Canon 20D - Custom White Balance and RAW

[Dinarius]

I am confused..........

On page 51 of the manual dealing with custom white balance, it says:

2. Select the custom white balance.

That's fine. But, in step three, it says........

3. Photograh a white object                      (or a gray card, obviously)
The plain, white object should fill the partial metering circle.
Set the lens focus mode switch to <MF>, then focus manually. (p.70)

But, then it says.........

Set any white balance setting. (p.50)

What's that all about??

In Step 2. it already said to select the custom white balance setting. Do I not continue to shoot with that setting in place? After all, that is now the type of light I've decided to work in. Right?

Or is it that only the photographing of the target is done with the CWB setting in place?

One last question..................

When shooting RAW, if everything happens in processing, is there any advantage to be had in setting a custom white balance?

Thanks.

D.

[lester_wareham]

I am confused..........

On page 51 of the manual dealing with custom white balance, it says:

2. Select the custom white balance.

That's fine. But, in step three, it says........

3. Photograh a white object                      (or a gray card, obviously)
The plain, white object should fill the partial metering circle.
Set the lens focus mode switch to <MF>, then focus manually. (p.70)

But, then it says.........

Set any white balance setting. (p.50)

What's that all about??

In Step 2. it already said to select the custom white balance setting. Do I not continue to shoot with that setting in place? After all, that is now the type of light I've decided to work in. Right?

Or is it that only the photographing of the target is done with the CWB setting in place?

One last question..................

When shooting RAW, if everything happens in processing, is there any advantage to be had in setting a custom white balance?

Thanks.

D.
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With Canon the camera WB gets appended to the file, you can then use this or something else in the raw convertor.

However, shooting RAW I normally just take a shot of a gray card for CWB rather than use the menu. I then apply the AWB value for the card shot to the pictures I take using the raw convertor.

[61Dynamic]

When shooting RAW, if everything happens in processing, is there any advantage to be had in setting a custom white balance?

Thanks.

D.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=59352\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

No. Setting the WB to a preset closest to the current conditions can give you a more accurate histogram reading but setting a custom WB in camera is a waste of time. You don't need to deal with custom WB in the camera unless you shoot Jpeg.

[Dinarius]

No. Setting the WB to a preset closest to the current conditions can give you a more accurate histogram reading but setting a custom WB in camera is a waste of time. You don't need to deal with custom WB in the camera unless you shoot Jpeg.
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Which is exactly what I thought it should be. Thanks for clearing that up.

D

[Jason Cory]

Which is exactly what I thought it should be. Thanks for clearing that up.

D
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=59445\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Dinarius,

Using custom white balance on your camera CAN be used to set white balance, but it's a complicated method that wastes time and only really applies to jpeg (where the image is processed in-camera). RAW files are unprocessed in-camera so any settings that are saved in-camera (such as CWB and exposure to some extent) are just options when you open your Raw Conversion software.

A Simpler method:
1.  Skip CWB and just shoot a picture of your gray card (or "White Object") in the same light as your subject.
2.  Use the White Balance Dropper in your Raw Converstion software to color-correct the image of your gray card or "white object."
3.  Apply this White Balance setting to all other images that were shot in the same light. In Adobe Camera Raw this is done by highlighting the images you want to correct, right-clicking, and selecting "apply previous correction." This will batch update all images that are selected. Other software have their own methods to accomplish the same thing.

A Better method (still simple):
Check out Whibal.com. Think of Whibal as a gray card. If you want, it can help you determine exposure because it reflects 18% of the light in a scene (like other gray cards). But unlike other gray cards, Whibal is actually made from material that is neutral gray. That means it is superior to, for example, the Kodac gray card, which sometimes has a color cast. The color cast isn't important for making exposure calculations, but it will throw your white balance setting off.
Aside from giving the most accurate Color Correction (same as Gretag Macbeth), the Whibal is smaller, more durable, and more portable. It even has a second gray patch to use for jpeg color balance if you just want to use Custom White Balance in-camera. It also has patches for setting black point and white point that I don't use.

I guess I should say that I am in no way affiliated with Whibal. I'm just an avid reader of the LL and a very satisfied customer of Whibal's.
One Caveat then: the Whibal costs considerably more than a Kodac gray card (around forty bucks). But  if you can justify the cost of the tool, it is well worth it.

And if anyone has other alternatives, please voice them. I'd like to know what other digital photographers are using to get correct color in RAW.

Regards,
Jason

[jani]

And if anyone has other alternatives, please voice them. I'd like to know what other digital photographers are using to get correct color in RAW.

I believe the following side point has been mentioned by -- among others -- Michael:

"Correct color" doesn't necessarily mean a perfect rendition of the colours as they were when you were at the scene.

Some scenes may require a different white balance than what is "natural", as well as other colour and light adjustments.

That being said, aiming for "correct color" is probably a smart starting point before adjusting to your own tastes.

[Dinarius]

Jason,

Thanks for that.

I use the Gretag Macbeth colour checker (as I mentioned in another thread) and this grey card.........

http://www.colorblind.de/Datenblaetter/Gra...e/Graukarte.htm

D.