How to fix white balance in JPEG

Baaaark · 06-21-2009, 04:30 PM

Okay, so my shot is WAY too warm, like almost all reds and yellows. So, I tried to do things with the color balance, but nothing seems to work. I can only get tinges of other colors, and not anything that's really pure white.

So, how would someone attempt to adjust a white balance on a JPEG? I'm really patient, so it doesn't matter if it takes a few steps, or takes a lot of trial and error. I was trying the color balance one number at a time!

rufus5150 · 06-21-2009, 04:39 PM

This method will work in many cases:
Adobe Photoshop Tutorial | Color Correction Using Curves Adjustment Layer | Layers Magazine

PhotoXopher · 06-21-2009, 05:18 PM

Start shooting RAW, makes it a one click process

/End RAW Pimpage

Bitter Jeweler · 06-21-2009, 05:24 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by N0YZE

Start shooting RAW, makes it a one click process

/End RAW Pimpage

He may not be able too, and never answered what kind of camera he had, in one of the various threads on the same subject he's posted.

Samanax · 06-21-2009, 05:51 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Baaaark

Okay, so my shot is WAY too warm, like almost all reds and yellows. So, I tried to do things with the color balance, but nothing seems to work. I can only get tinges of other colors, and not anything that's really pure white.

So, how would someone attempt to adjust a white balance on a JPEG? I'm really patient, so it doesn't matter if it takes a few steps, or takes a lot of trial and error. I was trying the color balance one number at a time!

Better to try and get the white balance correct in camera instead of through the PP process. See if your camera allows you to do custom white balance.

Sw1tchFX · 06-21-2009, 06:59 PM

Long story short, you can't. This is why shooting RAW is a good thing, because you can fix things like this later without destroying the image. Jpegs are way too compressed to have enough information left in them to make major changes like that. You might be able to get kind of close, but that's about it.

**manaheim** · 06-21-2009, 07:50 PM

Literally, that's EXACTLY the scenario that made me start shooting RAW. I was taking some pictures of tombstones at night that were bathed in incadescants... MASSIVE yellow... no way to fix it.. not really. It's been RAW ever since. Take it as a lesson and start going RAW.

**KmH** · 06-21-2009, 09:45 PM

IIRC he has a p&s and RAW is not an option.

Bitter Jeweler · 06-21-2009, 10:12 PM

But if he would tell us what kind, maybe RAW is an option. Canon has additional "firmware" that adds RAW export to most of it's P&S's.

Tiberius47 · 06-22-2009, 06:59 AM

Open a curves adjustment layer in Photoshop. There will be three eyedroppers there, a black, a grey and a white one.

Select the b;lack eyedropper and click on a dropped-out shadow. Then click on the white eyedropper and click on a blown highlight. Click on the grey eye dropper and click on a midtone grey. That should do a pretty reasonable job.

You can get special cards that have black, grey and white on them to use for this purpose. Just put the card in the first picture, make the above adjustment, and then you can simply copy the adjustment layer to other shots taken in the same light but without the card.

a.rilley · 06-22-2009, 08:25 AM

You're not going to find anything that will perfectly remove the warm colouring. However, (I know you've tried the colour balance) you can move the dial to the cyan side since, cyan is in this case, the opposite of red. You could also try changing the photo filters, that may work.

06-21-2009, 04:30 PM	#1
Baaaark I spend too much of my life on TPF! Join Date: May 2009 Location: North or South Pole... it depends Posts: 392 My Photos Are OK to Edit Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts My Gallery: (0)	How to fix white balance in JPEG Okay, so my shot is WAY too warm, like almost all reds and yellows. So, I tried to do things with the color balance, but nothing seems to work. I can only get tinges of other colors, and not anything that's really pure white. So, how would someone attempt to adjust a white balance on a JPEG? I'm really patient, so it doesn't matter if it takes a few steps, or takes a lot of trial and error. I was trying the color balance one number at a time!

06-21-2009, 04:39 PM	#2
rufus5150 TPF Junkie! Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 1,383 My Photos Are NOT OK to Edit Thanked 15 Times in 15 Posts My Gallery: (0)	This method will work in many cases: Adobe Photoshop Tutorial \| Color Correction Using Curves Adjustment Layer \| Layers Magazine __________________ NAPP, PPA

06-21-2009, 05:18 PM	#3
PhotoXopher TPF Junkie! Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 2,708 My Photos Are NOT OK to Edit Thanked 70 Times in 70 Posts Blog Entries: 2 My Gallery: (0)	Start shooting RAW, makes it a one click process /End RAW Pimpage __________________ Click to see the world through one crappy lens.

06-21-2009, 05:51 PM	#5
Samanax TPF Junkie! Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Kaneohe, Oahu Posts: 2,532 My Photos Are OK to Edit Thanked 63 Times in 63 Posts My Gallery: (0)	Quote: Originally Posted by Baaaark Okay, so my shot is WAY too warm, like almost all reds and yellows. So, I tried to do things with the color balance, but nothing seems to work. I can only get tinges of other colors, and not anything that's really pure white. So, how would someone attempt to adjust a white balance on a JPEG? I'm really patient, so it doesn't matter if it takes a few steps, or takes a lot of trial and error. I was trying the color balance one number at a time! Better to try and get the white balance correct in camera instead of through the PP process. See if your camera allows you to do custom white balance. __________________ Gear List / My Flickr

06-21-2009, 06:59 PM	#6
Sw1tchFX TPF Junkie! Join Date: May 2006 Location: Portland! Posts: 5,448 My Photos Are NOT OK to Edit Thanked 10 Times in 10 Posts My Gallery: (0)	Long story short, you can't. This is why shooting RAW is a good thing, because you can fix things like this later without destroying the image. Jpegs are way too compressed to have enough information left in them to make major changes like that. You might be able to get kind of close, but that's about it. __________________ MyFlickr Quote: Originally Posted by no dogs dragon man! Well if it is lyk raining the cannons are really good for that but nikon is like all black so maybe good for sniperz?

06-21-2009, 05:24 PM	#4
Bitter Jeweler TPF Junkie! Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 1,557 My Photos Are OK to Edit Thanked 106 Times in 92 Posts My Gallery: (0)	Quote: Originally Posted by N0YZE Start shooting RAW, makes it a one click process /End RAW Pimpage He may not be able too, and never answered what kind of camera he had, in one of the various threads on the same subject he's posted.

06-21-2009, 07:50 PM	#7
manaheim XYZZY! Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Massachusetts, USA, Earth, Milky Way, Universe Posts: 5,156 My Photos Are OK to Edit Thanked 63 Times in 55 Posts My Gallery: (22)	Literally, that's EXACTLY the scenario that made me start shooting RAW. I was taking some pictures of tombstones at night that were bathed in incadescants... MASSIVE yellow... no way to fix it.. not really. It's been RAW ever since. Take it as a lesson and start going RAW. __________________ http://www.impressionengineering.com

06-21-2009, 09:45 PM	#8
KmH Image Maker Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Iowa Posts: 4,407 My Photos Are NOT OK to Edit Thanked 187 Times in 178 Posts My Gallery: (0)	IIRC he has a p&s and RAW is not an option. __________________ Keith. . . . Digital SLR Basics A blog that describes basic digital SLR operation. . . . . .If you think you can or think you can't, you're right!. . . . . . . Click here for my NAPP referral link. Adobe Bogen Dell Giottos hdrSoft Imagenomic Lexar Nikon Pelican Sekonic Sigma Tenba Topaz Labs Vivitar Vagabond Wacom Westcott Western Digital

06-21-2009, 10:12 PM	#9
Bitter Jeweler TPF Junkie! Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 1,557 My Photos Are OK to Edit Thanked 106 Times in 92 Posts My Gallery: (0)	But if he would tell us what kind, maybe RAW is an option. Canon has additional "firmware" that adds RAW export to most of it's P&S's.

06-22-2009, 06:59 AM	#10
Tiberius47 I spend too much of my life on TPF! Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 418 My Photos Are NOT OK to Edit Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts My Gallery: (0)	Open a curves adjustment layer in Photoshop. There will be three eyedroppers there, a black, a grey and a white one. Select the b;lack eyedropper and click on a dropped-out shadow. Then click on the white eyedropper and click on a blown highlight. Click on the grey eye dropper and click on a midtone grey. That should do a pretty reasonable job. You can get special cards that have black, grey and white on them to use for this purpose. Just put the card in the first picture, make the above adjustment, and then you can simply copy the adjustment layer to other shots taken in the same light but without the card. __________________ Tibby's Photography Tutorials Shutter Speed, Aperture and ISO \| Basic Exposure Settings \| Using P, A, S and M Modes How to use Manual Flash \| White Balance \| Bracketing

06-22-2009, 08:25 AM	#11
a.rilley No longer a newbie, moving up! Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Toronto Posts: 31 My Photos Are OK to Edit Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts My Gallery: (0)	You're not going to find anything that will perfectly remove the warm colouring. However, (I know you've tried the colour balance) you can move the dial to the cyan side since, cyan is in this case, the opposite of red. You could also try changing the photo filters, that may work. __________________ a . r i l l e y

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