Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Log in
  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

WB (white balance) Epic questions

Les C. said:
I remember a joke about Picasso. He painted a sketch for a tourist and then asked a number of thousands of $$ for it. She replied, "but, that only took you 5 minutes!" He replied "no, madam, that took me a lifetime".
Click to expand...

nice
 
Maybe I'm just a dope because I only know of one way to get consistently accurate color, and I can't do it with any certainty by eyeball. I can set a look and get relative color that looks OK, but without an absolute frame of reference I will have no way of knowing if it will be reproduced consistently or at all the way I intended down the line. I shoot a MacBeth or a DSC Labs chart with each new light setup and balance to it. I also utilize a color meter sometimes.

Sure color management is a complex topic that you can spend years learning (I've only scratched the surface myself.), and maybe I am oversimplifying some but the mechanics of shooting for accurate color don't have to be complex. For example I see no reason to get hung up debating log v. lin when setting color balance. White is white, whether you view color in a linear way or a logarithmic way, right? Bringing it into the discussion only serves to confuse the issue I think.

I don't always get perfect color, but I come damn close when I miss. You see I can't yet afford capable monitors for myself, so I do the best I can. If I need to know it will be perfect I go to someone more qualified and better equipped than me for a finish, but I know it will be possible because my shooting procedure is sound.

Les C. said:
I do believe that some people, after using their equipment for a long time, can just 'feel' if things are 'right', but ... that's after a lot of very hard work.

I remember a joke about Picasso. He painted a sketch for a tourist and then asked a number of thousands of $$ for it. She replied, "but, that only took you 5 minutes!" He replied "no, madam, that took me a lifetime".

Color management is a pretty complex topic. I started using a 'linear' workflow a while back for 3D animation lighting and in Fusion when compositing, but ... there's alway more to learn. In fact, as I learn new things, I have to re-learn a lot of the old things I used to know.

From a very old 'All in the Family' episode (which probably dates me a bit, and a bit insane to look to Archie Bunker for philosophy, ha ha), "Every man is my master, in that I may learn from him".

How do you use Macbeth charts in your daily workflow - and color management techniques are most relevant to you?
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
We touched on White Balancing a little in one of the tutorial videos we posted.. But the real solution (As others have pointed out) is to actually SHOOT a chart before and after every setup.. It can be a pain on set, but I swear to God your work in post will be 1000% time better.

Jay
 
Quick notes from my experience:

18% Gray card versus white?
Use the 18% gray card. It is a known quantity and is meant to represent the mixing of all colors in a standard neutral color scene.
It has an added benefit - it is primarily designed as an exposure reference. You can get consistent exposure results by using a reflected light meter with a gray card - very much like the results you get from an incident meter without a card.

Is a white card white? Depends - a calibrated one is perhaps something you can trust, but just start holding different manufacturers white paper, or poster board, or fill-in-the-blank. Doesn't take too much sampling to see that white can be one of many interpretations. At least an 18% gray card is a known quantity.

While some do use a gray card as a reference for post, if that is your objective, use a real color chart that is calibrated for that work.
There are several options out there as others have already posted. In critical work - use them (often). You will keep the old and make new friends in post.

As far as focus: On the color reference charts - yes. A gray card, not essential.

This brings me to a "trick of the trade" someone taught me decades ago:
What do you do if you find yourself in a situation where you have no white or gray reference available?
One solution: Start by framing a wide shot representing the overall scene.
Get the image as far out of focus as possible. If you have macro, or other diffusion (such as a filter or net) use them to defocus as well. You are aiming for an unrecognizable image.
With the lens defocussed, do your white balance.

What you have just done is mimic the intent of a gray card - a mix through blurring of all colors represented in the scene.
This technique has saved me a time or two...
 
Interesting - was not aware of that product.
Might pick up one of the 4x5.65 versions. The 82mm is too small for RPP's but would be perfect for still glass on EPIC's and Scarlets.
Good find.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top