Have you ever wondered what the perfect white balance is?
Do you trust that your camera can ACTUALLY give it to you?
The truth is there is no perfect White Balance and no matter how hard your camera tries, it can’t give it to you. That’s because our cameras don’t perceive color like our eyes do. It’s just not capable of true color accuracy.
Using several examples, I’ll prove my case. But don’t get angry with your camera, it’s really not it’s fault. Learn color, and you’ll thank me later 😉
Chapters:
00:01 The Blue Light Blocker Dilema
01:32 Effects of Light on Color
06:24 Effects of Light on Prints
07:39 Basic WB Fix
11:42 Advanced WB Fix
14:16 Rainbow WB Fix
16:51 Further Exploring Color
f.64 Academy and f.64 Elite are the brainchildren of Blake Rudis. While he is a landscape photographer, he is most passionate about post-processing images in Photoshop and mentoring others.
For Blake, it's all about the art and process synergy. He dives deep into complex topics and makes them easy to understand through his outside-the-box thinking so that you can use these tricks in your workflow today!
For Blake, it's all about the art and process synergy. He dives deep into complex topics and makes them easy to understand through his outside-the-box thinking so that you can use these tricks in your workflow today!
Blake, I must say your U-Tube video for f64 cracked me up. Thanks for the chuckle. To anyone else, definitely view Blakes color course.
I just came back from the VA eye department. I also ordered blue tint for Benq monitor. I questioned the impact of the blue tint with my color grade Benq monitor and printer output. She didn’t understand the question. It shouldn’t have any impact.
I thanked her, for her service.
Fantastic video, Blake! You have shown the importance of not trusting the camera and also how important it is to do color correction. Also, you brought out that if one tries to do color grading without doing color correction first, the image will be ruined. Color correction comes first.
I bought the Color Course the day it came out. My opinion? If you want to do serious work with color in Photoshop, you need the Color Course!
Here’s a weird one for you. A few years ago I realized that my eyes each have a different white balance. I don’t remember why but I changed to look through my viewfinder with my other eye and the white balance was totally different.
Thanks, I found this very interesting.
Here’s an interesting thing (at least it was for me). A couple of years ago I went to the Opthalmologist for surgery to repair a detached retina. During the diagnosis, he also noticed cataracts, so I later decided to have surgery to remove them as well.
During the preparation, they applied drops that dilate the pupils and they played havoc with my white balance. Everything seemed warmer until the drops wore off.
Since the surgery, I no longer need to wear glasses and now find that the colour in my previous work is different compared to what I do now. It’s been quite an adjustment, but this video has opened up new ideas to try. Thanks again.
great never thought oc color balancing “half” and pic at a time Thanks
Interestingly the eye ( or brain) will betray you as well. Watching the light temperature in the video changing my eyes adjusted to the bluer light within seconds, light blue background shifted to white, colors separated more again. Same for the strong yellow light, my eyes adjusted, but not equally well and it took longer.
Does the blue blocker in your prescription glasses affect your editing? It seems that it would add a layer/perception of something to your viewing and evaluating that complicates what the output is going to be/really is, vs not blue blocker.? ;-/
Following my cataract surgery the world suddenly became much bluer (physically, not emotionally). I’ve had to resist going back to re-edit old photos until my brain adjusts to the new normal. It dawned on me then that what is “correct” and appealing is entirely in the eye of the beholder. I can edit to what’s pleasing to MY eyes and MY brain in the lighting I have set up in MY workspace, and I can color calibrate my monitors and printers so that what I print looks like what I see on the screen, but someone else may see it very differently. Bottom line: since I’m not trying to make a living by selling my work in art galleries, I edit to please only one pair of eyes. When someone pays $400-500 for one of my pieces at a charity auction, I figure we either have similar tastes, or they really, really like the charity.
p.s. Love the shorts and bare feet at work. Kind of like all the remote workers on Zoom meetings sitting in the underwear. Enjoy Glacier my friend.
I can see that. I guess I’ve just been so engrossed in color for so long this stuff both fascinates me and frustrates me at the same time, lol.
And yes, I work from home and am VERY comfy doing it! I ain’t putting pants on for no one! lol