LeoB Loc: Miami, FL

Indeed, I was watching a tutorial given by Moose Peterson on the Kelby site where he goes into that, when it is critical, do not rely on post to get it right, make temp adjustments in-camera.

Hbuk66 Loc: Oswego, NY

I have a gray card that I hold up to the available sun and shoot 3 shots of the gray card...wb adjusted

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

If you shoot RAW it doesn't really matter.
AWB is pretty decent at getting it close in many situations. But if you are shooting in RAW it is easier to set it all to one and adjust all in post.
If you really want to get accurate color and white balance check into the Color Checker Passport.
There are videos on YouTube explaining how it is used and what it does.

Best,
Todd Ferguson

fourlocks Loc: Londonderry, NH

I leave my WB on automatic unless indoors although in the Fall, I often leave it on "cloudy day" as that will add a little warmth to Fall colors.

Jack 13088 Loc: Central NY

Yet another instance where Gene has stated exactly the advice I would give! I think WB is the ultimate poster child for raw processing. I often tinker with WB in LR to learn what is possible. If it comes out gross you are one click away from pretending it never happened.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

You have not seen enough. WB has to be adapted to the conditions you are shooting otherwise you will not have the right colors.
AUTO WB could be convenient but not necessarily accurate. Shoot a sunset with AUTO WB and another with a sunlight preset and see if you notice a difference. You will.
A custom WB is the best and most accurate way to deal with unusual lighting conditions. I do not use it more often but I should. I find no problems correcting colors during post in the majority of my files.
WB is a necessary tool that needs to be used properly for a better representation of colors in our photography.

peterg Loc: Santa Rosa, CA

Of course, there are exceptions. Example: the "Golden Hour". Using AWB will negate the golden look. Shoot with Daylight to preserve it.
Use the Color Checker Passport to correct not only the white balance but also other colors.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Auto W/B is ok in most circumstances. But if you become more and more of a control freak, you'll probably change those habits sooner rather than later.

Madman Loc: Gulf Coast, Florida USA

My experience has been that I like the results better if I shoot outdoor shots using the DIRECT SUNLIGHT option outdoors. I don't find that the CLOUDY setting works very well. AUTO works well most but not all of the time.

Shooting RAW does make corrections much easier.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

I learned to do a custom WB years ago, it made my photography better, and I still do it whenever it is feasible. I just like knowing it will be accurate and I won't have to fool around with it in post.

bthomas42 Loc: North Ridgeville Ohio

I like to play with white balance I have used fluorescent outside with sunsets and sun raises (it can enhance the colors). Sometimes I will take the same shot with every white balance option then select the one I feel is the most pleasing. I shoot in raw so that I can further tweek the end result in PP.

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

Does anyone still use a color meter? I think Gossen made one.

Buildrt Loc: Sarasota Fl

I thought he recommended cloudy,

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

Hi, your white balance setting affects the cool and warm tones in your image. If you shoot in JPG the WB is somewhat "cooked in," but even a JPG can be adusted, just not as freely as a RAW file. If you shoot in RAW, the WB setting will affect the JPG file you see when viewing your images on the back of the camera but the actual WB setting can be freely adjusted in post processing. When shooting in JPG the file on the back of the camera shows you what the final image will look like when downloaded to your processing program but can be minimally adjusted. While you may not notice a great deal of difference from a mid-day photo taken in afternoon sunlight, you will notice a great deal of difference in a photo taken in early morning or late evening sunlight, or in sunlight that is blue, so a foggy or misty day perhaps. Morning sun can be very blue in tone just prior to sunup or in the "blue" hour in the evening and it is up to you to decide how you want your image to look; if you like the cool blue look then your WB setting can reflect that but if you want the morning to warm up you will need to adjust your white balance to a warmer setting. The tone you desire when using a WB setting depends on your vision for you image and is very important in post processing. Your WB tone can help to set a mood and tell the story of the image. Research white balance to learn what the different number settings mean and how they relate to the icon settings on your camera and what they do. Normally, a daylight setting is around 5300 to 5500 K, which is how light is measured. Often, for the usual daytime shots, you will want your photos to stay somewhere in that range, the little sun icon on your camera.

Rab-Eye Loc: Indiana

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