How do you select White Balance?

Hey, guys

I have two cases.
1. When you shoot indoor sports, How do you guys select white balance?
2. During traveling, how do you select white balance?

Last question, how often you use gray card?

I shoot RAW for everything and select it in post, you can use a grey card or white card for that to be perfect, for my amateur needs I just pick a white object from the scene so it looks right.

If forced to use in-camera method I think the simplest is the Expodisc method using custom WB - do a search for details. I have tried this using a white coffee filter since I am cheap and it works remarkably well.

I used to just use a coffee filter I kept in my bag, but now I shoot in AWB and fix it in post processing. Ever since I discovered how easy it is to make huge improvements in my pics using DPP, I PP everything, and it is just easier to shoot in AWB and fix the WB later. And if shooting RAW doesn't work for you, it doesn't matter as it is just as easy to fix white balance in DPP on jpegs.

Yeah, I do the same AWB, I bought a white/grey card but never seem to use it as I usually am shooting on the fly...Sometimes I spot...but usually AWB+Raw, I process just about every shot I take so If WB is off a bit I use the little dropper tool to spot balance a white object. I will however use the cards if I'm setting up a like a portrait shoot

Although newer software like DPP and Lightroom can fix WB on jpgs it isn't the same as doing it with RAW - you have discarded data by the time it gets to jpg and manipulating remaining data will give some quality loss. For many purposes that loss may not be noticeable or significant.

Like others, I mostly just do it in post processing, if needed. But, I shoot mostly RAW where it's easy to change, too.

I try to watch out for situations where lighting might be a problem... example, mixed light sources, or nasty ones like sodium vapor. I have a small set of cards in my bag, to set custom white balance, if needed. Among the set are neutral, warm, extra warm, cool and two fluorescent types of biases.

I also have a gray card, but only use it for exposure checks.

I'd love to have a color meter, and am glad to see Kenko has picked up the old Minolta meter line. Some day when I have an extra $900 that's not going toward lenses or bodies, I might get one!

Indoors, I have a gray card, and try to set it off that. Or, I'll use someone's white shirt if I forget my card. When either of those don't work, I'll start spinning through the choices on the 30D until something looks reasonable on the LCD.

If all those methods barf, I'll use the color cast button in ACDSee.

Shoot JPGs for everything.

KirkHMB wrote in post #4189483
Indoors, I have a gray card, and try to set it off that. Or, I'll use someone's white shirt if I forget my card. When either of those don't work, I'll start spinning through the choices on the 30D until something looks reasonable on the LCD.

If all those methods barf, I'll use the color cast button in ACDSee.

Shoot JPGs for everything.

i've done that plenty of times .

if there is ever a time to shoot RAW it's indoors.

ed rader

I find that my camera does a good job outdoors with AWB. If it is indoors I will do a custom white balance if it something important but not if it is just snaps. I shoot everything raw but I find that custom white balance is still better when it really matters or if the lighting is weird.

I take the easy route. Shoot everything in RAW and upon import in CS2 with Adobe Raw, I select Auto for the White Balance and take it back to original if needed on a case by case basis. It's a great procedure to get indoor shots that get very yellow/orange back in line.

For icehockey I set the WB off the ice. For other sports I try to remember to bring a sheet of A4 paper - I should go put one in my camera bag now. If I don't have a suitable white object I just use AWB and set the white balance when converting the RAW files.

I bought a set of WhiBal cards ages ago but sort of forgot about it and it has been sitting in a drawer. I need to bring that out and try it.

Others have reported getting a good white balance reading from their Canon lens cap. Obviously this would be one with just silver and black, not one with "ultrasonic" in gold.

I haven't tried this yet, I keep forgetting...

-js

Shoot RAW, set the camera to AWB, change as needed in DPP, Adobe Camera RAW, etc etc. Outdoor, AWB seems to mostly work OK, indoors it's not great imho. A grey card isn't a bad idea, providing the light that you test the grey card with is the same as your subject. If you can get the white balance correct in camera, it will save you time in PP later on, and that's always desirable imho.

Dave

I set the WB the same way regardless of indoors or outdoors. Press the WB button and spin the dial until the white balance I want to use comes up.

At my daughters cheerleading and basketball games I use the coffee filter trick to set custom WB and shoot RAW. I find that getting the white balance right saves me time PP later. I shoot everything RAW.

bill