Sort of regretting my WhiBal purchase . . .

I got a reference card (for WB, of course) because I thought it would only help in that area and I find it is not serving me well. Granted, I only got it today and just test-shot a few things, but I'm disappointed.

Usually, I shoot in RAW and adjust WB in DPP. I might use a pre-set, but often I make minor adjustments in "color temperature." When I used the "dropper" under "click white balance" in DPP on the WhiBal card, most of the time the WB was way too warm and I had to still cool it down in "color temperature." This was true with both people and flower shots.

I don't know -- am I doing something wrong? I mostly thought this card would help me with portraits, but now I'm not sure. Honestly, I wasn't haven't a huge problem adjusting WB (in DPP) in the first place, so maybe I should just return it. (The card cost $30.00.) If it's not going to make things much easier (on the contrary, the work seems to be the same), then I could certainly put that money to better use.

Just wonder how others have used or experienced the WhiBal -- also, how it compared to much cheaper cards.

Is your monitor calibrated?

Badger49456 wrote in post #10657270
Is your monitor calibrated?

Yes.

Which target are you clicking on? White, Grey or Black?

You should be using the Grey.

Is the WhiBal in the exact same light as your subject? Are they holding it up for you right in front of their face?

The gray card must be held in a way that does not directly reflect the lighting source at the camera. Having the card at the wrong angle can upset the results. You also have to get the exposure right to get good results.

Kristin - can you post an image or two that come up "too cool"? The images should have easily identifiable colors so that we can judge as well.

When you say that your monitor has been calibrated, do you mean with a colorimeter/software package or just software?

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #10657338
Which target are you clicking on? White, Grey or Black?

You should be using the Grey.

Is the WhiBal in the exact same light as your subject? Are they holding it up for you right in front of their face?

Yes, I click on the grey and I set the card right next to the flowers and my daughter held it in a candid (not great light in that one, though.) I will try again tomorrow with a portrait and, if it doesn't work well, I'll return it. It makes no sense to keep something that isn't lightening my workload any.

SkipD wrote in post #10657362
The gray card must be held in a way that does not directly reflect the lighting source at the camera. Having the card at the wrong angle can upset the results. You also have to get the exposure right to get good results.

Ugh -- it's sounding even MORE complicated. Maybe sticking with adjustments in DPP is best.

Actually, they come up too warm (my flower ones.) I will post them -- and a sample portrait -- tomorrow. The exposure wasn't perfect (it was early evening.)

I used an online program to calibrate my monitor years ago. I can't remember what, though. All I can say is that I use RAW and have my 8X10 portraits printed at MPIX and the WYSIWYG is about perfect.

Do you submit your stuff to MPix as "No Adjustments" or let them tweak them?

Honestly, a software-calibrated monitor "years ago" is not a calibrated monitor.

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #10657396
Do you submit your stuff to MPix as "No Adjustments" or let them tweak them?

Honestly, a software-calibrated monitor "years ago" is not a calibrated monitor.

I let them adjust the photos. They look almost exactly like what I see on my monitor. By years ago, I guess I mean just a few years ago (2008.) Sorry about that.

Well, if you're letting MPix tweak your images, they're probably fixing the cast that you're seeing.

You need to get a proper hardware calibration device and then I bet your stuff won't look so warm afterwards.

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #10657416
Well, if you're letting MPix tweak your images, they're probably fixing the cast that you're seeing.

You need to get a proper hardware calibration device and then I bet your stuff won't look so warm afterwards.

I don't have a cast when I do WB adjustment in DPP myself. I only saw it when I used the WhiBal. I shoot in RAW and do WB adjustment in DPP and they look great. When I send them off to print at MPIX, still great.

I only saw a warm cast when I used the WhiBal alone to adjust my WB.

I could be doing something wrong with the card, so I'll try again tomorrow. I just need to decide soon if I am going to return it.

YankeeMom wrote in post #10657403
I let them adjust the photos. They look almost exactly like what I see on my monitor. By years ago, I guess I mean just a few years ago (2008.) Sorry about that.

If you're really concerned about colors (and a lot of us are), you really need to use a hardware/software monitor calibration package that measures the intensities of all three RGB colors (and maybe more) and do that probably four times a year to keep up with the changes that occur in monitors.

Using the WhiBal card is really quite easy. You just have to make sure that it isn't acting like a mirror and, as a result, being overexposed. You also need to make sure that your exposure control is close in the camera. These steps make for far better images than "fixing" images in post-processing anyway, so if you need to get a bit fussier your images will benefit in the long run.

I find that a handheld incident light meter saves me a lot of time and grief, and I use my camera in Manual mode most of the time. I can work faster and better (meaning a higher percentage of accurate exposures and consistent exposures throughout a series) than many other photographers who are depending on the camera's automation for exposure control.

One more thought, Kristin - what size WhiBal card are you using? I use the 8x10 card most often and find it quite easy to use. I can see where using the smallest size could be problematic at times. I have all three sizes for different applications.

Thanks, Skip -- I generally do not have any trouble with colors. What I mean is, when I "develop" a RAW file and send it off to print -- what I see on my screen is virtually the same as what I get from MPIX. It's shockingly consistently. Now, if I saw a "perfect" photo on my screen, but they came back with a different "tint", I would probably be concerned about my monitor.

Of course, they could be making adjustments, but the same thing happens when I send snapshots to my local one-hour WalMart. I get what I see.

Anyway, I don't disagree that checking the calibrations is a good idea, but I think the way I am holding the card or maybe the exposure might be some of the problem. I don't know -- but it's not worked well so far!

We'll see what happens tomorrow.

Oh, and yes, I got the smaller card (2-1/2 by 3 inches, I think?) And that was $30.00! I considered the larger card, but I figured that was more "friendly" for studios -- not easy to carry around or throw in my camera bag. This small card hangs around my neck.)

http://i69.photobucket​.com …wiltonw/Postpro​cessed.jpg
Save this photo to your computer...it is neutral for R-G-B values and should display properly on your monitor.