The ColorChecker Passport Photo 2, developed by X-Rite, offers a compact and efficient means to attain precise color and exposure. This portable tool is designed to guarantee accurate rendering from the moment of image capture. It features four distinct targets housed within a pocket-sized case and is complemented by the enhanced v1.2 Camera Calibration software, which facilitates the creation of DNG and ICC camera profiles. Additionally, it includes a specialized plug-in for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, enabling the development of custom profiles for post-production. Gray Balance Target An 18% middle gray target has been added to the Passport's design, and this neutral de facto standard target is perfect for ensuring accurate exposures when using reflective light meters as well as for removing unwanted color casts during postproduction. White Balance Target Designed to be spectrally neutral and reflect light evenly across the visible spectrum, this white target serves as a neutral reference point to accurately compensate for different lighting conditions. Compared to other seemingly plain, white objects, the spectral response of this target ensures greater accuracy and consistency for creating white balance settings while shooting. Classic Target A compact version of the industry standard ColorChecker Classic target, this 24-patch grid is used to ensure accurate color rendering from capture to post-production. It is used in conjunction with calibration software to create custom profiles and allows you to compare camera response to various lighting conditions. The 24 patches represent common colors of natural objects, including sky blue, skin tones, and green foliage, and each patch has been individually colored to produce a solid tone of pure, flat, and rich color with natural reflectivity. Creative Enhancement Target Designed for creative color applications, this target includes four rows of color patches for adding repeatable color effects in post-production by selecting the patch with an eyedropper tool. There are two rows of warming and cooling patches in the middle of the target for adding consistent color tone effects to images. The bottom row consists of clipping patches for making black and white point adjustments, and these patches are separated into light and dark groups with 1/3-stop differences between them, with the exception of the last patch which has a 1/10-stop difference, and results in a 32:1 or 5-stop total dynamic range. The top row includes eight hue, saturation, and lightness spectrum patches for ensuring color accuracy across all hues to better assess and edit for unwanted color shift. Color Calibration Software Updated to version 1.2, the available Color Calibration software works in conjunction with the Passport Photo 2 to help create custom color profiles and achieve accurate colors during post-production. This revised version offers the ability to create both DNG and ICC camera profiles using the ColorChecker Classic target. The software automatically recognizes the target for straightforward use and, after creating color profiles for different lighting conditions, this process helps to minimize color differences between shoots, better adapt for mixed lighting conditions, and match color balance from scene to scene. Passport Case One of the distinguishing features of the Passport Photo 2 is, of course, its pocketable passport-style case. Compared to other oversized targets, which tend to be fragile or susceptible to damage, the compact form factor of the Passport along with the hard-plastic and travel-sized case, makes it easy to carry at all times. The case is also self-standing for propping up the targets in the scene. Additionally, a lanyard is included to keep the targets handy while on a shoot.
