White Balance
Why is it important to me?
By Alex Santiago
Agenda
What is White Balance?
Why is it important?
Understanding White Balance
Taking Control of White Balance
Camera WB Settings Explained
Setting In Camera WB (Canon/Nikon)
Other WB Devices
Using WB Creatively
What is White Balance?
White balance is the
process of removing color
casts from a light source so
that an object that is white
in person appears white in
your photo
Your eyes are very good at
adjusting under different
light source, the camera on
the other hand has
problems
Why is it important?
Understanding white balance is necessary for taking
good images with a digital camera
Incorrect White Balance will
At worst, ruin the photo
At best, take a lot of time to correct in post process
It is always preferrable to set the correct white
balance in camera
Understanding White Balance
All light have a known color
temperature
It is meaured in Degrees
Kelvin
Most light that surrounds
us falls anywhere within
1000 Kelvin (candle light) –
10000 Kelvin (pale blue sky)
Our eyes can automatically
adjust for changes in light
temperature
Taking Control of the White
Balance
Digital Cameras cannot
adapt to the changing light
like human eyes
It depends on scientifically
pre-programed settings
In may situations, these
presets are suficient
There will be times when
you will need to override
the camera settings
Camera White Balance
Settings Explained
Setting Custom WB
Decide when you want to
do your white balance
In Camera
During Post Processing
Decide what will be your
WB reference
18% Gray Card
White Card
Specialized WB devices
Setting Custom WB In
Camera (Canon)
Take an image (filling the
whole frame) of the gray
card/white/WB target
Go to your camera menu
and find the custom white
balance option
Follow the camera display
instructions (if any)
Select image and confirm
Set camera in custom WB
mode
Setting Custom WB In
Camera (Nikons)
Other WB Devices
WB can be set with other
devices which come in a
wide range of types and
prices
Expo Disc ($$)
Promaster WB Cover ($)
DIY (cheapest)
These devices are all
incident lighting (from the
view point of the subject)
Setting Custom WB
with WB Cap
To set custom WB using a
WB cap, do the following:
Set camera to manual
focus
Place or hold cap in front
of lens
Stand at same position of
subject
Point camera at position
where you will be standing
and take image
Set the custom WB as
previously mentioned
Using WB Creatively
You can use WB to make
stunning images
Setting a custom WB or
selecting a different Pre-set
can make your images
either “warmer” or
“cooler”
Examples of Using
WB Creatively
Hands-on Practice
Walk around the area
Shoot an image of something you find interesting
Change your WB to each of the preset so you can
become familiar with their effects
Set a custom WB utilizing your free WB tool
Find an image that you like from the ones shot and
select a WB to make a creative shot
Review
What is White Balance?
Why is it important?
Understanding White Balance
Taking Control of White Balance
Camera WB Settings Explained
Setting In Camera WB (Canon/Nikon)
Other WB Devices
Using WB Creatively
Questions?