a gray cards is used to determine the correct exposure or white balance before or during shooting
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2answers
159 views
How does one use a white balance card (gray card) to set a custom white balance? [duplicate]
I have only been able to find instructions that involve post-processing. Is there a process where I can take a photo of the card and set that white balance and save it for my photos? Basically setting ...
18
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4answers
4k views
How do you use a gray card?
There are already two questions on how to make a gray card, but unfortunately my ignorance goes deeper than that.
How do you use a gray card?
4
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2answers
133 views
How can I adjust for any inaccuracy in a homemade white card?
Quite a number of years ago, I made my own white card. It is basically made up by two white access cards in plastic glued together and sanded down so that they have a matte finish.
The cards have ...
6
votes
2answers
104 views
Can I cut up a 15x20cm Novoflex Graycard without ruining its properties?
I purchased a graycard, specifically a Novoflex 15x20cm (~ 6x8") card that is white on one side and 18%? gray on the other side.
However, it's a bit too large to comfortably fit into jacket pocket or ...
5
votes
1answer
91 views
Using gray/white card to determine white balance, does it matter where I stand when I take reading photo?
If I want to use a white card to determine the white balance, and I'm taking a picture of something that is a short distance away from me, does it matter if I don't walk back to where I'm going to ...
4
votes
2answers
153 views
How can several gray card shots help with metamerism?
In a comment to my answer on gray card angles, @underarock mentioned having used several gray card shots at different angles to cope better with metamerism.
This sounds intriguing, but I'm still not ...
8
votes
1answer
111 views
Should I reuse a custom white balance for the same scene but with a different lens?
Let's say I'm shooting from a tripod to an exact spot, I set a custom white balance with a gray card and then I switch lens.
Should I redo the custom white balance?
13
votes
1answer
236 views
Gray card angle during custom white balance calibration - does it matter?
Do I have to have the gray card on a specific angle while taking a photo for custom white balance calibration? Or it is irrelevant?
I am guessing that the gray card plane should be perpendicular (90 ...
6
votes
2answers
228 views
White balance adjustment using gray card
I need some advice regarding white balance adjustment.
I was using a gray card when shooting a series of photos in a forest, because I found the light a bit tricky there. The plan was to set the ...
13
votes
10answers
2k views
What is the 18% gray tone, and how do I make a 18% gray card in Photoshop?
I have heard about 18% gray tone — what is it really, and why 18% (and not 20% or some other value), and how can I make it in Photoshop?
4
votes
2answers
359 views
How can I ensure my gray card is color-accurate?
I recently bought a gray card set (Zeikos ZE-DGC Digital Grey Card Set with Lanyard from Amazon) and although customers had no complaints about it, I belatedly became worried because the ...
5
votes
2answers
199 views
Should I be warming grey card calibrated shots?
In a recent blog post at this site, Tim Grey recommended the following:
You could then use the white balance tool in Lightroom or Adobe Camera
Raw (or similar tools in other software) to make ...
14
votes
5answers
580 views
What's a good ad-hoc replacement for a gray card?
I know that a real gray card is the best thing to use to determine exposure. But I'd like to know if there are other naturally available features that can be used in a quick and dirty way. Are fields ...
11
votes
6answers
825 views
Why are greycards used for white balance?
I know 18% grey cards are supposed to provide a neutral color to set custom white balance.
But why are grey cards used instead of pure white ones?
My assumptions:
Is a specific greytone easier to ...
6
votes
3answers
860 views
How to get meter reading for a DSLR if not from a gray card?
I read an article called Expose (to the) Right, which explained why you should try to get the graph of the histogram as much to the right of the scale as possible. The reasoning is that DSLRs record ...
14
votes
6answers
3k views
How could one make a DIY Gray card for exposure/color correction?
I know that there are "gray cards" sold that help with exposure/color correction, but as I'm on a tight budget I'd like to make my own. Is this possible?
Also, are there other objects (paint sample ...
