Fixing Color Balance : Why So Random?

[bonoboprobo]

I have some images that need to have the color balance fixed, and have used all the tools that I can get may hands on, but the process seems so random.

Specificaly I have some PowerShot S30 .jpg's that I show outdoors on a nice, slightly cloudy day, with the color balance set to "Flash" (Many mistakes there, but the camera was new...) so I have a white balance problem, and want to fix it.

So I have tried: Ulead PhotoImpression 7.0, ThumbsPlus 5, LviewPro (and Yarc and BreezeBrowser on .crw) And all the tools seem to based on some version of "click some random part of the image, and the the problem might get fixed." Which is pretty random. And even if you can get something that looks ok, with the exception of BB and Yarc thus on .crw's only, it's dificult to cary the fix to a group of files.

So what I am looking for is a tool that
1. helps me fix bad color balances. It would be nice if the tool was both helpfull (does a good job of guessing) and informative (tells you what it did) and adjustable (for fine tuneing)
2. allows a group of fixes (colorbalance, brightness, saturation, gamma, etc) to be applied to a group of images.

BB and Yarc do #2, but only on raw files. No tool that I have run accross seems to do a good job with 1.

Help? Sugestions? I have many hours into this, and don't mind spending many more, but would like some clues.

-BP

[kdobson]

Quickest and easiest: AutoLevels (under Enhance in PS-Elements)

AutoLevels will get rid of one overall color imbalance. Try it first, and if it doesn't work, undo, and move on to either a manual process (using levels -- it's actually quite easy) or one of the following:

Extensis Intellihance Pro:
http://www.extensis.com/intellihancepro/

iCorrect and iCorrect editlab:
http://www.picto.com/icorrect/
Or, I've heard good reviews of this one, but I've tried the demo and didn't really like it.

BTW, you're not just clicking in random spots. "Though this be madness, yet there is method in it." Have a look at this article:

http://www.ledet.com/margulis/PP6_Chapter2.pdf

It does a pretty good job of explaining which "random" spot to click on.

- Kevin

[Mike K]

So I have tried: Ulead PhotoImpression 7.0, ThumbsPlus 5, LviewPro (and Yarc and BreezeBrowser on .crw) And all the tools seem to based on some version of "click some random part of the image, and the the problem might get fixed." Which is pretty random. And even if you can get something that looks ok, with the exception of BB and Yarc thus on .crw's only, it's dificult to cary the fix to a group of files.

So what I am looking for is a tool that
1. helps me fix bad color balances. It would be nice if the tool was both helpfull (does a good job of guessing) and informative (tells you what it did) and adjustable (for fine tuneing)
2. allows a group of fixes (colorbalance, brightness, saturation, gamma, etc) to be applied to a group of images.
------------------------------------
The simple answer is to click on any non-colored pixel: white, gray or black. This can of course be done when converting RAW to TIFF or JPEG using Breezebrowser or the supplied RAW Canon converter or Zoombrowser (use the new 3.2.1 on the powershot web site). When converting RAW, WB, saturation, sharpness, and contrast can all be set and run in batch mode.
The more complex answer provided by the excellent tutorial of the previous post, is that you really need to learn to use the Levels commands in photoshop, the Curves command for the finer adjustments of color. Levels (indivudual R,G,B channels) will normally provide an acceptable way to adjust color casts, brightness and contrast all at once with good control. Curves is like a non-linear adjustment of the same.
Mike K

[bonoboprobo]

> The simple answer is to click on any non-colored pixel: white, gray or black.

Yes, tried that, and found that: White or black may be too white or black, and therefor not able to properly inform the program, and grey...well it seems there are many shades of grey. When picking the grey, you have to think about where the grey is getting it's light -direct, reflection, from what color surface... That's why it seems so random.

I'm reading the article, and it's great, and will set me in the right direction, thanks gents.

Question, though, do I need to spring the megabucks for PhotoShop, or would I get good curves support in PSP, Ulead? The Adobe site says that curves are not supported in PS Elements.