trinhqthuan Loc: gaithersburg

Hello UHH photographers and Pro, do you use grey card (or gray whatever spelling) and how often in today digital age with in camera WB selection and retouch software, specially for RAW image. myself I do not remember the last time I use PRE in WB selection. My first camera was in 1981, last 35mm was a N8008S. Currently I have D40, D300, D3100 and D7100 and 20 lenses.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

I used to be religious about shooting a WB credit card I still keep in my wallet. But, it's been a years now since using. I leave my camera in Auto WB while always shooting in RAW. I adjust the WB in processing based on my 'feel' for the resulting image. The Auto WB of the 'before' image is a good enough reference in the before / after as a reference to my edits. I don't try to edit back to the before, rather as a reference against my edited result.

Xanadu Loc: Clay County FL

For what it is worth - gray is American spelling (A=America). That leaves E=English.

Blair Shaw Jr Loc: Dunnellon,Florida

Yes ...I still do find the time , occasionally, to play with the Grey Card & the White Card......and I still shoot film as well as digital. I simply love the old ways and totems and have no intention of changing my ways despite the horror that younger pups might possess ......ready to pounce & judge......and print a manifesto on the forum. I don't post here , but I do comment frequently. It's only a hobby with me but I do love it and never tire of it.

Dwindling resources and poor health have taken the wind out of my sail and forced me to be a watcher rather than a doer......so I apologize for not being up to snuff in the normal sense on this site...I do what I can & if I still can. That's it.
I 've managed fairly well so far and I think I'll just keep rolling along. Thanks

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

For what it's worth, I bought a set about two years ago. I used it once. It was okay. Didn't use it afterwards. Perhaps , I don't know how to use them.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Never used one.
With the advent of RAW digital and the editors, I, personally, find no need to use one.
(I'd rather be shooting what I want than looking at a gray card. I'm definitely not one who has to get it "perfect" in the camera.)

wingclui44 Loc: CT USA

I use grey card to set WB when doing Infra-red photography, this is a must for IR shooting. On the others, I just set the WB what ever the lighting situation is but not using the grey card.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

I agree, I always shoot RAW and will adjust the image for the feel that I want to create in the image, when I shot jpegs I would do a custom white balance but really don't see the need for it since changing to RAW.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

I use a grey card as part of my critical color workflow - using a ColorChecker Passport. I don't use the grey card on the back of the passport for establishing accurate color, which is not what it is intended for. I use it to establish a baseline accurate exposure, then use the front of the CCP as a color target. In Lightroom I export the image of the target to the CCP software, it determines the correct color shifts, and makes a color profile, which I can use for all of the images taken in the same light.

So I use a grey card, but never to determine color - only exposure. And I shoot raw 100% of the time.

a6k Loc: Detroit & Sanibel

I just ordered a new one. I lost my shirt pocket size set of white and gray and black.

It has the primary purpose of color balance.

A secondary purpose is to check my meters against Sunny 16 when a perfect day comes along. I have two meters, one inside each camera and I have several apps on my iPhone 6s which offer some form of metering including one that tells color temperature.

I pointed out, yesterday, that using an 18% gray card for exposure is supposed to include a half stop correction for "normal" or "average" subjects. That is merely Kodak or the card's vendor telling you that your meter assumes that the subject is 12.5% reflective, not 18%. Only you can know what your meter actually assumes is correct. It's probably not exactly either one.

I tried using high quality laser printer paper for exposure and color. It is supposed to be 92% reflective. I has an extra strong blue component, probably for perceived whiteness, so it's no good for color. I'm not sure about the 92%. Skip that.

I used Teflon plumber's tape as recommended by Borg. That is a standard that I can return to for verifying other test subjects. Google it; it will be worth your time. Or search here on UHH.

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

Yes! especially if you shoot raw. I have a few QPcards 101 3 patch gray cards that I keep in my photo backpacks. They are $18 for a pack of 3. The 3 patches are white, 18% gray, and black. The black and white patches can help set exposure at the shoot and I use the 18% gray patch for white balance (color temp and tint in LR) in PP. Using a gray patch for WB at sunrise and sunset is problematic for a bunch of reasons, but I still use it for exposure. It is very helpful in all other situations. Sometimes, I take an X-rite color passport with me, which can also be very helpful for color calibration, but that's another story.

https://www.adorama.com/imqpc.html?origterm=qpcard+101&searchredirect=true

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

An 18% grey card is calibrated to 18% luminance or 12% reflectance. The 18% luminance is ANSI standard for the print industry.

https://marcschlueter.wordpress.com/2011/08/06/light-meters-grey-cards-and-the-ultimate-answer-its-12-not-18-and-42-is-totally-off/

ColorChecker Passport does white balance AND color balance - the magenta-green spectrum. Grey cards can be inadequate when it comes to creating a complete "color" balance, though they may be OK for white balance.

And yes, teflon tape is pretty reliable for white balance - it is pretty pure, and when measured shows equal or almost equal values for R, G and B channels.

Here is a fairly good article that shows a practical application:

https://petapixel.com/2018/09/08/plumbers-tape-is-a-cheap-way-to-white-balance-photos/

I still prefer the ColorChecker Passport for dead-on perfect white and color balance. And the warming and cooling tiles are also very reliable and accurate.

a6k Loc: Detroit & Sanibel

Gene, the first article says pretty clearly that the card reflects 18% of the light striking it (assuming correct use, angle, etc.) and it also says the meter is set for 12%. It appears to agree with me on this. Are we having a terminology problem? I know I'm always struggling with Illuminance, luminance, reflectivity and so on.

If the card reflects a half stop more light than the meter is expecting that will be a half stop error in exposure, all other things constant or ignored. I noticed the author also understands that lenses vary in their transparency or transmission. Again, appearing to agree with what I said.

Pablo8 Loc: Nottingham UK.

I now have a converted Nikon D70 (720 nm). but prior to the conversion, the IR white balance method, was to use grass/foliage for the setting-up, 'White Balance'. NOT a grey card. How could you get a 'IR White Balance' using a Grey-Card? Perhaps an Exposure Reading, but NEVER a White Balance. That, needs an explanation!.

jennifer graham

I make sure the exposure is right then i use the expo disc to preset the WB. It makes a huge difference and saves time in post. You cover the lens with the expo disc then aim the camera at the light source (from the subject’ s position) then take a shot. The grey image you get is your reference. You can set it as pre in camera or use it as reference to adjust in post. Just buy the size to cover your largest diameter lens and you can use it with all of your lenses