I was once told that setting your white balance can lend to a more professional look as your colors stay consistent from frame to frame. My son does dance competition photography and we noticed the white balance would be off and shift around. They shoot JPEG and the images go live almost right away so there's no ability to change it later. They use professional stage lighting with all sorts of colors and effects so it's never the same from one routine to the next. I suggested he ask the lighting techs for the temperature of their white lights, but apparently they couldn't answer that question. Since he didn't have a grey card with him, I suggested he get a piece of copy paper and have someone stand on stage after awards when only the white lights would be used. Then he was able to take a photo and have the camera use that image to set the white balance. His images looked much better after that and were not affected by the changing color of the stage lights. Instead the look that the lights added to the performance was able to be captured in camera.
So I’ve had issues recently trying to photograph theater performance. The local high school recently had a renovation and they replaced all of the tungsten theatrical lighting with LED fixtures. With the old equipment, I got descent results by switching to tungsten. Whatever they were gelled to would render close enough to what it was supposed to be. Now it seems like the base color changes with every different lighting cue. Of course a gray card is of limited value here because the lighting is generally meant to be colored. What should I do in this situation?
I prefer custom WB set in camera. It simplifies my post processing workflow and colors stay consistent throughout whole series of images (portraits in my case). I find when using AWB for portraits photos that have been shot seconds apart might have slightly different color when it comes to skin tone. I use Sony camera and that's how I "cook" those colors from Sony color science 😅
White balance is highly subjective; discussing it can be quite unproductive. It's like making bread: you begin with flour then add the rest according to taste. For the camera, start with AWB (auto white balance) as your baseline. When editing photos post-shoot, you can then determine if the ambiance or mood requires a warmer or cooler tone by using the temperature slider in Adobe Camera RAW or various controls in Photoshop to adjust the color balance. However, when photographing commercial products, accurate white balance and true color reproduction are crucial for product realism.
I shoot RAW, and have AWB on. When I open the photos in LRC they seem to be one color and quickly change. Is that the application of the AWB? I would like to just see the pictures in the actual light I took them in.
That is LRC "processing" the raw file based on Adobe's interpretation. I believe it loads in the in-camera JPEG (the file used to view the image on the back screen display) and then loads in the RAW file as soon as it can. Really no way around it since that how Adobe thinks you images should look. You could shoot JPEGs (I'd recommend RAW+JPEG so you still have a raw file) and those should look the same as when you shot them. Or you could use the camera manufacturer's program (Canon's is Digital Photo Professional) to do your RAW conversions and they should be pretty close to the in-camera JPEG.
Other than exposure, is there anything else that's set in a RAW file as it comes out of the camera? Or do ALL of these settings really only apply to JPG?
I have tried using customs settings in the camera. My experience has not been great. I can see the point if you shoot many photos for a specific purpose. But RAW already has post-processing flexibility, as you pointed out. But a word of warning. Do NOT forget to return the settings after the shoot. Yes, I have had this experience. Seeing you forget the special setting can be a nasty surprise.
I tend to use AWB-W if I'm indoors and AWB outdoors. Does Canon only gave this option? It's one less thing to worry about when shooting in fast paced situations. I'm always in RAW, but it does help save time if you shooting a lot of frames. However, I do set a custom WB if in a very controlled space. Does adjusting WB in post with high ISO harm IQ?
I'm not sure who else has that option, but I think if you want to make that in post, you would need to use Canon's Digital Photo Pro. For your second question, adjusting WB in post (especially when using DPP) has no more impact on IG that setting it in-camera. ISO is irrelevant.
My understanding is the in-camera histogram uses the JPEG. If the white balance is off too much the histogram may look good but can have a blown out channel when trying to correct it in the processing software. Also since the histogram is using the JPEG, if you use a picture style it can make the histogram look properly or over exposed but the RAW file can be underexposed. I have experienced both scenarios. This is why I pick a white balance and neutral picture style in camera. I shoot mostly landscapes.
As always, a good video. I find the value of shooting a gray card questionable in concerts, stage performances or any other setting where the lighting changes (in intensity as well as color). I've done it any to sort of act as a gauge but it's really just a ballpark of limited value.
Unless you're photographing someone in a consistent spotlight and can get a white balance in that same light at some point. I've shot thousand of concerts and have never done that though. :)
I use white balance when shooting my sister's textile art. She enters her work in shows, and they want photos that show her work, this includes workmanship as well as colours. I use a known light source, and I don't leave the colour rendition to my memory, I use a grey card and or a colour picker.
Thank you David! And thank you Adorama. This is a very helpful video. And the information also removes the worries about dealing with white balance before in post work. Super video. )))
Another good reason to set the white balance is for that time when you forget to move the file format off JPG to RAW. I did that recently for a shoot where I decided to grab my camera at the last moment and forgot that I had last used it when I was testing out shooting negatives. I also forgot to change the white balance so it was not very successful!
You, a camera professional, have to be kidding! 720P resolution? Makes my eyes tear on my 27" Ben-Q monitor. 1080P works. Normally I do thumbs down for this carelessness; but I'll watch it on the smaller screen with the glaring white background just for you. Might even give it a thumbs up, more than likely.
I read once in some books that picking the right WB in camera can also effect the length of the exposure sometimes (in night time photography). True scenario that I've struggled with is when I shot some panorama (360x180) in a closed space and the place was lit with CFL or mercury-vapor lights; in such work it is typical to set everything to manual in camera. I've set the WB to fluorescent but the final image was hard to control and had unpleasant color cast. Shot it again and before I start to work on the shoot, I've shot the "white" wall and set the image as my reference WB, and the final stitched image looked not bad. Only then, I've changed the WB in post-processing. Since then I've learned my lesson and I try to get the WB as accurate as possible just to avoid the extra work with color cast later on.
I do multi-shot panoramas all the time and still shoot Auto WB. I set it in the raw conversion however I want and export TIF or JPEG files to stitch together. Works well for me.
@@DavidBergmanPhoto oh yes, for me though I shot HDR panoramas all the time (mainly architectural) - few times when processing those EXRs and setting the WB in photomatix, things can turn ugly
I was once told that setting your white balance can lend to a more professional look as your colors stay consistent from frame to frame. My son does dance competition photography and we noticed the white balance would be off and shift around. They shoot JPEG and the images go live almost right away so there's no ability to change it later. They use professional stage lighting with all sorts of colors and effects so it's never the same from one routine to the next. I suggested he ask the lighting techs for the temperature of their white lights, but apparently they couldn't answer that question. Since he didn't have a grey card with him, I suggested he get a piece of copy paper and have someone stand on stage after awards when only the white lights would be used. Then he was able to take a photo and have the camera use that image to set the white balance. His images looked much better after that and were not affected by the changing color of the stage lights. Instead the look that the lights added to the performance was able to be captured in camera.
When I shoot a panorama, I like to lock everything; including white balance. It makes it easier to blend the photos together.
Thank you, David. I always appreciate your tips, as they are so helpful. Many thanks, Peter.🎉
So I’ve had issues recently trying to photograph theater performance. The local high school recently had a renovation and they replaced all of the tungsten theatrical lighting with LED fixtures. With the old equipment, I got descent results by switching to tungsten. Whatever they were gelled to would render close enough to what it was supposed to be.
Now it seems like the base color changes with every different lighting cue. Of course a gray card is of limited value here because the lighting is generally meant to be colored. What should I do in this situation?
I prefer custom WB set in camera. It simplifies my post processing workflow and colors stay consistent throughout whole series of images (portraits in my case). I find when using AWB for portraits photos that have been shot seconds apart might have slightly different color when it comes to skin tone. I use Sony camera and that's how I "cook" those colors from Sony color science 😅
Good explanation!
Glad it was helpful!
White balance is highly subjective; discussing it can be quite unproductive. It's like making bread: you begin with flour then add the rest according to taste. For the camera, start with AWB (auto white balance) as your baseline. When editing photos post-shoot, you can then determine if the ambiance or mood requires a warmer or cooler tone by using the temperature slider in Adobe Camera RAW or various controls in Photoshop to adjust the color balance. However, when photographing commercial products, accurate white balance and true color reproduction are crucial for product realism.
I shoot RAW, and have AWB on. When I open the photos in LRC they seem to be one color and quickly change. Is that the application of the AWB? I would like to just see the pictures in the actual light I took them in.
That is LRC "processing" the raw file based on Adobe's interpretation. I believe it loads in the in-camera JPEG (the file used to view the image on the back screen display) and then loads in the RAW file as soon as it can. Really no way around it since that how Adobe thinks you images should look. You could shoot JPEGs (I'd recommend RAW+JPEG so you still have a raw file) and those should look the same as when you shot them. Or you could use the camera manufacturer's program (Canon's is Digital Photo Professional) to do your RAW conversions and they should be pretty close to the in-camera JPEG.
Other than exposure, is there anything else that's set in a RAW file as it comes out of the camera? Or do ALL of these settings really only apply to JPG?
It's really camera dependent but most of the settings can be changed in post.
I have tried using customs settings in the camera. My experience has not been great. I can see the point if you shoot many photos for a specific purpose. But RAW already has post-processing flexibility, as you pointed out. But a word of warning. Do NOT forget to return the settings after the shoot. Yes, I have had this experience. Seeing you forget the special setting can be a nasty surprise.
Good tip!
I tend to use AWB-W if I'm indoors and AWB outdoors. Does Canon only gave this option? It's one less thing to worry about when shooting in fast paced situations. I'm always in RAW, but it does help save time if you shooting a lot of frames. However, I do set a custom WB if in a very controlled space. Does adjusting WB in post with high ISO harm IQ?
I'm not sure who else has that option, but I think if you want to make that in post, you would need to use Canon's Digital Photo Pro. For your second question, adjusting WB in post (especially when using DPP) has no more impact on IG that setting it in-camera. ISO is irrelevant.
My understanding is the in-camera histogram uses the JPEG. If the white balance is off too much the histogram may look good but can have a blown out channel when trying to correct it in the processing software. Also since the histogram is using the JPEG, if you use a picture style it can make the histogram look properly or over exposed but the RAW file can be underexposed. I have experienced both scenarios. This is why I pick a white balance and neutral picture style in camera. I shoot mostly landscapes.
That makes sense and definitely something to watch out for.
As always, a good video. I find the value of shooting a gray card questionable in concerts, stage performances or any other setting where the lighting changes (in intensity as well as color). I've done it any to sort of act as a gauge but it's really just a ballpark of limited value.
Unless you're photographing someone in a consistent spotlight and can get a white balance in that same light at some point. I've shot thousand of concerts and have never done that though. :)
I use white balance when shooting my sister's textile art. She enters her work in shows, and they want photos that show her work, this includes workmanship as well as colours. I use a known light source, and I don't leave the colour rendition to my memory, I use a grey card and or a colour picker.
I am trying to learn more about photographing art, so your comment is helpful. Thanks!
Thank you David! And thank you Adorama. This is a very helpful video. And the information also removes the worries about dealing with white balance before in post work. Super video. )))
Thanks for watching!
Another good reason to set the white balance is for that time when you forget to move the file format off JPG to RAW. I did that recently for a shoot where I decided to grab my camera at the last moment and forgot that I had last used it when I was testing out shooting negatives. I also forgot to change the white balance so it was not very successful!
Ouch. Maybe next time you want JPEGs, shoot RAW+JPEG so that way you're covered even if you forget to set it back. :)
You, a camera professional, have to be kidding! 720P resolution? Makes my eyes tear on my 27" Ben-Q monitor. 1080P works. Normally I do thumbs down for this carelessness; but I'll watch it on the smaller screen with the glaring white background just for you. Might even give it a thumbs up, more than likely.
Thanks David.
I read once in some books that picking the right WB in camera can also effect the length of the exposure sometimes (in night time photography). True scenario that I've struggled with is when I shot some panorama (360x180) in a closed space and the place was lit with CFL or mercury-vapor lights; in such work it is typical to set everything to manual in camera. I've set the WB to fluorescent but the final image was hard to control and had unpleasant color cast. Shot it again and before I start to work on the shoot, I've shot the "white" wall and set the image as my reference WB, and the final stitched image looked not bad. Only then, I've changed the WB in post-processing. Since then I've learned my lesson and I try to get the WB as accurate as possible just to avoid the extra work with color cast later on.
I do multi-shot panoramas all the time and still shoot Auto WB. I set it in the raw conversion however I want and export TIF or JPEG files to stitch together. Works well for me.
@@DavidBergmanPhoto oh yes, for me though I shot HDR panoramas all the time (mainly architectural) - few times when processing those EXRs and setting the WB in photomatix, things can turn ugly
Great topo thank you. Wouls have been perfect with the WB temp complement , the tint.