Briz Camera Calibrator vs. Competitors: Which Is Best for Photographers?

How to Use Briz Camera Calibrator — Step-by-Step TipsAccurate color in photography and videography starts with a reliable calibration workflow. The Briz Camera Calibrator is designed to give photographers, videographers, and content creators a practical way to profile their camera’s color response under real shooting conditions. This guide walks through a complete step-by-step workflow, explains best practices, and offers troubleshooting tips so you can get consistent, repeatable color results.

What the Briz Camera Calibrator does (briefly)

The Briz Camera Calibrator captures a known color target under the same lighting and camera settings you use for a shoot, then creates a color profile or correction that aligns your camera’s output with standard color values. This reduces time spent correcting color in post and helps keep skin tones, product colors, and mixed lighting scenes consistent.

Before you start: what you’ll need

Briz Camera Calibrator target (printed or manufactured target supplied by Briz)
Camera with manual exposure control (DSLR, mirrorless, or cinema camera)
Tripod (recommended for consistency)
Neutral gray card and/or white balance tool (optional but helpful)
Computer with Briz’s calibration software installed
Stable, representative lighting for the scene

Step 1 — Set up the scene and lighting

Place the Briz target in the scene where your subject will be, facing the camera squarely.
Use consistent, steady lighting; avoid flickering (LEDs with PWM) or mixed color temperature unless you intend to profile that mixed light.
If shooting outdoors, choose overcast or shaded conditions to avoid harsh shadows; otherwise, use controlled studio lighting.

Step 2 — Camera settings (make it fixed)

Switch your camera to manual mode for exposure, shutter, aperture, and ISO. Do not use auto-exposure, auto-ISO, or auto white balance during the capture.
Set aperture and shutter to produce the desired depth of field and motion behavior for the shoot.
Choose an ISO that keeps noise low; base ISO is preferred for maximum dynamic range.
Use a lens aperture that gives adequate sharpness across the target area.
Disable any in-camera color styles, picture profiles, or auto-contrast/sharpness processing if you plan to use raw capture; if shooting JPEG, set a neutral picture profile.

Step 3 — White balance and exposure

Set a manual white balance using a neutral gray card or the camera’s custom white balance tool, or record in RAW and rely on the calibration workflow to correct white balance later.
Expose so the target is within the camera’s linear range — avoid clipped highlights. Aim for midtones where the target’s neutral patches appear around mid-gray on your histogram.
If your camera has zebra or highlight warnings, use them to prevent clipping.

Step 4 — Capture the Briz target

Fill the frame with the target or capture it large enough so each color patch is well-resolved. Keep the target parallel to the sensor plane to avoid color shifts from viewing angle (important for some printed targets).
Use a remote shutter release or self-timer to avoid camera shake.
Take multiple frames to ensure at least one optimal capture — slight variations in lighting, focus, or angle can affect results.

Step 5 — Transfer images and open Briz software

Import the selected images to your computer. If you shot RAW, import the RAW files; if JPEG, use the highest-quality files.
Launch the Briz Camera Calibrator software and create a new calibration project.

Step 6 — Let the software detect the target

In Briz software, load the image with the target. The software should detect the target grid automatically; if not, use manual controls to mark corner points and define the target area.
Verify that the software correctly identifies each patch. Zoom in on several patches to ensure accurate sampling, especially for small or dense patch arrays.

Step 7 — Choose profile type and settings

Select whether you want a camera-specific ICC profile, a LUT (3D LUT), or both. ICC profiles are useful for photo workflows (in Lightroom/Photoshop), while 3D LUTs are commonly used for video grading.
Choose target handling options: whether to use device-link, matrix, or spectral-based adjustments if the software supports these. Spectral or patch-based corrections can perform better with unusual lighting or non-standard sensors.
If available, enable per-patch weighting or ignore damaged/contaminated patches.

Step 8 — Generate the profile/LUT

Run the calibration. The software will compare captured patch values to known reference values and compute the transform needed.
Review the software’s error metrics (Delta E, maximum error). Aim for an average Delta E below 2 for imperceptible color differences, and below 1.0 for critical color work.
If errors are high, revisit capture quality: check focus, exposure, lighting uniformity, or whether the target was at an angle.

Step 9 — Apply and test the profile

Export the ICC profile or 3D LUT and install it in your editing/grading software. For ICCs, apply them as the camera profile in Lightroom/Camera Raw; for LUTs, load in your NLE or color grading tool (DaVinci Resolve, Premiere, Final Cut).
Apply the profile/LUT to test images from the same shoot. Compare uncorrected vs. corrected images, paying attention to skin tones, neutral grays, and critical product colors.
If needed, apply minor manual adjustments in your color tool, but the calibrated profile should remove most systemic bias.

Step 10 — Workflow integration and repeatability

Use the same calibrated profile for images shot with the same camera settings, lens, and lighting conditions. If lighting or camera settings change significantly, capture a new target and generate a new profile.
For multi-camera shoots, calibrate each camera under the same lighting and create camera-matching LUTs so all cameras render colors consistently.
Archive target images and generated profiles with metadata describing camera, lens, exposure, and lighting conditions for future reference.

Troubleshooting common issues

Target not detected: ensure image is sharp, target is fully visible, and lighting is even. Use manual corner selection if automatic detection fails.
High Delta E: check exposure, focus, and white balance; ensure the target surface isn’t glossy causing specular highlights.
Color shifts between cameras: confirm both cameras are shot in identical lighting and exposure; use a camera-matching transform in Briz if available.
Banding or posterization after applying LUT: export LUT at sufficient precision (32-bit/float) and ensure your editing timeline/processing pipeline supports high bit depth.

Best practices and tips

Capture the target as part of your pre-shoot checklist — treat it like a lens test or focus check.
For skin-tone-critical work, include a face or skin patch in your validation shots and aim to profile using lighting that mimics the final scene.
Consider making two profiles if you often shoot under different lighting types (e.g., daylight and tungsten).
Label profiles clearly with camera model, lens, lighting, date, and any exposure settings that were fixed.

When to recalibrate

Whenever lighting changes significantly (daylight vs. tungsten or mixed light).
After firmware updates or major camera hardware changes.
When you change lens/coatings and need absolute color consistency.
Periodically (monthly/quarterly) for long-running projects to catch any drift.

Quick reference checklist

Manual exposure and manual white balance set
Target fills frame or is large enough for accurate sampling
Camera stable and in focus
Even, representative lighting
Software correctly detects patches and Delta E is acceptable
Exported profile/LUT tested on sample images

Using the Briz Camera Calibrator correctly will save color-correction time and give you confidence that what you see in editing reflects true, repeatable color.