By Steve Baczewski

X-Rite’s US$1,399 i1PhotoPro (http://www.xrite.com) is a comprehensive package that calibrates and profiles your camera, display, printer, and projector. It’s aimed at professionals whose work demands accurate and consistent colors, from camera to print.

The heart of the package is its spectrophotometer and new i1 Profiler software, which has basic and advanced modes for monitor profiling/calibration and paper profiling. The workflow for both is guided and each step is accompanied by excellent onscreen Help. And, you can save all essential settings and measured data.

Creating custom paper profiles is straightforward. The software generates a printed target of color and black-and-white patches (the user determines the number of patches and I found 400 patches built excellent profiles). The spectrophotometer, which scans and reads the patches to build the profile, sits on a device that smoothly glides over the patches. X-Rite provides a backboard to hold the printed target.

The process is quick and easy and the software notifies you if you make a mistake. The glossy and matte prints I made with the X-Rite profiles were spot on, matching the display that I calibrated and profiled with the spectrophotometer. Colors were accurate, with smooth transitions, and full of detail in both shadow and highlights.

Included with the i1PhotoPro package is an effective way to create a custom camera profile: a 24-patch color checker that fits in a shirt pocket—perfect for location work. Photograph the checker in the same light as your subject, drop the file into X-Rite’s color-checker software, and it builds the profile and automatically places it under camera calibration in Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom. It works beautifully. For those who demand complete critical color management of their work, i1PhotoPro won’t disappoint.

Rating: 10 out of 10

(This review is brought to you courtesy of "Layers Magazine": http://layersmagazine.com/ .)