Button to start the stand alone hue clock

[derekfountain]

Can I have a button or menu entry on the CM dialog to run the stand alone hue clock? I normally get to having the dialog open before it occurs to me that having the stand alone hue clock running would be a good idea. Not that it's hard to go and find it in the Start menu, but it'll save me a few mouse clicks if the option is there exactly where I need it, when I need it.

[-default]

Another good idea, Derek.  I'll add it to the list.  Thanks.

[ggroess]

If I can ask for a bit more as long as you are addressing the Hue clock....

Could you display the RGB values along with the clock face.  I'm thinking that if the Hue clock is showing the value you could use it to help a bit more to see if an image needs work, and how much...

I could be crazy....

Greg

[-default]

Hi Greg - this is a good idea, with one caveat.  The Hue clock has access only to screen data, not the numbers from Photoshop's working space.  More later...

[-default]

Just a couple more remarks on the problems of displaying accurate RGB values.  If you're in Photoshop, the info palette will give you an accurate readout of the rgb values at any given point in your image.  The problem is getting the hue clock to match those numbers, based on the display RGB values that the hue clock has access to.  If the hue clock displays the raw screen numbers, they will differ substantially from Photoshop's numbers.  I can use the system's display profile to convert to a different RGB color space, but how will I know which one Photoshop is using?  This information is not available external to Photoshop.

The best answer I've found so far is to have the user set the RGB working space in the hue clock, basically passing the responsibility on to them to provide accurate numbers.  This would seem to be a good solution, and I'm strongly considering it for a new release of the Hue Clock for Curvemeister 3.

Thanks for your suggestion - and let me know if I can clarify anything better than I have.

[ggroess]

well actually you bring up a good question then...if the hue clock has access to the screen colors could you not use that to set up screen correction image?  if you have a known RGB value say 0,0,0 or 100,100,100 or 50, 50, 50, in a test image,  could you not use the hue clock to get you close with your monitor for color correction??  is that not what a spyder type device would be doing??

Gamma would be another problem...

[-default]

The hue clock can't replace the device, but it could, with your idea of numeric readouts, show what is on the screen for a particular image.  So, for example, the RGB patches of a  gray step wedge could be looked at  to see what the calibration device was doing.

[ggroess]

OK...so If I have a known image with a good neutral could I not adjust the video card to make it appear neutral on the monitor?  I know this would be coarse but it might get me close when I make a stupid change like re-loading windows and not saving my profile data...

Greg

[-default]

Absolutely - an known neutral is going to be very helpful in this situation.  I think it's a good skill to be able to adjust a monitor reasonably well by eye, perhaps using an image that you keep on the web for this purpose.  For example, if you're giving a presentation to a photo club, and the projected image looks too blue, it's totally appropriate to go into your display control panel, and decrease the amount of blue.  We depend too much on measuring devices, IMHO, and not enough on common sense and what our eyes are telling us.