White Balancing

Fliques Osman

Fliques Osman

Well-known member
Hey guys,

I was reading Barry's DVX book and I'm on the section of White Balancing.

Just wanted to know if the following below is correct for properly setting white balance manually:

1) Set White Balance switch to A or B
2) Point camera at the scene to be shot
3) Fill screen with a white card
4) Hold down AWB in front of the camera until it reads "white balance complete" on LCD

Is that correct?

Thanks guys.
 
You don't even need to full screen it. Just point it at the object you think is closest to white and then judge whether you think the read is accurate. If it's close enough then that's fine. Do any fine tuning in post.
 
Thomas Lew said:
You don't even need to full screen it. Just point it at the object you think is closest to white and then judge whether you think the read is accurate. If it's close enough then that's fine. Do any fine tuning in post.
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Okay, so to get a proper white balance you should:

1) Set White Balance switch to A or B
2) Point the camera at a white card
3) Hold down AWB in front of the camera until it reads "white balance complete" on LCD

Is that correct?

Thanks guys.
 
Robbie Comeau said:
Again, Post is your friend for any coloring that you screw up on, on set.
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To a point. Leaving it at "Oh, we'll fix it in post" is a risky move. It really depends on how far off the color balance is. No, you don't have to fill the screen with the white card per se, but you need it to fill about 85% of the frame to be reliable.

And make sure that the white card is under the lighting source that will be used. For example, if you're shooting under tungsten lights and you balance in too much sunlight, everything will look a sickly orange.
 
I'm really opposed to the "you can just fix it in post" ideology. Post can fix a lot of things, to be sure, but if I can get the right look from the start it sure makes the workflow a bit quicker and smoother in post. I'm trying to adopt the thought pattern of "shoot it right the first time". I always white balance on location.
 
If you want accurate white balance, you will need to fill the screen with the white card (also a gray card can be used, which can also be used to set accurate exposure).

The best way to do this is have a stand-in for your talent actually hold the gray card up in front of their face. This way the card is positioned in the scene, under the light that is on your talent (getting accurate skin tones is important above all else).

If you can't fill the screen with the card from where the camera is positioned (by zooming in), you'll need to pick up and move the camera close enough to do it. Moving the card will defeat the purpose, it won't be in the scene's light anymore.
 
I agree that post won't fix everything, try and get it as close as you can on scene............especially if your using a cheaper NLE that doesn't have a denoiser tool,anything you correct in post will be grainy.
 
i use awt alot, but was told i should only use awt for moving from inside to out side. why not most of the time? having it auto should be better than locking it at 5200?
 
For a fun quick test, visit your local paint store and pick up paint samples. White balance them and see what you can come up with.
 
@
jetaddiction@mac.com

You shouldn't keep ATW (Auto Tracking White) because the wb can and will change in the middle of a shot. This is especially detrimental when you are trying to shoot a scene that you want to have a specific color (horror green for example). If you keep atw on the camera will try to white balance through your carefully crafted green and your scene will end up looking purplish (wb set through a green filter).

However if you are running and gunning shooting ATW can help in a pinch, but the wb will still change during the shot and might not be the color that you are looking for. The beauty of having the two programmable wbs and the 56k/32k presets, you can set your wb inside and if you HAVE to run outside while still rolling you can quickly switch to 56k or your other presets.
 
if ur using gels apart from ctb and cto...for example purple gel...u white balance b4 or after u put the gel on?
 
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Using 2 gels over one another...is that done? as in, if i use ctb to turn tungsten to daylight and then put a coloured gel over that...wud that be the same as putting a coloured gel over a daylight bulb.
 
pronghornproductions said:
I agree that post won't fix everything, try and get it as close as you can on scene............especially if your using a cheaper NLE that doesn't have a denoiser tool,anything you correct in post will be grainy.
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Why would adjusting the color create noise? If you change the luminance, sure but color?
 
ATW can be very useful if there is no time for white balancing. Dont forget that you can LOCK it so the wb wont change in the middle of the shot...
 
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