Easy IT8 Calibration for Scanners and Cameras
An IT8 Calibration target contains squares of precisely measured colors. When you scan the target or take a photo of it, specialized software can determine how the colors should look and then create a profile to correct them in the digital file.
Previously, IT8 Calibration targets were only available for expensive scanners. Now, LaserSoft Imaging supports IT8 calibration in its affordable SilverFast 6.5 scanner and photo software ($49 and up), which is available for most scanners and SLR digital cameras.
You scan or photograph the target, and with one click, the software aligns the image of the target and uses its unique barcode to identify that exact target and build an ICC profile for the current scanning session or photo shoot.
Targets are available in reflective and transmissive media, including 35mm, 6x7cm, 16x21cm, 4x5in and 5x7in.
Prices range from $33 to $110.
Jeff Gamet is a contributing editor for Design Tools Monthly, the executive summary of graphic design news. He is also the morning editor and reviews editor for The Mac Observer and iPodObserver.com, and contributing writer for Layers Magazine and Photoshop User. He writes the InBrief column for InDesign Magazine, and is the author of “The Designer’s Guide to Mac OS X,” from Peachpit Press
When Jeff isn’t writing about the graphic design world, he’s talking about it on the Design Tools Weekly podcast with co-host Jay Nelson. He also talks about Apple and the Mac world every week on The Mac Observer’s Apple Weekly Report.
Jeff studies, tests and reviews new software and technologies for the Macintosh community as well as the design and print industries. He is a former Pre-press specialist, and has nearly 25 years experience with computer technology. Jeff trains, lectures and consults on techniques for more efficiently using Mac OS X in creative environments throughout the country.
In the rare moments when he can get away from his MacBook Pro, Jeff spends his time climbing and biking in the Colorado mountains.