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DPChallenge Forums >> Tips, Tricks, and Q&A >> Color Temperature
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 12/19/2005 10:27:10 AM · #1
im no sure about nikon, but you Canon users. which color temp do you use. the default is 5200k, what exactly does it mean. is there different temperatures you should use for different situations.

Thanks in advance
 12/19/2005 10:58:00 AM · #2
nobody knows about color temp.
 12/19/2005 11:08:56 AM · #3
Hiya Troy,

It refers to the color temperature in Kelvin, heres a good artical here:
Color Temp

You adjust the color temp to match the lighting to maintain true colors.
12/19/2005 11:12:35 AM · #4
thankyou, but does any one here on dpc ever change that from default, when they shoot, or do most of you forget it because your thinking about aperature, and speed, .
 12/19/2005 11:14:19 AM · #5
The colour temperature is related to the white balance. It's different for each WB setting. I use auto WB and shoot in RAW though in some situations a custom WB would probably be better.

Message edited by author 2005-12-19 11:14:59.
 12/19/2005 11:18:34 AM · #6
Originally posted by TroyMosley:
thankyou, but does any one here on dpc ever change that from default, when they shoot, or do most of you forget it because your thinking about aperature, and speed, .


I change it according to the lighting, or the effect im after, I think the best thing is go experament with it, doing side be side comparision.
 12/19/2005 11:24:03 AM · #7
I pretty much shoot it on auto white balance in raw. This usually gets pretty close, and then can be tweaked slightly if it was off when i edit it later. i've never used the kelvin adjuster yet just the other defaults.
 12/19/2005 11:24:32 AM · #8
Originally posted by TroyMosley:
thankyou, but does any one here on dpc ever change that from default, when they shoot, or do most of you forget it because your thinking about aperature, and speed, .


When I shot in JPG I would certainly change it via the presets to match where I was and yeah it was yet another thing to check - ISO, e.t.c. I never set the value specifically since I don't have a light meter to find the exact value.

Now I shoot in RAW and although I try to set it the same way, it's basically changed after the fact to what I want.
 12/19/2005 11:26:49 AM · #9
If you shoot RAW, it's recommended (atleast for RawShooters) to always leave it in AWB and adjust as needed in postprocessing.

5200K is degrees of Kelvin, if memeory serves me right. Many lights use this temp as their standard temp. As you go up, things look more orange and "warm" and as you go lower things look more blue and "cold."

If you shoot RAW, I'd recommend AWB, unless you are shooting in a studio and know the temp of your lights. If you shoot JPEG, then you can use the preset WB or leave it in AWB or bring a white/grey card and use custom WB as your lighting situation changes.
 12/19/2005 11:27:34 AM · #10
thank you all for your input, i will experement, which i probably the best way to learn.

Thanks
again
 12/19/2005 11:27:36 AM · #11
When I used to shoot in a studio we had to adjust our temp to 5500. Something about that being like sunlight, I think...
 12/19/2005 11:27:44 AM · #12
Originally posted by cpanaioti:
The colour temperature is related to the white balance.


Yes and no. "Color Temperature" is one of the WB settings available to users of Canon dSLR cams, plus some others of course, but not all cameras by any means. It's true that to use any of the "preset" white balances is to adjust the color temperature, but the interesting thing here is that you can use "tingsten", "cloudy", "daylight", whichever, or you can use "auto" (amazingly accurate on Canon 20D at least) or you can actually dial in a precise color temperature.

This feature is largely present for professional photographers, who often have "color temperature meters" that can be used like a light meter to read the actual color temperature in degrees kelvin of the light falling on the subject.

In difficult lighting, if you use auto WB and shoot RAW you are usually in a position to precisely fine-tune the result int he RAW processor.

Robt.
12/19/2005 11:36:02 AM · #13
so instead of adjusting the number directly, choose a auto setting, like cloudy or sunny.
 12/19/2005 11:37:10 AM · #14
Originally posted by tryals15:
When I used to shoot in a studio we had to adjust our temp to 5500. Something about that being like sunlight, I think...

yes most strobes fire at the frequency of daylight.
 12/19/2005 11:44:24 AM · #15
Originally posted by bear_music:
Originally posted by cpanaioti:
The colour temperature is related to the white balance.


Yes and no. "Color Temperature" is one of the WB settings available to users of Canon dSLR cams, plus some others of course, but not all cameras by any means. It's true that to use any of the "preset" white balances is to adjust the color temperature, but the interesting thing here is that you can use "tingsten", "cloudy", "daylight", whichever, or you can use "auto" (amazingly accurate on Canon 20D at least) or you can actually dial in a precise color temperature.

This feature is largely present for professional photographers, who often have "color temperature meters" that can be used like a light meter to read the actual color temperature in degrees kelvin of the light falling on the subject.

In difficult lighting, if you use auto WB and shoot RAW you are usually in a position to precisely fine-tune the result int he RAW processor.

Robt.


Related in the fact that by setting the WB you are actually setting the colour temperature. Each of the presets has a particular value for the colour temperature. The K setting allows the photographer to choose the number themselves.
 12/19/2005 12:08:34 PM · #16
Colour temperature is the measure of the colour quality of light source. By definition, it is the temperature (in Kelvins) to which a black body must be heated so as to emit the radiations of the same colour".
We know that the light can be produced by various means:
By sunlight,
By incandescense of substances,
By discharge of electricity through a gas (e.g. in flashguns).
The colour temperature should not be confused by the actual temperature of the substance that produces light.
When a black body is heated, it emits radiations, which get more intense with the increase in temperature. At a temperature of about 2600K, the colour of emitted light is red- the object is red hot. If the temperature is increased further, the object radiates all wavelengths of the visible spectrum, the emitted light appears white- the subject is said to be white hot.

The colour films for daylight are designed for colour temperature of 5500K, whereas films balanced for 'tungsten light are designed for a colour temperature of 3200K.

In digital cameras, the white balance setting does the same thing. In tungsten light, you can use tungsten white balance, for daylight you can use daylight or Auto WB. In tricky lighting situations, you can use custom WB, where you teach the camera the colour quality of available light!

Message edited by author 2005-12-19 12:10:11.
 12/19/2005 12:16:55 PM · #17
Note that the color temperature of the available light also makes a huge difference in viewing photos. In print shops, where the printer has to match the printed piece to a supplied proof, they also use lights balanced for 5000 or 5500 Kelvin.
 12/19/2005 12:47:48 PM · #18
Originally posted by kyebosh:
Originally posted by tryals15:
When I used to shoot in a studio we had to adjust our temp to 5500. Something about that being like sunlight, I think...

yes most strobes fire at the frequency of daylight.


5000K is usually considered "daylight" strobes are a bit bluer than daylight, especially if the tubes are not UV corrected and are more like 5500K
 12/19/2005 12:57:21 PM · #19
Originally posted by TroyMosley:
thank you all for your input, i will experement, which i probably the best way to learn.

Thanks
again


Yep, that's what I've been doing lately. I've gotten all kinds of results by changing the temperature. The tones were pretty ugly on my indoor shots when I left it in auto and even when choosing the correct wb icon. They are getting better, though. Good luck!
 12/19/2005 03:05:13 PM · #20
I use auto WB and it works 98% of the time. I have used cloudy outside at times to warm up the image at times.
Mixed lighting is where you have trouble - usually indoors with a mix of incandescent and flourscent, or window light and one of the others or if you add some flash - then you are going to have a heck of a time gettting colors right.

setting a specific temp cna be handy in a studio setting - some brands of flash are consistent to a given temp setting while other brands vary a bit. Hot lights can change color over time as they age.
 12/19/2005 03:13:16 PM · #21
That 5200k default setting is ONLY used when you have your white balance set to K. When you set the white balance on the camera to K mode, you can select any K temperature through the menu on the camera. 5200 is simply the default for this setting. It doesn't affect white balance in any other mode.
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