Help with White Balance

[kdspencer]

Please HELP!!

Which one of these photos looks correct in terms of white balance? I need to know before I process the rest of the photos.

(I should've used a grey card.... ugh!)

1.
http://kdspencer.smugmug.com/photos/590869432_QhS59-M.jpg

2.
http://kdspencer.smugmug.com/photos/590402731_UziCU-M.jpg

Thanks for your help!!

~Kathleen

[Scott_Quier]

I can't evaluate these from subjective POV 'cause I'm on a POS uncalibrated monitor at work.

But, a trick that works really well for me - in ACR (or LR), take your WB tool and click on the whites of the eyes. This will usually get you a really close WB setting - especially on young folk that aren't showing the strain, wear, and tear of old age :wink.

Another aide, if you don't aready have one, is to get a hardware monitor calibration tool and use it on a regular basis.

Something else that helps is the content of Pleasing Skin Tones tutorial (http://dgrin.smugmug.com/gallery/1091766)

[lilmomma]

+1 the dropper on the eyes statement . I do tthat too...good to know I wasn't off track with that method. Seems to work pretty well if I have no grey in the photo to measure from.

[mpaulie]

I agree with Scott and lilmomma about the dropper, based on your photos though in the first his teeth look a little blue and in the second they look a little yellow but I think the second very close to what you want.

[Scott_Quier]

I should amend my statment - it seems to work well with fair-skinned individuals. However, the more pigmentation in the model's skin, the more you have to be careful. But, it varies from person to person. YMMV.

[kdspencer]

Scott - I was looking for that tutorial about pleasing skin tones... thanks for posting the link.

Mpaulie, I was actually leaning towards the blue-er one as the one I thought was more color balanced. Now you have me re-evaluating.

About the whites of the eyes technique, I'm always nervous to do that as I know the eye whites aren't pure white, but they also aren't neutral grey, so I'm afraid I'd be throwing off the white balance. Does this actually seem to work for most people?

I should've used a grey card (I had one sitting there beside me and forgot to use it - doh!). That would've solved my problem. Oh well, something to remember for next time.


~Kathleen

[kdspencer]

I tried using the values in the tutorial Scott suggested. Here is the result. I think it looks pretty good, any thoughts??

http://kdspencer.smugmug.com/photos/591024163_kVMGP-M.jpg

~Kathleen

[mpaulie]

I like it! It's a good in between of the two originals. His cheeks and teeth don't have that blue tint anymore.

[aerosmith9110]

I like it! It's a good in between of the two originals. His cheeks and teeth don't have that blue tint anymore.


looks good but i prefer a warmer tone.. maybe + 200 kelvin? :dunno

[whiteagle]

Looks pretty close to me. You might go slightly warmer since there's so much blue in the picture, but you certainly don't have to.

[Scott_Quier]

Looks pretty close to me. You might go slightly warmer since there's so much blue in the picture, but you certainly don't have to.
:nod :agree - slightly warmer would not be a bad idea. Then, you can dial back the yellowing of the teeth that this would induce with an adjustment layer and an appropriate layer mask and then I think you would have it nailed.

As for the using the whites of the eyes for a WB - it will almost always provide a good starting point. An even better solution would be to shoot a gray target either at the start or at the end of such a session.