Methods and systems are presented for characterizing a printer, display or other color reproduction device in which a forward color transform having a parametric surface forward color transform and a nonparametric residual forward color transform is updated by adapting the parametric surface forward color transform using an input adaptation data set and a measured adaptation data set, generating a prediction data set in the second color space using the adapted parametric surface forward color transform and the nonparametric residual forward color transform, generating a prediction error data set in the second color space using the input adaptation data set and the prediction data set, generating a membrane forward color transform using the prediction error data set, and updating the forward color transform using the adapted parametric and nonparametric forward color transforms.