Sort of regretting my WhiBal purchase . . .

Jon wrote in post #10660142
Does it look correct on your monitor? That's the target Wilt uses to set WB in post-processing. If you see it as a neutral black/grey/white on your monitor then your WhiBal card (or the conditions under which you used it) is funky. But if it has a colour cast your monitor needs to be recalibrated. I'm seeing black/grey/white on my monitor here.

Thanks -- yes, that's what I see. I don't generally see a color cast unless the WB is wrong (shady is warm, sunny is blue, etc.) I did with the WhiBal, but my use was limited. I will try again today, but using RAW, I think it may not be a necessary tool for me after all.

YankeeMom wrote in post #10660125
Well, this is what I was pretty much thinking -- is the WhiBal (and similar cards) really just for those who shoot jpeg? Of course, if I did, the card would make perfect sense, but with RAW and DPP, I wonder if I just don't need it. I guess I should have thought more about that when I ordered.

you're getting more than your money's worth of mental anguish from this purchase .

ed rader

YankeeMom wrote in post #10660125
Well, this is what I was pretty much thinking -- is the WhiBal (and similar cards) really just for those who shoot jpeg? Of course, if I did, the card would make perfect sense, but with RAW and DPP, I wonder if I just don't need it. I guess I should have thought more about that when I ordered.

Any WB target is for anyone who needs a known target for accurate color temperature. RAW or JPEG doesn't matter. A white dress isn't necessarily white as far as WB is concerned. Same goes for a piece of printer paper. Both might be close enough but you can't be certain in advance.

Whether a given target is useful and worth purchasing is another matter.

ed rader wrote in post #10660447
you're getting more than your money's worth of mental anguish from this purchase .

ed rader

Ha! No, it's not that bad. I just hate returning things.

YankeeMom wrote in post #10660151
Thanks -- yes, that's what I see. I don't generally see a color cast unless the WB is wrong (shady is warm, sunny is blue, etc.) I did with the WhiBal, but my use was limited. I will try again today, but using RAW, I think it may not be a necessary tool for me after all.

If you SEE neutral gray and white on your monitor looking at what I posted, and you also see neutral gray (although a bit brighter than the 18% gray center on the PhotoVision target in my shot) with the WhiBal card, your monitor and WhiBal are both neutral and not color shifted.

So if on the monitor it looks right when you adjust a photo, yet when it is printed it shifts, then BLAME THE PRINTER!

I feel my whibal has worked great with my camera- although the T1i is known for producing warmer images.

YankeeMom wrote in post #10660512
Ha! No, it's not that bad. I just hate returning things.

i've given things away before that were bugging me just to get mental closure. peace of mind for 30 bucks is actually a pretty good deal .

ed rader

ed rader wrote in post #10660640
i've given things away before that were bugging me just to get mental closure. peace of mind for 30 bucks is actually a pretty good deal .

ed rader

Then there's the "Maybe I should keep it just in case . . ." quandry.

Well, I'll play with it a little more in better light today.

I would be very uncomfortable if I didn't include a reference in one frame of every light I shoot in.

poloman wrote in post #10662089
I would be very uncomfortable if I didn't include a reference in one frame of every light I shoot in.

I can see that. I don't always use custom, but there are definitely times . . .

YankeeMom wrote in post #10662180
I can see that. I don't always use custom, but there are definitely times . . .

How do you use your WhiBal card? Explaining your work flow may help us figure out something you are not doing quite correctly which could be the cause of your grief.

I have never had any problems using either my WhiBal cards or my 40-year-old Kodak gray cards for white balance control.

I posted 3 sample photos here: https://photography-on-the.net …p?p=10663360#po​st10663360

Wilt wrote in post #10658067
Just pasted it to this reply,

as well as edited my earlier post.

photobucket seems to be having issues, as it is screwing up even links in a very old stickie! Right now I cannot even log into my photobucket account to look at what had been downloaded to my folders.

I downloaded the file you had linked. The one you posted in the thread had a faint reddish cast to it. I opened the downloaded file in PS, also had the redddish cast there, and looked at the individual RGB values in the white of the target with the eyedropper R=223, G=218, B=214. Subsequently I did a quicky auto color correction and the RGB values were now R=223, G=244, B=243 and that is the image I posted below. It now looks "white" on my screen. I'm using a Pantone Huey which has worked reasonably well (I think). Does what I posted look correct?

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

Mark, yeah your correction looks more neutral on my monitor too. I chose the photo to post late at night while using a laptop (in front of the TV while ignoring all the junk programming), and failed to recognize that this shot had the 'sin' of not having uniform illumination...you can see a difference in color balance from bottom to top!