guys i have been having problems with white balance. i cannot seem to get the perfect mix for most of my pics. most of the time they are either too warm or too cool. have been dablbing with automatic/tungsten for tungsten and incand for yellow lighting but my hit miss rate is not so good. have also experimeted with shade wb -3 to give me warmer colors. so far i have been using shade and automatic lately in all lighting conditions.

over the weekend i finally experimented with using kelvin wb depending on the lighting condition. so far this seems like the most promising so far. i slowly learning on the diff K temps of different conditions but still need mre practice. can you guys give me some tips? also is there like a parameter k scales for most settings and conditions? thanks

Why not shoot in Camera RAW format? That way you can just fine tune your WB settings afterwards.

Why not shoot in Camera RAW format? That way you can just fine tune your WB settings afterwards.

i dont always shoot in raw. especially when im in a party or shooting sports wherein i have to shoot hundreds of photos.

Okey-dokey. How about just doing a custom white balance just to get your shots neutral? Your camera manual should have instructions on how to do it.

It's usually easier to add a desired color cast (warm or cool) rather than to rectify an incorrect WB setting.

or you could use the expodisc... ;)

guys i have been having problems with white balance. i cannot seem to get the perfect mix for most of my pics. most of the time they are either too warm or too cool. have been dablbing with automatic/tungsten for tungsten and incand for yellow lighting but my hit miss rate is not so good. have also experimeted with shade wb -3 to give me warmer colors. so far i have been using shade and automatic lately in all lighting conditions.

over the weekend i finally experimented with using kelvin wb depending on the lighting condition. so far this seems like the most promising so far. i slowly learning on the diff K temps of different conditions but still need mre practice. can you guys give me some tips? also is there like a parameter k scales for most settings and conditions? thanks

Try bracketing at different WB settings +/-. That would probably be helpful to you especially with your sports shooting. Hope this helps and good luck.:)

Try bracketing at different WB settings +/-. That would probably be helpful to you especially with your sports shooting. Hope this helps and good luck.:)

havent even ventured into bracketing:)

or you could use the expodisc... ;)

agreed with you john trying using expodisc, you can really see the imrovement

Carlo, do as Jo recommended...shoot in RAW but use big memory CF cards;).

Shoot RAW, Carlo. Sooooo much easier to adjust WB in CS2. CF card is cheaper than having to reshoot.

guys i shoot in raw but not vall the time. its a pain pp every single image so i want to get it right from the time i shoot. i may give this expodisc a try

or you can try using WarmCards. Mr. Jo Avila has some nice sample photos as result of this. Check this out http://www.digitalphotographer.com.ph/forum/showthread.php?t=1175&highlight=warm+card

over the weekend i finally experimented with using kelvin wb depending on the lighting condition. so far this seems like the most promising so far. i slowly learning on the diff K temps of different conditions but still need mre practice. can you guys give me some tips? also is there like a parameter k scales for most settings and conditions? thanks

K Scales:

Auto WB = 3,500-8,000K
Incandescent = 3,000K
Flourescent = 4,200K
Direct Sunlight = 5,200K
Flash = 5,400K
Cloudy = 6,000K
Shade = 8,000K
Kelvin Manual = 2,500-10,000K
White Balance Preset = Use a grey card.

Hope this Helps Carlo. :Grin:

K Scales:

Auto WB = 3,500-8,000K
Incandescent = 3,000K
Flourescent = 4,200K
Direct Sunlight = 5,200K
Flash = 5,400K
Cloudy = 6,000K
Shade = 8,000K
Kelvin Manual = 2,500-10,000K
White Balance Preset = Use a grey card.

Hope this Helps Carlo. :Grin:

earl, since i already know those values and say i use manual kelvin would it be the same if i dial in kelvin 3000k and use incadescent wb? or are the kelvin wb more accurate?

earl, since i already know those values and say i use manual kelvin would it be the same if i dial in kelvin 3000k and use incadescent wb? or are the kelvin wb more accurate?

Carlo, these are approximate colour temperatures only... So if you use 3000K or if you prefer to use Incandescent WB; It's just the same... Not unless you use a finetuned Preset WB which can be done in increments of 1 mired with the exception of flourescent lighting which increments approximately 10. :)

The easiest and less costly way for me is to use custom WB. I bought a neutral gray card by Kodak. It's a problem though when your light source often change so an expo disc is recommended for fast and quick WB setting. Price is not cheap though approx US$ 150++. You can get the max lens diameter i.e. 77 mm so you can use on all your lenses. Whatever happened with your auto WB, is it giving wrong readings most of the time?

Rule of thumb, if image is blue, turn your WB setting higher (towards the right of the scale). If image is reddish, turn it lower (towards the left).

But be patient, this is about the only thing you need to master in digital photography.. once you get used to it, you should be able to 'read' the temperature of ambient light you're in.

:)

Jerry: Thanks for the quick tip :D

havent even ventured into bracketing:)
Carlo,
Your'e using the d200 right? I suggest you buy warm cards and use the gray card filter to obtain the perfect white balance...if not, shoot in RAW so that you have total control over the white balance...if I use the preset white balance settings i usually use...cloudy -2, auto 0 or auto -2...try experiment some more with your camera so that you get the feel of it...:Grin:

Let's say that you use Auto WB. You would end up with three JPEG files of the same image with three different WB settings. Three JPEG files at Large-Fine are about as big as a single RAW file :D

Try bracketing at different WB settings +/-. That would probably be helpful to you especially with your sports shooting. Hope this helps and good luck.:)

Let's say that you use Auto WB. You would end up with three JPEG files of the same image with three different WB settings. Three JPEG files at Large-Fine are about as big as a single RAW file :D

Well, yes....but you now have three pictures to choose from with regard to which is the best WB setting for that particular situation. It really all depends on what and how you use specific techniques to learn. In my case, this is how I learned to use a specific range for WB in specific situations.:)
Some photographers even do bracketing in RAW :D

Carlo, have you tried setting your white balance using 'coffee filter'? Works for me.I read about it in another photo forum. I'ts cheap and very handy. Here's how I do it, I cover my lense with unused coffee filter and point the lense towards the direction/scene that i wanna shoot. (Consult your camera manual on how to set custom white balance.) That's it.

Sayang naman coffee filter. Gamitin nalang yan sa kape. Bond paper ka nalang. Put the bond paper in front of your camera, set to manual focus, make sure your bond paper fills your frame and pre-set your wb on it. Pero sabagay, sayang din bond paper, pwedeng sulatan nalang. :D

Or you could have one image that is totally adjustable.

I once tried WB bracketing with JPEGs and gave it to an art director. I then shot another part of the project in Camera RAW. He chose RAW.

You could get three images with different WB settings - but that assumes that one image will have the specific WB that matches your vision. Or you can just shoot in RAW.

Different strokes for different folks :D

Well, yes....but you now have three pictures to choose from with regard to which is the best WB setting for that particular situation. It really all depends on what and how you use specific techniques to learn. In my case, this is how I learned to use a specific range for WB in specific situations.:)
Some photographers even do bracketing in RAW :D

Or you could have one image that is totally adjustable.

I once tried WB bracketing with JPEGs and gave it to an art director. I then shot another part of the project in Camera RAW. He chose RAW.

You could get three images with different WB settings - but that assumes that one image will have the specific WB that matches your vision. Or you can just shoot in RAW.

Different strokes for different folks :D

guys i shoot in raw BUT NOT ALL THE TIME. ITS A PAIN TO PP EVERY SINGLE IMAGE so i want to get it right from the time i shoot.

That's why I suggested bracketing. Also, I agree, different strokes....:)

Carlo, what I do is what Jo suggested earlier. Use Custom white balance. When I shoot events I also had hard time balancing the colors. I shoot first with AWB then use that image as the basis of custom white balance. Most of the time about 90% I got the white balance I want. It's easier than thinkering on the K settings.

=)

guys i shoot in raw but not vall the time. its a pain pp every single image so i want to get it right from the time i shoot. i may give this expodisc a try
Carlo,

It is not as difficult as you may think. Also, you don't have to do it for every single image.

The Nikon Capture batch conversion utility is your friend. You only need to change the WB of a single pic (in the same series) and save that in a "settings" file. Now, open the batch conversion utility and tell it to use the settings in the file when it does the conversion from RAW to JPEG. That's it! Go watch TV or something and by the time you get back, your WB corrected images will be ready. :)

There is no reason to shoot JPEG unless you are running out of room in your CF and you don't have time to delete. The NC converted JPEGs are so much nicer than in-camera JPEGs.

Hope this helps.

Carlo,

It is not as difficult as you may think. Also, you don't have to do it for every single image.

The Nikon Capture batch conversion utility is your friend. You only need to change the WB of a single pic (in the same series) and save that in a "settings" file. Now, open the batch conversion utility and tell it to use the settings in the file when it does the conversion from RAW to JPEG. That's it! Go watch TV or something and by the time you get back, your WB corrected images will be ready. :)

There is no reason to shoot JPEG unless you are running out of room in your CF and you don't have time to delete. The NC converted JPEGs are so much nicer than in-camera JPEGs.

Hope this helps.

You nailed that one with a Jackhammer my friend! :Grin:

Here's what I can say... yipee for the accurate Auto WB of Nikon D200. :D

If you are shooting JPEG only and do not have the time to set custom white balance just take a shot of a grey card in areas you are shooting (it takes less than a minute). :)

You can then use it later for white balance correction in photoshop using curves control, using the midtone dropper click on the grey card to correct the white balance. Then copy the new curves setting to the photos you wanted to correct.

I always have a WhiBal card with me; I find it easier to use than ExpoDisc. Take some shots before, in the middle, or after the shoot for later use in post processing. I always shoot RAW and RAW+JPEG when asked.

If you are shooting JPEG only and do not have the time to set custom white balance just take a shot of a grey card in areas you are shooting (it takes less than a minute). :)

You can then use it later for white balance correction in photoshop using curves control, using the midtone dropper click on the grey card to correct the white balance. Then copy the new curves setting to the photos you wanted to correct.

I always have a WhiBal card with me; I find it easier to use than ExpoDisc. Take some shots before, in the middle, or after the shoot for later use in post processing. I always shoot RAW and RAW+JPEG when asked.

Oh, please don't forget that a White Balance/Grey Card is much much much cheaper than the ExpoDisc. Though I have it in my BHPhoto wishlist :Grin:.