What the PROS know about White Balance that YOU DON'T

Three things the pros know about White Balance make it easy to select the perfect setting for every image. This information isn't being taught anywhere else (of which I'm aware).
👉️ AVOID this White Balance MISTAKE and CREATE BETTER Photos - • AVOID this MISTAKE and...
👉️ the Galaxy's best photography community: bit.ly/3XOBwyo
👉️ FREE TRIAL Topaz Photo AI: bit.ly/3Xn9pmo
👉️ Become a Better Photographer in 5 Minutes Per Week: parkerphotogra...
📸 4-Hour Free Photography Course: bit.ly/4HourFr...
Some links are affiliate links; I'll receive a small commission if you decide to purchase. Which is voluntary. Before purchasing, ask yourself: "Do I want to improve my photos?" The results speak for themselves.

[@michaelshepherd3963]

Thanks Chris! Nice presentation on the mood/perception that you can create with the color of light. As Yogi Berra once said, "You can observe a lot just by watching." Also, you're pointing out the earth's axis tilt is spot on with regards to light's color temperature. 😀

[@ParkerPhotographic]

Thanks for sharing! To bad we didn't have the internet back then. It would have been sooo much easier, lol.

[@osmancoskun1946]

Golden knowledge , Thank you

[@ParkerPhotographic]

My pleasure

[@pattymattes7124]

Thanks! I understand what you are saying. With shots of animals it's good to get the white balance correct on them like the eagle's feathers you showed. Black dogs are notorious for having a blue color cast when pic is taken of them in the shade. Sometimes that is hard to tell but sometimes it's so obvious one wonders why they have a blue dog instead of black. Yeah, I understand what you are saying. I try to be careful not to override the color of the scene while at the same time if there is for example a black dog whose fur looks blue then I got to correct that.

[@ParkerPhotographic]

Thanks for sharing! It all comes down to your intent. For classic portraits of any kind, 99% of the time, "balancing" is the way to go. Landscapes I'd say the white balance presets are not the way to go, and some wildlife. I see a lot of photographers with blue dogs, portraits, etc. :)

[@pattymattes7124]

@@ParkerPhotographic blue in black fur dogs can be tricky. I've been using the color range mask to isolate the blue (using the Saturation and Vibrance sliders all the way up to see it clearly) and when all is said and done I have to add back contrast. It's not easy.

[@ParkerPhotographic]

@@pattymattes7124 try selecting “subject “ and adjust temp/tint. It’s easier.

[@pattymattes7124]

@@ParkerPhotographic I use color range and intersect with subject. With color range I can pick additional shades of blue and cyan. I do adjust the sliders to minimize the blue and magenta tint if present. After that I go back and put saturation and vibrance back to zero. Fur will look black but might be a bit washed out. Then I add back some contrast. It's a process but it's effective.

[@yaihtchd2]

Nice one.... 365 days hmmmm.... ill try it though...thanks for sharing

[@ParkerPhotographic]

Good luck with that! You have more patience than me, lol.

[@mortezanajafi8430]

Thanks.very prefect.

[@ParkerPhotographic]

Glad you like it!

[@brianjones5535]

You can't achieve any of that if your monitor is not calibrated!

[@ParkerPhotographic]

Very true, Brian. Sounds like a new video is needed. :)

[@ParkerPhotographic]

Now that you brought that up it would have been a better video to follow (end screen)!

[@georgedavall9449]

Indeed

[@georgedavall9449]

Like what??? White balance off a card and go with it! K. I. S. S.

[@ParkerPhotographic]

Nope. That’s not what the pros know.

[@georgedavall9449]

@@ParkerPhotographic Whatever You say; Everyone is entitled to their opinion. By the time You get done figuring out the ‘Tilt of the Earth’s axis, ‘ and what phase the Moon is in, yada yada, the Picture will be GONE! WB can be an elusive thing; Shoot in RAW, and correct in Post if needed. And at the end of the day, its a subjective thing, provided the photo is not completely fouled up to begin with. Submitted in the interest of a healthy discourse, Sir.

[@ParkerPhotographic]

@@georgedavall9449 the whole point is you don’t have to nail WB in-camera. I.e; “grey card”. Observe the color of light and adjust in post based on your creative vision. Who has time to use a grey card when a bird of prey is barreling across the field in an ever changing light from sun to shadow? Also I did say white balance is subjective.

[@georgedavall9449]

@@ParkerPhotographic Thanks for the reply, and I believe I better understand where You’re coming from now. I had a good reply all typed out, and was finishing it up, and about to reply, when it up and disappeared? Of course BIF/ Wildlife Photography can be quick paced, and that’s why I have WB Presets in Camera. I was referencing more on setting WB in a Landscape setting. I think we are kinda saying the same thing, more or less, and I watched the video again, and see where I missed a couple of your ‘points.’ I blame it on Long Covid. I gave Your Video a Thumbs Up, and wish You well. Stay safe and Happy Shooting.

[@gregsullivan7408]

White balancing off the card makes sense (from a technical perspective), if a) we want to capture what our eyes SEE, at the time we take the photo, and importantly b) if our eyes have ADAPTED to the "colour of the incident light" - i.e - does that grey card LOOK neutral gray? Just for example, let's say we have been outdoors in the bright sun, and we have adapted to 5500K. Now, we quickly enter room, which is lit by a warm tungsten light, and we look at the grey card. The grey card will now APPEAR to be a warm yellow colour. However, if we were to calibrate the camera on that grey card, it would say "that colour is grey, so display it as grey in the photo". This isn't what we wanted though - we wanted to capture what we SEE, and so in this case, the right thing to do is to set the white balance of the camera to daylight (~5500K). Having said that, usually we WILL have adapted to the colour of the incident light, so usually, calibrating from the grey card will work well. (but as a very casual photographer, I've never done it) Just btw, this video would be better if it had mentioned the issue of adaption - it's absolutely crucial. If we have adapted to a cloudy sky, it in fact does NOT look blue - it looks neutral white. At least, it doesn't look AS blue as we might think.