"Cold" looking pictures

corkandproud

I've taken quite a few picture of rugby games in the past few weeks and they all look a bit blue and cold. I'm using AWB and Standard Picture Style on a Canon 40D and 7D.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corkgolfnews/4375808335/in/set-72157623356207679/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/corkgolfnews/4375810801/in/set-72157623356207679/

Is there a quick fix on the white balance for this or will I have to adjust in Photoshop?

melekalikimaka

google 'custom wb' or set to cloudy. as long as you shot raw it'll be a simple task to fix

Heebie

The custom white balance mentioned above is a good fix if you shoot in raw. (and if your camera can shoot in raw..and you're NOT shooting in raw, you need a good kick up the arse!)

If you need a free & open-source alternative to Lightroom etc.. there are several out there.

Ballyman

I just went through your set on flickr and all the bad WB seem to be off the 40D. Normally you'd expect the odd one to be off but not that many. Maybe there is something wrong with the camera? What lens was on it? A cheapo lens can cause colour casts as well.

Easiest thing to do is to use the Daylight setting. If your shooting jpeg then cloudy is too "warm" for most uses so you'd be better off using Daylight most of the time.

You could also use a custom WB but you have to set that up before every game. Only takes a min or two anyway.

corkandproud

Ballyman wrote: »

I just went through your set on flickr and all the bad WB seem to be off the 40D. Normally you'd expect the odd one to be off but not that many. Maybe there is something wrong with the camera? What lens was on it? A cheapo lens can cause colour casts as well.

Easiest thing to do is to use the Daylight setting. If your shooting jpeg then cloudy is too "warm" for most uses so you'd be better off using Daylight most of the time.

You could also use a custom WB but you have to set that up before every game. Only takes a min or two anyway.

Used a Sigma 80-400 with the 40D, maybe that's the issue. Used a Canon 18-135 on the 7D another day and got similar blue results.

Is Custom WB hard to set up and do you need to keep an eye on conditions?

Ballyman

Do you have any filters on the lenses?

Calina

Heebie wrote: »

The custom white balance mentioned above is a good fix if you shoot in raw. (and if your camera can shoot in raw..and you're NOT shooting in raw, you need a good kick up the arse!)

If you need a free & open-source alternative to Lightroom etc.. there are several out there.

Dude, the guy is shooting sports. As such the choice between RAW and jpg unless you've a 1DMkIII or such is not so obvious. There are plenty of essays around on the subject regarding speed of continuous shooting, memory write out, burst rate.

So if you think RAW is the be all and end all in all circumstances, please step back and understand it's not always quite that straightforward.

OP, I believe you can get Adobe RAW converter for rien nada, but with your camera you should also have gotten DPP. While I don't much like the user interface, its RAW conversion is very decent. Picasa will also do it if you're stuck for a RAW converter.

Mostly I leave AWB in place - it's not too bad most of the time. You can, however, set WB in camera to suit local conditions which, if you are choosing to shoot in jpg, I would recommend that you do this. On the 40D you can do this by pressing one of the buttons on top of the camera - the one that has WB near it, and then twisting the dial on top of the camera to select white balance. It is probably the same on the 7D.

One solution might be to set up a PS action to add a warming photofilter layer to each shot and then run it as a batch from Bridge. At least then it's not quite so onerous.

kensutz

Heebie wrote: »

The custom white balance mentioned above is a good fix if you shoot in raw. (and if your camera can shoot in raw..and you're NOT shooting in raw, you need a good kick up the arse!)
.

Why the hell would you shoot RAW in sports?

Calina

Well I'd kinda consider it with a 1D Mk III and depending on delivery schedule for the images.

However, it's not a given, this is very true.

corkandproud

Jesus Callina, there's some detail there!

Only using UV filter on both so they shouldn't be a problem.

I've had several EOS bodies and this is the first time I've had a problem with WB, that's why I was stumped.

I think using the daylight or cloudy presets might be an answer, I don't really want to get into CWB if I don't have to.

BTW, I shoot in jpeg as I tend to work on a quantity over quality basis! I need to work on minimal post processing wherever possible.

Ballyman

corkandproud wrote: »

Only using UV filter on both so they shouldn't be a problem.

Most UV filters are only pieces of junk. They are only a gimmick. I have never come across a practical use for one. If you are worried about the lens glass then use the lens hood. That has more than enough protection.

Take it off and try AWB again.

Calina

As it happens, I had issues with AWB getting it wrong yesterday. I don't depend on it unless I am shooting RAW. If he is shooting jpg, I would strongly recommend he sets the WB in camera.