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BabelColor News!
i1Pro 2 support
Mountain Lion
DeltaE* for Android
(more info)
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General questions
1- Can I get evaluation copies of BabelColor Software?
Yes. Just go to the download page
to get the software. There is NO form to fill and NO personal information has to
be given in order to get a copy. Please note that non-registered programs may be
time-limited and/or with limited functions and features.
top
2- Is BabelColor
Software shareware?
Yes, as per one of the numerous interpretations of the term!.
You can give a copy to a friend or colleague as long as you give the complete
evaluation package. Of course, if you purchase a BabelColor
Software,
you cannot give or lend your license. Also, you cannot distribute or offer for
download the evaluation package unless you have a written agreement with
BabelColor. top
3- How much does BabelColor
Software cost?
The single license price is 125 US$ for BabelColor CT&A and
125
US$ for PatchTool. Please go to the
purchase page for more information on how you can
purchase the program. For volume pricing, or special prices when buying the same
product for Mac and PC, please enquire by e-mail and we will send you a quote:
 .
top
4- Do you offer student or academic pricing for your
Software?
Our products are priced very competitively when compared
against other products in the colorimetric market. Because of this, we do not
offer student or academic pricing. However, we can provide very "aggressive"
pricing for volume purchases. top
6- Will I be able to get free upgrades?
Yes. Your license is valid for all incremental upgrades (x.1, x.2,
etc.). Your exclusive permanent license code will not need to be updated for
these upgrades. However, upgrades to a major revision, from 4.x to 5.x for
example, may require additional purchasing, although rebates for owners of the previous
version
will be available. top
- for Mac and Windows
Software: Order processing and
payment is done through
RegNow. RegNow is part
of Digital River,
a global e-commerce company. Major credit
cards are accepted, as well as other forms of payment, including PayPal. If physical
delivery of a CD is required, it is handled by RegNow.
- for Android Software: Order processing and
payment is done through
the
Google Play
Web site
(previously called the Android Market).
- for physical goods (i.e. BabelColor Watch your White! TM
white target and
posters): Order processing is done through UltraCart,
an e-business service company created in 1996. Payment processing is done through
PayPal; a PayPal account is NOT
required. Major credit cards are accepted, as well as PayPal.
Delivery is handled
by BabelColor.
- for BabelColor
Services: After e-mail
exchanges between the Customer and BabelColor, and a mutual agreement on the
services to be performed, a "Money request/Invoice" is sent by BabelColor through
PayPal. Major credit cards are
accepted, as well as PayPal. There is usually no physical delivery required
as documents and reports are sent by email.
top
Software install questions
1- (Windows) The program always asks to re-enter the
registration info. How can I fix this?
In some circumstances, when being launched, the program may
show a message indicating that the copy is not registered, even if you
previously successfully entered your registration Name and Key. When this
happens, you should launch the program as an administrator, and re-enter the
registration info (On Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8, do a right-click on the PatchTool or
BabelColor CT&A
icon and select "Run as administrator" from the popup menu). Once you have
entered the registration info in such a way, you should be able to start the
program normally thereafter.
Please contact us
if the above suggestion does not work:
 . top
2- (Windows) The program does not behave properly
after installation. What can I do?
If you have a
problem starting the program or with registration, please use the following
procedure:
- Disable any anti-virus program
- Uninstall the program
- Reboot the computer
- Disable any anti-virus program
- Check that the application folder you just uninstalled is
empty.
The default application folder path is:
"C:\Program Files\BabelColor\PatchTool\" or "C:\Program
Files\BabelColor\BabelColor CT&A\"
or, if using a 64-bit OS:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\BabelColor\PatchTool\" or "C:\Program Files
(x86)\BabelColor\BabelColor CT&A\"
Trash any files in this folder if required.
- Install the program
- Launch the program and enter your registration Name and
Key. Please consult Question-1 above if you are
asked to re-enter your registration info. top
3- (Windows on Mac) Can I use your Software for Windows on a Mac?
We successfully tested the Windows
versions of our Software on Macs configured for dual Mac/Windows boot. However, since it is very
difficult to test all combinations of hardware and OS on the market, including
the various regional settings, there may be issues that we are unaware of.
Please contact us if you see something that looks suspicious:
.
Please note that our Windows Software was not designed for,
nor tested with, Virtual
PC and other Windows emulators, since there is a native Mac version available. We have
received feedback from users to the effect that BabelColor CT&A for Windows
does not launch properly on older versions of Virtual PC; we do nonetheless appreciate feedback
on your experiments with our software on emulators. top
4- (Mac) Is your software for Mac Universal?
BabelColor CT&A and PatchTool for Mac are no longer offered in
separate Universal binaries and Mac-Intel packages.
BabelColor CT&A and PatchTool for Mac are now offered in separate PowerPC and
Mac-Intel
downloads. top
5- (Mac) The application, an old version
downloaded in a .sit archive, does not
launch. What is the problem?
This has been noted with archives saved in the "Stuffit"
format (*.sit), which was used only for the older BabelColor CT&A version
dedicated for the Mac Classic OS; the latest software releases are compressed in
the .zip archive format, for which this is not an issue. The problem is very likely caused by the Stuffit program on your Mac;
more specifically, the application may not be set with the proper permissions
after being un-stuffed. The problem happens in particular on computers which
have been upgraded from OS 9 to OS X, or on which Stuffit 8.0 was installed
previously. Here is something from
the Stuffit site:
"StuffIt Deluxe 8.0 caused a problem whereby
applications would not run if they were expanded from archive formats that
do not preserve UNIX file permissions. In earlier versions of StuffIt
Expander, this problem did not occur because the UNIX "execute" permission
was set on all files as they were expanded. StuffIt Deluxe 8.0.2 restores
that feature. However, if you are certain that you do not want the "execute"
permissions set, you can tell StuffIt Expander not to alter UNIX file
permissions when expanding non-UNIX compatible file formats. This can be
done in StuffIt Expander preferences by un-checking the box that says "Set
execute permissions by default". "
You can try this to fix the problem (also from Stuffit
makers):
"Troubleshooting for all Mac OS X products: Disk Repair
and Permissions Repair
If you are experiencing problems with any of our software that runs on Mac
OS X (or any other Mac OS X compatible software for that matter), please try
the following general fixes and maintenance:
Disk and Permissions issues:
It is possible there is a problem with your disk and/or disk permissions.
There are easy steps to attempt a repair of such issues provided as part of
your Operating System. Boot up from your OS X CD and run the "Disk Utility"
program. Select the "First Aid" tab, select your hard disk and click the
"Repair Disk" button. Once it is finished, if errors were found and
repaired, run "Repair Disk" again until it runs cleanly once without
reporting any errors.
Now boot up from your startup drive and launch the
"Disk Utility" program. Select the "First Aid" tab, select you hard disk and
click the "Repair Disk Permissions" button. "Repair Disk Permissions" is an
important step and Apple recommends that it be run periodically. When it is
finished reboot from your startup drive."
You can also change the application permissions using the Info
window (ctrl + mouse click on the program icon, then select "Get Info").
Here is what the settings should be:
Ownership & permissions: Read and Write
Details/Owner: Read & Write
Details/Group: Read only
Details/Others: Read only
And finally, you can change the permissions using the "sudo
chmod" Terminal command (the command is a short form for "SuperUser ChangeMod"),
and is used as shown below for BabelColor CT&A (for PatchTool, replace "BabelColor CT&A.app"
by "PatchTool.app"):
$ sudo chmod 755 BabelColor CT&A.app
From "Mac OS X: the Missing Manual":
"The chmod command is a quick way to change access
privileges-including Execute permission, which isn't available in the File
Get Info window. The 755 business is a long story, which you can read at any
Terminal prompt by typing man chmod and hitting Enter. In short,
however, this code is shorthand for "Change the permissions so that everyone
can read and execute (but not make changes to) this file"-just what you want
for a CGI script. After hitting Enter, you're ready to proceed. Now sudo
asks for your administrator's password. Once you've entered it, press
Enter.." top
6- (Mac) I get a message that CT&A or PatchTool
is from an "unidentified developer." What can I do?
This is a message which appears in Mountain Lion for programs not downloaded
from the Apple App Store, or for programs created by developers which did not
pay to be "identified" by Apple. IMPORTANT: Before continuing, make sure you
downloaded the program from the BabelColor Web site; this information should
also appear in the "unidentified developer" message. To launch CT&A or PatchTool
the first time after you download the program, go in the "Security & Privacy"
settings of your "System Preferences"; select the radio button corresponding to
"Allow applications downloaded from: Anywhere". You may need to first
unlock the dialog by entering your account password. You should leave the
security settings dialog open for the next step. Once the program is launched,
you can change the security setting back to where it was. Please
consult the Mountain Lion Issues page on this
site for an illustrated procedure. top
7- (Mac) I installed Mountain Lion and I am asked to
install Java SE 6 runtime. Is this OK?
Yes. This message may appear the first time you start PatchTool's
Display
Check after upgrading to Mountain Lion. Although PatchTool is not
programmed using Java code, some of its plug-ins may use it, and you need to
install the Java SE 6 runtime in order for the program to function correctly. Please
consult the Mountain Lion Issues page on this
site for more information on the problem and how to fix it. top
8- (Mac) The Console shows that the hasplmd
process is crashing every 10 seconds. Can I stop it?
This problem has been seen in Mac Lion (OS X 10.7) and Mountain Lion (OS X
10.8). The hasplmd process is a license manager program used with USB
security keys, or "dongles". The problem has nothing to do with BabelColor
software but may be due do to an older X-Rite software component installed to
support the i1Display Pro. Please consult the
Mountain Lion
Issues page on this site for more information on the problem and how to fix
it. top
9- (Linux) Are there Linux versions
of your Software?
No Linux versions are planned for the moment. However, we may reconsider it in
the future. top
BabelColor CT&A Software questions
1- What is the difference between BabelColor
and BabelColor CT&A?
"BabelColor Color Translator & Analyzer" is
the program's full name, but we often use the shorter form, "BabelColor
CT&A", and sometimes an even shorter form, "CT&A". "BabelColor" is the name
by which the program was previously known. The new name is to better differentiate this software from
the company's name and from other
BabelColor products. BabelColor is a registered trademark for color tools,
products and services. top
2- What is the difference between BabelColor CT&A and
PatchTool?
There are too many to list in a short answer! However, we can
globally answer this question by looking at typical uses. If you are interested
in comparing or converting a color from an RGB space or a color catalogue (i.e.
a
Color Deck) to another RGB
space or color catalogue, then BabelColor CT&A
is a good choice. As well, if you want to transform your i1Pro or i1Pro 2 into a
full-featured densitometer (see Density) or a powerful spectral analysis tool (see
FluoCheck,
Graph,
ISO 3664+,
Metamerism Index,
RAL Design,
Whiteness), the answer is again BabelColor CT&A. On the other hand,
if you want to open,
measure, and manipulate color lists (in CGATS, spreadsheet,
CxF, Adobe Swatch Exchange (ASE), or text formats),
of any size, and view, convert, average, or compare them, then PatchTool is the
solution. If you want to
check your display
performance using
many different instruments, then again PatchTool is the answer. These products
complement each other; you could well use BabelColor CT&A to assess a light
booth illumination uniformity and light quality, then use PatchTool to average
your printer or press calibration targets and check their accuracy relative to
known reference values. Please consult the programs' features (BabelColor
CT&A, PatchTool) and their respective
Help manuals for additional information.
top
3- Do you use the same gamma for all spaces?
No. If a multi-parameter gamma is defined for a given space, sRGB
or eciRGB_v2 for
example, the higher accuracy multi-parameter definition is used by default.
However, the user has the option of using a single parameter gamma if desired. The detailed parameters and the single value gamma are displayed in the
menu-selectable Space data table.
Note: The L* (L-star) gamma of eciRGB_v2 has, by definition, the same equations
as the multi-parameter gamma of sRGB and NTSC, but with different values for each
parameter.
top
4- Is a calibrated monitor required?
No. Although strongly recommended, a calibrated monitor is
not required since a lot of the data provided by the program is in numerical
form. However, if your display is calibrated with an ICC profile, CT&A will detect
the
default display profile and show accurate colors since CT&A is color managed;
this capability is useful for the
patch layouts of the RGB
vs RGB tool and for all spectral tools where patches are shown (Density,
FluoCheck, Graph, Metamerism Index, RAL Design). The display profile can also be
user-assigned. top
5- Can I use my Spectrocam/Pulse/Other-instrument with BabelColor CT&A?
In CT&A Version 4 we added support for the i1Display Pro and
the i1Pro 2. The list of supported instruments for the
RGB vs RGB tool can be found
here; the
list of supported instruments for the
spectral tools (Density, FluoCheck,
Graph, ISO 3664+, Metamerism Index, RAL Design, Whiteness) can be found
here. Support for other instruments will be considered, depending on
demand.
top
6- Is there anything I should know before
measuring my display?
As a matter of fact, yes! Many BabelColor CT&A users measure
their monitor or home cinema's color temperature, luminance, and
chromaticity using either the program's
RGB vs RGB or
Graph tools, with the
input data coming directly from an one of the
supported instruments. We have thus
prepared a tutorial on how to make and interpret these measurements (Tutorial
10: Measuring color patches on a display) which can be found in the
program's Help file, which is available as a separate pdf download:
BabelColor_CT&A_Help.pdf
(10.5 MB).
top
7- My i1 (Eye-One) is connected but not
recognized by BabelColor CT&A. What can I do?
You may receive a message to the effect that the i1 (Eye-One)
is not connected when you select the "Peripheral/Instrument info...” menu.
Assuming that your instrument is indeed connected, first check if the i1Profiler
program from X-Rite is opened, and, if opened, close it, since BabelColor CT&A
cannot be used at the same time.
Early versions of i1Profiler provide a control
panel named “X-Rite Device Services”, which is used to assign/unassign
instruments to X-Rite software. On a
Mac, the “X-Rite Device Services” control panel is located in the System
Preferences dialog. The latest versions of i1Profiler still include “X-Rite
Device Services” but do not include a control panel, and instrument assignment
is performed dynamically when opening an X-Rite program.
If using an early version of i1Profiler, you should
DESELECT the i1 (Eye-One) in the “X-Rite Device Services” control panel; this
will make the instrument available for BabelColor CT&A. Please note that changes
in the X-Rite control panel can be done while BabelColor CT&A is opened. You
should then be able to connect the instrument by selecting the
"Peripheral/Instrument info...” menu once again. The early versions of
i1Profiler may also open one or more dialogs asking if you
want BabelColor CT&A to take ownership of the i1 peripherals; please answer
“Yes” to the question(s). “X-Rite Device Services” is
dedicated to X-Rite programs and is not under BabelColor CT&A's control; any
problem related to its use should be directed to X-Rite.
If the above fails, you can always try to
disconnect and reconnect the instrument. Please note that BabelColor CT&A should be used with only one
i1 (Eye-One) connected at a time.
top
PatchTool Software questions
1- What are the differences between PatchTool and
BabelColor CT&A?
There are too many to list in a short answer! However, we can
globally answer this question by looking at typical uses. If you are interested
in comparing or converting a color from an RGB space or a color catalogue (i.e.
a
Color Deck) to another RGB
space or color catalogue, then BabelColor CT&A
is a good choice. As well, if you want to transform your i1Pro or i1Pro 2 into a
full-featured densitometer (see Density) or a powerful spectral analysis tool (see
FluoCheck,
Graph,
ISO 3664+,
Metamerism Index,
RAL Design,
Whiteness), the answer is again BabelColor CT&A. On the other hand,
if you want to open,
measure, and manipulate color lists (in CGATS, spreadsheet,
CxF, Adobe Swatch Exchange (ASE), or text formats),
of any size, and view, convert, average, or compare them, then PatchTool is the
solution. If you want to
check your display
performance using
many different instruments, then again PatchTool is the answer. These products
complement each other; you could well use BabelColor CT&A to assess a light
booth illumination uniformity and light quality, then use PatchTool to average
your printer or press calibration targets and check their accuracy relative to
known reference values. Please consult the programs' features (BabelColor
CT&A, PatchTool) and their respective
Help manuals for additional information. top
2- Can I use PatchTool to calibrate my monitor?
No, PatchTool cannot generate an ICC profile. The
Display Check feature in
PatchTool is dedicated, as its name says, to check your monitor calibration.
However, PatchTool is color managed and will use the default ICC display
profile, or any other user-assigned profile, to display calibrated colors. Many
calibration software offer a small utility, with basic features, to validate the
profile they generate. PatchTool's Display Check is a flexible tool designed to
independently validate monitor calibration, where you can define your own color
list, of any size, and have a complete overview on how the measured data is
processed. Please consult our Application Note on
monitor proofing using
the IDEAlliance monitor certification procedure for more information. top
3- My i1 (Eye-One) is connected but not
recognized by PatchTool. What can I do?
You may receive a message to the effect that the i1 (Eye-One)
is not connected when you click on the "Info" button of the
Display Check and
PatchReader windows. Assuming that your instrument is indeed connected, first
check if the i1Profiler program from X-Rite is opened, and, if opened, close it,
since PatchTool cannot be used at the same time.
Early versions of i1Profiler provide a control
panel named “X-Rite Device Services”, which is used to assign/unassign
instruments to X-Rite software. On a
Mac, the “X-Rite Device Services” control panel is located in the System
Preferences dialog. The latest versions of i1Profiler still include “X-Rite
Device Services” but do not include a control panel, and instrument assignment
is performed dynamically when opening an X-Rite program.
If using an early version of i1Profiler, you should
DESELECT the i1 (Eye-One) in the “X-Rite Device Services” control panel; this
will make the instrument available for PatchTool. Please note that changes in
the X-Rite control panel can be done while PatchTool is opened. You should then
be able to connect the instrument by clicking on the "Info" button. The early
versions of i1Profiler may also open one or more dialogs asking if you
want PatchTool to take ownership of the i1 peripherals; please answer
“Yes” to the question(s). “X-Rite Device Services” is
dedicated to X-Rite programs and is not under PatchTool's control; any
problem related to its use should be directed to X-Rite.
If the above fails, you can always try to
disconnect and reconnect the instrument. Please note that PatchTool should be used with only one
Eye-One connected at a time.
top
BabelColor Watch your White!
TM
white target questions
1- Is the white target useful
only with RAW file?
No. While the White Balance (WB) tools found in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR), Bibble (from
Bibble Labs), and other RAW file import programs facilitate WB correction,
there are many other tools that can help you obtain more neutral grays. The White
Point eyedropper found on most Levels/Histogram dialog windows is a good one. Also, you can monitor the target color while you adjust the tone curves,
or use Color Variations tools. Finally, you should know that Bibble also
supports the import of JPEG images, so that you can use its RAW import
features, not only its WB tool, with legacy files.
top / target
page
2- Is it normal to obtain a
target reflectivity of more than 100% for some wavelengths?
Yes, up to a point! If measuring a target with a spectrophotometer, you may find
that reflectance at some wavelengths can be more than 100%, let's say 101% or
102%. First, you should know that this is NOT fluorescence, as the BabelColor
white target does
not contain optical brighteners to achieve its near perfect reflective
properties. There are nonetheless a few reasons why this can happen, and the
most probable is simply that your are within your measuring instrument accuracy
tolerance. With many instruments specified for an inter-instrument accuracy of
about 1 DeltaE (CIELAB), this means that it is possible to obtain a Lightness,
the L* of the L*a*b* notation, of up to 101 for a 100% reflectance target. This
could happen if your instrument, during calibration, under-estimates the reflectance
of the calibration tile at a given
wavelength; it will then over-correct all reflectance values, with a
particularly noticeable effect for those around 100%. You should also note that
built-in calibration tiles used in color instruments are not perfectly white;
they generally have a maximum reflectance around 90%, with a corresponding L* of
about 96, and the reflectance is not perfectly
uniform across the spectrum, and thus they are not neutral white. A small error
at 90% reflectance during calibration will be slightly amplified for test samples with higher
reflectance (between 90% and 100%). top
/ target page
3- Why is this white target MORE
expensive than apparently similar products?
Perfection has a price! Well, seriously, this target is whiter, i.e. more neutral
and more reflective, than the targets designed for the photographic
market. You will find it is near impossible to find a better white target. In
fact, the BabelColor white target is made of sintered PTFE, the best material
for white reference targets, traditionally used in labs and in high-end
instrumentation (both on earth and in space!). To
achieve its specifications, the BabelColor target manufacturing process is far more involved
than just painting a surface or cutting a sheet of
plastic, as it is typically done in products designed as photographic
accessories.
top / target
page
4- Why is this white target LESS
expensive than apparently similar products?
The BabelColor white target can be purchased for about 1/3rd the price
of equivalent white reference targets offered by scientific
equipment providers. For one thing, we are not cutting on performance as you will
find that our target is as good, if not better, than these other products (we
spec conservatively!). We have simply focused on optimizing our process to a
single product, to start with, with correspondingly less costly set-up time, and
we have elected to simplify packaging.
top / target
page
5- What is best, a white or a
light-grey target?
It depends on the target! You may have seen recommendations for
using a light grey patch of the ColorChecker as a reference for white balance. A
well known color expert mentions in one of his books that a "...white balance
tool is best used on a diffuse highlight white that still contains details,
rather than on a specular highlight...". Why not the white ColorChecker
patch then? For one, the ColorChecker white patch
is not very neutral, with a b* value of 2.3 (the b* of L*a*b*, Illuminant D50,
averaged from many charts),
compared to the light grey patches which are much more neutral; also, the white
patch is not perfectly diffusing and can reflect the light source directly into
the camera lens, creating specular highlights, and introducing errors if used
for white balance. So, when using only the ColorChecker, a light grey patch
makes sense. In contrast, the BabelColor white target is very neutral, with a
diffusing surface, and it is white!. By ensuring that the pixels representing
the BabelColor target are not clipped, you know that all colors will not be
clipped, obtaining a well defined lower limit for partially blown highlights by
the same token (where R, G, or B is over 255 in 8-bit file format), and you get
accurate white balance! top
/ target page
7- Can I purchase a NIST
traceable certificate with my target?
No. While we control the reflectance of EVERY target produced with a variety of
calibrated instruments, we do not yet offer such a certificate.
top / target
page
8- How sturdy is this target?
The BabelColor target material can withstand high ambient temperatures and
humidity levels, water, and many chemicals. The target has a nominal 9 mm
thickness and it is made of the same material throughout. A direct shock could
locally affect its surface; however, in such an event, the remaining surface
should still be usable. If resurfacing is required, this can be done, in most
cases, using simple low cost supplies found at any hardware store. Please
contact us for instructions on how to extract the target from the case and how
to perform resurfacing.
top / target
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