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Author Topic: Right technique for using Xrite and getting perfect white balance / color?  (Read 5897 times)

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« on: June 18, 2012, 07:31 »
0
Hi,

I recently purchased X rite passport color checker and were impressed  till now with its use.

How ever have some query on how to accurate measure it..  Below is process I follow.

-   I set my strobes at suitable  power , then I use my light meter to take measurement under model chin and set the strobes as per light meter reading.
-   Once I get a perfect exposure, I put grey card side of X-rite passport checker under same light condition and take a picture of grey card (Do I need to fill the frame or 70% of the frame with the grey card ????). I currently use 50-70 % of frame .
-   Then I set my canon camera white balance  to  use that image as Custom image.
-   Under same light then I take a picture of Xrite passport checker with 80% of checker in frame.
-   In post-production, as my while balance is already set for all images so I dont touch image with grey card , however the picture with Xrite color checker with multiple color , I custom pick the color which I want to go for and then applies that to all images using lightroom 4. 
-   2nd concern was , In lightroom 4 when I choose picture which has my Xrite color checker and then try to create a profile based on same, thought it says operation successful, but it ask me to replace the earlier profile which I had created earlier from a different shoot ?

Please guide me if all my above process are right or somewhere I am going wrong as I am not getting the colors which I am looking for.
Rds
Robin


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« Reply #1 on: June 18, 2012, 08:57 »
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The section on setting the white balance seems to be correct. I don't understand the piece about picking a particular color and applying that to all the other image. I can't picture what you are doing there.

On the last one about creating a profile - I haven't done this in LR4, but in LR3 when you create a profile from your image of the color boxes, you get to save it under a unique name. Is it not letting you do that? Sounds like it is defaulting to the last profile name

Steve

« Reply #2 on: June 18, 2012, 08:57 »
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Erm ... I haven't got a clue what you are talking about.  I just set my camera to Auto WB and press the shutter button when I want to take a picture. I presume you have a modern DSLR camera? If so then let it do the hard work whilst you concentrate on the composition. I've never used (or even seen) a grey card in my life. They are not necessary for microstock.

Lagereek

« Reply #3 on: June 18, 2012, 10:44 »
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Erm ... I haven't got a clue what you are talking about.  I just set my camera to Auto WB and press the shutter button when I want to take a picture. I presume you have a modern DSLR camera? If so then let it do the hard work whilst you concentrate on the composition. I've never used (or even seen) a grey card in my life. They are not necessary for microstock.

Same here, just auto-wb or even daylight and then adjust. IMO, none of all these WB gears simply dont work properly. In the studio, setting WB, is the easiest of all.

« Reply #4 on: June 18, 2012, 11:33 »
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Grey cards are useful when shooting in tricky situations, like mix of different temperature tungsten lights or in a forest with dense foliage, etc. However, in studio situation you can just set your wb according to the specs of the strobes you're using (normally 5600 K).

« Reply #5 on: June 18, 2012, 11:34 »
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I'm surprised that anyone would trust Auto White Balance, especially indoors. Auto is the camera's best guess as to the color of the light, which is about as accurate as its guess regarding exposure: Sometimes it gets it right, sometimes it gets close, and sometimes it's wildly wrong. Measuring WB with a gray card is far more accurate, and suing a color profile is better still. I don't always set a custom WB. Sometimes I'll sample the color of white or gray seamless in Camera Raw to figure out the WB. But I only use Auto outdoors, where the color of light can vary over time and from place to place.

« Reply #6 on: June 18, 2012, 11:34 »
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Firstly I shoot raw...

I shoot a picture with a x-rite some where middle in shooting session, shoot with the colorchecker and bw-side.

Sometimes I make new profile by a Colorchecker Passport program and I use it in Lr and Ps. But many times I use some older profile. This profiling system is  magnificent, without it raw images can include many problems, tiny problems like a banding or colors are too bright or dim.

And, if I want use wb of colorchecker image, it's easy. I set wb by colorchecker image and copy this setting to others images. 

I dont use the Colorcherker wb side to set camera's wb. I shoot with whatever, sun, auto, flash.. with a best for situation. That's nice in raw!

And.. my english is not good :)

« Reply #7 on: June 18, 2012, 15:20 »
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As long as there is something white (without being over-exposed) or grey in an image it is the easiest thing in the world to set the WB in the RAW file.

If you're shooting JPG in strange lighting conditions which impart a cast you can always set the WB using a bit of white paper. I saw a TV cameraman using his reporter's notebook for that purpose at one sports event.

« Reply #8 on: June 18, 2012, 15:33 »
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5600K with Elinchrom RX. Auto with Canon Speedlite 580EX II. 5300 with Bowens continuous set. 5300 with Prophoto table (continuous). Gray card (black/grey/white Gretag-Macbeth) very rarely - only outdoors. No exceptions.

« Reply #9 on: June 19, 2012, 15:24 »
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When shooting the gray card - shoot so the card fills 100% of the frame.  Then set the camera white balance to the custom setting using this shot (Sequence and instructions are different between Nikon, Canon, and others - read the manual).  Then all subsequent pictures in that light setup will have the correct color balance.

Because I have a color blindness problem, I then take at least one shot that includes a subject and the gray card and a white paper.  I can make fine adjustments later if needed.


 

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