User Calibration

To reduce the presence of Fixed Pattern Noise (FPN), a User Calibration can be created based on a short clip recorded with no light hitting the sensor. Available in Wave Player (macOS) v1.4.1 and in Wave Player (Windows) v1.4.0. See below for instructions for macOS and Windows.

At a minimum, this should be done at once for 4K and once for 2K. However, since FPN is affected by temperature and exposure and may change over time, it can be beneficial to generate new User Calibrations periodically or if operating conditions have changed substantially. Use camera settings that closely match the target operating point(s).

.kwc calibration files are not cross platform, but can be used on other computers with the same Operating System.

macOS

To generate a new User Calibration, follow the steps below:

1. Turn on the camera and wait 10-15 minutes for it to warm up.

2. With the lens or body cap on to prevent light from hitting the sensor, record a short clip (at least 40 frames, but more than that is not beneficial).

3. Connect the camera via USB

4. Show Dark Frame Manager from the Menu Bar (image below)

5. Click "Add Dark Frame"

6. If the list is empty, click "Open Dark Frame Clips" and select WAVE drive

7. Select your target source Dark Frame clip from the list

8. Click "Generate Dark Frame" at the bottom of the window

On macOS, User Calibrations can be accessed from the Menu Bar from "Configuration > Dark Frame Manager"

The best calibration for a given clip is automatically selected according to criteria listed in the table below, and will show "Active" if the User Calibration is being used for the currently opened clip. Use the folder icon at the bottom of the Dark Frame Manager to directly access KWC files containing User Calibration Data.

Criteria	Condition
Camera UID	Must match.
Width (4K or 2K)	Must match.
Height	Must match or exceed clip Height. Must match identically for clips with Aspect Ratio 24:9 or higher (Closest Height selected as ranking priority #1.)
FPS	Closest FPS selected as ranking priority #2.
Shutter Angle	Closest Shutter Angle selected as ranking priority #3.
Temperature	Closest image sensor temperature selected as raking priority #4.
Date/Time	Newest calibration selected as ranking priority #5.

To delete a User Calibration, select it and use the "Delete Dark Frame" button. This could be used to remove an older calibration that matches more settings and enable selection of a newer calibration that might be more accurate despite matching fewer settings.

Windows

To generate a new User Calibration, follow the steps below:

1. Turn on the camera and wait 10-15 minutes for it to warm up.

2. With the lens or body cap on to prevent light from hitting the sensor, record a short clip (at least 40 frames, but more than that is not beneficial).

3. Connect the camera via USB and open the clip.

4. Switch to the CALIBRATE tab.

5. Select a location for the calibration data using SELECT CAL FOLDER. (This only needs to be done once and will persist across sessions and updates.)

6. Click MAKE CAL FROM CLIP.

User Calibrations already present in the selected folder will be displayed in the CALIBRATE tab. The most relevant calibration for a given clip is automatically selected according to the criteria listed in the table below, and will be highlighted. If no calibrations are valid for the selected clip, none will be highlighted.

Criteria	Condition
Camera UID	Must match.
Width (4K or 2K)	Must match.
Height	Must match or exceed clip Height. (Closest Height selected as ranking priority #1.)
FPS	Closest FPS selected as ranking priority #2.
Shutter Angle	Closest Shutter Angle selected as ranking priority #3.
Temperature	Closest image sensor temperature selected as raking priority #4.
Date/Time	Newest calibration selected as ranking priority #5.

To delete a User Calibration, click the Remove button next to it. This could be used to remove an older calibration that matches more settings and enable selection of a newer calibration that might be more accurate despite matching fewer settings. It’s also possible to use a custom folder structure to organize User Calibrations in a way that bypasses the default ranking priority.