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Get "that CCD look" with the K-3 / K-3II and Lightroom
Posted By: BigMackCam, 08-09-2017, 01:03 PM

UPDATE: The following article has been revised to reflect newly-optimised Lightroom settings and example images. For a limited time, you can also download the CCD Effect preset for Lightroom HERE.


Get "that CCD look" with the K-3 / K-3II and Lightroom

Many people feel that the colour rendition from Pentax's earlier CCD sensor cameras is superior to that of later CMOS sensor models. Although the K-3 and K-3II are my day-to-day cameras, more recently I've been shooting extensively with a GX-10 - Samsung's clone of the Pentax K10D - and I've become a huge fan. Whether it's down to the sensor, the camera's colour profiling or a combination of the two, I really can't say for sure; but, the results are very appealing - punchy, saturated, almost film-like images, with very little post-processing needed to achieve great-looking results.

So fond am I of the GX-10's output that I decided to develop a Lightroom preset that would re-create "that CCD look" for my K-3 and K-3II photos.

I started by taking two photographs of an X-rite ColorChecker Passport, one with the GX-10, the other with the K-3. Both cameras were fitted with the same model of lens (the Pentax-F 28-80 f/3.5-4.5), to avoid optical differences in contrast and colour reproduction. The photos were taken in RAW format using the DNG file type (which, importantly, embeds a copy of the camera profile).

I imported both photos into Lightroom 6 and ensured all settings were at Lightroom's default values, with no presets or user defaults applied. I then selected the "Embedded" profile for each photo (to use the camera profiles rather than Adobe's), and set the white balance for both images using the eye-dropper tool on the same mid-grey square of the Passport.

From this point, all adjustments would be to the K-3 image alone, trying to match against the GX-10 "master" image as closely as possible.

I fine-tuned the exposure level so that the mid-grey tones were at the same luminosity for both photos (within +/- 0.5, as there was some variance of values across the square).

I adjusted the contrast so that the "darkest black" and "brightest white" squares had the same luminosity. This required some minor tweaking of exposure to keep the mid-tones at the right level, as contrast adjustments appeared to have a non-linear effect on the tone curve. Now, each of the grey-scale squares showed luminosity values very close to those in the GX-10 image.

The remaining adjustments would deal with colour reproduction - specifically hue, saturation and luminosity for each colour.

In the Camera Calibration section of Lightroom, I adjusted the hue and saturation of the Red Primary, Green Primary and Blue Primary channels to get those primary colours as close as possible. Since there is no luminosity adjustment for these, it's impossible to get them exactly right - but we can place them in the ball park.

At this point, a casual comparison of the colours in both images was already much closer than before.

Next came the really time-consuming part...

In the Color section of Lightroom, I adjusted (and re-adjusted!) the hue, saturation and luminosity of each colour to achieve a close match for each coloured square in turn. As you'd expect, adjustments for each colour had a knock-on effect to one or more of the others, and there was a great deal of back-and-forth fine-tuning required. Small, incremental adjustments were vital to avoid significant impact on related colours, which had to be tweaked to counteract any minor changes.

I was unable to get every coloured square matching exactly, but it was very close.

I saved the adjustments as a user preset, checking the Contrast, Color Adjustments, Process Version and Calibration boxes to ensure all the relevant settings were saved.

Then, on a sunny day with no clouds (rare in my part of the world!), I took some test shots of real scenes side-by-side with both cameras, and tried out the new preset on the K-3 files. The results were good, though not quite as good as I'd hoped - in particular, the green and yellow balance wasn't quite right, and the saturation and luminosity of light-blue skies wasn't what it should be. So, I went back to the ColorChecker Passport images and fine-tuned the adjustments before re-applying them to the test shots. After many iterations over several days, I eventually reached a point of diminishing returns; the results were so close that further tweaking would have little additional benefit and more than likely be detrimental.

Here's a "before" and "after" example of the preset being applied to an indoor test shot of some coloured pencils:


What's interesting about this example is how little difference there is in the greens, as vivid greens are something the CCD sensor cameras are revered for. From my testing in normal shooting conditions, it seems this is largely due to luminosity and saturation of yellow and orange rather than a radical difference in green tones.

It's worth studying that example image in detail. At a glance, you'd be forgiven for thinking the adjusted image is merely brighter, with a little more contrast. But if you look at each pencil individually, you'll see some quite significant changes in hue, saturation and luminosity, while the white, black and grey shades are (as they should be) nearly identical in both shots

Since completing this exercise, I've applied the preset to a number of K-3, K-3II, and even some K-5 images from my Lightroom library. The outcome is just what I'd hoped for... the photos have more of "that CCD look" I've come to appreciate so much. Greens and browns are warmer (great for landscape work), blues are richer, light-blue skies are somewhat deeper and better defined against clouds, yellows and oranges are brighter, while reds are a real treat - more orange than scarlet and not so over-saturated.

Of course, no preset or any amount of post-processing can re-create the fun of using a particular camera. For those who've never owned one of Pentax's CCD-sensor models (or their Samsung cousins), I highly recommend picking one up at the right price, since - at lower ISO settings - they produce wonderful images. I'll continue to use my GX-10 regularly, as it's a great bit of kit - but these adjustments provide a solid basis for reproducing at least some of that signature CCD look with the K-3 and other Pentax CMOS sensor cameras.

For those who'd like to try this out, here are some screen captures of the relevant settings (remember to save them as a preset so you can apply them all in one go!). And, if you do try it, please let me know how you get on!






... and, just to finish, here's one more test shot from the K-3, taken in my back garden, with the CCD preset applied (and no other adjustments, save for exposure and white balance sampled from a known grey area). It certainly has the warmth and saturation I was hoping for


Thanks for reading!

Last edited by BigMackCam; 09-24-2021 at 02:06 AM.
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08-10-2017, 11:47 AM   #46
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QuoteOriginally posted by ripper2860 Quote
Mike --

Thank you!! Are the new files hosted on the previously provided links (Google Drive and Dropbox)?

EDIT: Just saw the link at the top of article.
You're very welcome, Richard!

The new settings result in almost-imperceptible changes to most of the colours, but the blues and purples are much-improved, while orange, yellow and brown are also very accurate now.

Enjoy

08-10-2017, 01:30 PM - 1 Like   #47
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Nice work BMC!

QuoteOriginally posted by ChristianRock Quote
I'll try and play around in RawTherapee when I have some time and see how this works there
Please report back with a PP3 if you do. I was thinking about this when reading through the thread then saw your post. I can't think of a straightforward way to map these settings to RT. How to adjust the orange, yellow, purple colors... LAB or HSV equalizers maybe? Get it dialed in and it'd be great to make a Hald CLUT out of it...
08-10-2017, 01:35 PM   #48
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QuoteOriginally posted by todd Quote
Nice work BMC!
Thanks, Todd - it's a labour of love, and subject to further updates... although I *think* I'm pretty much there now
08-10-2017, 02:27 PM   #49
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QuoteOriginally posted by todd Quote
Nice work BMC!

Please report back with a PP3 if you do. I was thinking about this when reading through the thread then saw your post. I can't think of a straightforward way to map these settings to RT. How to adjust the orange, yellow, purple colors... LAB or HSV equalizers maybe? Get it dialed in and it'd be great to make a Hald CLUT out of it...
You are right... I tried earlier and just found no way to correlate the values set for the Lightroom colors into what we have in RT. I think it'll remain in the Lightroom realm, I'll be surprised if anyone is able to port it to another program. It would probably have to be developed from scratch using the same methods, if anyone does it.

Of course, having a K10D myself, I don't really need this so I wasn't motivated enough to keep trying

08-10-2017, 02:55 PM   #50
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QuoteOriginally posted by wombat2go Quote
The terms "ccd" and "cmos" refer to the two of the various physical architectures that "scan" or "clock" or "read" the photodiode levels off the sensor.
Actually the photo sensitive element in a CCD is a capacitor, not a diode. And the difference between CCD and CMOS semiconductor devices in definitely not just architectural in nature.
08-10-2017, 03:18 PM   #51
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QuoteOriginally posted by lsimpkins Quote
Actually the photo sensitive element in a CCD is a capacitor, not a diode. And the difference between CCD and CMOS semiconductor devices in definitely not just architectural in nature.
Hi LS,
No, a capacitor in itself can not cause a photon to create an electron-hole pair ( called "photodetection" sometimes).
The photo diode is in depletion zone and it does have capacitance, as all diode junctions do when reverse biased.
08-10-2017, 03:32 PM   #52
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QuoteOriginally posted by wombat2go Quote
Hi LS,
No, a capacitor in itself can not cause a photon to create an electron-hole pair ( called "photodetection" sometimes).
The photo diode is in depletion zone and it does have capacitance, as all diode junctions do when reverse biased.


08-10-2017, 07:29 PM - 3 Likes   #53
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QuoteOriginally posted by BigMackCam Quote
I've just updated the article with improved settings and updated images. The settings now involve less drastic adjustment of each colour, yet achieve a closer match on "problem colours". I'm very happy with the results and hope you'll like them too
This is lovely.

I use DXO Optics Pro as my RAW developer. My typical workflow has the developed file exported to Photoshop where I perform whatever other editing tasks are necessary. I've used your "CCD look" profile on several photos, and find it can add a final bit of cheerfulness, no matter the previous processing I'd done.

Thank you for your effort and generosity.

08-10-2017, 11:58 PM   #54
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QuoteOriginally posted by luftfluss Quote
This is lovely.

I use DXO Optics Pro as my RAW developer. My typical workflow has the developed file exported to Photoshop where I perform whatever other editing tasks are necessary. I've used your "CCD look" profile on several photos, and find it can add a final bit of cheerfulness, no matter the previous processing I'd done.

Thank you for your effort and generosity.
You're very welcome - I'm so pleased you like it!

That's a great photo. I'd guess the browns in the fur and the sunlit areas of the grass in the background were gently boosted by the adjustments? I think "cheerfulness" sums it up very well... In some instances, I find you have to look quite carefully to see the differences - they can be quite subtle, but the impact is almost always positive from the tests I've done so far.

Thanks for the wonderful feedback

Last edited by BigMackCam; 08-11-2017 at 02:51 AM.
08-11-2017, 04:43 AM - 1 Like   #55
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Hi BigMackCam!

Thanks a lot for sharing this preset, I have tried it on a few images from my last trip to Austria, and so far I like what I see! I love what it does to the reds and light blue skies.
Also, your last version is way better than the first one. Much more subtle and usable.

I'll try it on a few other pictures, and if the results please me, it may even become my default import preset.
08-11-2017, 06:35 AM - 1 Like   #56
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QuoteOriginally posted by BigMackCam Quote
That's a great photo. I'd guess the browns in the fur and the sunlit areas of the grass in the background were gently boosted by the adjustments? I think "cheerfulness" sums it up very well... In some instances, I find you have to look quite carefully to see the differences - they can be quite subtle, but the impact is almost always positive from the tests I've done so far.
You nailed it. The grass also deepened slightly, and the resultant effect is a greater separation between the deer and background. The overall color palette is reminiscent of my old K100D & K2000
08-11-2017, 06:38 AM   #57
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QuoteOriginally posted by pjsaure Quote
Hi BigMackCam!

Thanks a lot for sharing this preset, I have tried it on a few images from my last trip to Austria, and so far I like what I see! I love what it does to the reds and light blue skies.
Also, your last version is way better than the first one. Much more subtle and usable.

I'll try it on a few other pictures, and if the results please me, it may even become my default import preset.
You're most welcome, and thanks so much for commenting on the difference between original and revised versions.

Reds and light blue skies are wonderful straight out of the camera with the GX-10 / K10D, and this preset gets extremely close to the reproducing them.

Enjoy!
08-11-2017, 06:57 AM - 1 Like   #58
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QuoteOriginally posted by BigMackCam Quote
UPDATE: The following article has been revised to reflect newly-optimised Lightroom settings and example images. For a limited time, you can also download the CCD Effect preset for Lightroom HERE.


Get "that CCD look" with the K-3 / K-3II and Lightroom

Many people feel that the colour rendition from Pentax's earlier CCD sensor cameras is superior to that of later CMOS sensor models. Although the K-3 and K-3II are my day-to-day cameras, more recently I've been shooting extensively with a GX-10 - Samsung's clone of the Pentax K10D - and I've become a huge fan. Whether it's down to the sensor, the camera's colour profiling or a combination of the two, I really can't say for sure; but, the results are very appealing - punchy, saturated, almost film-like images, with very little post-processing needed to achieve great-looking results.

So fond am I of the GX-10's output that I decided to develop a Lightroom preset that would re-create "that CCD look" for my K-3 and K-3II photos.

I started by taking two photographs of an X-rite ColorChecker Passport, one with the GX-10, the other with the K-3. Both cameras were fitted with the same model of lens (the Pentax-F 28-80 f/3.5-4.5), to avoid possible differences in contrast and colour reproduction. The photos were taken in RAW format using the DNG file type (which, importantly, embeds a copy of the camera profile).

I imported both photos into Lightroom 6 and ensured all settings were at Lightroom's default values, with no presets or user defaults applied. I then selected the "Embedded" profile for each photo (to use the camera profiles rather than Adobe's), and set the white balance for both images using the eye-dropper tool on the same mid-grey square of the Passport.

From this point, all adjustments would be to the K-3 image alone, trying to match the GX-10 "master" image as closely as possible.

I fine-tuned the exposure level so that the mid-grey tones were at the same luminosity for both photos (within +/- 0.5, as there was some variance of values across the square).

I adjusted the contrast so that the "darkest black" and "brightest white" squares had the same luminosity. This required some minor tweaking of exposure to keep the mid-tones at the right level, as contrast adjustments appeared to have a non-linear effect on the tone curve. Now, each of the grey-scale squares showed luminosity values very close to those in the GX-10 image.

The remaining adjustments would deal with colour reproduction - specifically hue, saturation and luminosity for each colour.

In the Camera Calibration section of Lightroom, I adjusted the hue and saturation of the Red Primary, Green Primary and Blue Primary channels to get those primary colours as close as possible. Since there is no luminosity adjustment for these, it's impossible to get them exactly right - but we can place them in the ball park.

At this point, a casual comparison of the colours in both images was already much closer than before.

Next came the really time-consuming part...

In the Color section of Lightroom, I adjusted (and re-adjusted!) the hue, saturation and luminosity of each colour to achieve a close match for each coloured square in turn. As you'd expect, adjustments for each colour had a knock-on effect to one or more of the others, and there was a great deal of back-and-forth fine-tuning required. Small, incremental adjustments were vital to avoid significant impact on related colours, which had to be tweaked to counteract any minor changes.

I was unable to get every coloured square matching exactly, but it was very close.

I saved the adjustments as a user preset, checking the Contrast, Color Adjustments, Process Version and Calibration boxes to ensure all the relevant settings were saved.

Then, on a sunny day with no clouds (rare in my part of the world!), I took some test shots of real scenes side-by-side with both cameras, and tried out the new preset on the K-3 files. The results were good, though not quite as good as I'd hoped - in particular, the green and yellow balance wasn't quite right, and the saturation and luminosity of light-blue skies wasn't what it should be. So, I went back to the ColorChecker Passport images and fine-tuned the adjustments before re-applying them to the test shots. After many iterations over several days, I eventually reached a point of diminishing returns; the results were so close that further tweaking would have little additional benefit and more than likely be detrimental.

Here's a "before" and "after" example of the preset being applied to an indoor test shot of some coloured pencils:


What's interesting about this example is how little difference there is in the greens, as vivid greens are something the CCD sensor cameras are revered for. From my testing in normal shooting conditions, it seems this is largely due to luminosity and saturation of yellow and orange rather than a radical difference in green tones.

It's worth studying that example image in detail. At a glance, you'd be forgiven for thinking the adjusted image is merely brighter, with a little more contrast. But if you look at each pencil individually, you'll see some quite significant changes in hue, saturation and luminosity, while the white, black and grey shades are (as they should be) nearly identical in both shots

Since completing this exercise, I've applied the preset to a number of K-3, K-3II, and even some K-5 images from my Lightroom library. The outcome is just what I'd hoped for... the photos have more of "that CCD look" I've come to appreciate so much. Greens and browns are warmer (great for landscape work), blues are richer, light-blue skies are somewhat deeper and better defined against clouds, yellows and oranges are brighter, while reds are a real treat - more orange than scarlet and not so over-saturated.

Of course, no preset or any amount of post-processing can re-create the fun of using a particular camera. For those who've never owned one of Pentax's CCD-sensor models (or their Samsung cousins), I highly recommend picking one up at the right price, since - at lower ISO settings - they produce wonderful images. I'll continue to use my GX-10 regularly, as it's a great bit of kit - but these adjustments provide a solid basis for reproducing at least some of that signature CCD look with the K-3 and other Pentax CMOS sensor cameras.

For those who'd like to try this out, here are some screen captures of the relevant settings (remember to save them as a preset so you can apply them all in one go!). And, if you do try it, please let me know how you get on!






... and, just to finish, here's one more test shot from the K-3, taken in my back garden, with the CCD preset applied (and no other adjustments, save for exposure and white balance sampled from a known grey area). It certainly has the warmth and saturation I was hoping for


Thanks for reading!
You know you can do this a whole lot easier by using DXOOptics (or C1) and selecting a different camera profile. The profiles are done for you already. I particularly like the Leica M9 profile for landscape in DXOOptics. If you like Olympus blue as per a E510 or a EM1 MkII or whatever its a click. If you like a K10 rendering, its a click. Using the DXO Film Profiles you can set the picture up as various Kodak, Fuji or others. Like the Kodachrome 64 look; click. Fuji Provia 100; click.
My normal workflow is to use DXO to do the initial work particularly lens correction, lens softness, noise control and profile and then load directly into Photoshop ACR as a DNG. Works well and is a whole lot less trouble.
08-11-2017, 07:18 AM   #59
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QuoteOriginally posted by Fauxton Quote
You know you can do this a whole lot easier by using DXOOptics (or C1) and selecting a different camera profile. The profiles are done for you already. I particularly like the Leica M9 profile for landscape in DXOOptics. If you like Olympus blue as per a E510 or a EM1 MkII or whatever its a click. If you like a K10 rendering, its a click. Using the DXO Film Profiles you can set the picture up as various Kodak, Fuji or others. Like the Kodachrome 64 look; click. Fuji Provia 100; click.
My normal workflow is to use DXO to do the initial work particularly lens correction, lens softness, noise control and profile and then load directly into Photoshop ACR as a DNG. Works well and is a whole lot less trouble.
Thanks for the feedback

My specific objective was to recreate the colour reproduction of the GX-10 / K10D with my K3 using Lightroom, as that's the software I use (and have used for some time) for the vast majority of my RAW image development. I'm sure there are all manner of other post-processing applications and plug-ins that offer all kinds of profiling for different cameras and films, but I developed this preset for my own use within my existing, well-established workflow. I've shared it, and the methodology behind it, for any of our members who might be using the same software

DXOOptics Essential costs £99 here in the UK, while the Elite version is £159. That's a significant and, for me, unnecessary expenditure if I can do what I need within Lightroom. I can't attest to the accuracy of the colour profiles in DXOOptics, as it's not part of my workflow. For those members who use DXOOptics already, by all means use those camera profiles and - if you like the colour reproduction - go with that approach. For those that don't, the preset I've provided is considerably cheaper (free) and requires very little effort to use (my explanatory article can be ignored completely if it's of no interest ). Just install the preset in Lightroom like any other, and click on it whenever you want to apply it. No trouble at all

Last edited by BigMackCam; 08-11-2017 at 08:15 AM.
08-11-2017, 07:49 AM   #60
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QuoteOriginally posted by Fauxton Quote
You know you can do this a whole lot easier by using DXOOptics (or C1) and selecting a different camera profile. The profiles are done for you already.
There's still lots of additional tweaking to do, even if you select the same profile.


QuoteOriginally posted by BigMackCam Quote
The first thing I'd look at is equalising the exposure. The K-3 somewhat over-exposed that test shot, whereas the GX-10 underexposed slightly (I set the exposure in Lightroom to around -0.15 and +0.11 respectively). Check the luminosity of one of the mid-grey tones and bring the K-3 image exposure down until it's as close as possible to the GX-10 shot. Then do a white balance for both images on that same grey square and re-tweak the K-3 exposure if necessary. That should give you a good starting point. Next, a slight contrast boost, and then onto the colour matching.

Let me know how you get on!

I'm still confused by the saturation differences between the two test images by the way.
If I put both images on the same profile the GX10s photo will have so much more saturation that the saturation slider actually make them match even remotely.

Is a different profile embedded on that file? It defaults to "Adobe DNG Neutral".
If I switch the K-3 onto that profile the above problem occurs.
Somewhere the output must be vastly different..

It'd have been cool to make the adjustments going from the same ICC profile as, in my head at least, the preset could be more easily be applied to different cameras?
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