White balance bracketing , what is it ?

[biskandar]

Hi friends,

As i know white balance in camera setting will determine the range of colors .

But I have a confusion and need to understand about white balance bracketing ?

What this bracketing is used for ?

And also there two direction color from Blue to Red and Magenta to Green , why there are direction of both directions ?

In which condition i shall setup those direction ?

Thanks , and please help for opinion ( and not to answer with the link to read )

 

[Octarine]

Shoot RAW and adjust what you need. For the theory and the basics behind do read up online:
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/white-balance.htm
Personally I never came across the need for White Balance Bracketing.

 

[Cowseye]

I'm wondering that for a long time too. It appears in any camera that can do bracketing. It must have some kind of use I think...

 

[rcyrulez]

I think it's more for field use, to gauge the appropriate color temperature to best suit surroundings without a computer nearby to process the raw files? So that you can shoot in jpg to save space instead of the space taxing raw.

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

Hi friends,

As i know white balance in camera setting will determine the range of colors .

But I have a confusion and need to understand about white balance bracketing ?

What this bracketing is used for ?

And also there two direction color from Blue to Red and Magenta to Green , why there are direction of both directions ?

In which condition i shall setup those direction ?

Thanks , and please help for opinion ( and not to answer with the link to read )

You'll need the correct white balance settings when you shoot in JPG, otherwise you'll get incorrect colour on your photos.
To cover backside, you can use white balance bracketing just like you would use exposure bracketing, to give you a better chance of getting the correct WB.
Of course if you shoot in RAW, then can just ignore this function

 

[foxtwo]

Might be more for commercial photography, or even the old days of film. Let's say you have an office/industrial interior with an exterior view, inside is lit with a mix of tungsten (orange) and fluorescent (purplish/greenish) lighting, outside is daylight or even could be night with tungsten street lighting. In addition, you need to light up some areas of the interior with flash. Due to such lighting complications, instead of shooting 1 RAW file and then processing for 4-5 colour temps, you do bracketing for white balance which would ensure greater control and customisation due to the magic of photoshop.

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

Might be more for commercial photography, or even the old days of film. Let's say you have an office/industrial interior with an exterior view, inside is lit with a mix of tungsten (orange) and fluorescent (purplish/greenish) lighting, outside is daylight or even could be night with tungsten street lighting. In addition, you need to light up some areas of the interior with flash. Due to such lighting complications, instead of shooting 1 RAW file and then processing for 4-5 colour temps, you do bracketing for white balance which would ensure greater control and customisation due to the magic of photoshop.

But if you shoot multiple exposures with the main intention of acquiring different white balance outcomes, there's a risk that something has shifted between frames (eg. if you have building exterior, perhaps vehicular or foot traffic). Thus merging it all into a single shot might present a problem.
I'm just trying to compare with taking a single exposure and processing it multiple times for different WB. Would it be easier?

 

[SkyStrike]

But if you shoot multiple exposures with the main intention of acquiring different white balance outcomes, there's a risk that something has shifted between frames (eg. if you have building exterior, perhaps vehicular or foot traffic). Thus merging it all into a single shot might present a problem.
I'm just trying to compare with taking a single exposure and processing it multiple times for different WB. Would it be easier?

I'm under the impression that WB Bracketing is shoot once, saved thrice but in different WB mode.

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

I'm under the impression that WB Bracketing is shoot once, saved thrice but in different WB mode.

Hmmm you could be right.
But then it's the same as shooting one RAW and processing it with 3 different WB on a PC, am I right?
So I still can't see the benefit...

 

[SkyStrike]

Hmmm you could be right.
But then it's the same as shooting one RAW and processing it with 3 different WB on a PC, am I right?
So I still can't see the benefit...

Yes, it's actually the same for 1 raw processed with 3 different WB. But still, I believe it's for JPEG shooting where colors are less likely to be recovered during PP.

Haven't used this feature before either...

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

I'm under the impression that WB Bracketing is shoot once, saved thrice but in different WB mode.

Yeah, just checked my manual. WB-bracketing not available in RAW.
It says
"Each shot will be processed to create the number of copies specified in the bracketing program, and each copy will have a different white balance"

Sounds like 1 shot processed differently

 

[Rashkae]

Why not just try it and see the results? Also, you manual should mention this feature in some detail.

While you are asking people NOT to post a link, you are basically asking them to summarize the link for you - in other words, spoonfeed.

Read the links. Don't ask people to give you opinions on where to use what, it may be totally wrong.

 

[biskandar]

Yeah Rashkae,

I will try it on my camera , and trying to understand thru the result image .

It's difficult to find the detail explanation in my camera manual , they only mention it and it doesn't explain well about it .

 

[SkyStrike]

It's difficult to find the detail explanation in my camera manual , they only mention it and it doesn't explain well about it .

Then it just leaves to wonder why didn't you search Google and/or read other links online..

 

[kelchew]

Is it for the HDR using?
Taking 3 same pic wif different wb
Hear from a friend that if need to do HDR image need 3same pic wif different wb

 

[spree86]

Is it for the HDR using?
Taking 3 same pic wif different wb
Hear from a friend that if need to do HDR image need 3same pic wif different wb

It's exposure bracketing you need for HDR, not white balance bracketing.

 

[kelchew]

It's exposure bracketing you need for HDR, not white balance bracketing.

Oh I see must be my mistake mis understood my friend.

 

[edutilos-]

Might be more for commercial photography, or even the old days of film. Let's say you have an office/industrial interior with an exterior view, inside is lit with a mix of tungsten (orange) and fluorescent (purplish/greenish) lighting, outside is daylight or even could be night with tungsten street lighting. In addition, you need to light up some areas of the interior with flash. Due to such lighting complications, instead of shooting 1 RAW file and then processing for 4-5 colour temps, you do bracketing for white balance which would ensure greater control and customisation due to the magic of photoshop.

Yes, mixed lighting is the issue that you can use WB bracketing to help with.

 

[edutilos-]

Hmmm you could be right.
But then it's the same as shooting one RAW and processing it with 3 different WB on a PC, am I right?
So I still can't see the benefit...

Even if this is the case, the time taken to convert one RAW into 3 files is not insignificant, assuming that the person has many many many shots to work with.

That said, I have no idea how many people do this blending thing when there is tricky mixed lighting situation and they are faced with many shots.

 

[foxtwo]

I'm referring to WB bracketing in general and not the inbuilt camera function.

But if you shoot multiple exposures with the main intention of acquiring different white balance outcomes, there's a risk that something has shifted between frames (eg. if you have building exterior, perhaps vehicular or foot traffic). Thus merging it all into a single shot might present a problem.
I'm just trying to compare with taking a single exposure and processing it multiple times for different WB. Would it be easier?

Even if this is the case, the time taken to convert one RAW into 3 files is not insignificant, assuming that the person has many many many shots to work with.

That said, I have no idea how many people do this blending thing when there is tricky mixed lighting situation and they are faced with many shots.

Hmm it's not possible to say there's only one way at this or it's the best way. It may be just a preferred method for some past and present photographers. Again let's first talk old school commercial photography, need not be film days but early digital, before photoshop raw becamed advanced. In the olden days professional commercial photographers were armed with colour temp light meters to measure Kelvin. These meters also calculate for you the Color Correction filters required to remove colour casts. That would allow their DI artists back in the studio to blend in accurately, as unless these artists were on-site, they would not know the actual lighting situation.

At present, with a grey card under different lighting we can use the WB dropper to correct for in PS RAW. Or as long as the photographers are using a camera with custom kelvin function they could input straight in and do their WB bracketing on location. You could say these photographers believed in their meters more than going back to the shop to guestimate WB. I would too if I had one but these things cost a few thousand dollars, guestimating WB is still cheaper.

I've done mixed lighting blending for interiors before but have not encountered anything considered so tricky as to requiring WB bracketing. Mainly because A) I don't have the experience of the situation requiring such precision and B) the clients do not demand it. But I would not discount such practise overseas. Some photographers can be picky, either their art demands it or their professionalism & experience calls for it. It's part of their service after all.

As for shooting multiple frames but difficulty in merging, you're only assuming if movement need be frozen.