auto or manual white balance

Harvey_nikon

Harvey_nikon

Messages
3,749
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi all,

Just wondering how many people here bother setting the WB themselves vs. how many just let the camera decide.

I've never bothered setting WB myself, the camera has always done a pretty decent job and anything that was slightly out I could easily correct in Lightroom as I shoot RAW.

If you set it yourself, why and under what circumstances do you feel it is better to do so?
 
Like you said, if you shoot Raw it does not matter :shrug:

I'm not a purest but always M - Raw - Spot - AWB
 
I used to take great care with WB when shooting JPEGs with the D1 and D1x, since I now shoot RAW almost exclusively I just leave it on auto and tweak as required in PP and apply that setting to the whole batch... faster than doing a Custom WB on location...
 
If I'm in a situation with consistent light I will set the appropriate WB, if I'm in changeable light I go AWB. Setting a preset WB will give consistent colours whereas AWB can sometimes change between frames if the are a lot of certain colour filling the frame.

Saying that I watched a video a few weeks ago on Youtube by Bryan Patterson that he leaves his camera in the Cloudy WB preset so I'm giving that a try.

I shoot in only RAW so the WB isn't as important but I'd rather get it right, or at least consistent in the camera.
 
If your lighting conditions are consistent then it makes sense to custom white balance in camera. This can easily be done by using an expo disk or grey card.

Once done, it means that all shots are correctly balanced and there is no need for WB adjustment in PP which is more subjective and open to possible influences from monitor calibration, printer settings etc.

The in-camera WB settings are examples only and really not very helpful if you're looking for quality WB.

Even though studio heads are meant to be daylight balanced, we still use a colour meter to adjust to specific temperature figures when shooting products where the colour reproduction has to be perfect.

Ignore all that if you're shooting in variable lighting conditions !
 
AWB unless I know I'm going to be doing the same sort of shot over and over. Shooting in raw, obviously.
 
I only just started using RAW (and an SLR in fairness) but I have found the AWB to be fine 95% of the time, and when it hasn't been a quick toggle in PP has fixed it.
 
As per arkady Auto and sort afterwards. I also use the XRite color passport checker with Lightroom.
 
pleased to read this thread as i often wonder about WB.

i shoot in jpg (dont ask, pc cant handle any big software, so waiting for an upgrade before i switch to RAW) and often find that using the cloudy setting enhances my outdoor pics no end. trouble is i am using it most of the time now.

not sure if that helps!
paulb
 
I know there are some benefits to shooting custom WB in consistent light, but I'm lazy about this. I shoot RAW and it's easier to adjust in post if necessary.

I've also heard of leaving the camera on "Cloudy" but haven't tried this. One thing springs to mind though. AWB and the presets will give you the camera's interpretation, and tweaking in post relies on our memory of the scene if we want faithful reproduction. I generally adjust the WB until it looks "right" or the way I want it, which may not necessarily be quite correct, but it suits me. How do others feel about this?
 
MartynK said:
I've also heard of leaving the camera on "Cloudy" but haven't tried this.
Click to expand...

Works well for some landscapes etc., but it can be overly warm for many things.

MartynK said:
..., and tweaking in post relies on our memory of the scene if we want faithful reproduction. I generally adjust the WB until it looks "right" or the way I want it, which may not necessarily be quite correct, but it suits me. How do others feel about this?
Click to expand...

It's ok until you forget and have a complex subject or lighting, and later can't find a good reference point. I think keeping in the habit of checking is best, at least you then have a good starting point.
 
acs said:
Works well for some landscapes etc., but it can be overly warm for many things.



It's ok until you forget and have a complex subject or lighting, and later can't find a good reference point. I think keeping in the habit of checking is best, at least you then have a good starting point.
Click to expand...


I keep a couple of small dry-write boards in my camera bag - mostly to write the names of people on if I'm doing more than half a dozen 'Home Town Stories' - I get them to write their name on it and do a mug-shot style reference photo. Most I ever did was 250 in one sitting - you try remembering who's who when the 'writer' (aka SO3 escorts Officer) decides to b****r-off and schmooze with some girlie-officer he's spotted...

It can also be chucked on the floor to photograph in the same light as you're shooting in to give a quick and dirty reference for later WB corrections in 'post'. Still quicker than doing a custom WB...
 
leave it on cloudy or auto and fix in post, quite seriously considering a colour checker passport for studio/location stuff, unlikely to get used in a wedding except maybe in church
 
Arkady said:
It can also be chucked on the floor to photograph in the same light as you're shooting in to give a quick and dirty reference for later WB corrections in 'post'. Still quicker than doing a custom WB...
Click to expand...

:) I got some odd looks last weekend apparently photographing the back of some passer-by's coat.
 
Yes shoot raw but I always set the white balance manually (& sometimes get it right!), I think its good practice
 
I have a varient of a expodisk on a string - it takes seconds to custom white balance
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top