My understanding is that to use the colour calibration feature of PL7, one must be able to include a DxO PL7 approved calibration card in the image. This is possibly feasible for stationary images close to the subject. I image mostly wildlife, and any such card close to me, even if in the field of view of the image, would not be in focus – and I am not walking towards a subject that either would leave were I to come near or might inflict serious injury. Is my understanding correct?
Yes.
I don’t think exact colors are needed for wildlife photography.
Pascal
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Indeed. This is intended for product or catalogue photography where colour matching is important for manufacturing, etc.
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Actually, colour matching also is of importance to me but for a different reason. I use a calibrator on my computer screen and an application that both adjusts the screen (in so far as the Nvidia driver so allows) and records the calibration settings. I need this when I either locally print on my “professional” inkjet printer for small to medium size prints for a client, or when I must order work from a metal print house. The issue with such external suppliers is if the technician will adjust the machine to produce what I have calibrated, or instead does another set of adjustments. Note that in some cases there needs to be a translation matrix from the calibration values I transmit to those used by the printing machine. However, it appears that the colour calibration from PL7 would NOT address this issue.
This is how this kind of calibration works.
Good for studio, landscape (for those who still like realistic colors and carefully choose their lighting conditions), video, etc, but indeed when shooting wildlife this has never really be an option.
Could you elaborate ? What would you need to do with this calibration card ?
I you’re shooting a serie in 'stable" lighting condition (meaning light is “stable” and your shooting axis does not change) - (not always (often ?) the case in wildlife photography), you can shoot a unique image with only the card and use the created profile for the whole serie done in this lighting condition.
Card does not have to be at the same place than the subject. Only in the same light.
This scenario is of course not always possible in wildlife photography.
The situation typically is more complex than what you describe, similar to but more complicated than using traditional incident light metering (rather than at camera reflected light metering). For fixed subjects at which the calibration card can be placed approximately at the subject, this will work, provided the lighting is the same when the card is removed. However, when the subject is moving, particularly at a distance that makes setting the calibration card highly inconvenient (basically, impossible, perhaps except for a “National Geographic” crew), the situation is more problematic. For example, if the subject is moving across a green field (grass) and then moves into the shade of say a rock outcrop, the effective light on the subject will change. I can provide many more examples.
Yes.
This is why I told this kind of calibration when shooting wildlife has never really be an option. (I shoot wildlife too).
Which is often not the case in wildlife photography.
I use to face the same constraints.
But I don’t understand what kind of calibration you’re asking for :
Could you elaborate ? (Doing the same kind of photography, I’m interrested in everything I haven’t investigated yet).
the only thing with wildlife is that you can set your white… white. the other colours change according to shadow and sunlight hitting them which affect colour change on every animal, except for moose that i know light doesn’t changer its colour and doesn’t reflect light, reason why people have accident on the road with moose at night.
You cut my words in a strange way.
Shooting wildlife is a good option 
hmmm yep, seem it didn’t get the first part, sorry.
there should be 2 options, one for grey card (standard) and a second for white so you can point what is white like “white neutralizer” in Nik color efex.
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This would be a nice addition to the already existing tool.
White Balance eyedropper !?
Pascal
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deleted by user.
By error
Yes, but for WB setting only.
Pascal
yes, like having 2 option, one for mid grey and the other one for pure white.