yakim_peled1 Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 A few days ago I took this picture. The colours came out all weird and twisted. It is nothing like the actual colours. It was an ordinary sunset, light blue sky, white clouds, yellow sun. I shot sunsets before with the same camera and settings (RAW, AWB, converted it to JPEG without any PP save from crop) and it is the first time this has happened to me. Why has this happened? Why hasn't it happened before? What can I do to avoid it? What can I do to reproduce it? I must admit I actually like the final outcome as it's very unique but I am not happy that things happen without me knowing why. Happy shooting, Yakim.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yakim_peled1 Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 Here is a sunset I shot less than a year ago. Colours are similar to the ones which were actually present. Happy shooting, Yakim.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_smith6 Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 What metering did you use? I think that the problem is that camera wanted to correctly expose sun and all the other things are a lot underexposed. Also auto white balance wanted to correct orange color cast and changed colors to colder. If you want to avoid it use manual white balance and meter on the sea water without sun in the frame add 2 stops and then recompose. If you want to reproduce it use spot metering on the clouds around the sun and set white balance to 3300K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainer_t Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Just a guess, but since both images were taken with whitebalance set to auto, it seems that in the first picture something caught the attention of the WB algorithm and confused it. Probably such scenes are better taken with WB set manually or in raw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yakim_peled1 Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 1. Metering was, in both cases, Evaluative. 2. Pardon my ignorance but what does exposure has to do with WB? 3. How do you meter MWB if there is nothing white in the frame? Happy shooting, Yakim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_smith6 Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 2. Not much but auto WB uses correctly exposed part of the picture to set WB. <br>3. You need to memorize values or carry a gray card with you. In your situation I'd use WB=5500K (daylight/flash color temperature) and you'd get nice, orange colors. I usually change white balance on computer later. Besides if you meter white balance from a gray card/something white you won't get orange sunset because everything will be corrected. That's why you need to use daylight setting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yakim_peled1 Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 2. I never knew that. Why and how? 3. I feel silly to ask but I never had to it, AWB worked well for more than a year. If you want to set MWB, don't you have to use a white card rather than a gray one? But as I shoot in RAW, I guess I don't have to do it at all, right? I can always change it later if I please. Happy shooting, Yakim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_smith6 Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 2. I never knew that too but noticed it while taking pictures with few different light sources. The one I focus on and which is correctly exposed also had correct WB. <br>3. You can use both gray card and white card to set correct white balance. <br><br> Yes, if you shoot RAW you can change it later without image quality getting worse. You can correct .jpg pictures as well if you have to but you won't be able to see color temperature values. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjb Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Hi Yakim, I`ve ask CPS for help on this issue with AWB, I believe 40d takes AWB from the inner circle around the center FP. hence the light object in the 1st shot, (not sure how it was cropped) would show differents from the previous. Most of our work is AWB in many venues each night. if we use a FP outside the inner curcle colour balance seems to be affected where the inner area is over. by stickin to center FP and a neutral tone colour is fine. mostly shoot jpeg tho Cheers PS still not heard from CPS but works OK so not bothered Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainer_t Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 -- "But as I shoot in RAW, I guess I don't have to do it at all, right? I can always change it later if I please. " Yes, the only thing that might happen (and that depends on the raw converter you use) is, that the raw converter uses the values (for WB) generated by the camera as a default starting point. (DPP will do that, ACR (to my knownledge) can do that, but allows to switch that off). Anyhow, as soon as you set WB to your taste in the converter, the values from the camera become meaningless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yakim_peled1 Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 Chris, Thank you very much. I will look forward to what CPS has to say about this. Rainer, I use DPP. I will try to change the WB and see what happens. Happy shooting, Yakim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne_campbell Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 You're complaining? It looks very nice. Some people couldn't get that look if they tried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralph_jensen Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Yeah, I agree with Wayne. What's the secret to getting that look? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greglynch Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 I agree with Wayne and Ralph. If I shot that, I would print it, sign it, frame it, and sell it (with a copy of my wall, of course!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yakim_peled1 Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 Guys, I thank you for the compliments. However, look at what I wrote in the OP: "I must admit I actually like the final outcome as it's very unique but I am not happy that things happen without me knowing why." I'm now at home. I'll try to change the WB and post the results. Happy shooting, Yakim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yakim_peled1 Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 Now I'm really puzzled. No amount of change in WB brings back the original colours. Here are some examples. WB = 2500. Happy shooting, Yakim.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yakim_peled1 Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 WB = 3500.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yakim_peled1 Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 WB = 4500.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yakim_peled1 Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 WB = 5500.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yakim_peled1 Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 WB = 6500.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yakim_peled1 Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 WB = 7500.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yakim_peled1 Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 WB = 8500.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yakim_peled1 Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 WB = 9500.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yakim_peled1 Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 Last try. Click WB. I clicked on the edge of the cloud which was white. No big change. Happy shooting, Yakim.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yakim_peled1 Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 BTW, if anyone from Canon/CPS will want the RAW file, I will send it to them. I have several but only one has that bird which add so much.... :-) Happy shooting, Yakim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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