Questions about how to choose the correct colour balance for a given scene, and how it affects photos.
60
votes
5answers
8k views
Do fluorescent lighting and shutter speed create a problem with color cast?
I took a bunch of photos at my son's martial arts club using a D90 with a 50mm F1.8. The club is lit with overhead fluorescent lighting, and I was getting some weird results where some shots are ...
18
votes
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?
23
votes
3answers
2k views
What is the meaning of “white balance”?
I would like to understand the term white balance. My camera has settings for white balance with the following options:
Auto white balance
Daylight
Cloudy
Shade
Flash
Incandescent lights
White set1 ...
19
votes
3answers
4k views
12
votes
1answer
929 views
What is color temperature and how does it affect my photography?
I have seen color temperature mentioned with regard to white balance, mixing different sources of light, etc., but I haven't come across a clear explanation of what it means to talk about the ...
14
votes
5answers
800 views
Techniques to set custom white balance?
What technique should I be using to set a custom white balance i.e. white card, grey card, white balance lens cap etc or does it depend on the situation?
21
votes
7answers
1k views
Why can I adjust the white balance of a RAW file but not a JPEG file?
I recently started setting my DSLR to save RAW files, and using Adobe Lightroom to process them. I still, however, use my little point and shoot camera a lot which does not have an option to save RAW ...
21
votes
4answers
3k views
How do I properly white-balance my photographs when I'm shooting in mixed-lighting environments?
I have a dSLR and I often find myself taking pictures of people in 'mixed lighting' environments (e.g. tungsten lighting and daylight, fluorescent and tungsten, or even the ‘nightmare lighting ...
13
votes
2answers
2k views
How does the colour of ambient lighting affect colour rendition?
How does the colour of ambient lighting affect colour rendition?
For example:
If I stand under a sodium-vapour (orange) streetlight and calibrate my camera's white balance, what effect would this ...
25
votes
2answers
1k views
Does Auto White-Balance Really Work? How?
I don't understand how the camera can work out the white-balance to use in a given scene.
I could see it working if there is an obvious colour-cast (for example: under fluorescent lights).
Does it ...
15
votes
1answer
481 views
Will I lose image quality by adjusting white balance in post processing?
I understand that if I shoot in RAW, post processing software like Lightroom is capable of adjusting colour temperature and tint to my desire.
Will I lose any image quality in process? Or is it as ...
9
votes
7answers
2k views
When should I use manual white balance settings?
There are several white balance settings on the Nikon D80 including one that is automatic. I normally don't use it although I wonder what settings others use.
So the question: What are ...
10
votes
4answers
1k views
How do I correct white balance in JPEG images?
A friend of mine accidentally shot a load of photos with the white-balance on his camera set to "Tungsten". Is there an easy way to correct the resultant colour cast with Photoshop?
6
votes
5answers
580 views
What white balance settings do I need to capture the cast of a coloured streetlight?
I want take a photo of a scene lit by a yellow-orange street light. Unlike many of the questions here, I don't want to balance the colours in the scene, rather I want the areas lit by that light to ...
18
votes
5answers
1k views
Does the camera white balance setting affect the raw image at all?
Does a DSLR's white balance setting (whether a preset like cloudy or a custom WB setting) affect the raw file at all, or does that setting only determine the WB of the JPG that the camera generates?
...
15
votes
4answers
7k views
Best fluorescent bulb color temperature for shooting people and interviews?
I have a small, ultra white matte 13x10 room that I need to photograph and film people in. The most important thing to me is a person's skin color. Something like this.
Yesterday I purchased some ...
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 ...
5
votes
4answers
4k views
Does Gimp have a Match Color function similar to that in Adobe Photoshop CS3+?
In a recent question, Steve Ross points out that Adobe Photoshop has a useful feature for matching color between photographs. Of course, color adjustment can be accomplished in Gimp with careful use ...
6
votes
1answer
2k views
How does Photoshop/Lightroom get the Colour temperature of a Raw image?
I captured a Raw image using my Canon 450D. When imported this RAW(CR2) file into Lightroom and Photoshop CS5, it showed the Temperature as 4900 and White Balance setting - "As shot". When I checked ...
13
votes
5answers
3k views
Nikon RAW image processing in non-Nikon software
I love Adobe Lightroom, the workflow, the interface, the whole package. However, as a Nikon owner never did I manage to get the colors to look as good as after processing with Capture NX. No doubt ...
11
votes
6answers
830 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
1answer
965 views
What is the easiest way to alter white balance in Gimp?
Let's say I've accidentally shot my pictures on "sunny" white balace when I should have used "shade". What is the easiest way to warm the pictures up a bit in Gimp? The "Colors/Color balance" tool ...
18
votes
2answers
431 views
Photographing Lightning Strikes: White Balance
I'm getting the hang of manual white balance and I haven't yet shot lightning strikes in a storm but I may this summer. What would be a safe white balance to deal with the fact that lightning is ...
13
votes
5answers
854 views
If shooting RAW, is the white balance selected in camera irrelevant for exposure?
I have read the existing question - Does the camera white balance setting affect the raw image at all?
After reading the above post, I am still not clear on the part around exposure. Is it possible ...
4
votes
3answers
427 views
How to set white balance when there's no neutral region to select with the eyedropper?
If, in an image, there is no region which is neutral white, grey or black, how to set white balance?
10
votes
5answers
849 views
Can I make my own Expodisc?
I've been contemplating the purchase of an Expodisc to finally be rid of most white balance corrections. The price is a little steep for me, however. I was wondering, is there a way to make something ...
7
votes
3answers
197 views
How do I adjust colour casts between photos taken at different times?
I have several photos of similar subjects on the same background.
As they were taken outside at different times, the lighting conditions are different, and so the colours in the photos aren't ...
5
votes
4answers
549 views
Does custom white balance cancel out the pink of skylight filter?
I currently have a cheap UV filter that was initially purchased with the camera.
I am looking at buying a HOYA UV or Skylight filter as it is suggested this may help improve the image quality.
Many ...
5
votes
3answers
1k views
How to estimate colour temperature of the illuminant from a photograph of a standard colour chart?
I am working on a digital still camera. I need to compute the colour temperature of the illuminant programmatically using some algorithm (not using a third party tool from Adobe or etc.).
In my case ...
4
votes
1answer
583 views
Does this sunrise photograph have a problem with white balance?
I find this scene "all" "Orangey". The trees are also looking a kind Orangey.
Is the colour balance wrong? Or it is normal for a sunrise scene?
...
3
votes
2answers
1k views
How does Aperture 3 set the default White Balance when developing a RAW file?
I already learned that on raw images no white balance transformation has been applied yet.
1) If Aperture develops the preview images (without manually setting the WB by the user) it has to decide ...
1
vote
4answers
118 views
Will LEDs work with a point & shoot camera for light booth digital photography?
I am planning on using multiple strips of LEDs to light up a 2 ft x 2 ft x 2 ft light booth for taking pictures of small items. LED output is Cool White 6500k. Digital camera is low cost 5 megapixel ...
1
vote
0answers
130 views
How to get correct white balance with different types of light sources? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How do I properly white-balance my photographs when I'm shooting in mixed-lighting environments?
I was at a wedding recently, and the reception hall had these huge ...
