This manual is not a product guide. It is the inventory of a measurement tool for photographic practices that have existed for a hundred and eighty years. Calibration Flow belongs in the lineage of all the technical literature on alternative processes — Bostick & Sullivan, Christopher James, Malin Fabbri, Mark Nelson — with one difference: it does the math for you on the iPhone you already have in your pocket.

The manual follows the structure of the app. Four modules for the four main actions: print a test chart, compute a curve, generate a digital negative, find your work again in a library. Around them, cross-cutting tools you switch on when you need them (the magnifier, Pro mode, the histogram, the harmonic timer). And a glossary for the terms every practitioner eventually runs into without anyone ever having explained them.

You can read it from the beginning — the Getting started section is built for that. You can also dip in at random: each page is designed to be read on its own, with cross-refs to jump toward whatever is missing.

#What you'll find here

The seven sections below cover everything Calibration Flow can do. When an entry doesn't exist yet, it stays in the table of contents in the meantime — we add as the feature ships in the app, never before.

Getting started — your first calibration in fifteen minutes, no detours. For anyone opening the app for the first time.
Test chart — the six bundled charts, the custom chart creator, the golden rule of printing without color management.
Curve — tonal analysis, adjustment with three sliders,
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export for Photoshop and Lightroom workarounds.
Negative — the eight customization options, CMYK four-color, dithering, registration marks.
Library — where scans, generated images and HD media are stored, and how cross-device sync works.
Cross-cutting tools — the magnifier, Pro mode, the histogram, the harmonic timer, the CMYK Venn, the Smart Analyzer, HEIC/RAW support, Hub auth.
Access — free mode with registration, the Pro subscription at €9.90/month (unified web + iOS account), and the Luminograph code that grants 1 year of Pro when you buy a Luminograph from Vision Picturale.
Glossary — twenty-five technical terms with their English equivalent and their use in the workflow.

#Where to begin

You've just bought a Vision Picturale kit or a Luminograph. Go straight to Getting started → First calibration. The Luminograph code is in the box — it unlocks the custom chart and the Color Venn. Allow one to two hours for your first curve.

You already practice an alternative process and you're comparing tools. Read Curve → The 25-point curve first, then Access to place Calibration Flow against QuadToneRIP, Easy Digital Negatives and PiezoDN. The honest conclusion is there.

You're looking for a specific technical term. The glossary is the right entry point. Each entry links back to the pages where the concept is used.

You want to understand what the app does without installing it. Read Cross-cutting tools. That's where the differences between Calibration Flow and the tools that came before it are concentrated.

#How the manual is kept

Each page carries a two-block code (for example

06.04

) that says which module it lives in and at what position. Each page is dated — the Verified mention indicates the last time the content was checked against the app's actual behavior. If you spot a gap between what you read and what you see on screen, the app has probably changed and the page hasn't caught up. Report it to support@picturale.app and we'll fix it.

The manual is also available in French: Manuel français.