Custom white balance

[kkraczek]

I've heard a lot about white balance, but I'm not sure I understand it. Is this something that most of you do manually with gray cards, or do you use the auto settings?

[ustein]

There is custom WB where you define the WB is camera. Makes sense if you work with the same light for some time. As I only use raw I photograph a gray card (not the Kodak) or a Color Checker and korrect the WB later in the raw converter. In the field I leave the WB to auto to give the camera the chance to get it right. If not not problem as I can change the WB in raw as I like.

Uwe

[kkraczek]

Thanks Uwe... Which gray card do you recommend?

[ustein]

Most of the time I use a mini Color Checker.

http://www.outbackphoto.com/reviews/...lorChecker.jpg

Uwe

[another view]

Kodak makes grey cards, you should be able to get one at any camera store. Calumet also has a plastic one - won't tear, get wet, etc.

One trick that I've picked up for custom WB which works more often than not (and always better than "AUTO") is to use the translucent white plastic lid from a can of Pringles, etc. Hold it over the front of the lens like a filter when shooting the white balance - just shoot the scene that you will take the shot of. Seriously - it works pretty well, doesn't cost anything and is easy to keep in your bag.

[kkraczek]

Thanks, that's very interesting! I'll definitely give that a try. I'm hoping that my Rebel will be here by the end of the week... I can't wait!

[Sebastian]

Kristin,

To answer your question, you need to understand how CCDs work. They can be calibrated to see light in many different ways, they don't automatically adjust like our eyes do when the color temp changes. For that to happen you have to give it an example of a neutral color for the processors to adjust to the current temperature of the lighting used.

The reason it's called "white" balance is because CCDs were used first in video cameras and they used a white board as the neutral color before each shoot to calibrate the cameras.

All those preset values in cameras are just presets that try to come close to a certain situation, but every single situation will be different and the rpesets can't account for those differences.

When custom white balancing, you are ensuring the best color rendition by calibrating the sensor to your particular lighting setup. Just use a bright white piece of paper, and expose it so the meter will read average, making it grey in value. That will give the sensor theneutral data it needs.

Uwe's way works too, but only for RAW files, if shooting JPEGs you need to get the white balance set before you start shooting the assignment, as you can't change it afterwards without some difficulty.

[kkraczek]

When custom white balancing, you are ensuring the best color rendition by calibrating the sensor to your particular lighting setup. Just use a bright white piece of paper, and expose it so the meter will read average, making it grey in value. That will give the sensor theneutral data it needs.

Thanks Sebastian, but now I'm a little confused. If I expose a piece of white paper as being average, won't all of the whites appear gray? Sorry for my lack of education in this dept!

[Sebastian]

Thanks Sebastian, but now I'm a little confused. If I expose a piece of white paper as being average, won't all of the whites appear gray? Sorry for my lack of education in this dept!

Yes, that's exactly what you're doing. It needs gray, that's why Uwe uses a grey card. White cards are easier to find than neutral grey ones.

[ustein]

>Kodak makes grey cards

Be careful, some Kodak cards are not neutral. They were not created for WB but for measuring exposure.

Uwe

[kkraczek]

Kodak makes grey cards, you should be able to get one at any camera store. Calumet also has a plastic one - won't tear, get wet, etc.

One trick that I've picked up for custom WB which works more often than not (and always better than "AUTO") is to use the translucent white plastic lid from a can of Pringles, etc. Hold it over the front of the lens like a filter when shooting the white balance - just shoot the scene that you will take the shot of. Seriously - it works pretty well, doesn't cost anything and is easy to keep in your bag.

My D-Rebel came today... and you know, I was at the store, and Pringles were on sale, so.... I figured, why not? I'll let you know how it goes- thanks!

[mikishots]

CMOS - not CCD