Custom White Balance Problems

[Xivios]

Hey all, I'm currently using a Canon Rebel XSi shooting in RAW mode. Earlier today I was taking some pictures outside and set the camera over to custom white balance. I know I'm not technically supposed to use a simple white piece of printing paper, but these were for personal use and just some quick reference shots I needed. The problem came in that once I took the picture and went to tell the camera to use it, I got an error message saying that it could not be used for custom white balance, and was able to hit Cancel or OK. I decided to hit OK to see what it would do, and any picture I took was washed out with blue. Switched it back over to auto and everything looked fine. So I decided to go inside and try it out inside. I got the same error message when I took a new WB picture, but all the pictures ended up looking normal.

I had taken pictures outside using the same method just the other day and everything worked just fine, no error messages, no color tints. I reset the defaults on the camera and it still would not work. I tried multiple times and every time it gave me the same result. I'm not sure what's going, if I'm doing something wrong, or the camera isn't working properly. I'm betting it's me, but I do need to be able to take pictures with proper WB for textures, so I'm at a loss.

Thanks for any help.

 

[06orange1300c]

Well, did the picture you took fill the whole screen in white? Or was the paper just in the center of the photo with other colors and such around the edges? Did you try another picture of the same page? Also the EOS software will let you correct the white balance of the blue ones if you want to keep and correct them.

 

[IgsEMT]

Can't comment on specifics of your camera but consider this:
First, you're shooting raw, thus you can readjust it in PP
Outdoors on a sunny day, set it to daylight. If it gets cloudy, set it accordingly.
Indoors w/ flash, keep on daylight.
IF tungsten becomes your primary light source (and you aren't using a flash) then change it accordingly.
Here are few charts I pulled of google

http://www.k007raul.com/pds jpg/kelvins light.jpg

http://www.k007raul.com/pds jpg/D70_white_balance_chart.jpg

good luck. hope that helps.

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

One of the best parts about shooting in RAW, is that you can adjust the WB afterward, without adversely affecting the image. That's why I leave it on AWB most of the time.

As for why you couldn't set a custom WB...I don't know. What shooting mode were you using? There are some functions that are disabled when you are shooting in some of the silly auto modes.

Review your owner's manual on how to set the CWB...there might be a trick to it.

 

[jnm]

just because you took a pic of something white or gray doesn't mean the camera got the info it needs to use it as a custom wb. ive only played with custom a few times but when you're trying to set the wb it asks if you want to take a new pic or use one you already have stored. when taking a new you can get errors saying the data you tried to give the camera wasn't adequate (at least on nikon you do). when using one you already have you get the error after the fact, when you try to actually use it. when you just take a pic to use later for all the camera knows you just wanted a pic of a white piece of paper, its not going to tell you it wont work for custom wb purposes until you try to use it later.

basically when you just take a pic and assume it will work for use later on you miss the opportunity to ask the camera if it is okay to use for a custom wb or not. if you want to do it by using a pic you already have i suggest immediately testing the pic you want to use later so you dont get a surprise down the line.

 

[Xivios]

Well, did the picture you took fill the whole screen in white? Or was the paper just in the center of the photo with other colors and such around the edges? Did you try another picture of the same page? Also the EOS software will let you correct the white balance of the blue ones if you want to keep and correct them.

The paper filled the entire screen in all scenarios, tried standing far back and zooming way in, tried standing real close and zooming all the way out, not that it should make any difference. Both came back with the same results. As far as keeping the pictures, there is no other color other than blue. It's either light blue, blue, or dark blue, and anywhere in between.

Can't comment on specifics of your camera but consider this:
First, you're shooting raw, thus you can readjust it in PP
Outdoors on a sunny day, set it to daylight. If it gets cloudy, set it accordingly.
Indoors w/ flash, keep on daylight.
IF tungsten becomes your primary light source (and you aren't using a flash) then change it accordingly.

I could do that, I usually don't like using the built in settings which is why I prefer taking the custom WB shots. Thanks for the images, I'll look more into those.

One of the best parts about shooting in RAW, is that you can adjust the WB afterward, without adversely affecting the image. That's why I leave it on AWB most of the time.

As for why you couldn't set a custom WB...I don't know. What shooting mode were you using? There are some functions that are disabled when you are shooting in some of the silly auto modes.

Thanks for the welcome :mrgreen:. I could probably adjust the WB later and most likely may have to, it's just when I'm taking texture shots I don't like to edit them unless I absolutely have to. I can set custom White Balances, it's basically warning me that I can't use the picture I took. When I tell it to use it anyways (hitting OK), it completely washes out the image with blue when outside.

basically when you just take a pic and assume it will work for use later on you miss the opportunity to ask the camera if it is okay to use for a custom wb or not. if you want to do it by using a pic you already have i suggest immediately testing the pic you want to use later so you dont get a surprise down the line.

I'm not really taking pictures and using them later on. I don't know if my camera supports taking a picture live to use as WB, since as soon as I go in the menu and tell it to use a CWB, it opens up the last picture I took. I'm basically taking a picture of the paper and immediately trying to set it to be the WB picture, then take another one if I move to different lighting conditions. So I'm not really being surprised when I get on the computer since I can see the blown out blue on my LCD screen. I'm basically following the steps shown in this video

Thanks for all the responses so far, I'll look more into it.

 

[jnm]

if you follow the steps and get an error then you just didn't get the data the camera was looking for. try taking another picture if you get the error, and keep doing it until you don't.

or don't bother with it and use auto since it can be corrected in LR later on if you shoot in raw.