Manual White Balance using COLORRIGHT?

[Lou van Wijhe]

Has anyone used this tool (http://colorright.com/)? According to the description it is meant to be used with digital still cameras but I suppose it could also be used to set the WB on camcorders. Might be easier to take along than a grey card.

Lou

[Lou van Wijhe]

I'm on the Fotodiox mailing list and I received an introductory offer about a new ColorRight version especially developed for manually setting the white balance on camcorders, the ColorRight HDmini. It is a two-sided opaque, scratch resistent, unbreakable disc made from some polymer, set in a sturdy rim. One side is neutral white, the other is meant to be used for portraits where often a somewhat warmer rendering is preferred.

The final price will be $59. I ordered one and I like it. It is far more convenient to take along than a gray or white card. It comes with a lanyard so you could hang it round your neck.

At the moment of writing it isn't on the ColorRight website yet but I have attached a picture and their product selector guide (they have 3 versions).

Lou

[Lou van Wijhe]

As an illustration I have attached 2 sets of frame grabs, once with auto WB on (AWB1 and 2) and once with manual WB using the ColorRight HDmini (CRT1 and 2).

Although in this case the auto WB functioned well and the differences are not that dramatic, you can see there is a slight purple cast in the auto WB clips that isn't visible in the manual WB clips.

Setting the WB manually can free you from having to do a lot of colour correction afterwards (something I find challenging anyway). And being able to do it easily in 10 seconds is a great advantage.

Lou

[Lou van Wijhe]

The HDmini ColorRight tool is on their website (http://www.colorright.com/) now but it is missing from the Buy Now page. The manufacturer said this will be corrected. Should you want to order one, you can do so from this link (http://www.prophotohome.com/interemail/display.php?M=73296&C=3cbd85c50adff5ffa364b0f1b0a7e2ae&S=177&L=7&N=138).

I have no commercial connection with ColorRight, I just like the product.

Lou

[Snazzy Flapper]

Hate to interupt you talking to yourself, but I just wanted to thank you for the image comparisons. Very visible different between the two sets. Looks like a good product.

[Janke]

Why pay over 50 bucks for a piece of white or gray plastic (admittedly, some brands have a few ridges...) when a piece of matte, white cardboard will do the same thing?

(I think there's a lot of marketing hype regarding products like this - including your own, four consecutive posts... ;-) <- Note smiley!

Even better, carry THREE pieces of cardboard; one white, one creamy colored, one slightly blue. With these, you can manually set either a neutral, cool or warm balance RELATIVE to the actual lighting!

Auto balancing WILL give you a color cast whenever there is a large area of single color in the picture - like the flowers and green leaves in the examples. The color cast will be the complementary color of the main subject's color. (Purple is complementary to green.)

[Lou van Wijhe]

Auto balancing WILL give you a color cast whenever there is a large area of single color in the picture - like the flowers and green leaves in the examples. The color cast will be the complementary color of the main subject's color. (Purple is complementary to green.)
Since the day I filmed a red cable car against a blue sky (with a camcorder having only a b/w viewfinder) I know what auto w/b does. I appreciate that the price of the ColorRight HDmini is a bit steep but I don't want to take pieces of cardboard along. It's a personal choice, of course.

Lou

[Erik Bien]

My preferred white balance target is a clean white t-shirt (it also serves as extra packing material in the camera bag and an emergency change of wardrobe).

[cjcook]

I have one of these (http://cgi.ebay.com/52-52mm-White-Balance-Lens-Cap-Custom-WB-Filter-52-mm_W0QQitemZ270319870924QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCamera_ Filters?hash=item3ef051e3cc&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A13 18|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50) that works pretty good.

[Mr. Kubrick]

My preferred white balance target is a clean white t-shirt (it also serves as extra packing material in the camera bag and an emergency change of wardrobe).


woo I like this.. You can callit the super efficient White balance prop

[zephyrnoid]

There is a huge difference between White Balancing and Color Averaging. Any attachment that goes on the lens to 'mix' up all the colors in view is just color averaging and NOT White balancing. White balancing is the process of calibrating the camera to deliver a color neutral zone VIII from a given target in view. If you are interested in color calibration for a neutral tone and correct 'white' density, then White balancing off of a specification white card is what you need to do. If all you want is to average all the colors and densities in a scene, then the filters in front of the lens should make you happy. But happy with what? The cardinal purpose of white balancing is to 'lock' neutrality for a given light on a given subject as the 'key' after which all other parts of the scene are then lit to compliment.
I for example, white balance+ ( the plus means I actually nuance) for light hitting my interviewees at 8', then I decide on where I want the background to fall. Lately, it's meant letting the background go colder (blue-er) so as to creat a colro contrast between foreground and background.
If you are shooting a landscape where the nearest object is roughly 'equal' to the farthest part of the scene, then DO use the filter.
No time to post a tutorial, but I hope that helped.

[Janke]

A white lens cap is still useful... if you use it from the position of your subject, and point it towards the light, you will get a correct balance...

[zephyrnoid]

A white lens cap is still useful... if you use it from the position of your subject, and point it towards the light, you will get a correct balance...

EXCEPT THAT white balancing also sets a 'White Point', which you can ONLY do from a light REFLECTED from a specification white card into the lens, unless your lens is fully manual, in which case some folks key in on ZoneV (AKA, Midtone Gray or 50% Gray card). That's why you must use the spec white card and not:
- a plain white sheet of printer paper
- concrete
- side of truck
- etc

I use this one plus a trick for nuancing balance for flesh-tones
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/300868-REG/Porta_Brace_WBC_White_Balance_Card.html

[Janke]

EXCEPT THAT white balancing also sets a 'White Point'

Nope. White balance and white point are set separately in manual mode.

White balance only controls the color, white point has to do with exposure.

To set the white point manually, you adjust the exposure. Point at something white in the subject (a small area will do, unlike color balance, which needs a full screen of white or neutral grey), then use the 100% zebra feature, it works very well - actually, the very first stripes show up at around 95% or so, it seems like.

On a professional camera, you may have a separate white point setting, but not on the HV series, they only have color balance + exposure.

[Lou van Wijhe]

A white lens cap is still useful... if you use it from the position of your subject, and point it towards the light, you will get a correct balance...
That's right. For better understanding: The ColorRight HDmini I mentioned is not translucent, you set the WB by measuring the light reflected from it.

Lou

[zephyrnoid]

That's right. For better understanding: The ColorRight HDmini I mentioned is not translucent, you set the WB by measuring the light reflected from it.

Lou

Huh? is it a mini white card???

[Janke]

Huh? is it a mini white card???

Basically, yes. That's why I'd never spend $ 50 or more on such a thing...