Picdude Loc: Ohio

I operate the same way rob s does - AWB and RAW captures then tweak what I need to in Post. But then again, I enjoy working with the post processing software so I don't see it as a chore.

Peanut_the_cat Loc: Bradenton, Florida

Auto white balance works best for most of the time, however it is rarely dead on and struggles in mixed lighting, like inside a tungston mixed light room during daylight hours. Most colors shift and blues/greens/cyans can be easily confused. If it is important to get colors dead on a Whibal card can help a lot if correctly placed. See:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cvnyJDicDs

I room with fluorescent light/daylight mix can also be helped with a Whibal card.

You can also use the camera tungston or fluorescent setting instead of Auto provided you are not in a mixed light situation and you need the colors as accurate as possible.

As I said earlier Auto works for most people most of the time.

Brandmic Loc: Alabama

I used to always use "cloudy" white balance outside regardless and recently shot some pics with this and some with "auto" and really didn't see any difference so I now use AWB except with flash or unusual indoor lighting situations. Seems to work very well.

peterg Loc: Santa Rosa, CA

For me, the ExpoDisc gives me the best WB. Even when I use AWB, I like to snap of pic of a gray card for post processing. A minor change in WB can make a pic pop or not. Sometimes, a WB correction can ruin a shot. Example: Landscapes & wildlife during the golden hour.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

It depends upon the camera and the lighting.

For example, I know Canon AWB works really well shooting in broad daylight and with flash.

However working in deeper shade and particularly indoors with artificial lighting (i.e. tungsten, etc.), Canon's AWB doesn't handle it so well. A properly set Custom WB makes a world of difference.

Standard fluorescent, sodium vapor and mercury vapor lamps are tough to work with. The fluorescent lamps actually turn on and off 60X per second, changing brightness and color temp constantly as they do this. So both exposure and an accurate WB are tough to get exactly right with them. Sodium and mercury lamps can be adjusted well with Custom WB, so long as they are the only light source, and not part of a mixed light situation. When mixed with, say, daylight, they get really tricky (one side of a subject will have a greenish tint, while the other side has a magenta tint... i.e. just the opposite of each other... you have to try adjust separately to completely correct).

Yes, when you shoot RAW you can go back and change WB in post-processing... but it's always nice to get it close to begin with. And it's not difficult to do. Learn how to set an accurate Custom WB with your camera. A "target" such as a Lastolite EZ Balance can help. Warm Cards (and similar) are a neat way to "tweak" WB settings, give results just like we used to get using warming and cooling filters with film.

Note: forget about using warming filters and other color modifiers on your lenses... AWB or Custom WB will cancel them out.

I almost never use the "preset" WB modes ("lightning" for flash, "bulb" for indoor tungsten lighting, etc.)... at best they are just approximations. AWB or Custom WB generally give better results.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

Most cameras do a very fine job using AWB and that is what I use most, but in more difficult situations I set my white balance manually (well most of those times I set the color temp manually in Kelvin).

casyjones3 Loc: Bronx NY

x2

rp2s Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

Outside I use mostly Auto, sometimes pre-sets. Indoors I always set Custom.

I always keep this little set in my bag. Comes in very handy.

Vello Digital Grey Card

(Download)

CHOLLY Loc: THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE!

Auto White Balance is OK for quick shots or spur of the moment photography. But if you are setting up an image you should ALWAY set your white balance manually.

Buy a 12-18% grey card, set it up in the light you intend to expose your subject with and near the same location and click. That is the ONLY way you can be sure your camera will calculate the colors of your subject correctly and accurately.

With most modern mid to upper range cameras this process only takes seconds. :thumbup:

wrightwrjr Loc: Paducah, KY

I have gone to the expodisc also and I love it. Simple to use and dead on when it xomes to WB.

CHOLLY Loc: THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE!

BTW, adjusting WB in post is putting a LOT of reliance on your memory and personal taste. You aren't necessarily getting an ACCURATE reflection of the subjects true color; just what you thought (or want) that color to be.

AWB is good when you don't have the time or motivation to set the WB... but if you ARE doing a set shot, then manual WB is the way to go if you want accurate representation of the actual colors in your subject.

Don't believe me? Do an experiment; set the camera on a tripod (to prevent a change in perspective) and take two shots, one AWB, and the other with the WB set manually. Be sure to use a gray card to set the manual. You can get them from a paint store home improvement store if you don't have a photography store nearby.

Compare the images to the subject... see which is closer to the actual colors.

CHOLLY Loc: THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE!

The only bad thing about manual WB is that really is shot specific.

If the angle of light changes, you have to reset it. If the amount of light changes you have to reset it.

If you are shooting a landscape scene and clouds pass been the sun you have to re-set manual WB.

And while it only takes seconds to do on MOST modern cameras, it CAN be a pain in the neck having to do that repeatedly.

But, the end result is much more faithful representation of the color gamut present in and around the subject in your recorded images.

Try it and see for yourselves. :thumbup:

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

I agree wholeheartedly about the subjectivity of adjusting WB in post. Also, if you are setting it on an uncalibrated monitor, the results could be off. I would be careful though, using a gray card from a paint store - it might not be a true neutral gray. Even some photo gray cards from the film era which were designed to measure exposure might not be color neutral. Some camera manufacturers recommend gray to set WB, but some recommend white. I have a foldable WB target from Lastolite which is white on one side and neutral gray on the other, and also has black lines for focus. Something like that, or the expodisc, are ideal.

Brandmic Loc: Alabama

I looked up the Lastolite are you refereed to. Looks like a good product. I have a cut down gray card I carry which is bulky. The description says it's collapsible. So it works good for WB?

twowindsbear

How do you measure the color temp to set the Kelvin on your camera?