Custom White balance - a test

Another night out on the deck and thought I'd give an impromptu grey card a test. I think what came out is pretty cool, so I thought I'd share. I am interested to know how many people use a CWB a lot of the time.

Anyway, on to the pictures. They're not overly sharp, but I guess IS can't save me all the time.

All tree pictures are at:
ISO 1600
1/3 second
f/4.0
127mm

Impromptu CWB picture:
ISO 1600
1/2 second
f/4.0
106mm

Top Photo is with Tungsten White Balance
Bottom Photo is with Auto White Balance

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Top Photo Below me is my impromptu CWB picture. Its one of my lawn chairs, but obviously falls under the same light. The chair was white but has turned a little grey over its life.
Bottom Photo Below is the tree again with the custom white balance set.

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If you are a JPG shooter, it is a must to get your white balance right, because it will be hard to change in post processing. I shoot raw, so don't worry too much about WB as it is very easy to change in post processing.

I guess I didn't realize how much of a difference a custom white balance could make. I mean the outcome isn't perfect, but a quick PP trial and its rather awkward to get that kind of green from the auto white balance picture. Methinks I need a grey card now.

Wow, that's quite a difference...really shows the importance of getting the white balance correct.

I've been thinking about picking up an ExpoDisc to help me get custom white balance settings.

Samanax

This really only matters if you don't shoot raw. If you shoot raw, then you can change the white balance very easily in DPP or Adobe Camera Raw by simply selecting the desired white balance from a drop down menue. While you can change white balance for JPG, it is a bit of a hassle when compared to RAW.

This definitely ought to pique the jpeg shooters' interest..Nice job!

Changing WB in post on a JPEG results in a lot of lost information. If you shoot JPEG, you MUST get the WB right in camera. For me, the ability to adjust WB in post is the biggest reason to shoot RAW.