White Balance for IR

Cid242

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I am new to IR photography, ok I am new at alot, but I have a Sony DSC-H1 and I have a Hoya R-72 filter and I cannot get my camera to allow me to set the custom white balance I need to take these pics. I am sure I am missing something, thats the norm for me lol. Anyway, I have tried to set the white balance with the filter on and aimed at a brightly lit patch of grass, as I have heard is a good white balance for this and the camera just will not accept the custom white balance. I have tried the auto white balance and setting the white balance to the same patch of grass with no filter on and the pics just come out VERY red and not easily cleaned up. Any ideas on how I can get the white balance to set to a good one for these pictures would be greatly appreciated. I am dying to get deeper into this but cannot afford one of the higher priced modified cameras. Thanks to any and all people that can help.
 
Shot in RAW and set the White Balance afterwards, you'll have to tweak it anyway.
My IR white balance is usually an exposed shot of the sky with the filter on.
not sure how you go about setting custom white balance on your camera though.
 
Yeah I wish I had the option to shoot in RAW. Sadly I am stuck with what I have and that is just JPEG. Thanks for the answer though.
 
You may have better luck using a gray card to set the white balance. I'd try setting the white balance with the card first then attach the IR filter. You could also try just using the auto WB but include a gray card in the frame where it could be easily cropped. In post process you could then balance using the gray card in the image.
 
When I experimented with this, I set the whitebalance using green grass or foliage. I think I got the tip from a forum.

The other tip I had was also to try a piece of white paper to set the white balance.

If your camera allows, it, set the white balance and save it. Then you can always use it.

They both offered different results. Depending on your taste, you might find one usable. I gave up on IR since my camera had a IR filter which caused me to have to use high ISO and rediculous shutter speeds. No leaves or trees ever stayed still for 6 seconds. :)

have fun. When done right, this can create some amazing images.
 
Yeah the pictures are really nice from what I have seen others accomplish. The way you set the white balance, is that with the filter on or off? When I try to set it with the filter on it will not let me set it. It just seems to not allow that white balance set with the filter on whether its set to brightly lit grass or paper. I appreciate the ideas and I will try anything anyone suggests. Thanks!
 
I pretty sure your camera can't tell the difference between a shot with a filter on or off.
Take the picture of the green foliage or of the sky with the filter ON, but make sure that you get a good exposure of it.
IR filters at iso100 will most likey need a good couple of seconds to get a decent exposure.
Maybe what you have been doing is not exposing for long enough.
Ignore the built in light meter when exposing with an IR filter, it's trial and error and everyday will be different. Obviously the sunnier it is, the shorter the exposure times.
Just experiment.
 
Good idea. I may have had the iso set a little high. I am not sure this is affecting my camera as it just has a "One Push" custom white balance setting that lets you point at the subject, say green grass, and hit the button. It flashes for a second and the white balance should be set; however my never seems to be. But I will definitely try setting the iso higher and lower to see if that allows for a longer, and more proper, exposure. Thanks a lot for the tips. As I said I am new and appreciate all tips from anyone. Thanks.
 
Yeah the pictures are really nice from what I have seen others accomplish. The way you set the white balance, is that with the filter on or off? When I try to set it with the filter on it will not let me set it. It just seems to not allow that white balance set with the filter on whether its set to brightly lit grass or paper. I appreciate the ideas and I will try anything anyone suggests. Thanks!


I looked at a few of my notes. The filter has to be on for the greeen foilage and off for the white paper.

If your camera doesn't allow you to create a white balance preset by taking a picture. This may not work. When I did this on my old rebel, I had to ue ISO 800 with exposers time like 4-6 seconds. It makes interesting shots if you have the patience to work with em. With a such a dark filter and high ISO, they tend to be pretty grainy.
 

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