Question About Custom WB

[whereismykit]

When you are taking a Picture of the white sheet, grey card, pringles can or coffee filter, or whatever it is. Do you set the camera to AWB setting, tungsten, cloudy, fluorescent.

And when you are using the pringles can lid, or coffee filter are you holding it right up to the lens or arms lenght away.


Thanks for the help in advance.

[tim]

I always set it to auto. The object you're taking a photo of should fill the area around the middle four sensors in your viewfinder. Stick it on manual focus too.

[Jon]

According to the D60 and, IIRC, 20D manuals you can use any mode.

[snibbetsj]

I doesn't make any difference what the setting is when you take the picture of the WB card (whatever you're using). You DO need to get a correct exposure for it to work properly.


Merry Christmas :D

[hmhm]

Doesn't matter what custom wb is in effect when the "sample" shot is taken. It will impact the "appearance" of the sample shot as seen in the LCD, but that's not relevant to how it is applied to subsequent shots.

If you're going to use a "coffee filter", you're using the filter/lid/whatever as a diffusion filter to "mix together" the light that comes in, and you're inherently using the camera as an "incident" meter. You want to hold the filter right up against the lens, and try to minimize any light "leaks" around the edge, and (ideally) you want to aim the camera towards the light source, and (ideally) position the camera where your subject is (not necessarily possible, of course). Remember to turn the lens to MF, as AF won't work anyway through the filter (there's no need for focusing on anything).

Note that this mode of use is different from a gray card, where you're using the camera as a "reflective" meter, and the image of the gray card just needs to fill the circle in the viewfinder.
-harry

[tim]

Are you sure about that Harry? I always put the white piece of paper in the same type of light that i'll be shooting in.

[maderito]

Are you sure about that Harry? . I'd say Harry knows what he's talking about since everything he said is correct. As they say ... "what he said."

[maderito]

I always put the white piece of paper in the same type of light that i'll be shooting in. That's the standard way of doing the custom white balance. The coffee filter and Pringle's lid methods are done as Harry described.

[whereismykit]

Think I got it. Thank you all for the help.

Merry Xmas to everyone

[rodbunn]

You put the white card, or filter IN the ligting that you are going
to shoot in. Why would you shoot through the object like the coffee
filter??? You want to shot the card ( or filter ) in the light. Then when
you want to shoot under that light you choose that pic as the CWB choice.

Yes, you try and fill the whole shot with the card (or whatever you are
shooting)...

You can use an object that doesn't let light through it for the object of
your white ballance, so you couldn't shoot through it like stated before.

My opinin and my 2 cents for what it's worth !
Later, Rod

[snibbetsj]

The whole idea is to let the cameras' processor "know" what kind of light (color temperature) you're shooting in. Thus, you must get the card in the same light you shoot in. You cannot do a CWB in one kind of light (say indoors), and then move outside to the sun or shade and shoot and expect it to work.


Merry Christmas :)

[eosster]

The whole idea is to let the cameras' processor "know" what kind of light (color temperature) you're shooting in. Thus, you must get the card in the same light you shoot in. You cannot do a CWB in one kind of light (say indoors), and then move outside to the sun or shade and shoot and expect it to work.


Merry Christmas :)
I totally agree...and why it's called custom WB, carrying a graycard would be best choice or use sheet of white paper and fill your shot in Partial metering circle in VF,

Cheers,

Charles,

[cecilc]

Why would you shoot through the object like the coffee
filter???
You can use an object that doesn't let light through it for the object of
your white ballance, so you couldn't shoot through it like stated before.

Actually, Rod, both ways work ....

I've set custom white balance by exposing a frame OFF of a sheet of white paper. And I've set custom white balance by exposing a frame with 2 coffee filters over the end of the lens and shooting AT the overhead lights.

And both procedures work - although, after trying both I prefer the results using the coffee filter. But that's just a personal preference as I'm sure that a lot of other people prefer the results they get from shooting OFF of a white sheet or a grey card.

Both of these images are shot with a custom white balance shooting THROUGH 2 coffee filters AT the overhead lights:

http://www.awesomehouse.com/images/walton.jpg http://www.awesomehouse.com/images/walton1.jpg

Don't knock it till you've tried it .....

[eosster]

Nice shot, another little secret I've learned...thanks for posting results with coffee filter as I have lot of coffee filter in my place, any particular brand, lol...

Cheers,

Charles,

[robertwgross]

I've stated this before, but I'll state it again. The white paper sheet must be pure white, or else it will do odd things to your white balance. What looks sort of like white may not be pure white.

You can use this for an odd effect, if you choose. If you shoot a pinkish white paper for the custom white balance, and then set it there, you will get the opposite shading happening in your future shots, maybe a bluish. If you shoot a bluish white paper for it, and set it there, you'll get sort of a pinkish white in your future shots.

---Bob Gross---

[eosster]

Any particlular white paper brand you shoot with Bob? or do you use gray card for your CWB?

Cheers,

Charles,

[robertwgross]

No particular brand. I just tried several very white sheets until I found the one that seemed to give me the best results when the image is later applied to a color-calibrated computer. If your computer is not color-calibrated, then ignore everything that I have stated.

---Bob Gross---

[NormanL]

Hi Cecil,

Those are nice shots. I've not been doing well trying to get shots of my grandson playing basketball. Could you tell me what equipment (lighting?) you used to get these shots?

The lights in the gym seem to be halogen and I just let the D20 on AWB. Were you using the filters for a special affect? I just wondered what that improves?

Would the coffee filter WB help me taking shots of birds when I have a white snow background. Black birds on white background doesn't work well for me.

Thanks
Norm

[wolf]

Nice shot, another little secret I've learned...thanks for posting results with coffee filter as I have lot of coffee filter in my place, any particular brand, lol...

Cheers,

Charles,

I use the "L" brand - MeLitta with excellent results. The nice thing about coffee filters is you can carry them around in your shirt pocket.

[tim]

Is there a cheap way to color calibrate your monitor?

[eosster]

If you have Adobe PS, you can use adobe gamma to calibrate it, I personallly use Monaco to calibrate my monitor, but I think it's too pricy for it, oh well, you gotta have prpopery calibrated monitor for your expensive digital cameras when your doing a post processing with any kind of files.

Cheers,

Charles,

[tim]

If you have Adobe PS, you can use adobe gamma to calibrate it, I personallly use Monaco to calibrate my monitor, but I think it's too pricy for it, oh well, you gotta have prpopery calibrated monitor for your expensive digital cameras when your doing a post processing with any kind of files.

I don't see that on my start menu... and the photoshop help's no good, it says "use adobe gamma" without saying what, where or how. Could you give me another clue? ;)

[eosster]

I don't see that on my start menu... and the photoshop help's no good, it says "use adobe gamma" without saying what, where or how. Could you give me another clue? ;)
Hi Tim,

It's under the control panel and change it to classic view and you will see the Adobe Gamma, the one monitor with curve in it. Hope this helps,

Cheers,

Charles,

[tim]

It's under the control panel and change it to classic view and you will see the Adobe Gamma, the one monitor with curve in it. Hope this helps,

I see it now, thanks :)

[eosster]

NP, glad I could help. :).

Cheers,

Charles,

[cecilc]

Could you tell me what equipment (lighting?) you used to get these shots?
Hi Norm ....

Those shots were taken using existing gym lighting at ISO 1600 at 1/250 with a Canon 100mm 2.0 lens with a custom white balance setting. I also had a 550EX on and powered down to 1/32 power just to add some "fill" light .... (although, in the shot on the left, that "fill" had a minimal effect on the shot).

Were you using the filters for a special affect? I just wondered what that improves?
The only reason I was using the coffee filters was for custom white balance ..... I wasn't after any special effects - just correct color. I've shot basketball using the 20D's AWB and fluorescent light setting and always came up with some odd color cast to the shots. So I tried the custom white balance settings and have been much more satisfied with the results. With custom white balance, you're just trying to let the camera see what "white" looks like in the lighting that you're shooting in .....

Would the coffee filter WB help me taking shots of birds when I have a white snow background.
Not sure about the black birds on white snow situation - never done that myself. But I'd have to assume that a custom white balance would work on most any situation ....