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Archive 2017 · Auto white balance all day?

  
 
Leonberger
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Auto white balance all day?


Hello FM community,

Second year shooting weddings but wondering what you guys do for white balance? I shoot RAW and use the Canon 5d Mark IV. I usually leave it in Canon's new auto white balance - white priority setting.

My question to you guys is, I have heard it may be a better option to shoot in one white balance setting all day, for example - daylight setting, therefore it may be easier to edit later on in post due to consistency?

Also there is the option of trying to get it right in camera at that moment, however, as you know with weddings it is not always possible.

Any input is greatly appreciated.



Jul 25, 2017 at 10:07 AM
Mark_L
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Auto white balance all day?


Key point to remember is white balance does not change the RAW file. I use auto because I'd rather the the camera's guess at it with varying situations to work from than just one setting all day and tweaking it myself. Copying WB over a number of images is childs play in LR anyway.


Jul 25, 2017 at 10:12 AM
IrishDino
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Auto white balance all day?


I leave my 5D4 on AWB-W

I don't have time to be messing around with it. Usually it'll really nail a one WB in a series and I'll sync it in LR with the rest of the series.



Jul 25, 2017 at 10:23 AM
Ziffl3
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Auto white balance all day?


In some crazy reception lighting I will set WB.
Especially a reception with up-lighting and spot lights for entrances ...etc.
Which translates to about 50% of the weddings.

Plus it helps me stay on my toes to watch the light and see if there is something I need to do because of crazy video people with there orange lighting. yuck!!!!

Otherwise, the 5DmkIV has pretty good WB ... more often then not ... it is right.

-Mark



Jul 25, 2017 at 10:35 AM
myam203
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Auto white balance all day?


I use auto white balance. I know some people try to get it right in camera, but I have to wonder if they're less picky than me. If I set a custom white balance and then swing my camera left or right 45-degrees, the light and color has surely changed, especially if I'm bouncing a flash.


Jul 25, 2017 at 10:35 AM
LeeSimms
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Auto white balance all day?


AWB-W, all day.




Jul 25, 2017 at 10:41 AM
mikethevilla
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Auto white balance all day?


I set it manually. Not super exact about it usually, just like all my images to have the same starting point when editing them.


Jul 25, 2017 at 10:51 AM
jcolman
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Auto white balance all day?


mikethevilla wrote:
I set it manually. Not super exact about it usually, just like all my images to have the same starting point when editing them.


Same here




Jul 25, 2017 at 11:25 AM
Leonberger
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Auto white balance all day?


Thanks for all the responses, I really appreciate it


Jul 25, 2017 at 11:45 AM
hardlyboring
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Auto white balance all day?


I do the same thing that Mike does.
Setting a Kelvin WB # will give you a better reading on what the exposure is like. Especially for inside shooting situations.
Also when editing even though with raws WB is not as big of a deal it does make a difference.
I would say 99% of my editing clients shoot AWB and I do have instances where I cannot copy and paste settings in certain situations because the awb is all over the place constantly changing etc.
It also may give a poor representation of exposure as I said above compounding the problem of consistent editing.

I always encourage people to set a custom WB and also shoot for their preset.
With our own work I spend very little time adjusting exposure and WB because it is largely already done in camera and when I apply my preset not much has to be done unless I am going for something more creative etc.

It is not hard to set a custom WB...well it might be on the 5d4 but our D3s cameras have a dedicated screen on the back for iso and wb. makes it super easy to change it when I need to.



Jul 25, 2017 at 12:07 PM
InSanE
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Auto white balance all day?


Its pointless since you can set wb to any damn starting point you wish in post.
In camera I use auto, its usually looks good, and you never know when someone begs to see a pic. No good if you have smurf mode on.



Jul 25, 2017 at 12:22 PM
elkhornsun
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Auto white balance all day?


I shoot with Nikon cameras and with them the Auto WB is excellent. I am shooting most of the time with flash and Auto WB does the best job of adjusting for two different light sources with different color temperatures. At many venues I have a combination of tungsten and fluorescent and LED and flash inside and there is not correct color temp setting for the overall scene that one can set.

When I have all the church photos and see that the WB needs to be adjusted I will adjust them all with a simple selection and copy settings from one image to the rest in the folder. No need to do them one by one.

But over the years I have seen very different Auto WB capabilities with different cameras. The Canon 5D for example was all over the map from one shot to the next in the same setting and having WB set to a fixed value might have helped reduce post processing time.



Jul 25, 2017 at 12:26 PM
jmraso
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Auto white balance all day?


Manual WB makes a lot of sense but, if I went for this approach I know I would be forgetting to change it again and again !

Not for me just for this particular reason, though Treiber has made me think !



Jul 25, 2017 at 12:34 PM
jmraso
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Auto white balance all day?


So I may test the following: set WB in manual to a value (whatever) and shoot from start to finish with it, so my exposure readings are more accurate and everything is more consistent, then in LR I fix the very first image of a situation copy and paste to all the images in that situation !, not ideal but maybe a good option for me.



Jul 25, 2017 at 12:43 PM
hardlyboring
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Auto white balance all day?


jmraso wrote:
So I may test the following: set WB in manual to a value (whatever) and shoot from start to finish with it, so my exposure readings are more accurate and everything is more consistent, then in LR I fix the very first image of a situation copy and paste to all the images in that situation !, not ideal but maybe a good option for me.


you will want to set a custom WB for each shooting situation.
So outside you could be at like 5500-6500 in normal light, inside in really yellow light you would be like 3500-4500, flash wb is like 5600-5800, outside when the sun has set you could be like 6800-7500.

If you just set one WB say 5600 inside it is going to look like crap and give you super yellow exposures. you wont be able to tell if your exposure is good then. skin could be blown out but look ok because it is just orange or yellow.



Jul 25, 2017 at 02:37 PM
BSPhotog
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Auto white balance all day?


AWB always during the wedding day. I can't think of a compelling reason to change it in camera as I am shooting RAW files only. Even those people that gave a reason that they like to adjust WB in camera...doesn't seem to add up for me.

The only instances where I set a WB are portrait/headshot kind of work where I am really not utilizing the ambient at all and want to make sure the camera doesn't WB for ambient. This, however, is just for my own chimping needs.



Jul 25, 2017 at 03:15 PM
Elijah
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Auto white balance all day?


Auto all day. Then adjust in LR change if needed. Been shooting like this for seven years now.


Jul 25, 2017 at 03:36 PM
glort
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Auto white balance all day?



Geezuz!
I do something that gets the gathered masses stamp of social approval for once.
Wonders will never cease!

I use Auto except if I get lighting where it is throwing a funky tone which happens fairly often. I then do a manual WB with the Diffuser things that fits over the lens which I have attached to the camera strap or I use one of those balance cards if I want to warm the balance up for portraits.

Myself I find it easier to get right in camera than stuff around with later.



Jul 25, 2017 at 06:42 PM
flash
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Auto white balance all day?


My cameras all use EVF's. It makes sense to set it in camera as I can see it's correct. That saves time later. It also affects the live view histogram, if you're using that for exposure. Plus my cameras have a dedicated button to setting a custom white balance so it's quick and easy.

With an optical finder I'd still be using auto.

Gordon



Jul 25, 2017 at 10:04 PM





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