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12/06/2006 03:46:12 PM · #51 |
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
I've never set a custom WB from a card with digital. I know the principle of it, of course, but I use the WB adjustment in RAW instead. I'm not sure how/why it should be any more difficult to get it right in RAW (speaking of fine-tuning) than to do a custom WB; I mean, all the options are there in RAW, what more is needed? But if I WERE setting a custom WB in the camera, I'd be inclined to use a white card and fill the frame with it.
The problem of WB setting, though, usually comes from mixed light sources, and custom WB off a card is not going to help much there since typically with mixed light sources different parts of the scene hare illuminated by different colors of light, and the card (of course) can only be in one place at a time.
The "professional" way to deal with it, if it's that important to you, is to get a color temperature meter and use that. In mixed lighting you can take readings at various places in the scene, and then average those out to derive a custom Kelvin and program that in, I suppose.
It's not really an area I've explored in digital, but it was a MAJOR concern when I was working as an architectural photographer, where we had to do color temperature readings on interior shots then build a custom filter pack of various colored gels to correct the light in front of the lens. This is basically the same thing as custom WB, of course.
Robt. |
The space I shot in did indeed have some different lighting throughout, but much of it was the same. My problem was that I processed a couple weeks after the shoot and my memory of what it actually looked like colorwise was not as good as it could have been. I was rushed during shooting so it was "shoot and get out". I figured the card would give me a reference, or at least a starting point for tweaking in RAW. Of course, I've learned that I need to take a look at what I'm shooting without the camera in front of my face...
Note: During PP of my Free Study, I looked online at other pictures of the same subject. Nearly every set of pictures I found had an awful tint to it. It makes me wonder how they had their WB set, if they even know what it is.
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12/06/2006 03:57:55 PM · #52 |
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Or you can shoot in RAW and then dicker with your WB to your heart's content in the RAW processor; highly recommended.
R. |
I recieved this tip from you guys a while back, and it has been the best thing I have done. I find often that I need to do very little PS because the RAW processor can mould the light the way I want before I even convert and work in PS. |
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12/07/2006 12:32:48 AM · #53 |
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
I've never set a custom WB from a card with digital. I know the principle of it, of course, but I use the WB adjustment in RAW instead. I'm not sure how/why it should be any more difficult to get it right in RAW (speaking of fine-tuning) than to do a custom WB; I mean, all the options are there in RAW, what more is needed? But if I WERE setting a custom WB in the camera, I'd be inclined to use a white card and fill the frame with it.
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This bothered me all day so I just tried another conversion from RAW. I put no faith in the "as shot" value and played around with the temperature. Lowering it from 3500 to 2350 and boosting the tint brought it very close to what I think it should be. What a difference it made! There are still a couple areas with different lighting, but it's minor compared to the overall picture. So for now the gray card stays buried and I learn more about converting from RAW...
Thanks Robert.
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12/07/2006 01:33:45 AM · #54 |
I like the WhiBal card (would like to have the G6 now). Take a shot with it in present, then in RAW workflow just use the "eyedropper" on the gray card (or whichever you like), and off it goes. Apply it to all the others....taaaadaaaa! Love it!
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12/07/2006 02:11:30 AM · #55 |
I did find one good use for custom white balance, and that is to correct for the differences in lenses and polarizer combinations. I have an older Sigma 400/5.6 that shoots cooler than the nikkon lenses when using auto WB, and a 500 mirror lens that shoots warmer. I set a custom WB with each lens mounted, using a white card and flash before going out if I know I am going to shoot with them. It makes all the pics have the same WB when I download them to my computer. It makes it faster and easier to work on them if WB is uniform.
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