do you use auto white balance?

[Juni Zhao]

I never do. I like to set color temperature manually, so I have better control over the color tone. How about you?

[Steven Davis]

It depends, in event videography while chasing the actors, you can move to various and numerous light sources, so in those cases I run in auto. But for lengthier shots, I set it myself.

[Bill Pryor]

No. I don't want the white balance to change during a shot.

[Eric Weiss]

never. i love the advanced color temp settings on the a1.
it's probably my favorite feature.

[Dearl Golden]

WB is another area I need to explore outside the comfort zone of full auto. What do you pros use to manually set your white balance? Please name product names/websites so I can research.

Thanks in advance

[Bill Pryor]

There's no product needed. Simply white balance to existing conditions, or use the tungsten or daylight preset. Or white balance and then go up or down as desired (which is fun to do just because you can).

[Eric Weiss]

"What do you pros use to manually set your white balance? Please name product names/websites so I can research."

I'd love give you some fancy European sounding product..but in reality, I fill up my frame with whatever is close by and "whiteish"...typically my girlfriends shirt, a table cloth, a poodle, etc.

[Dearl Golden]

Thanks, guys. Didn't realize it was that simple.

[Steven Davis]

Yeah, what's neat is to try different items. Typically, if I'm in a ceremony, I'll white balance to the scene I'll zoom in on, i.e. the stage. White balancing to something close to you, and then zooming in 60 feet doesn't always work when the lighting is very uneven.

So just explore and test with things where you are. I'm one of those that want the most natural color, and then will adjust in post.

One of the hardest lessons I've ever learned was running a full tape with WB preset, then the sun went down. You just have to be prepared for the changing conditions.

[Juni Zhao]

Originally Posted by Dearl Golden

Thanks, guys. Didn't realize it was that simple.

It's pretty much to you own taste and liking. The color really adds mood to the video you make. Sometimes it requires exact tone, sometimes you can exaggerate. I set color temp using my own judgment, like how I decide tone in my painting....

[Mark Rook]

On a sunny day, I use the stock sunny preset. When on auto, its a little too warm.

Mark

[Bill Pryor]

I use the presets whenever possible, usually daylight (I use Caselights with daylight fluorescent lamps and HMIs for a lot of interior shooting where there is ambient daylight coming in). In a studio situation or night interiors I'll use tungsten preset with 3200 lights. My reason for using the presets is that If I white balance, then I lose the warm color I've cranked into the camera's setting. At least I think I do. With the DSR500 I do, so I'm assuming the Canon would do the same thing. Makes sense that if I white balance, my color correction setup would go away because everything would reset to white being white as opposed to being slightly warmer or cooler, depending on my setup. I should probably check that out sometime.

[Kevin Amundson]

Originally Posted by Eric Weiss

"What do you pros use to manually set your white balance? Please name product names/websites so I can research."

If I'm shooting a short film I will usually use the Indoor or Outdoor Preset just so all my shots stay consistent. If I'm shooting a promo or tutorial I use these warm cards. I haven't quite gotten the hang of the temperature preset yet.