# White balance (grey card? white card? or color passport?)



## Balwazer (Jan 13, 2011)

Hi all,

When I do photo-shoot with strobes I use the in camera flash white balance.

I get fairly good results then I edit one photo in lightroom and apply the setting to the others.

I know it is not very smart to do this.

So what is your best way in setting up the white balance?

and what is the different between the grey card and the white card?

I tried the custom white balance in my canon camera and I took an Image of a white board under the same light condition for the original photo but it always fails.. it gives me strange colors.


Thank you,


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## tirediron (Jan 13, 2011)

99.9% of the time I shoot WB in 'Auto' and adjust in post to achieve the look I want.  When true colours are absolutely critical, then I use an Expo Disc and shoot a custom WB.


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## KmH (Jan 13, 2011)

Balwazer said:


> I tried the custom white balance in my canon camera and I took an Image of a white board under the same light condition for the original photo but it always fails.. it gives me strange colors.
> 
> 
> Thank you,


No doubt. Your brain makes adjustments to meet your expectations of what white is supposed to look like in the available light.

But, that is not accurate, as you have now discoverd.

To a digital camera there is only one white - R = 255, G = 255, B = 255, anything else has a color cast.

The advantage of using a quality gray card is an accurate custom white balance.

The X-RITE ColorChecker Passport is very helpful when you have people in an image, so you can accurately set skin tones. I also use a Whibal card when I don't need the ColorChecker.

Michael Tapes Design - LensAlign - WhiBal - IJFR - WhiBal Certified Gray Card for White Balance

X-Rite: Get exactly the color you need, every time, anywhere in the world.


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## Balwazer (Jan 13, 2011)

Tiredirone: I liked the expo disc.. Does it really work?

Kmh: how to use this small grey card?


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## KmH (Jan 13, 2011)

You make a photo with the gray card in it. In post processing you use the gray card to set the white balance.


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## tirediron (Jan 13, 2011)

Balwazer said:


> Tiredirone: I liked the expo disc.. Does it really work?


 
It works very well, BUT it is expensive ($100+ in 77mm) and getting a custom WB in dim light can be difficult, especially if you don't have a fast lens.


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## Garbz (Jan 14, 2011)

I say the passport. Benefits of being able to carefully adjust the calibration of your camera if you are so inclined / technically able. It really is an invaluable tool.


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## xjoewhitex (Jan 14, 2011)

It varies with me I guess just depending on whats going on. If ive got one light source I will use a preset and tune it as needed. But if its mixed I will use my gray card, which I use whitebal kinda over priced but it works well. 

But there is no best way, its really what is easier for you. I don't like post processing so I try and get everything as close as possible then and there. Using Auto in sunlight, cloudy in shade works pretty well. The reason the white board isn't working for you is because your camera is seeking a completely neutral color, not white. White cards are used for post processing as a reference, so you can select that as perfect white in photoshop or whatever, and it automatically removes the color cast.


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## Balwazer (Jan 15, 2011)

xjoewhitex said:


> It varies with me I guess just depending on whats going on. If ive got one light source I will use a preset and tune it as needed. But if its mixed I will use my gray card, which I use whitebal kinda over priced but it works well.
> 
> But there is no best way, its really what is easier for you. I don't like post processing so I try and get everything as close as possible then and there. Using Auto in sunlight, cloudy in shade works pretty well. The reason the white board isn't working for you is because your camera is seeking a completely neutral color, not white. White cards are used for post processing as a reference, so you can select that as perfect white in photoshop or whatever, and it automatically removes the color cast.



Which whitebal do you recommend? I saw many types and sizes in their website


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## Waynoka (Jan 15, 2011)

First post here!

I recently bought a 18% grey/pure white double side card. So now I'm trying to figure out exactly how to use it. Is the grey side for exposure and the white side for white balance? We just got a big snowfall and I understand that all the white snow will overcome the powers of the sensor to figure out exposure and WB. If I'm outside, how exactly can I use this card to set the custom WB and exposure? Any detailed tips? 

Thanks!!


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## epatsellis (Jan 16, 2011)

For color accurate work, I shoot a Kodak Q13 (google is your friend) in the scene, white balance on a middle gray and then verify the entire tonal range for neutrality, making adjustments globally if needed. With practice, it only takes a few minutes and as long as lighting and exposure doesn't change, valid for the entire shooting session.


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## xjoewhitex (Jan 16, 2011)

Balwazer said:


> xjoewhitex said:
> 
> 
> > It varies with me I guess just depending on whats going on. If ive got one light source I will use a preset and tune it as needed. But if its mixed I will use my gray card, which I use whitebal kinda over priced but it works well.
> ...


Well honestly, they are all the same thing just different sizes so whatever you think will work for you. I went with the medium format with the holder so I could sit it up on a table if I needed. I believe the smallest one would work well, its about the size of a business card I believe.


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## pipesintune (Jan 17, 2011)

I use the Digital Calibration Target from Ed Pierce.  It's great in the studio for white balance and exposure.  Even though I use a calibrated light meter, the target really lets me dial in the exposure so that I rarely have to touch white balance and exposure on my RAW files.
I also carry a knockoff of a WhiBal in my bag for quick shooting when I don't want to tote a target around.  Basically, anything you can do to help you zero in on your white balance will end up saving you time in the long run.  
Any 'standard' you can use for white balance reference in your photos will help you work faster.  In my opinion, getting the exposure and white balance right is what saves you LOADS of time when processing images.


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