White Balance/Grey Card
- Thread starter KayGraham
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- Stewart
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No difference.
Either.
All photographic retailers stock them.
Two methods.
1. Take photo of grey card, then use it to set Custom White Balance within the camera.
2. Take photo of grey card, shoot photos in RAW, then use image of grey card to set white balance during post processing.
Chaz Photos
Jack Elam
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White card is for setting a white light balance
The Gray card is for exposureBoth do differant jobs
The Gray card is for exposureBoth do differant jobs
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Yes ... but they can both be used equally well for setting white balance, which is what I thought (perhaps wrongly!) Kay wanted to do.
Chaz Photos
Jack Elam
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the question is
What is the difference between a white balance card & grey card?
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There is a more simper way to use the grey card Kay, I shoot a Nikon D200 and a D3 and they both have what's called a 'PRE' white balance facility.
In your white balance menu scroll through all the symbols (cloudy, daylight etc) and find the 'PRE' option. I'm not sure of the exact buttons and configuration with a D5000 but I hold the 'OK' button until the 'PRE' text begins to flash or blink, I then hold up my grey card in front of the lens, it makes no difference if this is on or out of focus, and then take a shot.
If the camera has successfully read the grey card an implemented the new custom white balance 'GOOD' will blink on your LCD. Job done
According to the manual, the grey card is far more efficient at rendering colour info for white balance. I recommend reading through the pointers in the manual, there very easy to understand and it''s far too much for me to re-type here.
I use this method when the conditions are very harsh, such as obscure fluorescent lighting, every other instance I use either manual white balance or the relevant presets - cloudy for over cast days and daylight for bright fine days etc. I never use auto, despite what folk say about fixing WB in post if shooting raw, it's never quite the same IMO.
The alternative option when using a grey card is to include it in every picture where the lighting changes and then in photoshop, open a levels or curves adjustment layer and use the grey balance dropper, click on the grey card to fix the colour balance.The grey card does not need to be present in every sht, just every shot where they light colour temp changes.
Hope this helps.
T.
There is a custom function on your camera for setting the white balance like this. You are basically taking a pic of the grey card and telling your camera "In this light THIS is 18% grey" It will then shift the pic to the correct white balance for that lighting and I don't think it really matters which setting you shoot the original pic.
In ACR you include the grey card in the first pic of a batch. That batch can be hundreds so long as the light does not change. Otherwise you'd be cloning out a lot of grey cards
In ACR you include the grey card in the first pic of a batch. That batch can be hundreds so long as the light does not change. Otherwise you'd be cloning out a lot of grey cards
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I think I am doing it wrong. I take a pic of a white card under the appropriate lighting... then in the menu I goto custom WB, select the white pic I just took, and hey presto. I then just change the WB to 'custom'. :shrug:
mmcp42
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I think you'll find that for colour balance, grey (gray??) and white have the same effect
after all what you are actually measuring is the ratio between R G and B
for exposure however grey is better
the camera integrates the light values (regardless of colour) to give 18% grey
so if you take a meter reading off an 18% grey card then for the same lighting any subject will be correctly exposed at those settings
of course, if you want to capture extra detail in whites (wedding frock), or blacks (groom's suit) then you may have to tweak the exposure
IMHO
YMMV
after all what you are actually measuring is the ratio between R G and B
for exposure however grey is better
the camera integrates the light values (regardless of colour) to give 18% grey
so if you take a meter reading off an 18% grey card then for the same lighting any subject will be correctly exposed at those settings
of course, if you want to capture extra detail in whites (wedding frock), or blacks (groom's suit) then you may have to tweak the exposure
IMHO
YMMV
Not wrong, white card is fine as long as its a matt surface and its not over exposed.
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I bought my one from Jessops many moons ago. Don't remember ever using it but it is grey on one side and white on the other
White and Grey cards are okay if the light you are shooting in is constant. If you have different light sources, Tungsten and Daylight, a filter is better.
It averages out the light source.
You can buy them to fit your lens. I made one from a Pringles lid...
works really well in these conditions.
It averages out the light source.
You can buy them to fit your lens. I made one from a Pringles lid...
works really well in these conditions.