I enjoy mobile photography and take photos in raw format with my Vivo x100 ultra mobile phone. The camera is very good, but what I don't like is the overprocessing and AI enhancements in the photos, so I take photos in raw format.
I hope to use ColorPerfect PerfectRAW to bring out the true colours in my photos. I tried the ColorPerfect 2.25 trial mode and I was really impressed. I can't wait to check out ColorPerfect 3.
Mobile Photography - UK
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C.Oldendorf
- Developer
- Posts: 167
- Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2022 10:31 am
- Contact:
Welcome and RAW Characterization for the vivo X100 Ultra
Hi fsantos,
welcome aboard — great to have you here! I’m glad to hear you are exploring RAW capture on the vivo X100 Ultra and that your first impressions with ColorPerfect were positive.
PerfectRAW in ColorPerfect 3 takes things even further, so you should be in an excellent position to obtain natural, unprocessed colour from this phone.
This is genuinely interesting — I have not done an awful lot with mobile photography in the past. Earlier this year I characterized a range of iPhones for PerfectRAW; until then, the only phones we supported were the very first models that could be coaxed into producing real RAW files. With those early devices, noise was the main limitation, and I have not yet revisited them using the modern AI-based denoising techniques that have been discussed elsewhere on the forum. So I’m curiously looking forward to working with the X100 Ultra and seeing what is possible with its more advanced sensors and RAW outputs.
Each Lens = Its Own Camera
On smartphones, every lens is paired with its own dedicated sensor. That means each module is effectively its own camera with its own spectral sensitivities and tonal behaviour. For PerfectRAW this implies that each lens/sensor module requires its own independent characterization — exactly as if you were using multiple separate physical cameras. The X100 Ultra has several such modules, so we will treat each one individually.
Camera Modules on the vivo X100 Ultra
From photos I looked up, the X100 Ultra shows three rear camera modules plus the front (selfie) camera.
Functionally, the phone uses the following imaging modules, some may not permit RAW capture:
What We Need to Characterize the Cameras
To characterize the RAW data from the X100 Ultra we need the same type of input that we use for any other camera: a technically clean photo of a Macbeth ColorChecker chart taken in even, direct sunlight with no reflections.
The shot must not be overexposed. You can check this afterwards in Photoshop once the file has been converted with our MakeTiff auxiliary program. If you already own a ColorChecker — or can borrow one — that is ideal.
If you have such a chart, you may already have suitable photos on hand. From our perspective, the software that is included with tools such as the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport is a futile attempt at achieving “accurate” colour by physically meaningless means. The long explanation is a topic in itself; the short version is simply that PerfectRAW works in an entirely different, physically grounded way.
Our calibration tools provide numerical diagnostics that tell us whether a characterization meets the quality we require.
Criteria for Supplying ColorChecker Photos
If you have previously taken photos of a ColorChecker chart, please assemble a few that match the following criteria as closely as possible:
That should provide everything we need to generate proper characterizations for all RAW-capable camera modules on your X100 Ultra. Looking forward to working with you and seeing what you capture with it!
Hi fsantos,
welcome aboard — great to have you here! I’m glad to hear you are exploring RAW capture on the vivo X100 Ultra and that your first impressions with ColorPerfect were positive.
PerfectRAW in ColorPerfect 3 takes things even further, so you should be in an excellent position to obtain natural, unprocessed colour from this phone.
This is genuinely interesting — I have not done an awful lot with mobile photography in the past. Earlier this year I characterized a range of iPhones for PerfectRAW; until then, the only phones we supported were the very first models that could be coaxed into producing real RAW files. With those early devices, noise was the main limitation, and I have not yet revisited them using the modern AI-based denoising techniques that have been discussed elsewhere on the forum. So I’m curiously looking forward to working with the X100 Ultra and seeing what is possible with its more advanced sensors and RAW outputs.
Each Lens = Its Own Camera
On smartphones, every lens is paired with its own dedicated sensor. That means each module is effectively its own camera with its own spectral sensitivities and tonal behaviour. For PerfectRAW this implies that each lens/sensor module requires its own independent characterization — exactly as if you were using multiple separate physical cameras. The X100 Ultra has several such modules, so we will treat each one individually.
Camera Modules on the vivo X100 Ultra
From photos I looked up, the X100 Ultra shows three rear camera modules plus the front (selfie) camera.
Functionally, the phone uses the following imaging modules, some may not permit RAW capture:
- Main wide-angle camera — 1" type Sony LYT-900 sensor
- Periscope telephoto camera — 200 MP sensor (HP9)
- Ultra-wide camera — 50 MP sensor for the widest field of view
- Front camera — 50 MP selfie module
What We Need to Characterize the Cameras
To characterize the RAW data from the X100 Ultra we need the same type of input that we use for any other camera: a technically clean photo of a Macbeth ColorChecker chart taken in even, direct sunlight with no reflections.
The shot must not be overexposed. You can check this afterwards in Photoshop once the file has been converted with our MakeTiff auxiliary program. If you already own a ColorChecker — or can borrow one — that is ideal.
If you have such a chart, you may already have suitable photos on hand. From our perspective, the software that is included with tools such as the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport is a futile attempt at achieving “accurate” colour by physically meaningless means. The long explanation is a topic in itself; the short version is simply that PerfectRAW works in an entirely different, physically grounded way.
Our calibration tools provide numerical diagnostics that tell us whether a characterization meets the quality we require.
Criteria for Supplying ColorChecker Photos
If you have previously taken photos of a ColorChecker chart, please assemble a few that match the following criteria as closely as possible:
- Illuminated by even outdoor daylight
- Ideally in full sunlight
- Shot around high noon ± 3 hours
- Not taken too early or late in the year (low sun angles cause issues)
- Captured at low ISO
- Not placed under trees or near coloured surfaces that would create coloured reflections
That should provide everything we need to generate proper characterizations for all RAW-capable camera modules on your X100 Ultra. Looking forward to working with you and seeing what you capture with it!
Hi C.Oldendorf,
Thank you, I look forward to working and learning with you. I will get a ColorChecker chart and send you the photos to help you with the characterization of the cameras.
Thank you very much for your help, I appreciate it.
Thank you, I look forward to working and learning with you. I will get a ColorChecker chart and send you the photos to help you with the characterization of the cameras.
Thank you very much for your help, I appreciate it.
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robyferrero
- ColorPerfect User
- Posts: 151
- Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2025 4:12 pm
- Location: Italia
Santi, welcome to this den of color enthusiasts.
When I think of all those smartphone accessories, such as grips, extension lenses, tripod mounts, and who knows what else, we can say that the phone has been transformed into a real camera.
Among other things, they are also nice to look at with their camera-style grip.
I think it will be exciting to edit your photos with Color Perfect, especially if you don't like the results that smartphones are capable of generating, inventing, and constructing.
The results of Color Perfect are already exciting when you compare it to any other software. It's a question of color, that is, it's a much broader issue, but we can say that if you really want to have the colors of your sensor, natural and intact, there is no other way, plain and simple.
Imagine when we use smartphone AI to obtain those photographs, which I call cartoon-like.
You'll take a great photo!
And I'd love to see the results too.
Roberto
When I think of all those smartphone accessories, such as grips, extension lenses, tripod mounts, and who knows what else, we can say that the phone has been transformed into a real camera.
Among other things, they are also nice to look at with their camera-style grip.
I think it will be exciting to edit your photos with Color Perfect, especially if you don't like the results that smartphones are capable of generating, inventing, and constructing.
The results of Color Perfect are already exciting when you compare it to any other software. It's a question of color, that is, it's a much broader issue, but we can say that if you really want to have the colors of your sensor, natural and intact, there is no other way, plain and simple.
Imagine when we use smartphone AI to obtain those photographs, which I call cartoon-like.
You'll take a great photo!
And I'd love to see the results too.
Roberto