Scene file settings and white balance

[Richard Allen Crook]

Question: Do you white balance after you are dialed into the desired scene file or do you white balance at the stock "zero" setting and then dial in the scene file?

For example: Let's say I'm dialed into a scene file that provides the look desired, like a warmer look where the picture is slightly orange. When I white balance, is seems to totally counter the warmer temperature settings therefore diminishing the look.

Should I just stop worrying about color and shoot with stock settings, and do all correction in post?

 

[Steve Eisen]

The correct way to white balance is to set up all your lights for your scene. Pull out a white balance card (Warm Cards, DSC Chart, white piece of paper) and zoom in and fill your screen and press you white balance button.

Now you can adjust your scene file to your liking.

If you do the color correction in post because you did not white balance, I hope you are the one doing the editing. I would kill someone if they did that to me.

 

[Richard Allen Crook]

I'm not saying to not white balance and then worry about correcting in post.

Here are my questions:

1) Do you start with the HVX200 set with the scene file settings at zero, white balance, and THEN set your scene files setting? It that the right order?

2) Is it better to just leave the factory setting on the scene files and color in post? In other words: Set scene files to zero, white balance, shoot the footage, color in post?

 

[Dick Campbell]

I'll take a flyer on this. I don't think it would make any difference. The camera stores WB info in the A and/or B setting, and saves it even if the camera is turned off, then back on. From this, I would guess that the same WB info would be applied to any scene file setting as it is changed. I haven't seen anytihng explicitly in the manual, so the only way to verify would be to do some test footage maybe.

 

[agcohn]

I believe the camera ignores the scene settings while it white balances, so technically, it doesn't make a difference.

In practice though, you should definitely white balance first, because you don't want the colors to change after you have spent the time adjusting the scene settings, which would happen if you were basing your scene settings off of an inaccurate white point and you decided to white balance last.

 

[Richard Allen Crook]

I think I found the answer. According to an associate who knows a whole helluva lot more than me about digital cinema. The shutter, iris, and white balance are processed prior to any settings you apply to it. So it really doesn't matter either way.

He did recommend to me that unless you don't have any color grading software to use in post, ALWAYS set the scene files to zero and grade in post. The zero settings are setting the camera up to "gather as much video information as possible," and anytime you change a scene file, you are degrading the picture.