DT collaborated with Dr. Roy Berns and Dr. Dave Wyble from Gray Sky Imaging, Inc. in the development of the target. This profiling target provides a wide and densely populated gamut of spectrally diverse colorants to robustly characterize the behavior of a camera sensor and light, preparing it for color accurate digitization of film, glass plates, specimen slides, and other transmissive materials. It’s been designed to address all the shortcomings of legacy IT8 color targets – the patches are large and easy to measure (every target sold is individually measured), the colorants are spectrally diverse rather than limited by three color layers as with an IT8 target.
Because this isn’t a target printed using photographic film, it can be used to create color profiles that can be used to accurately capture any emulsion or film size. This is unlike profiles made with IT8 targets printed on a specific emulsion that can only be used for film shot on that emulsion.
The DT Nexus Transmissive Validation Target is also designed in collaboration with Dr. Roy Berns and Dr. Dave Wyble of Gray Sky Imaging, Inc. to provide independent validation of the profiles made by the DT Nexus Transmissive Profiling Target. Color accuracy should not be evaluated using the same target used to make the color profile (see: The Importance of Evaluating Color Quality Using an Independent Target ). Having a second target with the same form factor but with fundamentally different colorants and spectra is a far more robust form of evaluation.
For good results digitization of transmissive materials should be done using a camera with a clean spectral response (e.g. Phase One iXH), a smooth high quality illuminate with high CRI and high CQS (e.g. DT Stellar). But this target is compatible with making profiles for any camera and light combination. For even better results dual RGB capture such as DT Fusion can reduce color inaccuracy due to metamerism; this target works exceptionally well to train such profiles, as well as standard ICC profiles.
Features:
- 129 color patches, 13×10 patch design (one space reserved for the QR code)
- 4×5 inches
- Every target receives serial-number specific measurement by a PhD in Metrology using a high end NIST Traceable spectrophotometer
- The target’s patch size is large enough to be measured by i1 or other spectrophotometer the client may have
- Each target’s serial number is encoded into a QR code and repeated in a human-readable text; the measurement file for each specific serial number is at the URL the QR code encodes which means you don’t have to do any file management – the measurements travel with the target.
- Cleanable – each patch is encased in glass and can be cleaned; the circular patch shape ensures dust/debris is not just pushed into a corner
- The bottom-half of the frame is made from soft plastic, so the target can lay directly on glass surface of capture device
- A metal top half of the frame so the target is durable and remains flat over time
- Smooth surfaces on both top and bottom
- Each patch is separated from the other patches by opaque metal to avoid scatter and adjacency effects (that you’d find in a film target like IT8)
- 100% opaque patch (there is no hole in the metal in that spot) to provide an absolute black and a check for flare
- A bigger gamut than IT8
- More diverse colorants than IT8
- More densely gamut coverage than IT8
- Emulsion-independent, meaning profiles with this target will perform well across a variety of emulsions; whereas IT8 targets are specific to a given emulsion and perform very poorly on other emulsions
- Corner neutral patches to check for uniformity of illumination (aka even fielding or LCC)
- Works with both standard white-light capture and Fusion (Dual RGB) capture
- Includes a homogenous patch texture to use for checking focus and sharpness uniformity
- Can be used to profile for any size film – color profiles are about characterizing the light+lens+sensor, so a profile made at 4×5″ capture area works for 35mm, 120, 4×5 or 8×10 – though a small adjustment in exposure and even fielding need to be done (separate from the color profile)
