White Balance Card

I just bought a map of the white balance for my SLR and it has a gray side! What is the difference between the two and is there any differences in what situations they are used? Help please! Thank you

The white side can also be used as a reflector by macro shots on the ground.

The gray area is mainly for color balance (although it can be used for the show too). To use it, take a photo with the gray card at the angle of the light as the subject. It need not be in focus all were, after the neutral gray.

In Photoshop open the image and make a Levels adjustment layer. There are 3 pipettes on the right side, select the center (Gamma) one. Click on the gray card, what it is to modify the pixels under the pointer Gamma ie = 127 Neutral Red, Blue and Green = 127 = 127, data in the rest of the image to realign this and you will instantly corrected the color balance. The same method can be used in non-destructive RAW converter by selecting the white balance eyedropper in the top row.

You can save this profile from the menu on the levels adjustment layer (top right) and save the profile, or by saving the RAW converter settings. This profile can then be added to all photos taken on this shoot.

What works best on RAW files that all data is still there, you may find it "pulls the file into pieces" (going beyond the data file) if you have saved in jpeg.

This technique is most useful for people to imagine that there are many moments when the eye and the camera can not choose the default color balance is a dupe. Situations like in a wood, where the foliage overhead filtered the Red and Blue sides of the spectrum, this technique sounds really them and delivers them in full color range of images.

Inside the building is another example where the lighting could be a mixture of fluorescent and tungsten light through the windows. With this technique, a single click and your done the difference is quite amazing. The British Museum have thoughtfully painted the walls a neutral gray just for this technique in case you forget your logbook!

Pictures of night is another example of lighting from several (different) sources. The list is long, they are much more useful than people think.

Even on a sunny day outside, the effect can be significant, especially if the subject is in shadow and the light has a greenish hue as the light reflected by the herb, you will not see it, Your camera may not, but the gray card! If the device was not wrong then no change takes place. As I said you need to shoot RAW to get the full effect of this.

Chris

Five cases

The 18% gray is used for more precise metering of light when photographing subjects that usually can mislead meters of light, like snow or dark subjects.

The white card is used to calibrate the white balance.

There should be an instruction sheet that came with your gray card.

I swing my lights with a white card when attached to a laptop. I put my values to 244 white (just under the limit of 255 so I do not burn my white). When you do not have this program, I use the gray side.