White Balance
I, like many other photographers, struggled to understand White Balance. I read and experimented and slowly began to understand, mostly on how it effects the image and not always in a good way. :)
White Balance is a part of digital photography that is often misunderstood and not set up properly. White Balance, also called Color Balance, is something well worth learning about as it has an enormous impact on the images you take.
One of the best ways to avoid unnecessary image manipulation at the computer is to make proper use of the white balance controls. Here is what each of the white balance settings do:
Auto - The camera will pick a color balance based on scene content. It has an approximate range of 3000K to 7000K. Most of the time Auto does surprisingly well, even into fluorescent light. In tungsten, however, it tends to be too warm. And, more importantly, it can change the color temperature adjustment it makes for every frame, leaving you with not only a possible color cast but a different one in every image. Auto is a sure way to avoid consistent color and therefore, is rarely a good choice.
Tungsten - sets the color temperature at 3200 Kelvin.
Fluorescent - 4000 Kelvin
Daylight - 5200 Kelvin
Flash - 6000 Kelvin, perfect match for the 550EX and 580EX
Cloudy - 6000 Kelvin
Shade - 7000 Kelvin
Kelvin - allows settings from 2800 to 10,000 in 100K increments.
Custom White Balance - allows you to adjust for the existing light to produce neutral color in your photos. It offers the greatest range, from 2000 to 10,000 Kelvin. Custom White Balance is by far the most powerful of the options and is the simplest way to get the color right. Do remember though, that the right color isn't necessarily the prettiest.
In order to create a good Custom White Balance you need to keep in mind the following:
Read a good tutorial on White Balance here.
White Balance is a part of digital photography that is often misunderstood and not set up properly. White Balance, also called Color Balance, is something well worth learning about as it has an enormous impact on the images you take.
One of the best ways to avoid unnecessary image manipulation at the computer is to make proper use of the white balance controls. Here is what each of the white balance settings do:
Auto - The camera will pick a color balance based on scene content. It has an approximate range of 3000K to 7000K. Most of the time Auto does surprisingly well, even into fluorescent light. In tungsten, however, it tends to be too warm. And, more importantly, it can change the color temperature adjustment it makes for every frame, leaving you with not only a possible color cast but a different one in every image. Auto is a sure way to avoid consistent color and therefore, is rarely a good choice.
Tungsten - sets the color temperature at 3200 Kelvin.
Fluorescent - 4000 Kelvin
Daylight - 5200 Kelvin
Flash - 6000 Kelvin, perfect match for the 550EX and 580EX
Cloudy - 6000 Kelvin
Shade - 7000 Kelvin
Kelvin - allows settings from 2800 to 10,000 in 100K increments.
Custom White Balance - allows you to adjust for the existing light to produce neutral color in your photos. It offers the greatest range, from 2000 to 10,000 Kelvin. Custom White Balance is by far the most powerful of the options and is the simplest way to get the color right. Do remember though, that the right color isn't necessarily the prettiest.
In order to create a good Custom White Balance you need to keep in mind the following:
- Custom White Balance must be created in the light your subject will be in.
- A proper gray card should be used. You should shoot a "neutral target," which means something that doesn't have any color in it. Any photo gray card will do (can be an 18% or a 70% gray card.)
- The card does not need to fill the frame but it does need to fill the center spot metering circle.
- After shooting the card, go back to your camera Custom White Balance menus and select the frame you just shot with the gray card.
- Make sure you are shooting with your white balance setting to Custom White Balance.
Read a good tutorial on White Balance here.
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