Calibrating RAW Software

Does anyone know if it’s possible to calibrate RAW software, specifically ACR, for consistent colors?

Here’s the story, so please be patient. I recently had to purchase a 5D2. The old 5D suddenly died. I sent it to Canon. They said water had gotten into it somehow, even though I’ve never had it in water. The most is when I would shoot when it’s sprinkling, but then I’d soon put it away. I think condensation built up inside of it from shooting in the winter. But, I digress…

Anyway, I had to purchase a 5D2, and it’s been an absolute pain in the backside ever since. Photoshop CS3 will not open the 5D2 CR2 files. The version of Photoshop CS4 I had wouldn’t open them either until I updated the ACR file, which I did. Now they’ll open in CS4. However, I like working in CS3 better than CS4, so I downloaded Adobe DNG Converter so I could open my 5D2 CR2 files and work in CS3. However, I noticed that the .tif files produced from the DNG file in CS3 looked differently than the .tif file produced from CS4, even though the DNG file contained the exact same .xmp settings. When I go to the camera calibration tab in ACR (in both CS3 & CS4), you can’t select a common setting with CS3 & CS4. CS3 gives only one option of “Embedded”, and CS4 gives several options: “Adobe Standard”; “Camera-Faithful”, “-Portrait”, -“Landscape”, etc.

I hope you were able to follow my explanation. See the examples below. Each has the exact same settings, but one’s from CS3 & one’s from CS4. (The CS3 version is what I intended for it to look like.)

That’s one of my biggest gripes about updating to the new 5D2. Adobe makes you purchase the most current version of Photoshop in order to use the latest ACR file (in order to recognize the new 5D2 CR2 files); the current ACR file is not backwards compatible with CS3. I’m sure they could easily make the current ACR file function with previous versions of Photoshop, but where’s the money in that? As soon as I found out about that, I suddenly had a lower opinion of Adobe than Microsoft.

So, is there any way to make the colors consistent among versions of Photoshop, or am I (and others) screwed? Are we going to have purchase the most recent edition of Photoshop in order to process the files of new cameras? Does Capture One pull the same stuff?

CS3 file.

CS4 file

You can create your own camera profile by purchasing an X-Rite color checker ($58 at b&h), then using the free DNG Profile Editor. If you get it installed in the right place, it will show up as an option on the calibration tab. I use this technique in CS4, but I don't know what would happen if I tried to open a DNG in CS3.

What don't you like about CS4? If we knew, perhaps someone could suggest a solution.

I think the thing I don't like about CS4 is more about style than function. I'm just used to the layout of CS3, and I like the way it's set up now. I know CS4's ACR has some cool tools, and I use them occasionally. But most of the time the tools I use in ACR are in CS3, and it's just easier to switch between RAW and tif files with one version of Photoshop open.

The advantage to using ACR in CS4 is that Adobe offers a number of built in profiles for every camera for which ACR can open RAW files.
Best to use ACR in CS4 to choose one of those profiles and edit your RAW files, and then open the edited files in CS3, if you must.

John, that's probably what I'll end up doing. But, each time a person purchases a camera, they'll just need to plan on buying the latest edition of Photoshop. That's a great cartel these companies have set up.