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Archive 2014 · White Balance

  
 
Imagemaster
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · White Balance


Subject is half in sunlight and half in shade. WB eyedropper tool in Camera Raw gives reading of 4400 in sunlight and 7400 in shade. Which to use? Or use any number in between depending on taste?







Aug 09, 2014 at 01:18 PM
gwaww
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · White Balance


The white on the front neck feathers look pretty white on my screen. I like it the way it is, as I'm assuming taught/sunrise.


Aug 09, 2014 at 01:50 PM
gwaww
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · White Balance


Oops... I meant twilight/sunrise


Aug 09, 2014 at 01:53 PM
theSuede
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · White Balance


The human visual system tends to prioritize the higher intensity.
If the sunlit/4500K part of the image is <25% image area, then you can start compensating gradually towards the shadow 7500K.

But unless your scene is completely homogenous (like in a studio where the reflected shadow side light is often exactly the same CCT as the specular part) it's really a decision left up to the creator.

That decision should be guided by knowledge about the average viewing condition - if the shot is to be viewed on screen, on BIG screen, on a signboard/good light or a small print. The "natural" condition for each of these all differ by a small bit, mostly due to the average intensity, viewing CCT and viewing space angle (how "big" the image will be).



Aug 09, 2014 at 03:56 PM
RustyBug
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · White Balance


+1 @ non-homogenous mixed light affords the decision to the creator ... matching the more significant portions of the scene/subject to either neutral or mood @ creative license, sacrificing the other (or masking, etc. for dual/independent correction).

The decision @ which way to balance is in part to the degree to which you are desiring to present you subject in neutral illumination vs. a desire to present the color of the illumination.

If you want to show the warmth of the time of day, then I'd not balance to the key white, but somewhere in between. However, in this image, the key light is also blown in some areas. For that reason, it is a bit suspect to trust @ WB decisions.

If we take a look at the pupil (which in theory is a void of light neutral), we can see the RGB imbalance. If you desire to neutralize the lighting falling on your subject, I would study the color of the pupil and make shadow level color adjustments first, then revisit the highlight or midtone WB to taste.

I neutralized the pupil, pulled it down a few points and reduced overall saturation a bit. Not a lot of change (visible on my monitor), but the choice of lighting for consideration is affirmed by the lighting illuminating the pupil is my approach of choice for this instance, allowing the pupil to act as a pseudo reference neutral. We consider the eyes to be a critical point of focus, why then not also use it as a point of consideration for color.







Aug 09, 2014 at 10:36 PM
planalpha
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · White Balance


Stack the two images in PS layers, one in each color temp, mask off what doesn't match?

Just a thought.



Aug 10, 2014 at 09:45 AM
RustyBug
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · White Balance


planalpha wrote:
Stack the two images in PS layers, one in each color temp, mask off what doesn't match?

Just a thought.


+1 @ masking

Feather/gradient/grayscale masking works well to render the transitions natural / less distinct. Channel masks can be valuable to discerning variance in warm/cool lighting also. Color variance of key vs. shadow lighting can be addressed independently and/or sacrificially to taste.



Aug 10, 2014 at 10:12 AM





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