DXO Wide Gamut problems

[eriepa (WIN11, PL7, FP7, VP4, NIK1)]

@BHAYT

agreed but we “collect” geraniums in particular (which have a habit of interbreeding) and while there is room for being creative, accurate recording is also useful.

Bryan –thanks for this comment regarding geraniums – it really helps to appreciate what has been motivating your posts. Yes, as you, I, and others here have posted, it is rather easy to get decent on-display matches between files edited in WG or CL color working spaces. You found, however, by using Beyond Compare that while these images appear similar, they are not identical. My methodology is different – exporting uncompressed, 16-bit TIFFs and examining in FRV – but I’ve come to the same conclusion. Aside – I used your image and, as chance would have it, some rather vivid images of orchids in my tests!

If one of your goals is compare the colors of new geranium hybrids with your past captures, I would suggest sticking with the CL workflow. This limits the range and richness of colors that are in play, sure, but the consistency will be there. Ditto for revisiting older images where you want to retain the original CL edits. For everything else, I suggest moving completely to WG. Either workflow can be reasonably color accurate (consistent at least), but given what DxO has written about this matter and what our experience has told us, mixing and matching is a fool’s errand.

[Wolfgang ([ Win10, PL+VP+FP, Nik7 / 3.3 ])]

@BHAYT

The issue is less with Wide Gamut which, prior to editing, appears to be a closer match to other products and more with Classic(Legacy)!? Except that CL appears to be a closer match to the JPEG from the camera.

Hi Bryan,
not pestering you, but when it is about reproduction and colour fidelity, there is no other way than using a trusted (industry standard) colour chart as reference – and consistent light (to make life easier).

I’ve set my monitor to sRGB / 6500K to be in ‘sync’ with yours, while wider gamuts definitely show better colours.

in split preview

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from your description
[M] & [1] ‘Classic(Legacy)’ & ‘Wide Gamut’ plus no additional edits set on.
[2] & [3] ‘Classic(Legacy)’ & ‘Wide Gamut’ plus ‘Color renderings’ with settings in fact the '‘Protect saturated colors’ setting has now changed to 9 rather than the 8 snapshotted here!?
[4] & [5] ‘Classic(Legacy)’ & ‘Wide Gamut’ plus ‘Color renderings’ plus ‘Vignetting’, ‘Crop’ and ‘Distortion’ with settings

comment:

• comparing M with VC2 to 5 shows no significant colour change except brightness,
  while VC1 shows better (richer) colours

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note:

• in my split preview screenshot
  M + VC1 are set to Softproof with → sRGB IEC61966-2.1
  to simulate the correct output for your sRGB screen

• with highlighted VC1 to compare it to your → Master
  
  so that the reference pic is shown at the left side

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important:

• In PL5 and before the max working colour space was AdobeRGB
  and for the Display you had these options,
  
  which made a difference for some users.

• In PL6 we now have max DxO’s Wide Gamut working colour space
  to not limit the user anymore,
  but with the colour engine a lot of adjustments / settings changed.
  .
  When you have a pic in a wider working colour space
  check with Softproof ON
  
  and evaluate the → default setting for Preserve color details,
  if it does it for you.
  .
  If in doubt what to do, check the ?-onscreen help.

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just to wrap it up with @eriepa:

If one of your goals is compare the colors of new geranium hybrids with your past captures, I would suggest sticking with the CL workflow.

Wolfgang

[BHAYT (Bryan [WIN10, PL7, VP4, FP7, G9 & EM1 Mkii, RTX 3060])]

@Wolfgang

not pestering you, but when it is about reproduction and colour fidelity, there is no other way than using a trusted (industry standard) colour chart as reference – and consistent light (to make life easier).

@Wolfgang you are not pestering at all and I am sorry for the delay in responding I started this straight after I saw your post but …

All my screens are sRGB, a Dell U2515H and two Z24i (1920 x 1200), one either side of the U2515H.

With respect to the ‘Colour fidelity’ and a reference chart are you referring to

and/or

I have the latter, albeit I don’t use them much, but not the former, i.e. I do have an old Spyder 4 but not a colour passport.

As for consistent lighting then while I have a better chance of choosing a similar situation in my own garden photos taken when we are visiting gardens are full of plants, weather (sun, cloud, wind etc. in any combination and not necessarily a consistent combination from one photo to another) and full of people who also seem to want to enjoy the garden and take photos on their smartphone or tablet and my zoom lens won’t go through or round them (but can help frame them out of the image and hope I get another chance at a better image towards closing time as the crowds thin/vanish)!

So how does the colour checker help with “mastering” the colour of the images taken in my own garden?

@Wolfgang

comparing M with VC2 to 5 shows no significant colour change except brightness,
while VC1 shows better (richer) colours

Agreed, that’s what I concluded and VC1 is the ‘Wide Gamut’ image with no edit options selected (other than selecting WG not CL).

I had never noticed that DxPL does not render the VC number when scrolling through the thumbnails until just now!?

@Wolfgang

with highlighted VC1 to compare it to your → Master

Given that I had created all the variants as VCs I forgot about the option for comparing them with one another rather than just the before/after of each image, thank you for the reminder.

However while I can get the following

I cannot get the “All corrections except White Balance” option?

I thought that the “lazy” swirl (on [2] from an earlier snapshot) was a thing of the past but apparently not!

@eriepa

My methodology is different – exporting uncompressed, 16-bit TIFFs and examining in FRV – but I’ve come to the same conclusion.

@eriepa I tend to use 100% JPEG to keep “costs” (space) down and also use FRV and FastStone Viewer for comparison.

[Wolfgang ([ Win10, PL+VP+FP, Nik7 / 3.3 ])]

@BHAYT

I cannot get the “All corrections except White Balance” option?

.
Being in the Windows version and hitting the → White balance color picker
(e.g. from the top bar)

the comparison tool turns from Side-by-side into Split preview
(just don’t click on the pic).

.
Then open the Compare → twirler (?)

and change the default Reference image setting
.
from All corrections except White Balance into YOUR choice

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As my (latest) reference chart I got a Color Checker Passport from XRite (now Calibrite)
including software ( and also have some long lasting reference cards from www.fotowand.de ).

note – for critical colour work your monitor(s) must be calibrated

[BHAYT (Bryan [WIN10, PL7, VP4, FP7, G9 & EM1 Mkii, RTX 3060])]

@Wolfgang Thank you.

Was it you that posted the ‘White Balance’ “trick” to enable the split screen compare option in DxPL(W)?