Patent ID: 7414758

Claim:
A method of improving a digital image captured by a digital camera comprising: providing a digital camera having a memory for storing known values of a color chart having a plurality of color patches of different colors and a digital image processor; using said digital camera to capture an image of said color chart to produce imaged values of said color patches of said color chart; operating said digital image processor to process at least some of said color patch imaged values and said stored known values of said color patches to produce a color correction matrix or profile in said digital camera; storing said color correction matrix or profile to correct color images subsequently acquired by said digital camera; and wherein said stored known values of said color chart include a value of a neutral middle gray patch, wherein said captured image of said color chart includes a corresponding neutral middle gray patch value, and wherein said digital image processor processes said stored known and imaged values of said neutral middle gray patch to derive an exposure correction that is stored for correcting exposure of subsequently acquired images by said digital camera.