Thursday, December 9, 2010

Custom White Balance

Sometimes everyday colours can be a bit bland.

I often use custom white balance setting in my Digital Rebel to create vivid in-camera effects. The tip is to choose a photo already on the card that is relatively lacking in detail but that imparts a hue to the new photos. Experimentation is essential, as I have not worked out a system that can predict what colour tones are the final result.

It's noteworthy that taking a shot of the black plastic in a car and using that dull photo can increase the richness of reds. A scientist would be able to explain why this is so.

It adds to the excitement, particularly on a dull, overcast day.

2 comments:

David T. Macknet said...

You can always use "click white balance" in Digital Photo Professional, after the fact, if you shoot in raw. That's what I do, but usually it's to try to find something white / gray so that the colors come out closer to what they'd be under ideal circumstances.

Tales from the Birch Wood. said...

Yes, you're right.

I often use the "White Balance Fine Adjustment" feature in Digital Photo Professional, which can radically change the colour scheme.

This gives a useful overview of the Canon software:

"http://www.photoradar.com/techniques/technique/how-to-master-canons-raw-editor"