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What Do You Use for WB in the Field?

rga

Member
Just curious as to how folks do white balance in the field (outdoors). Though I usually use Auto on my Phase, sometimes (in green forests or under cloudy conditions by the ocean) I have to do major adjusting back home.

Someone once told me if you use a corrected LCC shot and put the WB eyedropper in the center of it, that works well. I've tried using the Gratag McBeth thing, but it's often not easy to get out in front of the lens.

I now have live view and there is the ability to set a custom WB for each shot, but not sure of the best way to use it. Experience of others would be great.

Thanks,
Bob
 

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
I usually set the IQ180 to daylight and avoid auto completely.
Sometimes there might be a neutral portion of the subject available for droppering in post which occasionally helps.
I find that in most landscapes that it is not necessarily "accurate" that is best, but rather that which is pleasing so manual adjustment depending on the scene often works best.
If you want accurate, then there is no substitute for a gray card shot in the same lighting conditions. If there be sun be sure to shoot a card in both sun and shade. Usually the wb measured off the shaded gray card will produce the most pleasing (warmer) result.
-bob
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
+1 to Bobs post. I do use a passport color checker when needed. But always on daylight and for landscape for me its 95 percent to taste most of the time. Trick here have a great color managed system with you computers and monitors so WYSIWYG when you go to print. My Epson 7900 is exactly like my monitor setup. Very important you have this down correctly. Also very important for delivering to clients perfectly managed files.
 

jlm

Workshop Member
part of the problem is that a neutral gray card is only neutral in full spectrum light. so if you shoot in warm sunrise/sunset lighting, it won't really be neutral grey. so then if you wb off of the card, you will be compensating with out realizing it and your results will be cool
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Absolutely you don't want to lose the effects of the warmer light shooting sunrise and sunsets. WB that will guarantee cooler kelvin temps. Most daylight WB cameras are set for around 5500 kelvin which is full sun bright light.
 

etrump

Well-known member
All great advice - ditto on everything posted. In the study, it is just the opposite for me, always use a passport for reference point.
 

Paul2660

Well-known member
Always daylight no matter what the conditions are. Never shoot indoors with the IQ so not sure what to do there.

Still never understand why capture one defaults to flash.

Is there a way to change the default to daylight?

Paul
 

kdphotography

Well-known member
Outdoors, WB set to Daylight on the IQ180.

Indoors in studio, I shoot a controlled WB frame using a WhiBal grey card, and use this frame to help set the WB in post using C1Pro.

ken
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Always daylight no matter what the conditions are. Never shoot indoors with the IQ so not sure what to do there.

Still never understand why capture one defaults to flash.

Is there a way to change the default to daylight?

Paul
Paul when you do use tungsten that way the crossover to a good WB is not as dramatic. As your much closer in kelvin to what looks right. Doug and I talked about this once and from memory I think it was you miss out on some of the color spectrum on a big kelvin change. Maybe he can enlighten us again on this. It sounds logical to me as much as the blue and red channels make big shifts when your jumping big kelvin temps.
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Always daylight no matter what the conditions are. Never shoot indoors with the IQ so not sure what to do there.

Still never understand why capture one defaults to flash.

Is there a way to change the default to daylight?

Paul
Paul,

I assume that you are referring to the default ICC profile? I override this using a style on import or apply it to all images from the same camera afterwards if I forget.

See also: http://www.getdpi.com/forum/image-p...pro-6-how-set-default-icc-profile-camera.html

IIRC Doug also shared a way of renaming the profiles so that outdoor daylight was first (I'd have to look it up to check but I think it was as simple as renaming as 1_xxx 2_xxx etc).
 

aeaemd

Member
I use custom WB (grey card or Expo) now regularly. I find it especially useful on leaf more than phase one.
If you have IR back, custom WB is the only way to go..

Amr
 
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