Lets have a discussion about White Balance
Aug 10, 2019 18:05:06 #
What is the correct white balance?
My answer: It depends on the subject, theme and artistic intent.
My answer: It depends on the subject, theme and artistic intent.
Aug 10, 2019 18:13:17 #
Ysarex
Loc: St. Louis
JD750 wrote:
What is the correct white balance?
My answer: It depends on the subject, theme and artistic intent.
My answer: It depends on the subject, theme and artistic intent.
The correct WB renders a neutral grey (Red, Green, Blue values equal) as neutral. What if any color cast you want applied to your photograph is entirely your aesthetic choice but should not be confused with white balance.
Joe
Aug 10, 2019 18:24:05 #
I would of course agree with your answer
By shooting in RAW I leave adjusting the white balance until post processing when I can then view the image on my PC
Also if I determine at a later date that I made an error or wish to make further improvements I always have that 2nd chance & can readjust in another postprocessing
By shooting in RAW I leave adjusting the white balance until post processing when I can then view the image on my PC
Also if I determine at a later date that I made an error or wish to make further improvements I always have that 2nd chance & can readjust in another postprocessing
Aug 10, 2019 18:32:23 #
The purpose of white balance is to figure in a level of amplification for missing or deficient color wave lengths in the available light compared to full sunlight. As we grow from birth we learn what things should look like, but a digital sensor does not have a brain.
Aug 10, 2019 18:39:02 #
Even shooting RAW, I want to get as close to the correct WB as possible, setting a custom WB if practical. I use ACR from Photoshop and it displays the WB "as shot" and then if I want to tweak it from accurate, I can, like warming skin tones a bit. If you are adjusting WB by sight with a RAW file, you should make sure you have an accurate, calibrated monitor or you might be adjusting WB inaccurately.
Aug 10, 2019 19:56:18 #
JD750 wrote:
What is the correct white balance?
My answer: It depends on the subject, theme and artistic intent.
My answer: It depends on the subject, theme and artistic intent.
Aug 10, 2019 19:59:22 #
Ysarex wrote:
The correct WB renders a neutral grey (Red, Green, Blue values equal) as neutral. What if any color cast you want applied to your photograph is entirely your aesthetic choice but should not be confused with white balance.
Joe
Joe
I use the WB that makes the image look the best.
Aug 11, 2019 00:26:40 #
Strodav
Loc: Houston, Tx
Longshadow wrote:
I use the WB that makes the image look the best.
Yep! I shoot raw and frequently use the 18% gray patch to set the white point in PP. Sometimes, the colors do not come out as I remember them. I know the various reasons why, but end up tweaking the color temp and tint in LR to get the colors I remember. Most of the time, I don't have to stray too far from the gray card.
Aug 11, 2019 00:37:49 #
JD750 wrote:
What is the correct white balance?
My answer: It depends on the subject, theme and artistic intent.
My answer: It depends on the subject, theme and artistic intent.
Correct white balance is the setting in the camera that provides the closest simulation to reality. A green pepper in real life should resemble the picture of a green pepper on the screen. Anything else is a color cast, regardless of creative intent.
You can use a "known to be accurate" calibrated neutral gray target to set a white balance, but most gray cards are not accurate. The ColorChecker Passport has a completely neutral gray patch, but due to UV exposure and other environmental exposure, it is not guaranteed to be accurate past its expiration date. In any case, it is the only means I know of to get a perfect white balance, and removes the variable of different cameras with different color response curves - in other words, I can use a CCP to make the images taken by a Canon camera look exactly like those taken by a Nikon or a Pentax etc. Gray cards and custom white balance can't do that.
Aug 11, 2019 02:28:58 #
JD750 wrote:
What is the correct white balance?
My answer: It depends on the subject, theme and artistic intent.
My answer: It depends on the subject, theme and artistic intent.
There is no correct white balance. White balance may be set to preserve the color of light illuminating a scene (think golden hour, sunset, blue hour, candle-light, etc) or correct for a color cast in the light illuminating a scene (think flourescent lights, incandescent lights, old yellowed softboxes--I know, that's warming, etc.)
Aug 11, 2019 03:16:29 #
Pablo8
Loc: Nottingham UK.
Or..….. 'White Balance' is whatever you want it to be! Or … Shoot in Mono' and you should not encounter any problems.
Aug 11, 2019 07:04:33 #
The green pepper can be any color. If you photograph the green pepper in a golden sunset, it’s going to be a very different green, then if you photograph under a overcast sky. And it should.
The color of the light determines the color of everything.
The color of the light determines the color of everything.
Aug 11, 2019 07:31:53 #
I looked up Color-Checker Passport and Grey Card. One reviewer said they were a waste of time if shooting jpeg. What is the reasoning for this statement and is it true?
Aug 11, 2019 07:37:55 #
junglejim1949 wrote:
I looked up Color-Checker Passport and Grey Card. One reviewer said they were a waste of time if shooting jpeg. What is the reasoning for this statement and is it true?
It's even more important to get the WB right when shooting JPEGs because if it is very far off, it is difficult to correct in post like you can with RAW.
Aug 11, 2019 07:42:26 #
JohnSwanda wrote:
It's even more important to get the WB right when shooting JPEGs because if it is very far off, it is difficult to correct in post like you can with RAW.
That is what I thought.
Thanks
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