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General questions
1- Can I get evaluation copies of BabelColor Software?
Yes. Just go to the download page for a
free evaluation copy. There is NO form to fill and NO personal information has
to be given in order to get a copy!
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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 for BabelColor CT&A is 65 US$ and
the single license price for PatchTool is 75 US$. 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:
 .
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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 2.x to 3.x for
example, may require additional purchasing, although rebates for previous owners
will be available. top
- for BabelColor
Software: Payment through
RegSoft. 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 RegSoft.
- for the BabelColor Watch your White! TM
white target: Our purchasing cart
is hosted by 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.
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Software install questions
8- Is your software for Mac Universal?
Yes.
The Mac versions are now compiled in Universal binaries and Intel packages.
Separate downloads are available. top
9- What about Windows Vista compatibility?
In its default configuration, Windows Vista will require
administrator privileges to install our software; once installed, an
administrator account will not be required. Our software uses drivers which have
been approved for Vista; it has been tested and
found to be totally functional in our target machines. 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:
 . top
10- 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
11- (Mac) The application does not
launch. What is the problem?
This has been noted with archives saved in the "Stuffit"
format (*.sit), which is now 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
12- Are there Linux versions
of your Software?
No Linux versions are planned for the moment. However, we may consider it in
the future. We keep listening... top
BabelColor CT&A Software questions
13- What is the difference between BabelColor
and BabelColor CT&A?
"BabelColor Color Translator and Analyzer", or "BabelColor
CT&A" in short form, is the new name of the software previously known simply as
"BabelColor". The new name is to better differentiate this software from other
BabelColor products; BabelColor is a registered trademark for color tools,
products and services. top
- comparing colors from a selection of 20 standard
RGB spaces plus one
custom
space you can fully define,
- color difference values from many standard formulas,
including CIEDE2000,
- picking and converting from/to
British Standard 5252F,
FED-STD-595B, Munsell and
RAL CLASSIC chips,
- obtaining the Munsell Hue Value and Chroma of any color
with fractional precision,
- inputting data from an
Eye-One Display or
Eye-One Pro?
And if you have an Eye-One Pro, would you be interested in
(see detailed specifications
here):
You will find all of these in BabelColor CT&A.
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15- Do you use the same gamma for all spaces?
No. If a multi-parameter gamma is defined for a given space, sRGB 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.
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16- Is a calibrated monitor required?
No. Although recommended, a calibrated monitor is not required
since the data
provided by BabelColor CT&A is mostly in numerical form. As for comparing color patches,
you can always judge their relative appearance even with a non-calibrated
display. The colors are shown in color patches translated, by default, to the
native display space of the computer platforms: Generic RGB in Mac OS X, Apple
RGB in Mac OS 8-9, and sRGB in Windows. The display space can also be
user-selected. top
17- Can I use my Spectrocam/Pulse/Other-instrument with BabelColor CT&A?
For the moment, we support all versions of the
Eye-One Pro spectrometers, as well as the Eye-One Display and Display 2
colorimeters. Support for other instruments will be considered, depending on
demand.
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18- 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 Main screen or the
Spectral tools, with the
input data coming directly from an Eye-One (Display or Pro). 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
(6.9 MB).
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PatchTool Software questions
19- What are the differences between PatchTool and
BabelColor CT&A?
There are too many to list in detail! However, we can
globally answer this question by looking at typical uses. If you are interested
in comparing two colors, or converting a color from a color space to another,
with the original color either typed, measured with an Eye-One, or selected in a
Color Deck, then BabelColor CT&A
is a good choice. As well, if you want to transform your Eye-One Pro into a
full-featured densitometer or a powerful spectral analysis tool (Metamerism,
Illumination quality, etc.), the answer is BabelColor CT&A. On the other hand,
if you want to manipulate color lists (in CGATS, spreadsheet, or text formats),
of any size, and view, convert, average, or compare them, then PatchTool is the
solution. As well, if you want to
check your display
performance using many different instruments, such as the various Eye-One and
Spyder 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'
specifications and their respective
Help manuals for additional information. top
20- Can I use PatchTool to calibrate my monitor?
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
BabelColor Watch your White!
TM
white target questions
21- 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.
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22- 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
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23- 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 usually dedicated to the photographic
market. You will find it is near impossible to find a better white target. To
achieve these specifications, its manufacturing process is far more involved
than just painting a surface, albeit with expensive paint, or cutting a sheet of
plastic, albeit selected with care, as it is done in some other products.
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24- Why is this white target LESS
expensive than apparently similar products?
You may have noticed that the BabelColor white target is 1/3rd to 1/5th the price of targets with similar performance traditionally offered only by scientific
equipment provider. 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.
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25- 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,
average 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
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27- 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.
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28- 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.
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