Custom White Balance Mystery

Custom White Balance Mystery Revealed!

White Balance can be a little confusing for almost all digital photographers. That is why we receive lots of questions regarding White Balance in Digital Cameras as well as editing software. In our workshops, whether in classrooms or outdoors,  one of our major topics is White Balance. As a matter of fact, in digital photography, we can consider White Balance as having a part to play in our Exposure. We all know that Exposure rules are solid and, for creating better images, these rules should be applied all the time.

My camera has an Auto White Balance, is it not good enough for capturing great images?

The answer is quite simple! Your camera has an Auto Mode as well, and Auto mode makes an OK image! The same with the Auto White balance. In many situations Auto White Balance can bring out almost good colors, but not perfect color.

White Balance is one of the most confusing concepts for digital photographers, can you make it simple?

It is not only confusing for photographers, it is confusing for Digital Cameras as well. In our indoor Digital Photography workshops, I explain White Balance in detail and in plain english. Then, in our Outdoor Photography Workshops, you have a chance to experiment and apply all the technical data in real life.

I shoot in Raw format, do I need to be concerned about White Balance?

That is the part that we cover in our Photoshop and Photo Editing classes. When we look at a photo, our brain adjusts the colors for us in less than 4 seconds! Which means, if you don’t see the color cast in less than 4 seconds, then it is very difficult for you to adjust colors properly. In our Photoshop and Colors workshop, you learn how to identify the color cast in a photo quickly and then you learn about the tools that you should use to adjust the color without changing the other parameters in pictures. RAW capability is great, but when we make adjustments to the color in our images, we lose some information.

Can I use the same color cast removal techniques for jpegs?

The quick and simple answer is Yes, but up to a certain point. You don’t have the same amount of Raw Data in Jpegs, so there is less room to adjust than you would have in a RAW file.

Can you give us some examples about when and where to use Custom White Balance?

Using Custom White Balance will depend on the level of digital photography that you do. If you are doing some candid shots just for fun, you don’t need to be too concerned about Custom White Balance. But if you take important pictures and also want to simplify your editing process, you should consider switching to Custom White Balance. As a rule of thumb:

–  when there are multiple sources of light (more than one) you need to tell the camera what to do about color.

  • whenever you take pictures indoors, using Custom White Balance will provide the truest color for you.
  • When taking photos in Shade/Shadow. The light temperature varies from location to location and cameras usually don’t have the data to adjust for these situations.
  • When you take pictures in a very colorful environment. You need to help the camera see past these

Do you want to learn more about Withe Balance?

Visit our Digital Photography Workshops page and sign up for one of our informative photography Classes.

Do you want to have hands on Exposure and Adjusting the White Balance?

Join us for our Outdoor Photography Workshop. You will have lots of time to practice not only The White Balance but also different settings in your digital camera which help you understanding Exposure and color adjustment in your Digital Camera.

Do you have Digital pictures that need to color corrected?

Sign up for our upcoming Photoshop and Photo Editing Classes and learn how to identify the color cast and remove it.

 

Ted and Omnilargess Team

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