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HCFR - Open source projector and display calibration software

2M views 16K replies 1K participants last post by  Dominic Chan 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi and welcome to the open source HCFR software thread.
Updated Jan. 27th - 2018

I love working and tinkering on the program but given the amount of time I've invested over the past year on improvements I'm going to start accepting donations. If you feel the program has been of value to you since I started working on it about 3 years ago please consider a contribution via the link below. Thanks!

https://www.paypal.me/zoyd
(or via direct paypal to vze262tr@verizon.net if paypal.me is not supported in your country)

Thanks to the following for recent donations! [LarryInRI, Barsk, 22point, LastButNotLeast, Dominic Chen, Brian M., Wayne L., Andrej S., Arturs J., Douglas P., John G., mo949, Eric V., David S., BlueChris, EXT64, Nihat S., Luis E., J. F., Miiku Joao F., Luis M., Nate W., Don H., Stahinja M., Jeff H., Pedro C., Howell A., Myat M., Carlos F., Webster D., SiegeX, Jörg O., Enrico B., Gert M., Marlon K., Jacob R., John G., Kari T., Ryan T., Franck P. ]

HCFR uses ArgyllCMS for the operation of the probes, so please help ensure that ArgyllCMS remains available in the future, by making a financial contribution to the argyllcms project:

www.argyllcms.com

---

This thread was originally started by JohnAd who had the nice idea of creating an open source fork of the original HCFR Colormeter software to integrate the existing GUI and all of it's calibration features, with the meter handling code of ArgyllCMS. Since ArgyllCMS is continually adding and improving meter support, HCFR benefits by staying current with these developments. The software is frequently referred to as HCFR or colorHCFR where HCFR is short for "Home Cinema-FR", a French forum where some of it's members originally developed the code to support their home-brew colorimeter in 2005. Along with the meter handling improvements introduced by ArgyllCMS, I have been working on improving and adding features to the color engine and internal pattern generator. Please use this thread for bug reports, usage questions and suggestions for improvement. Anyone wishing to help with code development should join the developers mailing list.

The latest version of HCFR (3.5.1.4) can be found here. Changelog

Help Wanted (pm zoyd)
  • Language translation
  • Update French and German with recent changes
  • Full Spanish, Italian, others? needed
  • Help file updates
  • PDF Quick Guide

User wl1 has provided some useful links for beginners to display calibration as well as links to helpful posts within the thread. Please take a look before posting to see if your question has already been answered. There is also a FAQ section below that may be helpful.

Useful Links
Display Calibration - Part I
Curtpalme - Calibration Guide for Dummies
Basic Guide to Color Calibration using a CMS (updated and enhanced)
ArgyllCMS Probe installation notes
Spears and Munsil
Choosing a Color Space | Spears & Munsil
The Secrets Blu-ray Player HDMI Benchmark Part 1 and Part 2
Original version 2 avsforum discussion thread
Another version 2 discussion thread
How-to: Use HCFR to profile your colorimeter

Links to Tools & Utilities
AVSHD709 Test Disk
GCD Disk
Mascior's Calbration Disc
dispcalGUI (front-end to ArgyllCMS)
Ted's LightSpace CMS Calibration disk (now with pointers for use with HCFR) [Set-up Instructions]

Thread Summary (from Post 792, New Scientist)
Post No. Comment
#151 to #155 - installing i1Display Pro

#159 - use of i1Display 3 3/1/2012 (march 1st)

#161 - removal of non-free code (for accessing meter)

#162 - x-rite driver (.dll) use

#165 - spotread

#167 - spotread

#174 - problems with i3D3

#180 - observations re use of i1D3

#183 - reply to #180

#189,#196 - x-rite drivers

#198 - x-rite drivers

#202 - installation i3D3

#226 - a first attempt at calibration

#227,#236 - i1D3 not requiring calibration

#231 - ccss

#248,#253 - i1D3 not requring drivers from x-rite to work with HCFR

#257,#258 - i3D3 with HCFR

#263 to #270 - analysis of #258

#275 - spreadsheet for setting gamma

#277 - spreadsheet uses

#325 - HCFR v3.0.1.0

#397 - using i1D3

#416 - graphs from testing i1D3

#425 - EDR and i1D3ccss too
l
#426 - v3.0.2.0 issues re i1D3

#428 - generate .ccss files from i3D3 disk

#442 - v3.0.3.0

#487 - v3.0.4.0

#507 - what is .ccss

#509 - refresh and i1D3ccss.exe

#514 - what is .ccss and .EDR

#519 - i1D3ccss usage

#528 - where should the .ccss files go?
#534 - ARGYLL_COLMTER_CAL_SPEC_SET environment variable
#540 - some addtional ccss file info (plasma displays)

#552 - ccmx file

#600 - i1D3 not showing in Sensor list

#610 - "Use measured colors", in Preferences -> General, option

#678 - i1D3 and i1 Display Pro differences

#682 - comment re issue with v3.0.4.0 and i1D3

#688 - which driver to use

#717 - i1D3ccss tool

#732 - do I need drivers or not?

#786 - spectral sample files

#824 – Steps to load Driver

#841 – i1D3 reds on Plasma - matrix

#876 – ColorMunki Display guide

#898 - 904 – Pana Window sizes

#1008 – Comparison of HCFR 2.1 and 3.0.4.0

#1083 – HTPC Cal. Suggestion

#1105 – Updating and removing Argyll Drivers

#1114 – Plasma Essential Reading

#1122 –i1D3Pro - initial accuracy study/background to meter matrices

#1146 – Matric Correction file info

#1150 – Import Matrix file into HCFR

#1205 – 2 point V 10 point Calibration

#1215 – Warming up meter

#1241 – profiling Meters

#1250 – Matrix file for Display LT2

#1258 – errors in HCFR ? Red push?

#1260 – GT30/VT30 Experiences

#1270 – WARNING – HCFR Matrix different than CP or CM

#1280 – Zoyd Steps in - Installation package and baseline Integration value

#1285 and 1299 – The fixes explained – instability @30%IRE

#1303 – Argyll Driver suggestions

#1336 –build from Zoyd – USB fixes

#1337 – Plasma/LCD – definitive Refresh settings and Calibration of meter (>50%)

#1344 – Lots of changes to HCFR

#1352 – List of more changes – BT1886 gamma target

#1354 – More info link on BT1886

#1357 & 1360 & 1370 – Answers about changes – and gamma recommendations

#1380, 1390 – another build

#1398 – Fork of a Fork

#1411 – Luminance and Delta E – Yes or No? Colour or Grey?

#1420 & 1426 – 3.0.4.1 Changes

#1424 – Use of GCD Disk Colour Checker Pattern

#1512 & 1515 & 1558– Version 3.0.4.2 Changes

#1521 – Run HCFR with Admin Privileges

#1523 – Projector questions and suggestions
#1537 – Explanation of Change to HCFR calculation of gamma
#1647 – LCD and LD ON/OFF? Plasma and ABL – guidleines
#1648 – Preferences -> General -> gray levels rounding assumption to unchecked? AVCHD,DVD=checked, GCD,internal patterns=unchecked
#1650 – Can I use matrix from D3 for LT2? No – see 1651

#1663 – BT.1886 or not? Depends on if you have 10 point control

#1702 – BT1888 is not meant to be flat

#1722 – Samsung D & E -75%A and 75%S recommended

#1774 – Explanation of affect of Patterns to gamma and light output results


FAQ:
Do I need to install a driver for the i1Display Pro (i1D3)?
No. This meter as well as the Huey, ColorMunki Display, and ColorHug use the system HID driver.

Which probes are supported?
Any probe that ArgyllCMS supports.

How do I install the right driver for my probe?
Assuming your device is not one of those above, the driver .inf file is located in the drivers sub-directory of the main HCFR folder (by default this is c:\Program Files (x86)\HCFR Calibration\Drivers). You do not need to install the full ArgyllCMS program but useful driver installation hints can be found here. After plugging in your meter go to the system devices in your control panel, find the meter and right click to update the driver. Point the update dialog to the HCFR drivers folder.

Which deltaE formula is the most accurate?
All the deltaE formulas represent a measure of the distance between your measured color and the reference color. So they are just rulers with different scales, use the one recommended if you aren't sure. For gray scale measurements the recommended formula provides more sensitivity to chromaticity (x,y) errors so it's easier to use for "tuning" your controls. The dE94 or dE2000 formulas are generally the most acceptable for "proofing" as they are the most uniform in perceptual space and a unit of error in one part of the gamut has the same visual impact as the rest of the gamut.

How can I import Chromapure probe profile data in HCFR?
Calculate the matrix correction using the spreadsheet from this post where z=1-x-y and then enter it in the sensor matrix tab.


How do I use the Casino Royale images to check my calibration?
There is a nice guide here on what to look for at those particular timecodes.


What do the different parameters for the BT.1886 gamma formula do?
The recommended value (default) for the exponent in the formula is 2.4. This value will be used when you enter 0 for absolute in the BT.1886 box. If you want to tailor the function to make the picture have a little more or less contrast then enter a different number here. If you enter 2.4 for example the actual exponent used will be adjusted so that the target gamma has a value of 2.4 at 50% stimulus. You might use that for a dark environment and 2.2 for a brighter environment.

The other parameter (% Input Offset) will change the shape of the curve near black up through about 20% stimulus. The default value will target a gamma that should provide plenty of detail in the shadows. If you find the shadow detail is being lifted too much when you calibrate to this curve, adjust this value lower (try 50%) and this will raise the target gamma near black and darken the shadows. Note that in most cases you must have multipoint gamma adjustment ability to get a good match to a BT.1886 curve. Also note that if you have a zero black level (e.g. OLED) the target point gamma curve will be flat.


What should I use to generate test patterns?
Most people start out using DVD/Blu-ray test disks to generate their test patterns and run HCFR in manual mode. The assumption being that the BD player is somehow altering the test pattern and not following industry standards for the rendering and transmission of video and that these errors must be "calibrated out". However, this assumption is usually overblown and most often you'll find that while there may be some single bit rounding errors being generated they are not large enough to have any perceptual effect on the signal. I recommend that once you get a good feel for the calibration process using a DVD/BD that you move on to automatic pattern generation (see next question) and then cross-check against your BD player results for sanity.


How do I set-up automatic test patterns?
HCFR has three options for automatic test pattern generation, it's own generator, madTPG, and the Chromecast device. The first two require some set-up of the video card to ensure accuracy while the third requires no set-up. All three options are very accurate test pattern generators with the following characteristics:

HCFR generates all of it's triplet targets in 8-bit video levels (16-235) so when used in a video level path both the internal generator and madTPG will provide technically reference triplets. When used in a PC level (0-255) path the internal generator will expand the video levels to PC level and this will produce rounding errors. While small it is recommended that you use madTPG if you want to calibrate in PC levels because it will dither the output levels and reduce or eliminate any rounding errors. A good summary of the various levels combinations can be found here(h/t @SiegeX).

The Chromecast device produces Y'C'C' output and while not technically a reference device because the levels it produces have rounding errors, it is also dithered to reduce these errors below perceptual limits. The advantage to this device is cost ($30) and ease of set-up (it really is "plug-and-play")

To set-up your laptop/PC for pattern generation (either internal or madTPG) you will need to ensure your video card has linear gain tables loaded (i.e. no profile installed). madTPG does this for you automatically, otherwise you'll need to research your card settings to determine how to do this. It is also easiest to get the correct levels set-up if you force the card to output it's normal 0-255 range when connected to your display over HDMI as some cards will default to 16-235 levels, which in some cases is undesirable. The madVR package has a utility for doing this (madLevelsTweaker) or your card may have this option in it's control panel.

Once you have the card set-up select 16-235 in the HCFR view images settings (or 16-235 in the madVR settings) for a display set to video levels. If the display is set to expect PC levels choose 0-255 in HCFR or the same in madVR. There are no level settings required when using the Chromecast as your pattern generator.

All three pattern generators have settings for window size as percent of screen area and background level as percent average picture level. Which settings you use depends on your particular display so it's best to consult an owners thread for specific recommendations.
 
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#4,324 · (Edited)
whoa, I've been missing something HUGE here.


the delta luminance for color.


I never noticed it, and I was always wondering how I'm supposed to know if I should increase one color or decrease the others. I saw a couple of posts talking about this, and when I got home I fired up the laptop to check my old calibrations to see how badly I screwed it up, and I can't. the last box is cut off. even when I scroll all the way, I only see about the top half of that last line. and some of the numbers look like they could be quite high, but it's hard to tell the difference between +86 and -.86 when you can't see the whole thing...


I can't find anyway to resize these windows within the program, my laptop is maxed out at 1200x800 and I can only assume the program expects a higher resolution, and that's what is causing the issue. any suggestions to try? I thought stuff was kind of off on my colors, even though the dots are touching the boxes, and this would explain why.


edit: I figured out how to extend that window, my luminance is WAY off, haha
 
#4,325 ·
whoa, I've been missing something HUGE here.


the delta luminance for color.
Yeah, I've noticed that a LOT of people end up missing out on targeting Luminance levels. The CIE chart is a bit misleading because the color space is really 3D with the out of plane axis being Luminance. Everyone seems to be seduced by the rec709, CIE chart image and we all love obsessing over getting all the circles to line up nicely in all the squares, but a lot of us call it a day when we get close to this :). Some of us only look at the CIE chart for hue/saturation alignment and only at 100%. Some of us take more effort to match saturations over the entire 25-100% range, and that helps a lot in picture quality. But then the last bit is to properly dial in luminance.

The easiest way to figure out how to adjust RGB values in the CMS for me was to recognize that subtracting/adding a primary color will move the target spot along the same color axis on the CIE chart. So if the Red luminance is way too high, but red saturation targets all line up nicely, you know that you need to reduce R,G,B values in the CMS to lower luminance but still want to maintain the same x,y co-ordinates on the CIE chart. The way to do this is to reduce R by 1 or 2, and then recognize that a combination of subtracting G and B will push you back towards red (think vector sum). It is a bit tedious, but saturation sweeps for single colors are quite fast, and once you get the hang of it and the intuition of how to adjust CMS values to better match target luminance values, things go a lot faster.

Hope you manage to dial in the luminance values. :)
 
#4,326 ·
The easiest way to figure out how to adjust RGB values in the CMS for me was to recognize that subtracting/adding a primary color will move the target spot along the same color axis on the CIE chart. So if the Red luminance is way too high, but red saturation targets all line up nicely, you know that you need to reduce R,G,B values in the CMS to lower luminance but still want to maintain the same x,y co-ordinates on the CIE chart. The way to do this is to reduce R by 1 or 2, and then recognize that a combination of subtracting G and B will push you back towards red (think vector sum). It is a bit tedious, but saturation sweeps for single colors are quite fast, and once you get the hang of it and the intuition of how to adjust CMS values to better match target luminance values, things go a lot faster.
With the method I described for a RGB CMS. you don't have to bother with looking at the CIE chart or with x,y values.
Just go for the individual R G B values, very easy.
 
#4,327 · (Edited)
whoa, I've been missing something HUGE here.


the delta luminance for color.
Be careful with this value ... the numbers don't always "match up" with expected REC709 values. Chromaticity of the primaries as well as the specific RGB balance required to reach D65 must be taken into account. IOW, a delta-Y of +15% from REC709 for blue may actually be "correct" for your specific display/blue primary and if you move it to +/- 0% you'll just wind up with washed out "de-saturated" blues. As far as I know, HCFR has never adjusted these delta-Y values wrt the primary chomaticities.

Of course, the CMS implementation will further muddy the water. Beware. :)

PS: This is a case where paying attention to the overall dE value of the color might well keep one from making a "fatal" mistake. If the dE goes up when you reduce the Delta-Y value ... stop what you're doing and back away slowly. ;)
 
#4,330 ·
Good read before hitting the CMS.
thank you I've been there(i'll scan it again, maybe some things will help more now that I've played a bit). I tried to find as much info as possible before I even attempted the CMS(main reason my first couple of calibrations I left the CMS alone).

problem I had was nothing really told you WHAT to do. tons and tons of theory on why you should do things, and what things are. but I never found anything that specifically stated how to use a cms and hfcr to calibrate colors. it was from pure trial and error that I figured out how to move the points around on the x,y plane, and as I said, the delta luminance didn't even show up on my list until I figured out how to extend that display box.

so it hasn't been an issue with not knowing that color was a x,y,z value. it was that I had no idea I could check that z value. I've been looking at the x and y being in roughly the right area, and trying to figure out why my De's are 4-7. now that I know it's there, i'm excited to finally get these deltas down!
 
#4,332 ·
I just pushed a new build under the same version # 3.6.1 that fixes the bug where sometimes the program starts in averaging mode. There is also a new switch in preferences->appearance that allows you to move the pop-ups off center for those calibrating on the same screen where the program is running. This doesn't include set-up and preference dialogs, only pop-ups that require a click.
 
#4,333 ·
so it hasn't been an issue with not knowing that color was a x,y,z value. it was that I had no idea I could check that z value. I've been looking at the x and y being in roughly the right area, and trying to figure out why my De's are 4-7. now that I know it's there, i'm excited to finally get these deltas down!
It's pretty easy in the current version since the display controls will now line up with the RGB indicators (or HSV if using that type system). So the goal is to get each bar at 100% just like the gray scale calibration. You don't have to know where each control moves the color in x,y space, if for example the red indicator is 105% for the color you are measuring, lower the red control a couple of clicks.
 
#4,334 ·
It's pretty easy in the current version since the display controls will now line up with the RGB indicators (or HSV if using that type system). So the goal is to get each bar at 100% just like the gray scale calibration. You don't have to know where each control moves the color in x,y space, if for example the red indicator is 105% for the color you are measuring, lower the red control a couple of clicks.
I don't have the program in front of me, but am I doing this looking at the 'graph' in the bottom left of the measurements page, or do I have to look at the values(switch it to RGB?) in the chart?

it sounds straightforward, but until I get my hands dirty, I won't know what things confuse me, haha.
 
#4,335 ·
With the method I described for a RGB CMS. you don't have to bother with looking at the CIE chart or with x,y values.
Just go for the individual R G B values, very easy.
I don't think your approach is correct. I don't follow the logic behind it. There is no reason why the primary colors should measure absolute zero values for the other colors. Ultimately, you should go by dE and delta Luminance values to determine the right setting.
 
#4,336 ·
I just pushed a new build under the same version # 3.6.1 that fixes the bug where sometimes the program starts in averaging mode. There is also a new switch in preferences->appearance that allows you to move the pop-ups off center for those calibrating on the same screen where the program is running. This doesn't include set-up and preference dialogs, only pop-ups that require a click.
You mean 3.1.6, but MANY thanks for moving the pop-ups.
:kiss:
Michael
 
#4,337 ·
It's pretty easy in the current version since the display controls will now line up with the RGB indicators (or HSV if using that type system). So the goal is to get each bar at 100% just like the gray scale calibration. You don't have to know where each control moves the color in x,y space, if for example the red indicator is 105% for the color you are measuring, lower the red control a couple of clicks.
Neat! That sounds great! Should make CMS calibration easier. I assume that these indicators and the numbers they show should be independent of choice of dE formula and just dependent on rec709?
 
#4,338 ·
It's pretty easy in the current version since the display controls will now line up with the RGB indicators (or HSV if using that type system). So the goal is to get each bar at 100% just like the gray scale calibration. You don't have to know where each control moves the color in x,y space, if for example the red indicator is 105% for the color you are measuring, lower the red control a couple of clicks.
That's not how it worked for me last night (I updated to 3.1.6) For example, when doing Red the red bar didn't normalize to 100%. I had to use the dE bar to set the red to the proper luminance.

Also, I noticed if you lower the saturation to 75% in the preferences the bars / target for the free / continuous measures don't display valid data.
 
#4,339 · (Edited)
yes, free measures is not set-up for real time targeting, this is only available for the gray scale and primaries/secondaries pages. You'll have to post a picture of what you mean by "not normalizing". In all the color space modes including 75% Rec709 the targets normalize to 100% provided you are withing 0.05 deltaxy of your desired target. If you are outside that range the bars will not work.

edit: Another condition in which the bars won't balance is if one of the native primaries is undersaturated, there needs to be some amount of adjustment given to the opposing primaries in order for the scheme to work. Likewise at 75% saturation you should have your measured gamma close to but not less than your target gamma (or use the "as measured" switch). A measured gamma less than target will create a similar "undersatured primaries" condition.
 
#4,340 ·
ok, well was excited to try this, so as soon as i got home i tried to fix my colors.

first, the delta luminances were anywhere from -6% to +30%, for the most part, WAY off. the De's were mostly in the 3-8 range for primaries and secondaries. saturations were about the same. the CIE chart however, looked pretty decent.

after doing the adjustments based on JUST the chart(De, and delta luminance) i got some pretty great results!










only problem is, the CIE chart now looks like this('much' worse than before)


the before:


now i assume this is where i would start looking at the 75% saturation values, and adjust to them. my question is, should i basically be trading De's at 100%(which are all under .5) to try and reduce De's at 75%, 50%, and 25%(several are over 4)? and what's the deal with teh CIE chart, should i even really worry about it?
 
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