"Flash" White Balance setting

Does anyone use the Flash WB setting when using OCF or do most of you just use AWB or Tungsten/Fluorescent?

It depends on several factors, but whenever possible I will use a gray card to set a custom white balance. Helps to reduce problems caused by things like bouncing the light from the flash off of a "white" ceiling that is actually a little blue.

Grey card here too!

If you have to select one thing, daylight seems to work best for me.

dave

If I'm using my flash as the sole source of light in the image, I always use the Flash WB. It comes out way better than any of the others, for me.

I just use auto white balance, i switch to flash when pictures behind my lcd become way too color shifted.. auto white balance for me usually gives a good tint reading for me, so i just change WB in post.

flash WB when using my canon speedlights, daylight when using my Elinchrom RX AS speeds. I'll shoot a couple of WhiBal shots in mixed.

Gray card.

I use a color checker.

Michelle Brooks Photography wrote in post #12002912
Does anyone use the Flash WB setting when using OCF or do most of you just use AWB or Tungsten/Fluorescent?

I shoot raw, so it's not a big deal. I always get a shot of my Whi-Bal card and CCPP after setting up the shot. When you shoot raw and import into photoshop or lightroom, the WB in the camera isn't imported anyways.
Yes, you can change it in the settings, but by using the CCPP from X-Rite, my cameras are color profiled and the files imported use that calibration because it's my preset import default in ACR.
Then I just pick my frame with the Whi-Bal and CCPP to WB everything in ACR.

So even if you don't use a WB card and shoot RAW, you can change the WB in ACR. You just pick anything in the images with a 128 color number for a neutral gray. Just make sure you're shooting RAW for the best results in PP and WB adjustments.

You should set your camera to neutral and drop the contrast as low as possible, because the image on the preview window is a jpeg representation of the file. This will help you get a better idea of what your image actually is.

The only program that looks at and imports your cameras settings is DPP

It's a kinda confusing question TBH.

If you have mixed light sources - flash/tungsten/fluores​cent - then you'll not get everything neutral whatever you do, and you won't be able to correct it in post. The usual method is to gel the flash to match the ambient as best you can and then set custom white balance from an area lit mainly by the flash as that's usually the more important foreground. Tungsten is pretty easy to gel with a CTO, but fluorescents can vary a lot and be a right pain to get dead right. It usually doesn't matter too much so long as you're close-ish in colour, and the foreground is right.

Bear in mind that when the flash is connected to the camera, auto white balance switches automatically to flash.

the Flash WB will get a "decent" color with OCF flash. manual WB is the way if you shot jpeg, and a grey card/white balance cards are the way for RAW.

when using "on-camera" flash, its the one you should use. cause based in the flash power, the camera changes the WB, cause different power settings have different white balance. the result will be almost perfect. (if you use straight flash)

Sorry, I did not mean a situation where you have all those types of lighting, I meant, in each of those lighting situations...I just didn't feel like putting "or" so I used the / symbol instead. I appreciate your reply!

Hoppy1 wrote in post #12010913
It's a kinda confusing question TBH.

If you have mixed light sources - flash/tungsten/fluores​cent - then you'll not get everything neutral whatever you do, and you won't be able to correct it in post. The usual method is to gel the flash to match the ambient as best you can and then set custom white balance from an area lit mainly by the flash as that's usually the more important foreground. Tungsten is pretty easy to gel with a CTO, but fluorescents can vary a lot and be a right pain to get dead right. It usually doesn't matter too much so long as you're close-ish in colour, and the foreground is right.

Bear in mind that when the flash is connected to the camera, auto white balance switches automatically to flash.

I shoot in RAW and will actually use the Kelvin WB (just listed as K in the WB menu) whenever I have mixed lighting, then go back in LR and do any necessary color correction. I can usually get pretty close to guessing the right Kelvin temperature and, since my Canon 5Ds images tend to be a little too red/yellow, I can insure I have a cooler temperature to begin with and then use LR to warm it up if need be.

Custom is best. Presets are expidient. AWB only works if the camera knows what color your subject is. (it doesn't) therefore it tries to guess what is color data and what the overall 'cast' is. It's not horrible for folks who don't give a cr*p about color. (95% of rebel owners) (you know the pop up flash usin', green box mode engagin', kit lens does it all types)
If you're on this forum though... you can do better.
I guess what I'm trying to say is AWB is for people who don't want to understand what white balance is, but since they just spent $500 on a camera (GASP) the manufacturer at least tries to give them a good picture.