White balance question

steve001

steve001

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244
Name
Steve
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi all

I posted a portrait on the forum lastnight that i am pleased with, however on a couple comments it has been seen as a touch to warm. I shoot in raw and use elements 8 to make my adjustments, my question is this, now the shot is in jpeg format how/ what can i do to take some of its warmth away?

All advice is greatfully received

Thanks Steve
 
Hi, Not sure on Elements regarding the white balance, but also its worth looking at the lighting in general.
What lighting did you use? Was there ambient lighting as well, and what type? Also reflective light, wall and floor coverings etc.
If your using flash and its set to flash you would not be far off unless the shutter speed was slow enought to let the ambient light become apparent.. Just another thought.
Good shot though..
 
bobkent said:
Hi, Not sure on Elements regarding the white balance, but also its worth looking at the lighting in general.
What lighting did you use? Was there ambient lighting as well, and what type? Also reflective light, wall and floor coverings etc.
If your using flash and its set to flash you would not be far off unless the shutter speed was slow enought to let the ambient light become apparent.. Just another thought.
Good shot though..
Click to expand...

Thanks Bob, I was using a hotshoe flash with some daylight in the room, I was bouncing the flash off the ceiling with a white defuser over the flash, light brown backdrop and laminate flooring. Also artficial lights were on in the house.

Thanks,
Steve.
 
DPP can be used to modify Jpegs (according to Eos magazine), you should have got DPP (on the CD) with your camera.
 
I would go back to the Raw file and adjust it there...

Was your white balance set to flash ???
 
I had a quick go at the whitebalance in Picasa on the works laptop, which wont be as good, but it says to me that external light has influenced the picture as it wouldn't really correct it.
I would say its probably the flooring bouncing the light up.. I take it the flooring has a slight orangy colour to it?
Its just acting like a reflector... :(
 
bobkent said:
I had a quick go at the whitebalance in Picasa on the works laptop, which wont be as good, but it says to me that external light has influenced the picture as it wouldn't really correct it.
I would say its probably the flooring bouncing the light up.. I take it the flooring has a slight orangy colour to it?
Its just acting like a reflector... :(
Click to expand...
i did not know there is a white balance adjustment facility on Picassa !!!!!:thinking:
 
MatBin said:
DPP can be used to modify Jpegs (according to Eos magazine), you should have got DPP (on the CD) with your camera.
Click to expand...

:plusone:

Can alter white balance by selecting from menu....

:thumbs:
 
Thanks for the help guys, will try differant set up next time and maybe take a custom white balance, time for some studio lighting me thinks.

Steve
 
I got a free 8x10in (approx) card in a photo magazine which is divided into 4 rectangles, ie highlight (white), shadow (black), midtone and one marked 'camera raw white balance'. That last rectangle is light grey.

So before shooting a batch of photos I take a shot of the card (it doesn't need to be in focus) and use the eyedropper tool to get the WB reading from the 'camera raw white balance' rectangle. Then I quit that photo and use that WB setting on the real photos.

hope that helps.
 
TooLate said:
I got a free 8x10in (approx) card in a photo magazine which is divided into 4 rectangles, ie highlight (white), shadow (black), midtone and one marked 'camera raw white balance'. That last rectangle is light grey.

So before shooting a batch of photos I take a shot of the card (it doesn't need to be in focus) and use the eyedropper tool to get the WB reading from the 'camera raw white balance' rectangle. Then I quit that photo and use that WB setting on the real photos.

hope that helps.
Click to expand...

Is that a recent magazine?
Thanks
 
markw08 said:
I would go back to the Raw file and adjust it there
Click to expand...
:plusone:

Also, check the colour profile used in the camera when the original RAW was shot and what's being used when you output your final JPG.

You'll generally want to be saving out as sRGB for printing or the web, as a lot of browsers out there don't support other colour profiles. You'll also want to convert the colour profile yourself (assuming your camera used something other than sRGB) before you save if you have the ability, rather than letting the software try to figure it out for you.
 
bobkent said:
Is that a recent magazine?
Thanks
Click to expand...

Bob, unfortunately no, I think that it was a freebie in a mag probably 2 years ago.

Jessops seem to do one for £7 http://www.jessops.com/online.store...cts/Jessops/Grey Card 8 x 10in-9652/Show.html

Amazon sell ones which look like they're plastic, £10.99 for a set of grey/white/black cards on a lanyard to hang round your neck. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Grey-White-Balance-Photography/dp/B000HCQR8A

I think that the insides of LowePro bags are grey and can also be used.
 
I think you have not got curves so you might try opening your jpg and getting levels up take the mid dropper and clicking on to the white of the eyes You might have to try different spots till you got one looking right. I had a go with PS CS4 and Curves and it not going to be spot on as you have colour coming from the floor I am guessing also the background is brighter on the left then the right
 
TooLate said:
I got a free 8x10in (approx) card in a photo magazine which is divided into 4 rectangles, ie highlight (white), shadow (black), midtone and one marked 'camera raw white balance'. That last rectangle is light grey.

So before shooting a batch of photos I take a shot of the card (it doesn't need to be in focus) and use the eyedropper tool to get the WB reading from the 'camera raw white balance' rectangle. Then I quit that photo and use that WB setting on the real photos.

hope that helps.
Click to expand...

This is probably a really silly question but i always preset my wb with a card. I have heard lots of other people taking a picture and using that one reading as you have done. Can you be more specific on how you use the settings on that one picture of the card? do you take a WB reading from that tool and set it individually to every picture or can you do a complete set of images by pressing a button or something? i just think it might be easier than my preset? sorry but it has been bugging me! lol :lol:
 
You can use the card to apply the WB across a batch of images in LR.
I normally do this, but have started using a pre wb set so that I get something more accurate when chimping.
 
jeniveeev said:
This is probably a really silly question but i always preset my wb with a card. I have heard lots of other people taking a picture and using that one reading as you have done. Can you be more specific on how you use the settings on that one picture of the card? do you take a WB reading from that tool and set it individually to every picture or can you do a complete set of images by pressing a button or something? i just think it might be easier than my preset? sorry but it has been bugging me! lol :lol:
Click to expand...

perhaps i'm understanding it wrong but i think the poster meant he calibrates the correct white balance using the card photo as a reference whilst processing his images on a computer rather than using the photo setting the white blance in the camera.
 
hsp70, thanks, yes that's what I do.

I take a photo of the card prior to a batch of photos, then when doing post-processing I use the eyedropper tool on the photo with the card. That gives me a colour temperature (eg 5000K) which I then use when I process that batch of photos.
 
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