White balance in Photoshop?

[Free]

Hi All,

I was editing a jpg in Photoshop today and needed to correct the white balance. The only way I know how to do this is by curves adjustment (either image-adjustments or adjustment layer). What I do is...

1. Hover over a white/grey part of the image and write down the RGB values
2. Add RGB values and divide by 3 to average
3. Pull up curves dialoge and go to red channel
4. Click any where on the line and put the original red value in the "input"
5. Put the averaged value into the "output"
6. Repeat 4 & 5 for green & blue channels
7. Tweak RGB layer and levels if required

Now while this works, it's quite a process compared to Lightroom where I just click the eye dropper on the white/grey spot and it's done.

Just wondering is there an easier way in Photoshop?

Cheers
Free

[Nicole]

I use a simpler version of curves in Photoshop to fix colour casts (so it works a bit for WB issues).

1. Duplicate the image (if you have multiple layers stamp it so you get the whole effect)
2. Filter > Blur > Average
3. New Curves layer, select the grey eye dropper and click anywhere on the averaged layer to turn that layer grey
4. Delete the averaged layer.

Works about 75% of the time for me when I'm playing with colour casts in PS, definitely not 100% of the time. And sometimes it requires extra fiddling with opacity etc. I did make myself an action though which pretty much makes this a 2 click thing. Once to run the action, once to set the grey.

I don't know of an easy way to fix WB on a jpg though.

[Free]

Hey, I see how that works, it's pretty much what I'm doing already, however you're using the blur to set your grey.

I reckon if I used that grey point dropper on a white/grey point I'll get the same results as I have been doing the math myself...

Keen to try on the same image later

[fletch]

You can open any JPEG in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) just like you can in lightroom. I don't have full Photoshop so can't tell you the exact menu but I think it is an option in bridge to open in Camera Raw. The slider then works a bit like it does for raw but instead of changing the actuall WB setting it is just adjusting the colour balance.