Nikon D3200 Digital Field Guide

The Color Checker

A color checker contains 24 color swatches that represent colors found in everyday scenes, including skin tones, sky, and foliage. It also contains red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, and yellow, which are the colors used in most printing devices. Finally, and perhaps, most importantly, it has six shades of gray.

The process for using a color checker is very similar to using a gray card. You place it in the scene so that it is illuminated in the same way as the subject. Photograph the scene once with the color checker in place, and then remove it and shoot away. You should create a reference photo each time you shoot in a new lighting environment, or when you change power output settings on your speedlight or studio strobe.

In Lightroom, open the image containing the color checker. Measure the values of the gray, black, and white swatches. The red, green, and blue values in the gray swatch should each measure around 128; the black, around 50; and the white, around 245. If the camera’s white balance () was set correctly for the scene, your measurements should fall within the range (deviating by no more than 7 points either way). If so, you may rest easy knowing that your colors are true. (Isn’t there a song about that?)

If your readings are more than 7 points out of range either way, you can use software to correct the image. You can also use the levels adjustment tool ...