White Balance

If I understand this correctly, when you shoot raw the white balance setting on the camera does not effect the photo. Then during post processing the white balance can be adjusted. True or False?

However if the white balance is effected when you shoot raw, should you use custom white balance and set with a white balance card? At that point less post processing for white balance would be required.

I shoot with a 20D

#1, True

#2, No, 99% of people who shoot with RAW just use 'Auto WB' and then correct it in Post Processing.

Denny you can take an occasional "white balance card" shot in the lighting your working with _ all the time while using the Auto WB setting. In post processing you can use the custom white balance tool to select the wb card shot and from there copy the settings to the raw files of the images taken in that lighting.

can you let me know what you do in post processing to fix white balance.
Is it as simple as clicking on anything that is white in the frame with the custom white balance tool?

Kinda yes _ if its the proper color tone. Play around with it till you see the results that you think best resembles the setting of the photo. Something a true 18% Grey is best.

If you going to shoot a grey card, take the extra moment to set CWB. The jpg previews in the LCD will be rendered using that CWB, and as you may have discovered, WB can effect the histo that are relying on for a good exposure.

I shoot with a 20D and use RAW plus large/fine JPG. The white balance setting that I use in the camera definitely affects the .JPG image, and becomes the default for the RAW conversion. It is definitely best to choose the right white balance setting up front, as it saves work. Custom white balance would probably give you the best results.

I find that AWB is wrong more often than it is right, and will never use it again. Many folks have found the same thing. The statement that 99% of the folks using RAW shoot with AWB selected is probably incorrect.

For work with critical colors, I will often include a gray card in one shot so that I can use an "eyedropper" tool in the RAW conversion process and click on the gray card for white balance correction. Then, I just use the color temperature value from that in all the rest of the RAW conversions from the batch of shots taken in the same lighting situation.

I would think the answer to #1 is false. If you set the WB to Tungsten then the picture would come out at 3200K and if it were taken in White Flourescent Light the temp would come out 4000K and the two pictures would look different and have to be adjusted to get the correct temp (or white balance). This is one of the advantages of RAW as the conversion softwear allows changing the mode or the temperature. I think if you are shooting RAW it's not worth the trouble and time to worry about the Gray/White card since you have post control of the white balance. This is just a novice's opinion.

No. Some raw converters apply the "As Shot" WB by default. The only thing that will look different is the thumbnail preview on the camera LCD> This leads to the next point. The histogram that many use to determine correct exposure is based off that jpg. Take a look at what WB can do to the exposure when opened in a raw converter. It also saves time if you can open the image using "As Shot" WB if you have set a relevent CWB. Remember, you are not changing the white balance, you are applying a white balance setting to a raw file in order to create an image. Subtle, but different.

Yes, the raw converters I use do apply the "as shot" WB by default. Sometimes I will have the WB on the wrong setting when I take the shot and it shows to be way off on the image I get. This is why I was thinking you see what you shot at the settings you shot but I guess I learned something - thanks.