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Digital Camera Tip: Custom White Balance


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This may be common knowledge by now but I thought I'd share a little I've learned about custom white balance. We bought a Photovision Digital Calibration Target a while back and I was so happy with the results shooting family photos around the house I thought I'd try it with a model or two. The target has an 18% gray band that the camera is analyzing, any 18% gray card would work the same way. I used a Canon 40D but any camera with a custom white balance option would work too. Basically you just take a photo of the target and tell the camera to use that image to set the white balance. The camera knows what 18% gray should look like so it adjusts white balance accordingly. These photos were shot in the basement without a flash and show the results pretty dramatically. The first photo shows the target (this is the image I used to set the custom white balance), the second shot shows the T-34 using auto white balance, the third shot shows the results of the custom white balance. Pretty dramatic I think. I know I'll be using the target with all my model photography from now on.

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Edited by Nick Miller
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I thought the 18% gray card is for setting the exposure and that any white paper would work for the white balance.

Am I missing something?

I have a gray card at home, maybe I should try it and see what happens?

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I thought the 18% gray card is for setting the exposure and that any white paper would work for the white balance.

Am I missing something?

I have a gray card at home, maybe I should try it and see what happens?

My Canon 40D manual says to use a white object to set the white balance but casually mentions that an 18% gray card will probably give a better reading. I forgot one important thing. The target comes with a DVD that explains the whole process, shows it in use and describes how it can be used with Adobe Light Room. The DVD alone was worth the price of the set.

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My Canon 40D manual says to use a white object to set the white balance but casually mentions that an 18% gray card will probably give a better reading. I forgot one important thing. The target comes with a DVD that explains the whole process, shows it in use and describes how it can be used with Adobe Light Room. The DVD alone was worth the price of the set.

I just did a little research and you are correct!

http://www.earthboundlight.com/phototips/w...-gray-card.html

After reading the above article it makes perfect sense. I am going to try it tonight.

edit: Tried it out and it worked like a charm! Thanks for the post!

Edited by Isaac
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  • 2 weeks later...

Another factor is the lighting you are using. If you are using your normal incandescent bulbs, the ones that are in most lamps then you will definatly want to do a custom WB. However, if you are using a buld that puts out true white light than you don't need to do this as the auto white balance should get it on its own. I also agree with the comment above about shooting RAW, but not only for the ability to adjust the white balance but also for the improved color depth, 16 bit vs. 8 bit for jpgs.

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  • 4 months later...

any roughly neuatral surface will meter for a correct exposure

outside for tricky shots i use either tarmac or grass to meter from in tricky situations as i shoot nothing but manual

white ballance is colour temprature

white light ( daylight at mid day ) is all colours in equal quantities

artificial tungsten light has a warmer orange cast so a blue filter ( the opposite on the colour wheel is added to cancel out the orange !! )

flourescent light usualy has a green cast ( the opposite is red on the colour wheel so that will be added )

in effect all you have to do is set your white ballance to tungsten light as this will remove the orange cast in your shots

you can then plus or minus the setting

you can read white ballance off white or grey as it is the colour cast it is monitoring for

just because it got that one right doesn't mean it can't change on the next

i used to develop and print colour film ( same principles ) and one roll of film can have wildly differing filtration values from one frame to the next !!

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  • 2 years later...

White balance can be achieved with any surface that reflects light in a colour neutral manner.

Paper is not good as it often contains UV activated whiteners which are actually ever so slightly blue. Cheap white shirts are similar.

18% gray is actually an exposure related standard. All camera meters work by assuming they are looking at a sheet of 18% grey.

If its truly grey it can be used for WB.

The main trick to getting a good and consistent white balance is to shoot under only one light source. Flash can be considered one light source. Cross lighting can be a real pita.

Edited by mogin
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