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9. So How Do I Select the Correct White Balance?: Post-processing White Balance Adjustments
It is important to note, pre-processing adjustments to white balance typically only affect the output of compressed images. In other words, if you are shooting in JPG mode, then your camera will apply your white balance before compressing. And, of course, the act of compressing the file removes bit depth (file detail). This means that your options for post-processing JPG images are limited to the information that was retained after compression. For this reason, if you intend to post-process your white balance, then it is highly suggested that you utilize the RAW file format. RAW files do not attempt compression, and, therefore, retain all the information recorded by your sensor. Although these files are obviously much larger, they offer much more flexibility in the post-processing work flow. Programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom have made adjusting your white balance particularly simple. In brief, they allow you to select a portion of the scene that is intended to be white. Where in the pre-processing methods, you determine what the correct white balance should be by the lighting circumstances, in post-processing you simply tell the software which objects in the scene should be white. It will then adjust the entire scene to compensate for any discrepancy between the would-be white object and true white. Photoshop and Lightroom (in the Develop mode) both provide “white balance tools”. These are eye droppers that you may move over an object intended to be white and click. The software will then automatically adjust the scene based on your selection. You may then do slight adjustments with the “Temperature” and “Tint” sliders to perfect your white balance. Many times you may be fortunate enough to have a reasonably neutral or white subject in your scene. These may be white clouds, a white T-shirt, white pupils, grey concrete, or dark green grass in even light. If you are able to capture a neutral or white object in your scene, then you may use that as a baseline for your White Balance Tool calibration. If extremely precise color recreation is necessary, then you can use your white or grey card again! You’d place the card, just as you did in the “Pre-Processing White Balance Adjustments” example, near the subject, with the same directional light falling on it. You’d position the card in-scene so that it may be used as a reference for your White Balance Tool calibration. This will provide a wonderful benchmark for your adjustments. However, you should remember to compose your shot in such a fashion as to allow you to easily crop the reference card out of the final image.
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