The auto default setting are normally very good but if the auto setting from the camera is "fooled" by the scene its is easier to get back close to reality by selecting one of the auto settings from other software than having to adjust the WB slider from cool to warm in QU. Also there is no kelvin numbers to indicate where you are at in terms of the expected WB (e.g 5300 or close for sunny conditions)
Hi Dennis,
First of all, White Balance is a very subjective thing, scene and moment dependent.
I, frankly see no value in knowing the Kelvin reading. I am not setting to a time of day or what I think the color temperature is at high noon .
I find REFINE to be very adaptive. Many scenes that I shoot have no obvious white or gray to use as a standard. I do a lot of Roses, or water scenes.
The CTRL key in refine will pop up all the spots that will work as a gray standard, and also all the whites that have one or all channels exceeding 255, and block them out.
So I have the ability to click a spot as a standard, and even tweak the result by a tick or two to "warmer" or "cooler"
That having been said, let's have some discussion on what is "right" for WB.
Here are three samples...
006 is a bridge I shot close to noon; clear day.
007 is same bridge, shot when I got there before 8:00 am
008 is 007 with a couple of clicks to the cooler side..
So that's why I say is doubly subjective; subjective by the light at the time you shot it, and what was the scene you wanted to capture, plus the technical Kelvin Temp.
The correct WB is the one YOU like best.
On the other hand, there are shots that need the White Balance corrected just because the lighting fooled the camera! That's different from the camera actually capturing a warm morning color.
Screen snap 009 shows a really badly lighted scene where the shooter's camera was fooled by the mixed lighting.
There are a number of locations in that shot which might appear to be useful to use as your White Balance standard, but in truth, the ghastly skin tone is what we want to repair.
The proper approach would be to find something white which is lit by the same light that lights the faces.
You will not get the same result by using the salt shaker on the table, lower right as your white standard, as you will get using the collar of the lady on the left just below the little pendant.
This was a JPG and the same principle applies as did in REFINE.
Even after you do the WB in the Editor, you can try a few spots for a better sample, or adjust the numbers manually in the WB boxes.
As you can see, in my examples, I have no need to know the color temperature, nor would having a slider instead of a clicker make it work better.
Thanks,
Fred
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