White Card for WB

[wizanil]

I have Canon SD630 point and shoot camera. I am not quite happy with the auto WB it settings for taking pictures..
Any Idea how can I enhance the WB settings. I've noticed that the camera has an option to click a dummy photo of the lighting that you want and the camera sets up its WB automatically..

If i show the camera on a RED paper and click the photo . The WB gets a green tint..

Any idea how to operate it or any other techniques to work around it

[klam]

Use a white piece of paper to do custom WB

[inkista]

Or point it at something white or grey like a wall or ceiling, or use a grey card or a whibal or shoot through a piece of translucent plastic like an Expodisk. You can also just use the last frame you shot, but then everything comes out really really white.

And yes, when you shoot something red, it will put a green tinge on everything. It's rebalancing the color points to make whatever color you shot and set as your custom WB the new white. If you pointed it at something orange, you'd get bluish shots (which is what the Tungsten setting is doing); point it at something green and a bit of red is added to balance it out (which is what Flourescent does); point it at something yellow, and you'll get purpler. Think complementary colors.

[kirbinster]

You don't generally want to set white balance on a white subject as white is not always white, you want to use something that is 18% grey in an ideal world. Actually anything that has all three RGB values the same will work well. If you shoot raw you can always adjust it later. If you have not included a grey card in your shots you can always use a persons teeth or the whites of their eyes as a fairly good target to set WB with.

[wizanil]

Originally Posted by inkista

Or point it at something white or grey like a wall or ceiling, or use a grey card or a whibal or shoot through a piece of translucent plastic like an Expodisk. You can also just use the last frame you shot, but then everything comes out really really white.

And yes, when you shoot something red, it will put a green tinge on everything. It's rebalancing the color points to make whatever color you shot and set as your custom WB the new white. If you pointed it at something orange, you'd get bluish shots (which is what the Tungsten setting is doing); point it at something green and a bit of red is added to balance it out (which is what Flourescent does); point it at something yellow, and you'll get purpler. Think complementary colors.

thanks inkista: This helps.

[Aperture Nine]

If you really want ACCURATE colors, buy something serious like the ExpoDisc. Unfortunately it is a little expensive, but should last for many, many years.

On a recent vacation I brougt a few white coffee filters for my point'n'shoot and they did a great job as well. Note that I do not point the camera towards the coffee filter, I put it right in front of the lens and shoot so the light is diffused through the coffee filter, just like you would do with the ExpoDisc.

I have tried it all, walls, papers, grey cards and what not, but nothing beats my ExpoDisc.

[kirbinster]

To use the expodisc approach you have to remember that you don't aim your camera at the subject to set the white balance, rather you aim it at the light source - typically 180 degrees away from the subject.

[Aperture Nine]

Originally Posted by kirbinster

To use the expodisc approach you have to remember that you don't aim your camera at the subject to set the white balance, rather you aim it at the light source - typically 180 degrees away from the subject.

Of course; I forgot to mention. The nice thing about the ExpoDisc is the great documentation you get on both paper and a CD, also with instructions for how to use it with flash.

Not only aim it at the light source but if possible also position yourself right beside/in front of the subject to include all light sources or/and reflections. Reflections from grass, fx, can really destroy good skin tones.