Auto White Balance Versus Pre-set White Balance

I use Auto WB and always shoot in RAW. That way I get the best of both!

I use Auto WB about 99% of the time. I shoot in RAW about the same percentage of the time, so it is just as easy for me to change it back at the computer. I use Nikon ViewNX2 program to do most of my initial WB adjustments. The program has pre-set modes for WB that you can adjust even more with the temperature and tint sliders as well (Recorded Value, Calculate Automatically, Incandescent, Standard Fluorescent, High Color Rendering Fluorescent, Direct Sunlight, Shade, Cloudy, Flash, FL-G1, FL-G2, TN-A1, TN-A2, Use Gray Point. The Use Gray Point is a cool function... allows you to click on one are of the photo to come up with a WB or average out several points in the photo for a WB.

The only thing I can never really use Auto WB on is my converted infrared camera. I always like to do a Custom WB in the camera. Although I can tweak it in the Canon program when I get the RAW file on the computer... It is just easier for me at this point to custom WB in the camera. The 590nm converted camera gets a lot of visible light and color as well. I have to set the white balance correctly on that camera in order to get the effect I want and a clear separation of colors, if I am looking for that separation of well defined colors. Depending on how careful I am with the Infrared WB it can make the color channels easier to modify.

I use auto, if it doesn't work then I go to the raw file

Playing with WB at the shoot can create excitement in camera...

I've been using "AUTO" for nearly all shooting situations except sunrise/sunset images. For those I set the W/B to "Direct Sunlight" and it gives me what I want. I also save the RAW data along with "Fine" JPEG but find I seldom need to use the RAW file to get the results I desire.

~ Bill

Example moving White Balance off of Auto. This image was taken in the studio with Flash. Shot with Auto White Balance in RAW and then brought into Adobe Lightroom and then initially changed to the "Flash" setting. The result was too cold for my taste so I applied a Abobe Lightroom OnOne Software Preset called Warming Filter 81a.



You can get this free preset in one of these free packs:

Free presets: http://www.ononesoftware.com/products/lightroom-presets/

I shoot RAW and use auto most of the time, the exception is in studio, where I switch to flash, however when shooting in studio I will adjust the WB in lightroom after the shoot anyway.

I use JPEG and always set the WB. When you look at all the images on the lightbox the images all should have the same tone. I was judged on this when I worked for big city newspapers ... it determined when I'd get my next job, or what assignment I would get. Usually in post processing I end up pulling down the brightness and sharpen, a couple more tweaks based on the image and I'm done.

I, too, shoot Auto WB and shoot RAW.

Well the "right" way to do it is to determine the white balance for the light on the subject at the time of the shoot. Auto white balance is approximate, and you can't determine it by looking on you screen later unless you have a white card in the scene. That said I almost always shoot in auto WB if outdoors during the day. I shoot in Raw and adjust in CNX2 or, rarely, Adobe. When shooting in mixed light or sunsets or after dark, I will select in camera white balance closest to how I want the shot to look, which is not what auto is going to give me. It helps me to see if I am getting what I want.

The problem with AWB is that it tries to make the picture an overall gray. Shoot a predominantly blue subject, and it will adjust toward the yellow. If the subject is red, a cyan-ish image will be the result. Having said this, I shoot RAW and use AWB on most shots; correcting as necessary in Photoshop. If I foresee an issue, I'll use custom white balance and shoot for the light that's actually present.

i think i shoot in just daylight. it used to be auto, but to help compensate for the polarizer cooling things off. sun adds a bit of red to it. i think there was a trick of either using the sky as a white point, a blur card or i think shooting at 1100k where your autumn trees will look nicer. while raw can give the same effect, i still shoot on camera like that.

---Mike Savad

I set mine to preset because I 100% stitch, you don't want different WB in 10 stitches.

Edward, I think you have this spot on. I shoot AWB and adjust in LR if needed. Most shots look fine set at "As Shot" in LR. For things like Sunsets I always drag the slider and "warm" it. Although as in your example you can create some neat variations of a shot.

Edward,

Like most, if not all here, I use the AWB and then tweak in RAW converter,ACR. And as I mentioned many times here, what most of us shoot, landscapes,nature,etc. the actual color usually isn't that critical to our images,especially when you through in sunsets, or warm afternoon light.

On some of the cars I shoot, sometimes the paint is important to the owner,since it's a special color or mix he came up with, so I do try and get that right, but ACR gets everything really close, as you know,

Rich