Ron Shoots

Discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.

Working with FlexColor

Hasselblad’s FlexColor is a powerful application, but not the most user-friendly or forgiving application. However, once you’ve made friends with FlexColor, the color enhancement aspect of a digital workflow can start at the time of capture. If you’re a regular FlexColor user, here’s some of the “rules” we’ve discovered for an easier workflow. These are our “real world” experiences and may differ depending on your configuration. Please post any suggestions!

The FlexColor application gets updated on a regular basis. We’ve already had one update. Hasselblad is very good about keeping its users aware of new software and firmware versions.

(My sincere appreciation to Paul Claesson and John Williams of Hassselblad USA and Steve Hendrix of PPR/Atlanta for helping us out! These folks have been extremely helpful.)

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Tethered Operation (Connected to Camera)

1. FlexColor must be the top level application. If you inadvertently click on the Finder and FlexColor is in the background, expect a restart of both the camera and/or application.

2. Make sure FlexColor is active prior to connecting Firewire cable to camera.

3. Turn camera on before connecting Firewire cable.

4. Disconnect cable before powering off camera and while FlexColor is active.

5. When connected to the computer, the digital back is powered by the computer and the camera body is powered by the camera battery. When not connected, the camera battery (obviously) powers both the camera body and the digital back.

6. Do not unplug the Firewire cable while the files are writing to FlexColor. The files are not stored on the digital back and those files will be lost, and there’s a good chance that both FlexColor and the camera will need to be restarted.

7. Set up your folders, color and output preferences prior to shooting. This will save a number of extra steps in post-production.

Shooting to the CF Card

1. Always always (did I say always?) format the CF card in the camera before writing images to the card.

2. If you remove the card, the card will need to be reformatted before using again, which means that any images on the card will need to be downloaded.

3. Importing images from a CF card seems to work better when downloading through a card reader than through the camera.

3 Comments so far

  1. george hilbish June 11th, 2007 5:23 am

    ENVY. I wish I understood photography like you but I do believe I can make a living at it if I can just forget about the money part. That’s my problem. So I’m stuck shoot sport etc. and not what I want which would be journalistic images and travel. Any advise?

    Thanks

  2. JAMES HICKEY September 25th, 2007 8:03 pm

    I have the H2D and I am forced to use flexcolor. This software is a real workflow killer. I cant believe 30K didnt get me a better solution.

    I wish I went with Phase One so I could spend more time getting my job done and less time troubling with poorly designed software. It doesnt seem Hasselblad had the pro in mind who actually has to deliver because this is some poorly designed software. When I purchased it I worked by shooting DNG, the newest firmware removed that feature.

  3. Eve February 10th, 2008 10:57 pm

    Hi Ron
    The reason I’m writing to you is because I’m totally lost here. I’m using version 4.8.1 of FlexColor and for some strange reason am unable to work the Live Video when Tethered to my Mac. It worked Ok before I up graded to this new version. No image appears when I click the Live Video- just a grey page.
    Any input will be most appreciated.
    Eve

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