White Balance

[JMM]

Ok, new to digital. Setting white balance. My studio lights are daylight balanced to 5500. Is it appropriate to set just color temperature to 5500? Just adjusted contrast in second photo to darken bottom of backdrop. No other post processing.






First photo set on auto white balance with fill flash. Second photo camera set to cloudy. Do you always have to use a grey card to get a good reading? A lot of trouble when the lighting is constanting changing out doors. No post processing.








Honest critiques appreciated.

[toverman]

I like the colors in the studio shots, but someone who's more of an expert might be able to tell about the skin tones, etc. With the outdoor ones, the first one seems more "correct."

With my Canon, I've noticed when outdoors that it's OK when I've set it to auto white-balance, although cloud and shade settings can help if the light isn't changing. When I'm in doubt, I shoot in RAW mode (which does slow the camera down and use more disk space), but white balance is completely fixable in a RAW-file conversion program (like the free ones that come with most cameras nowadays).

[123canon]

for my studio stuff i use the custom white balance with an expodisc outside the same unless the light is constantly changing then i go auto and dink around with it after the fact..

[KdLaneJr]

While I'd like to think that studio strobes specs are on right on the mark and you should be able to dial in the color temp of the strobe, why not shoot the CWB and review the image in ACR and see what temp your camera used to adjust CWB. Hopefully it will be +/- 50 from your spec of 5500K. If it is not, that is one more reason to always set a CWB before shooting.

[ramblinray]

The white balance in the little box with the x looks right to me.

[Duffy Pratt]

The second of the outdoor shots looks a bit yellow to me, both in the skin and the grass. I'm guessing that the t-shirt worn by the boy on the left is neutral gray. If so, you could get pretty close to white balance off of it.

Duffy

[JMM]

I haven't purchased a calibrator as of yet. Just set the colors close to a photo developed at lab. I thought the first outdoor looked a little blue and the second looked a little too warm, but acceptable for portraits. Trying to avoid post processing, let the camera do it. Is that possible with digital. Everyone has different eyes as to what is good. I think I would drive myself crazy.

While I'd like to think that studio strobes specs are on right on the mark and you should be able to dial in the color temp of the strobe, why not shoot the CWB and review the image in ACR and see what temp your camera used to adjust CWB. Hopefully it will be +/- 50 from your spec of 5500K. If it is not, that is one more reason to always set a CWB before shooting.

English please. Remember, I shot film until now and have had no digital training except what I read. When I shoot CWB, where do I review the image and see what temp my camera used to adjust? I have a canon 5D, use its software to download. I also have PSP.

Someone once mentioned that I would have to sharpen all images. Do these need sharpening? Do all images need sharpening? I noticed sharpening in the canon software. I printed the first two out at lab and the look good.

[KdLaneJr]

You won't see the temp your camera used to adjust the white balance until you have the image opened up in Adobe Camera raw. At that point is should show up in the white balance window in the block next to Temp. If you are shooting in jpeg, you would need to have the one of the latest versions of ACR that work with Lightroom or CS3.

Adobe Camera raw applies a mild sharpening to images that are processed through it. You will find that under the detail tab in ACR. You can change the defauts if necessary. I sharpen the eyes and the smile (when present) in a layer mask (in photoshop CS2) so I don't change the rest of the image.

Even though I 've installed DPP, I have not processed any images using it, so I can't comment on where the WB temp shows up in DPP.

[JMI]

A custom white balance is the best option. Remember that not only is there a color temperature adjustment in your computer software, there's also a tint adjustment. Dialing in a specific color temperature in the camera won't compensate for tint variations. In order to get a really accurate white balance you have to use a custom white balance and a gray card (or expodisk, I guess). I finally broke down and bought a digital calibration target at the Ed Pierce seminar a couple weekends ago. It really has made a difference.

Are you shooting RAW or JPEG? If you're shooting in JPEG the camera will add some sharpening through its own image processing. I don't remember seeing which camera you're using but I believe all the current dSLR's allow you to adjust the level of sharpening that is applied. If you're shooting raw, on the other hand, you might need to add some sharpening. Images printed at 8x10 or smaller can usually get away without any sharpening. Print them bigger and you'll start to notice a difference.

[Dobick]

In dpp, you will see a slider at the top that list the white balance -- the first choice should be "as shot", you then will have the option of choosing daylight, tungsten, flourescent, etc. down to temperature and click. On click, you can take the "dropper" and choose a point on the photo that you know to be neutral, and balance off of that. On the temperature, you should be able to dial in exactly what you want.

I forget what daylight balanced film is colored exactly, but if you want to become comfortable more quickly with the results of your camera, you can set your white balance to a temperature of 5200 (or 5600, I forget what kodak balances at) and start from there.

Personally, if I know the light source (sunlight through shade, overhead stadium lights, flash, or studio strobe, etc...) I will use a color temp as my set point, and then fine tune in dpp or photoshop. I think most people do a custom shot to get their white balance though, so I am a bit defferent in that regard.

[JMM]

I have the Canon 5D and have been shooting in JPEG. At this time, not interested in a lot of post processing.

In dpp, you will see a slider at the top that list the white balance -- the first choice should be "as shot", you then will have the option of choosing daylight, tungsten, flourescent, etc. down to temperature and click. On click, you can take the "dropper" and choose a point on the photo that you know to be neutral, and balance off of that. On the temperature, you should be able to dial in exactly what you want.

I guess that is only when you are shooting in raw since I only have DPP? I have not finished reading all my instructional material since I have been very busy with another project. I am trying my grey card with cwb for now. Will go for the target if I think it is necessary.

I really appreciate all the help. I am beginning to understand a lot more a little at a time. Hopeing for more practice and learning soon.

Thanks guys,
Joyce

[Dobick]

Originally Posted by JMM

I have the Canon 5D and have been shooting in JPEG. At this time, not interested in a lot of post processing.


I guess that is only when you are shooting in raw since I only have DPP? I have not finished reading all my instructional material since I have been very busy with another project. I am trying my grey card with cwb for now. Will go for the target if I think it is necessary.

I really appreciate all the help. I am beginning to understand a lot more a little at a time. Hopeing for more practice and learning soon.

Thanks guys,
Joyce

It seems somewhat counterintuitive to suggest this, but my experience has been that if you want the least amount/steps in post processing, you are better off shooting raw... and here is why I say this:

If you shoot jpg, you have very few options when it comes to simple adjustments, unless you spend a lot of time on the image, and usually open it up in some sort of image editing program after you have reviewed the ones that you want to keep.

with raw, if you are using DPP to review the images, you can make a large majority of the tweaks that you need right there in that program. White balance, and exposure latitude are two of the biggest in my opinion. Getting it very close to right in camera, will get you about 90% of the way there, and if you are in raw, DPP can take you the other 10% very easily.

Then again, if it doesn't feel easy, and confuses and frustrates, then it's not worth much at all.

The other reason I say to use raw, is that in five years or so, once you get more comfortable with the whole digital process, you will probably have a few images that come very close to being your all time favorites, and you will kick yourself for not having captured it in a raw format (at least this is my experience with it... I have a few shots that I absolutely love, and as I learn more about post processing techniques, I would love to redo them, but they are jpgs, so my processing is limited)

[JMM]

I will give raw a try.

I have a homeschool group coming up in a couple of weeks and have not had much time to practice at all. Am I safer using Jpeg because of the time and quantity involved in this type of shoot?

[Cope]

Originally Posted by JMM

I will give raw a try.

I have a homeschool group coming up in a couple of weeks and have not had much time to practice at all. Am I safer using Jpeg because of the time and quantity involved in this type of shoot?

I know of at least one pro wedding photographer who shoots nothing but jpeg, but to be safe, shoot raw plus jpeg and see for yourself what you need.

[Dobick]

Originally Posted by JMM

I will give raw a try.

I have a homeschool group coming up in a couple of weeks and have not had much time to practice at all. Am I safer using Jpeg because of the time and quantity involved in this type of shoot?

I would say for you to set aside about an hour here in the next day or two, and go shoot about forty five or fifty shots in various settings, maybe some exposure bracketing, and some white balance bracketing, etc, in raw + jpg, then when you bring them into the computer, seperate them into two folders, one for jpg, and one for raw.

start a clock and see how long it takes you to go through the jpgs, getting them adjusted to how you want them, and take a look at how long it took.

Then, start the clock again, and open up the raws in dpp, and see how long it takes you to make the adjustments on all of them. Here's a hint, if you select them all, and then choose a click white balance, it will adjust all of the photos to that white point. You can also bump all the photos at the same time by the same exposure compensation, and you can do several other adjustments en masse.

I think if you will just try it, you will see that it is very easy and almost intuitive, especially coming from a film back ground.