XTI WB/color issue - DPChallenge Forums

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

01/29/2008 12:09:27 PM · #1

I got my XTI about two weeks ago and have just gotten a chance to play around with it a bit lastnight. I took a few photos yesterday and they all came out with muddy looking colors. Its noticeable mostly in my blues and yellows. my WB's were set correctly (sunlight,flash, and incadescent were used). is there a setting that will fix this? I have already tried resetting my camera back to default but still the same problem. I noticed that when sunlight wb is used the photos have a very yellow look to them and thats not something that happens with my XT.

thanks for all of your help
~~Cher~~

Prof_Fate

01/29/2008 12:23:30 PM · #2

Got samples?

Auto WB is pretty darn good on canon cameras, but if your exposure is off that may muddy the colors.

SUN is for outside in the full sun. Indoors near a window may not be the same color, expecially if there are lights on inside.

Flash works well if flash is the TOTAL source of the illumination, but often it's a mixed light source (as in fill flash) or the subject is fine but the BG is off color (different light source). Bouncing the flash may throw the color off as well, as you'll have more mixed light (usually) and whatever you're bouncing off of will color the light as well.

Incandescent is great - unless you've got mixed lights, dimmers, or lampshades, and these bulbs come in colors too (softwhite and purewhite and the like) - these will change the color temp so it's not purely incandescent, and many many many many many many (get that?) places now use compact flourescents and the color of those things are all over the place. And mix CF with incandescent. and go near a window and you've added daylight to the mix, or perhaps your flash...

Custom WB is the solution, and you have 2 methods just like metering. You can put something in the scene (gray card, target) shoot RAW and click the WB later. Or fill the frame and do a custom WB (read your manual on how to do this) or use an expodisk/color parrot/ coffee filter for the exposure.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

01/29/2008 12:24:38 PM · #3

XTi has "picture styles" I think; perhaps you have the wrong one selected? They mess around with color saturation etc in those.

R.

Kaveran

Canon EOS-50D

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

01/29/2008 12:49:38 PM · #4

Also, what color space are you using? I havent done extensive testing or anything but the adobe rgb color space seems a bit more washed out on monitors than the sRGB color space.

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

01/29/2008 12:52:51 PM · #5

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

XTi has "picture styles" I think; perhaps you have the wrong one selected? They mess around with color saturation etc in those.

R.

just took a few different "pic styles" and the cast is still there.

If I try the custom WB which would be better to use..a white or grey card as both came with my underwater photography class?

bennettjamie

Canon EOS-6D

01/29/2008 12:55:50 PM · #6

I have the same problem with my XTI too. And when it is set, you can almost gaurantee that you have to correct it again before your next use.

Prof_Fate

01/29/2008 01:00:44 PM · #7

picstyles is like film types, and it's locked in if you shoot JPG, but if you shoot RAW and use Canon's DPP then you can change the style (or make a custom one). Landscape is sharper with more saturated colors as compared to portrait which is softer with less saturation for a more normal skin tone.

Underwater? If your shooting underwater and have WB issues please mention that! I am assuming your shooting 'normal' pics in the air!

Gray or white would work. For setting custom WB set the card at the subject location angled about 30 degree toward the main light source and try to fill the camera frame with the card - zoom in or walk up close as need be. take a correctly exposed image. View your histogram - if it's a gray card there should be a big spike in the middle, give or take a little bit. A white target will spike on the far right, but not blown out.
In the menu you choose Custom WB - it will ask for what image, so choose the one you just shot, then change confirm that choice. Set your WB to 'custom' and you're good to go.

Also remember that you can (and probably should) tweak the images later in PS, on a correctly calibrated monitor. Most LCDs are too bright out of the box and may be too green (at least my 3 were). My CRTs came out of the box too red.

Message edited by author 2008-01-29 13:01:58.

Kaveran

Canon EOS-50D

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

01/29/2008 01:19:19 PM · #8

Originally posted by bennettjamie:

I have the same problem with my XTI too. And when it is set, you can almost gaurantee that you have to correct it again before your next use.

Of course the custom white balance need to be set before you use it again. The whole purpose of the custom white balance is so you can nail the white balance for the exact light characteristics where and when a shoot is taking place. Since each use takes place with different light (ie different locations, different time of day etc) it should be set anytime something changes.

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

01/29/2008 01:33:50 PM · #9

oh yea...I am shooting on land...the XTI isnt my underwater camera. thought with another canon that I would be shooting without any problem...leave it to canon to change crap up huh

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

01/29/2008 01:41:28 PM · #10

Originally posted by Kaveran:

Originally posted by bennettjamie:
I have the same problem with my XTI too. And when it is set, you can almost gaurantee that you have to correct it again before your next use.

Of course the custom white balance need to be set before you use it again. The whole purpose of the custom white balance is so you can nail the white balance for the exact light characteristics where and when a shoot is taking place. Since each use takes place with different light (ie different locations, different time of day etc) it should be set anytime something changes.

Nevertheless, CWB is locked in as a setting until you change it and is available as a WB option at its last setting just by scrolling to it with the WB button on the LCD screen. So if she's mostly shooting outdoors and needs a custom WB to correct outdoor WB, that will work OK.

Still, the best option is to shoot RAW...

R.

ETA: I shoot books for my neighbor under fluorescent lights, and they need JPG medium for their website, so I have my CWB set for that and never change it. Every time I shoot for them I just switch from RAW to JPG Medium, enable the CWB, and I am ready to go. Everything else, I shoot RAW.

Message edited by author 2008-01-29 13:43:12.

01/29/2008 01:50:23 PM · #11

well...Im just getting into shooting raw and I have onnly been using raw for my xt for close to two months...might be why Im noticing the muddy colors so well with the xti. let me resize the snapshots i took yesterday and Ill post them real quick

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

01/29/2008 02:33:01 PM · #12

[thumb]639750[/thumb]

bers just a resize and my edited version for comparison..i have my camera setting listed

cpanaioti

Canon EOS-40D

01/29/2008 02:35:34 PM · #13

Originally posted by smilebig4me1x:

[thumb]639750[/thumb]

bers just a resize and my edited version for comparison..i have my camera setting listed

Maybe if we knew what processing you did for the edited version we could offer suggestions.

Looks like it could be a little under exposed. What does the histogram look like? Also, what colour space are you shooting in and did you convert to sRGB before resizing and uploading?

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

01/29/2008 02:44:37 PM · #14

hist was a little on the dark side but did a levels adj to even it out...a llittle brightness boost...slight boost in color. selective color went to blue and decreased the yellow in it. i shoot in srgb and PS7 works in srgb/converts it if its not

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

01/29/2008 02:48:07 PM · #15

If you were shooting in Los Angeles that sky would be absolutely normal :-) It looks like atmospheric pollution to me. But I suppose you problems aren't limited to skies?

R.