Set White Balance With Studio Flash

wormishere

wormishere

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Name
Mark
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Hi,

Sorry for such a simple question, but how do I set my white balance when using a studio flash?

Would I set the custom white balance with a grey card under the natural light condition of the studio (I have a Canon G12 so cannot select an image to use as reference, instead you press and hold over the source image) and the continue to shoot with the flashes?

Or do I set the WB as 'flash' and shoot a grey card image and then batch adjust the WB accordingly in Lightroom?

Thanks again for your advice - I must admit I am a complete beginner!
 
Set white balance to flash, and shoot a target to double check if you think it's necessary.

I suspect you're overthinking it,
 
•
Hi Mark,

all flashes have an output at the same Kelvin temperature than the Sun
shining at mid-day on the 21 of June around Washington Square…
This is what Eastman & Co will say about the definition of the "right"
°K a WB should be read from.

In clear, not all flashes a created equal but the idea is that yours should
have the same than the Sun.

Nevertheless, though I have a very good flash system, I always have a
set of reference cards at hands.
 
Thanks - I think you hit the nail on the head Phil! I might take a look a the ezybalance though just in case...
 
Mine arrived yesterday so will be having a play with it tonight! Thanks for the reccomendation.
 
It sounds like you're overthinking it. Your new lights should have a colour temp in their specs. Just use that
 
boyfalldown said:
It sounds like you're overthinking it. Your new lights should have a colour temp in their specs. Just use that
Click to expand...
They probably do have a specified colour temperature, but whether or not it bears any relation to the truth is another matter.
Years of testing lighs has made me wonder how many manufacturers actually know what colour temperature is...
 
Garry Edwards said:
They probably do have a specified colour temperature, but whether or not it bears any relation to the truth is another matter.
Years of testing lighs has made me wonder how many manufacturers actually know what colour temperature is...
Click to expand...

All of that - and then you add a modifier, and I'm fairly certain that 3 different softboxes of differing ages would all be different colours.

All of that said, unless you're doing very colour critical work, white balancing flash isn't that inconsistent in the grand scheme of things.

Also ought to mention that the manufacturer of the OP's flashes claim to know their colour balance and you ought to stick by them @Garry Edwards ;)
 
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I always just set the camera to flash in the WB menu and it's generally ok.
The only time I've had issues is with reflections off other items in my home studio, at one point there was a green rug in there and that caused a nasty green tint on a batch of photos.
 
mike weeks said:
One thing that I know that @Garry Edwards has said before and I totally agree with is that accurate white balance is only a starting point as we often change white balance to suit the subject in final processing.

Mike
Click to expand...
This^
'correct' white balance is like 'correct' exposure, whilst we think we know what it is - it's actually a matter of taste.
 
Tunbridge said:
I always just set the camera to flash in the WB menu and it's generally ok.
The only time I've had issues is with reflections off other items in my home studio, at one point there was a green rug in there and that caused a nasty green tint on a batch of photos.
Click to expand...
But isn't the fact that there are external factors (modifier colour, reflected colour, unknown or variable flash output colour) the reasons why we need to set the colour balance?
Obviously, this is never a complete answer because, not only may we want to change the colour for subjective reasons, there is also the fact that there is nothing that we can do about inconsistent colour (except for using better equipment) and nothing that we can do about reflected colour, other than removing the source of he colour contamination, but setting a custom white balance is a good starting point.
 
Phil V said:
All of that - and then you add a modifier, and I'm fairly certain that 3 different softboxes of differing ages would all be different colours.

All of that said, unless you're doing very colour critical work, white balancing flash isn't that inconsistent in the grand scheme of things.

Also ought to mention that the manufacturer of the OP's flashes claim to know their colour balance and you ought to stick by them @Garry Edwards ;)
Click to expand...

Aging is one factor, but also softboxes of different brands, or, I suspect quite likely different batches too.

Mostly it's close enough not to matter, and as Garry says there are any number of factors that can affect colour. For a professional needing exact colour though, for products and fashion work etc, it must be a real headache.
 
boyfalldown said:
It sounds like you're overthinking it. Your new lights should have a colour temp in their specs. Just use that
Click to expand...

Flash tubes age and alter the colour temperature, power adjustment alters the colour temperature, diffusers age and alter the colour temperature.

So if you want to save time and trouble just whip out the colour chart once you're setup.
 
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