Rosco digital swatchbook program

[blahoobadyhoo]

Hello All,

I was hoping I could have your opinion on a free program I am developing for the lighting community. Before anybody says anything, yes I know there are already iPhone and maybe Android apps in existence, but I don't care. I am making a program that had every Roscolux, E-Colour, and Cinegel gel in a compact format at the click of a button. It would narrow the field as the user typed the name and when one is selected, it's LEE, GAM, and Apollo equivalents appear, along with Rosco's own description of the gel and the color as per their website. I figure I might need some buttons on here but here is my preliminary program appearance. Let me know what you think and if there is something you would like to see implemented in this program. I don't even mind if there is not practical use for this, I'm just messing around.

Thanks

 

[derekleffew]

If you're going to go to the trouble (and I don't see why one would when there's iSwatch by Wybron), why make it manufacturer specific to Rosco? Once you have the database, it shouldn't be hard to key by any mfg., and find a Lee to GAM match, for example. If you really want to make it unique, add equivalencies for wikis: Roscolene, Cinemoid, and Gelatran. I'd pay 99¢ for that!

 

[Grog12]

I'd pay 5-10 dollars for one that shined a true equivelent to the gel in a S4 using the phone's screen so I could hold it to my skin like we all do with real gel books and a flashlight.

 

[bdkdesigns]

If you're going to go to the trouble (and I don't see why one would when there's iSwatch by Wybron)

Yes but that app is only available on the Apple line of products and is not available on Android systems. My Droid X is due for an upgrade in August and I'll just wait for the new iPhone to come out partially for this reason. I use that app all the time and have to cart around my iPod Touch to use it.

 

[derekleffew]

Yes but that app is only available on the Apple line of products and is not available on Android systems. ...

Good point that I'd forgotten (and don't even think of asking Wybron for an Android version), but let's not turn this into an iPhone vs. Droid debate.

 

[chausman]

Good point that I'd forgotten (and don't even think of asking Wybron for an Android version), but let's not turn this into an iPhone vs. Droid debate.

Especially because this is a PC program being developed!

 

[gafftapegreenia]

I'd pay 5-10 dollars for one that shined a true equivelent to the gel in a S4 using the phone's screen so I could hold it to my skin like we all do with real gel books and a flashlight.

This ^^^ exactly.

 

[bdkdesigns]

I'm not, just wanted to mainly point out that there is certainly a market out there for it.

 

[josh88]

Especially because this is a PC program being developed!

my comment to that then, since it's for PC, is that, if I'm on a computer it most likely has the internet and there for I'm already only a click away from plenty of online versions of this already. I just have to click the bookmark to load the page. And if I'm on a system that isn't networked, all I have to do is walk a few steps over to the one that is and still have access.

and I'd have to agree with grog too

 

[Eriksrocks]

Yes but that app is only available on the Apple line of products and is not available on Android systems. My Droid X is due for an upgrade in August and I'll just wait for the new iPhone to come out partially for this reason. I use that app all the time and have to cart around my iPod Touch to use it.

Or you could find an Android equivalent. I know the guy who made this:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.blakely.paul.swatchbook&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsIm5ldC5ibGFrZWx5LnBhdWwuc3dhdGNoYm9vayJd

I'd pay 5-10 dollars for one that shined a true equivelent to the gel in a S4 using the phone's screen so I could hold it to my skin like we all do with real gel books and a flashlight.

I don't see how you could replicate the complexity of a full spectrum with only R, G, and B pixels. I agree that the color swatches in these apps often look very different from what the color looks like in an actual light, though.

Personally I would rather see a small transparent LCD screen accessory that would actually filter any light source you shine through it, so you could select a color on your device, then actually hold it up and look through it.

On another note, those of you that do the flashlight and gel book method, what type of flashlight are you using? Most flashlights these days have a white LED source, and the few incandescent ones I do have lying around are typically a very low color temperature - both useless for this type of activity. You would need a full-spectrum flashlight or one that's as close as possible to full spectrum and at least around 3200k temperature - anyone have one if it even exists?

 

[chausman]

Josh, Gafftapegreenia, Grog, and anyone else, if you can help measure and compare the color on the screen and a gel in a S4 at full, I'll work on the App itself. I know it can't be exactly like the actual color, but it can be close, especially if you go on how it looks against skin, instead of the photometric data. I'd like to probably start with one brand and see how that works. Rosco or Apollo?

 

[Eriksrocks]

Josh, Gafftapegreenia, Grog, and anyone else, if you can help measure and compare the color on the screen and a gel in a S4 at full, I'll work on the App itself. I know it can't be exactly like the actual color, but it can be close, especially if you go on how it looks against skin, instead of the photometric data. I'd like to probably start with one brand and see how that works. Rosco or Apollo?

Even if you manually match colors, though, it's going to be extremely fickle. With all the different devices out there, and especially with some of the newer screen technologies on newer smartphones, colors are going to be displayed differently between each device.

For instance, my Galaxy Nexus (with its AMOLED screen) has very rich and bright colors. It's the closest I've seen the in-app colors come to matching the actual gel color, but the reality is that the same hex color is still going to look different on a computer screen or even an older-generation iPod Touch.

 

[chausman]

Even if you manually match colors, though, it's going to be extremely fickle. With all the different devices out there, and especially with some of the newer screen technologies on newer smartphones, colors are going to be displayed differently between each device.

For instance, my Galaxy Nexus has very rich and bright colors. It's the closest I've seen the in-app colors come to matching the actual gel color, but the reality is that the same hex color is still going to look different on a computer screen or even an older-generation iPod Touch.

Yes, but I'm not planning on trying to match for every android device. (you do know who your talking to, right?) For the most part, the two most recent generations of iPhones and iPod touches will be very close, and the third generation will be similar.

 

[Eriksrocks]

(you do know who your talking to, right?)

No?


...

 

[Les]

I'll bet one's brightness settings would change things too. I keep my phone on 50% brightness. Would the app look different for me than someone who kept their device at 100%?

 

[chausman]

I'll bet one's brightness settings would change things too. I keep my phone on 50% brightness. Would the app look different for me than someone who kept their device at 100%?

It might change it. I'd say when you were using it, your have to use something easy to repeat, like full or off. I'd vote for full.

 

[emac]

Originally Posted by Les
I'll bet one's brightness settings would change things too. I keep my phone on 50% brightness. Would the app look different for me than someone who kept their device at 100%?
It might change it. I'd say when you were using it, your have to use something easy to repeat, like full or off. I'd vote for full.


Could you not program the app to set the phones brightness level to what ever you calibrated the colors to?
Or is that something that you can not change? Not sure what apps have access to on the Iphone....

Edit: Or just add a pop up that says "all levels were set at XXX brightness. To ensure the best possible use please set your phone to XXX brightness"

 

[chausman]

Originally Posted by Les
I'll bet one's brightness settings would change things too. I keep my phone on 50% brightness. Would the app look different for me than someone who kept their device at 100%?
It might change it. I'd say when you were using it, your have to use something easy to repeat, like full or off. I'd vote for full.


Could you not program the app to set the phones brightness level to what ever you calibrated the colors to?
Or is that something that you can not change? Not sure what apps have access to on the Iphone....

Edit: Or just add a pop up that says "all levels were set at XXX brightness. To ensure the best possible use please set your phone to XXX brightness"

I don't think apps have access to screen brightness, but a popup to say "please is this brightness" is easy.

 

[cpf]

Bonus points for instant gel ID using the rear camera?