White Balancing on Camera vs Post processing

[drainbamage]

Ok, so you photo-pros have been real helpful with dumb questions, and now you're going to regret it cause I'll just keep coming to you guys/gals for answers :bigsmile:


So when reading peoples comments on photo's, it's obvious that post processing is somewhat looked down upon by a lot of folks-and considering how badly tweaked some photo's are, I suppose it's somewhat understandable, but...

With a digital camera, what's the difference between white balancing on the camera as opposed to a post-processing? Both as far as technically and as far as well, for lack of a better word, ethically?

Any thoughts would be appreciated, the poll I put up made me think of this so figured I'd just ask.

 

[gparr]

You will always get the best results shooting in the RAW format and adjusting the white balance in the RAW-conversion software. The best you'll get is close using a custom white balance in the camera and shooting jpg files.
Gary

 

[drainbamage]

You will always get the best results shooting in the RAW format and adjusting the white balance in the RAW-conversion software. The best you'll get is close using a custom white balance in the camera and shooting jpg files.
Gary

So I shouldn't be trying to fuss too much with white balance on the camera unless I'm directly trying to shoot JPEGs?

Also, if you don't mind giving away any of your tricks, how do you get such amazing contrast between your focus shot and the background? Specifically how your corals seem to be taken against a black background is just stunning and I so want to learn this ability. Using an Olympus E2 I think.

 

[gparr]

Drainbamage, When shooting jpg files, the only way you can control white balance is to use one of the camera's programmed settings or do a custom white balance. When shooting RAW, you can't do anything to control the image in the camera beyond exposure and focus. RAW files are all of the data that hit the sensor. You apply the "control" in the RAW-conversion software and whatever photo-processing software you use.

Contrast between the subject and background is simply DOF control. Getting a black background is done a variety of ways. I do it with flash, sometimes a combination of flash and aperture, shooting in the dark, and/or simply having a black back glass on the aquarium and using DOF control. As an example, this shot was done with a remote flash with tank lights off and the room dark.

Gary

 

[Dave3112]

I use RAW and post processing to adjust the white balance also. I have tried a lot of different things to adjust the WB in my camera for JPEGs but the greens just come out looking too yellow. Most of the time all I do it adjust the white balance in Photoshop and thats it for post processing. I don't see how that could be frowned upon. Most of the time I notice that on the software it says my photos were shot with a WB of 5500-6900 so I adjust it to 20,000 because thats what my halides are.

Gary your photos never cease to amaze me! I see your pictures and want to go right to my tank and take shots for hours to try and get to where you are! But I'm sure that will take years!!

 

[gparr]

Thanks, Dave. Glad you enjoy the images.
Gary

 

[m and m]

I dont think Post processing is wrong, it is needed IMO. I think your miss taking post processing with the sateration bar lol. When i think of post processing i think of what i do to every photo i take regardless of the subject modal,reef related or advertisment. PP is simply just going in and fine tuning what you took IE Fixing the white balance, croping to where you want (I always shoot loose) fixing contrast things like this to make the photo more pleasing and true to life. If you go right in the PS or another program and move that sateration bar all the way to the right thats simply not post processing to me.

 

[jledon4]

the other day we were playing around with a point and shoot digital camera and i can say we were taking some awesome pictures! the only thing was that we were tampering with the image before the picture was taken. the camera even has a mode called magic that when the picture is taken, it doesn't matter if there is a 10 k mh over it still looks as if it is under actinics. all the colors pop out and it even uses the flash, it's crazy how it works. the only problem with it is that you are tampering with the image for a sale, but for showoff purposes it's sick!

 

[Murfman]

You guys have to realize that post processing is nothing more than what film format photographers did in the dark room. Take a look at Ansel Adams' photos. Those were made in the dark room. I always thought they were incredible images, until I took a class on him and they showed how the images were "created" in the dark room. Doesn't take away that he was an incredible artist, just that image is not what his eye was seeing at the time.

 

[drainbamage]

thanks for all the input guys- and I agree, I felt the negative comments were always in regards to the saturation bar, but the posts I read usually just said "did you photoshop it" and seemed all inclusive. When a local reefer stopped by and talked photos, it was obvious he felt that same way in regards to processing pics and he was feeling as if any touching of an editing program was "wrong" in some way. Glad to hear all of you guys saying similar to how I was thinking-post processing is a needed thing, just don't make it fake.


Gary-thanks for the info, I guess I'm a long ways from getting the needed equipment to really get those amazing contrast shots, but I will try and read the owners manual and see how much DOF I can play with and how succesful I can get with just that fiddling. Though how are you using a flash and still receiving amazing colors? Is that just good processing to bring it back to the rich colors? Any which way you cut it though, absolutely impressive work.

 

[joelq]

Another way to look at it is, if you shoot in JPEG, your camera is already automatically doing the "Photoshopping" for you by automatically setting the white balance, applying sharpening, etc. The only difference is that the camera may not do it to the extreme that some folks do. When shooting in RAW, the camera doesn't do all the standard post-processing, and as such, you have to post-process. Otherwise it will look bad.

There's certainly a fine line between doing just enough and doing too much, and that's the problem - too many people do too much (the saturation bar is an example).