White Balance - Use custom WB or Kelvin value??

R

RTLdan

Member
Hello,

Trying to wrap my head around the difference between why and when you would choose to set the white balance using a custom wb from a white/gray card and when you would instead choose a Kelvin value manually?

Also, does a custom WB just select a Kelvin value it deems appropriate, or are there any other value that a custom wb would change as well?
Thanks in advance!
Daniel
 
RTLdan said:
Hello,

Trying to wrap my head around the difference between why and when you would choose to set the white balance using a custom wb from a white/gray card and when you would instead choose a Kelvin value manually?

Also, does a custom WB just select a Kelvin value it deems appropriate, or are there any other value that a custom wb would change as well?
Thanks in advance!
Daniel
Click to expand...

I like having the option to do both, but if I had to pick one. I like manually setting degrees kelvin, but a ENG guy or someone in that field will likely say the opposite!

Usually, when I am outside, I can't tell what the exact color temperature is. The outdoors is a good example of how color temperature can very different depending on time of year, geographic location, weather, and time of day. Sometimes it's 9000k, sometimes 5000K. Sure, daylight lighting units are 5600k/5500k, but the outside world is typically everything but!

I would use white balance when wanting the camera exactly at the correct color temperature (which is rare, because I typically like to warm it up or cool it down, which can be done using warming and cooling cards.) If the camera allows me to enter the exact degree's kelvin, I'll sometimes do this to establish a look versus using warming or cooling cards. If I have a color meter, then I really don't need custom WB, unless run and go so quick, I just balance off a t-shirt or white card and off I go!

So I suppose if you want to be exactly calibrated to the color temp, and you don't have a color temp meter, go with the custom WB. But as mentioned, I rarely shoot exactly at the correct degrees kelvin.


And yes, custom WB does do more. Custom WB typically does the color temperature AND also does a green/magenta shift as well. By manually changing the degrees kelvin, you are just doing the whole 'warm/cool' thing... and there should be another manual setting called 'Tint' or 'Color/chroma Phase' (or something similar) that will do the green/magenta shift.

Green magenta shifts are very common in flourescent, HMI, and other types of non-carbon heating lighting units. It's also common with light coming through certain types of tempered glass, and etc. Always be on the lookout. It's hard to tell sometimes until post when the faces are all greeney!
 
Last edited:
Hi Ryan,
Your reply was extremely helpful. That's exactly the kind of answer I was looking for.
It's off to the beach tomorrow and I'm bringing my camera, so it will be a great time to try to mess around with that new
knowledge.
All the best,
-Daniel
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top