Superb new camera profiles and camera & film emulation presets (Cobalt-Image)

[Jipster]

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On 5/11/2022 at 2:38 AM, ALLinONE said:

I have three emulation packages. These are not presets, but corrective LUTs superimposed on the base profile. But again, this is a low-quality product not worth the money. And I know what I say, as I have experience in building profiles.

beg to differ. Don’t use all of their profiles, but your rash statement speaks volumes. These are not low-quality products. Maybe you can give us a link to one of your profiles, so we can compare.

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[ALLinONE]

Here are some of my photos:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/154108410@N07/

- all have only my profile applied. Only fuji s5pro has the original color from the native utility.

 I have never used profiles from cobalt, even though I always try them with updates - money in the wind....

 

[tivoli]

I came upon this thread yesterday. I've already purchased four products, each one hours apart, starting with the basic Q2 profiles. I think they are fantastic. These appear to be extremely high quality and have properties and features that I have not been able to replicate with other products up to now. I'm very excited by the output of my images especially the comparison between the C1 Leica Q2 generic profile and Cobalt's profiles. These products are a game changer for me.

Edited August 27, 2023 by tivoli

[summi-cron]

On 8/25/2023 at 9:25 AM, ALLinONE said:

Here are some of my photos:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/154108410@N07/

 

 

Hello Allinone, wonderful!

How do you get those colors?

Is it possible to have your profile?

Thank you

Dan

 

Edited September 17, 2023 by summi-cron

[Almizilero]

Does Cobalt offer some kind of trial version? I really would like to test this for my M10 before I buy?

I also need help understanding how it works. First I get the Basic Pack which will get the best out of the DNG (or what cobalt deems the best). Then I can add simulations.
Let's say I want to get same-ish images from an SL2-S and a Pana S5II. Is it enough to get the Basic Packs for both cameras, because Cobalt has a standard and their basic pack brings all cameras to this level? Or do I have to get the Basic Packs and the SL2-S simulation, with which I'll bring the S5II as close as possible to the SL2-S?

[jaapv]

As said before. If you want (nearly) the same colour output from two different cameras the best thing to do is to shoot a ColorChecker Passport on both cameras  and load the profiles into your raw converter. Cobalt profiles are basically meant for single camera use or film emulation. 

[Raamiel]

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3 hours ago, jaapv said:

As said before. If you want (nearly) the same colour output from two different cameras the best thing to do is to shoot a ColorChecker Passport on both cameras  and load the profiles into your raw converter. Cobalt profiles are basically meant for single camera use or film emulation. 

The architecture of Cobalt's basic profiles is designed precisely for this purpose: to unify the output among different cameras. This allows us to have a common base on which to apply our emulation LUTs. Of course, if a user has the tools to build good profiles specifically tailored to their cameras, this could lead to even more consistent results, eliminating the inevitable small variations between camera units. However, it is a more challenging task than one might think.

[bill_murray]

I think people who are connected to commercial products like Cobalt should declare their interest, so that forum members are properly informed. 

 

[hansvons]

On 1/9/2024 at 5:31 PM, Raamiel said:

However, it is a more challenging task than one might think.

Yes. And that's because there are lenses in the equation. And they differ quite a lot from outright cold and magenta-ish (vintage Zeiss glass) to coldish but relatively neutral (older Leica glass), to reasonably neutral (modern Leica and other glass), to warm (e.g., much of Canon glass has a warm bias). Similar things can be said about contrast, etc.

When not using the lens used for calibration, the odds are high that the whole exercise is moot. What you can do, however, is match cameras after the fact with a Macbeth chart that was used in the same light(environment). But who wants to be so anal?

Profiles like Cobalt and many others, including C1's ProStandard, can give you a ballpark you might prefer. The rest is marketing. They even don't tell you which lens they used for "calibration".