Grey card help

Ralphmyster

Ralphmyster

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Graham
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The other day, l started a thread asking about using AWD on the camera while shooting in a studio. Had a great responce and some good solutions,on setting a custom white balance. Well trip to LCE and a purchase of a 18% grey card, set the camera up in P went throught the white balance settings.Then using the grey card filled the frame with it, took the shot and then set that as a custom setting.then took another picture and yes looked white to me.But then tried it on a black card, went all throught the settings and then the custom one but none realy looked black.mmmmmm why?
is this because it was in P and the iso was changing and aperture shutter speed change aswell or why ?.
Thanks
 
Probably because WB and exposure are two totally different things... think about it!! :D

WB is colour temperature.... Exposure is a combination of ISO, shutter speed and aperture, and you can have any WB you want with a combination of those three.... what you'd need to do is take your grey card and take a meter reading from it in manual mode; that will give you exposure... you can then take a custom WB and all will be well... black will be black and white will be white.
 
What are you trying to do with the black card?
 
I think the OP is just a bit confused about exposure and WB and is simply experimenting - taking a picture of a black card in P mode is never going to render black, no matter which WB you use, is it? :D
 
I thought you exposed off an 18% grey card, and took white balance off something white?? The white balancer tool I have is white.

If you want to get the background on a picture darker... reduce the amount of light which falls onto the background, or increase the light which falls onto the subject and reduce exposure by a few stops to expose for the subject.

I dont know what you intend to achieve taking a WB reading from something black. Its called white balance, not black balance :D
 
O thank you mr Dekhog, yes l was mixing it up. Just did what you said and BINGO black is now black
 
mm_photographic said:
I thought you exposed off an 18% grey card, and took white balance off something white?? The white balancer tool I have is white.

If you want to get the background on a picture darker... reduce the amount of light which falls onto the background, or increase the light which falls onto the subject and reduce exposure by a few stops to expose for the subject.

I dont know what you intend to achieve taking a WB reading from something black. Its called white balance, not black balance :D
Click to expand...

You can take a white balance reading of anything neutral in colour. That is, equal quantities of red, green and blue light. White or grey is fine, black isn't so good mainly because it's actually the absence of light, so true black would be hopeless, and in reality what we call black usually has a tint of colour in it (but it's so dark you can't see it visually).

You can also use any tone to take an exposure meter reading from, so long as you know its exact brightness level and can adjust to compensate. That's the theory behind taking a reading off the palm of your hand and adding 1.3 stops to adjust for its light tone.

The thing about 18% grey is that it should need no compensation and you can apply the reading directly. In theory ;)
 
Thanks Hoppy,Thats what it says no need to compensate.I find it funny it does not tell you what mode to use on the instructions sheet. Even on u tude they don't mention this maybe it was just me being dumb lol. but the say. Someone who asks a silly question is a fool for a minute, but someone who never asks is a fool for life. lol
 
Ralphmyster said:
Thanks Hoppy,Thats what it says no need to compensate.I find it funny it does not tell you what mode to use on the instructions sheet. Even on u tude they don't mention this maybe it was just me being dumb lol. but the say. Someone who asks a silly question is a fool for a minute, but someone who never asks is a fool for life. lol
Click to expand...

The mode makes no difference, so that's prolly why.
 
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