Auto Balancing RAW photos

[al9901]

Hi,

I am doing some photo mapping indoors where I take many photos from different angles of the same room. Depending on the position and angle of the camera, the colours of walls and items in the room are different colours in different photos. I could manually play with each RAW file to make sure that they all match, but this would take weeks as I have nearly 1000 photos.

I was wondering if there was any software that would balance the exposures, contrasts etc in RAW photos so that the images all have the same colours? Perhaps by looking at all the photos and then choosing an average for all the parameters?

 

[480sparky]

Try shooting with the camera in full manual mode.... that way each one has the exact same exposure and white balance. Then you will have zero time needed for fiddling in post.

 

[manaheim]

^ a fair suggestion, keeping in mind the second you move or a cloud rolls by, the light conditions will change.

That said, looking for something to auto-balance your RAW images, to me means you are missing the point almost entirely. Working with RAWs gives you the ability to hand-craft your exposures. Yes, this takes more time and yes it's a bit of a pain, but you either need this ... or you don't. If you really don't, then don't do it. If you do, then bite the bullet and take the time.

If you're looking for something to speed up the process, lightroom can help quite a bit. IMO, you're going to still lose some of the quality by speeding things up a bit, but it might give you enough of what you need without taking quite as much time.

It's all about requirements.

 

[480sparky]

.........keeping in mind the second you move........ the light conditions will change...........

'Splain, please.

 

[weepete]

Shoot with a grey card. I suppose you could batch process them all in lightroom to have the same colour temp and tint

 

[Braineack]

what software are you currently using?

 

[manaheim]

.........keeping in mind the second you move........ the light conditions will change...........

'Splain, please.

If you're in one corner of a room, facing one direction, and move to another corner, facing another, the light will be different. Light conditions vary as much- or more- than light conditions outside.

 

[480sparky]

.........keeping in mind the second you move........ the light conditions will change...........

'Splain, please.

If you're in one corner of a room, facing one direction, and move to another corner, facing another, the light will be different. Light conditions vary as much- or more- than light conditions outside.

Maybe in your universe, but not mine. In mine, moving around doesn't change the lighting. Only by turning lights on or off, or a change in the clouds outside, or if I'm so ungodly slow the planet I'm on manages to rotate enough on it's axis that the big bright star in the sky moves enough to alter the lighting.

But in my universe, walking from one corner to another doesn't change the lighting.

 

[Braineack]

If you're in one corner of a room, facing one direction, and move to another corner, facing another, the light will be different. Light conditions vary as much- or more- than light conditions outside.

:cricket chirping:

 

[Designer]

.. the colours of walls and items in the room are different colours in different photos.

Is your camera set to "auto white balance"?

 

[KmH]

Yep. Moving around the room the light quality and direction changes.
As the light direction and quality change, the color of walls the camera records also changes.
Heck! We can even see that effect with out eyes.

The solution is to use and move supplemental lighting to keep the light direction and quality more consistent as you move about a room making photos. Using a handheld incident/reflected/strobe light meter would also help.

Lightroom can sync and edit a group of photos all made in the same lighting.

Batch balance 1000 photos made in different lighting conditions? Nope.

 

[480sparky]

Yes, moving around the room changes the relative direction of the light.

But how does that change exposure and white balance?

 

[al9901]

.. the colours of walls and items in the room are different colours in different photos.

Is your camera set to "auto white balance"?

I will check that, although my initial thought is no as I only have a basic SLR.

Do you know if the GoPro Hero 4 has the AWB feature?

 

[AlanKlein]

Why do you need 1,000 pictures of the same room? Don't you get to pick and choose?

 

[Designer]

Is your camera set to "auto white balance"?

I will check that, although my initial thought is no as I only have a basic SLR.

Do you know if the GoPro Hero 4 has the AWB feature?

Unless you specifically set the WB to some particular light source or "custom", then it is probably set to "auto". When the light changes, the WB will change automatically. It is no wonder the colors are all over the place.

As to GoPro, I don't know, but I would guess "auto" is the default, with perhaps some other setting as an option.