Custom white balance setting

Custom white balance (CWB) setting for correct gray balance in the camera is a very powerful tool when being used correctly.

The problem is that white isn't always white when it comes to spectrophotometric definition. "Point the camera at a white surface and set CWB" just isn't enough for a photographer who wants to get it right. The problem is illustrated in the picture below.

There are three different white surfaces in the picture. From left to right: An old slightly yellowish backside of a Kodak 18% gray card. The white patch on QPcard 101. An envelope from the mail.

The camera always assumes the surface it is being pointed at when setting CWB is neutral. By pointing the camera at the left "white" surface, the whole picture becomes bluish. Many white papers are bluish, like the envelope to the right, which gives a warm tint to the picture.

In order to set CWB correctly it is necessary to point the camera at a perfectly neutral surface, like QPcard 101.

The numbers in the picture are L*a*b values measured in Adobe Photoshop. "L" is lightness, "a" is red or green, "b" is yellow or blue. 0 (zero) for a and b means neutral, with no tint of any color.

Gray balancing QPcard 101

Instruction for gray balancing with QPcard 101 using the Eyedropper tool in Adobe Photoshop.

1) Place QPcard 101 in the subject. Make sure it is lit by the same light as the main part of the subject.

2) Take a picture with white balance on camera on an appropiate setting (NOT Auto White Balance!).

3) Take the rest of the pictures without QPcard 101.

4) Open the first picture in Adobe Photoshop or other suitable image or camera software.

5) Choose the eyedropper tool and set Sample Size to 5 by 5 Average.


6) Check the gray balance in the gray patch of QPcard 101. In this example it is too blue and a little bit too green.

7) Choose Levels and click on the gray eyedropper. Make shure it isset to neutral by double clicking and checking RGB numbers. Default setting is 128, 128, 128.


8) Now click on the gray patch of QPcard 101. The RGB values will become equal, meaning neutral gray. If the gray patch still seems to have a color cast you have to calibrate your monitor.

9) Save the gray balancing profile by clicking "Save...".

10) Open the other pictures taken in the same light and same white balance setting on camera.

11) Choose Levels and click "Load..." to apply the saved gray balancing profile.

QPcard 201 x 2

QPcard 201 is a reference card with 27 different colors.

It is designed to be used with the software QPcolorsoft 501 that can be downloaded free on this site. The colors on the card are mixed separately from pigments and extremely fade resistant. Some of the colors are mixed to resemble the spectral response of colors in real life: Light skin (#18), Dark skin (#17), Sky blue (#25) and Forrest (#15). The seven neutral patches (#4?10) all have an almost straight spectral response. In practice this means the QPcard 201 can be used in almost any light condition with almost any camera, without suffering from metamerism.

The card is self-adhesive making it perfect to place on almost any surface in the subject. The size of the card is 142 x 40 mm (5.6 x 1.6 inch).

QPcard RAW package

Calibrate your digital camera for RAW shooting using QPcard 201, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Camera RAW (ACR).

In ACR there is a tab called "Calibrate". Here you will find sliders for adjustment of Shadow Tint, Red, Green and Blue Hue and Saturation. Using these sliders you can finetune the color reproduction of Adobe Camera RAW converter. However, it is almost impossible to succeed without a reference color target like the QPcard 201.

Finetuning of RAW can be achieved manually or automatically. The manual procedure is described by Bruce Fraser here http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/21351-1.html

In order to accomplish this with QPcard 201 you need a reference image with RGB values. This image can be downloaded here.

But there is also an automatic way to go. Rags Gardner at http://www.rags-int-inc.com has a Technology department on his site: http://www.rags-int-inc.com/PhotoTechStuff/ with lots of useful information and solutions for digital photographers. Rags has written a Javascript for automatic color calibration with ACR. The script can be downloaded free from Rags site here:
http://www.rags-int-inc.com/PhotoTechStuff/ColorCalibration/

You can read Rags explanation here:
http://www.rags-int-inc.com/PhotoTechStuff/AcrCalibration/

QPcard 101 v2 x 3

QPcard 101 is a reference card targeted for professional photographers

Qpcard 101 v2 is the new improved version of Qpcard 101. It has three patches with perfectly neutral dark gray, mid gray and white colors. The Cie L*a*b values are 35*0*0, 48*0*0 and 95*0*0. The spectral respons of the three colors is almost perfect straight, meaning there will be no problems with metamerism at all. The colors are extremely fade resistant. The main purpose with the card is to use the gray patch for neutral gray balancing of the image. The gray patch is reflecting 18 % of the light, making it useful also for exposure purposes. Since the white patch is free from fluorescent whitening agents, it is perfect for custom white balance setting of your camera before shooting. There is a millimeter reference scale on the card.

The card is self-adhesive making it perfect to place on almost any surface in the subject. The size of the card is 142 x 40 mm.

+ Sensor + provides flexibility, choice to photographers

Sensor+ represents some very unusual technology that is completely different from anything we have ever offered before or has ever been offered in our industry.


We now provide two solution families with the P 65+ as our only back in the Sensor+ family and the rest of our backs as part of the XPose+ family of solutions. Learn more about Sensor+ technology and what our two solution families offer by reading the Phase One

Hot, hot news for better capture

Photokina is a great time for us to meet and talk to thousands of photographers over the 6 days of the show. We have a lot to talk about. The P 65+ is here! Finally, we have real full frame capture with 60.5 megapixels of resolution. Phase One is also rolling out our Sensor+ technology with the P 65+ which offers a scaled 15 megapixel output at full frame and double the ISO!


Just as exciting is our first public showing of Capture One 4 PRO. We are very near to releasing our final public version. I am extremely proud that our development team has retained the ability of Capture One to control and balance how digital or analogue an image can look and feel. Capture One 4 PRO actually goes much further with many new tools that push this control in new creative directions. Our expected release date is October 15th and we look forward to your excitement for the many new features and functions.

This month our feature article is a first shoot experience with photographer Drew Gardner and the P 65+ with Capture One 4 PRO. We also announce details about the P 65+ and Sensor+, Capture One PRO 4, our new expanded Phase One digital lens range and finally our newest alliance with Leica.

For many of you who will be at Photokina, we look forward to seeing you!

Peter Eastway - The Versatile Travel Camera

Peter Eastway is rewriting the rules for highend travel photography. Using the Phase One P 45+, Peter achieves results that rival 4x5 film qualty while still having the versatility to shoot hand held. This article is a practical explanation of how images are created on location and what it takes to get the shot.


The extensive experience and knowledge that Peter has, shows through in his real world scenarios. Read the PDF here.

Capturing a better world

Solving some of the most pressing problems on a world scale needs a different way of thinking about each other and how we all fit. MYC4 is a micro banking group focused on Africa providing loans to those who would otherwise never get a chance. Jens Honoré was commissioned to document some of the incredible results for an exhibit to further publicize the MYC4 project.


Jens approached this project in a completely different way with surprising results. Read about why Jens chose medium format over a DSLR and see more of his results. This is a powerful discussion of how equipment changes the look of an image. Read the PDF article here.

The challenges of location photography

Compact lighting tools, enormous exposure latitude with our Phase One P+ backs, powerful laptops, accurate LCD monitors and portable generators have transformed shooting locations into full production studios. The Phase One 645 Camera platform has been designed with the growth of location work in mind. With our product announcements before and at Photokina, we will add to the travel and on-location photographer's arsenal of tools!



This month we feature an article about rethinking the location kit by Peter Eastway, a review of the Phase One 645, P 45+ camera solution from Digital Photographer magazine and an article featuring Jens Honoré and his location work in Africa with micro banking group MYC4.

More and more in our industry are starting to understand that the point of photography is the subject, not the equipment, software or post-production. For Phase One, focusing on capture has been a key to our success. Our tools are designed to enhance a photographer’s workflow so that the moment and look of an image stays as unique as possible.


Henrik Håkonsson, President and CEO, Phase One

Love what you photograph

By professional photographer René Riis, Spektrum Studios, Denmark.

Success in Food & Drinks photography
I believe that you have to be passionate about what you photograph in order to be successful. You have to be able to be fascinated by and see the beauty in different kinds of food from an oyster to salami. Beside that of course, you have to master photographic techniques.

New image style
I use a cook and food stylist for larger assignments to get the right look. We have very few food stylists in Denmark. It is a limited market and the qualified stylists live abroad where the demand is bigger.

Food photography is a bit like fashion photography; the stylists are able to give the images the final touch that makes the difference. Clients and agencies often ask me to recommend a stylist. They each have individual styles, and that style has to match the assignment.

Equipment
I shoot with a Phase One P 20 digital back, using Capture One PRO. Besides that I use Adobe® Photoshop and once in a while I rent a Canon IDs MKII.

Capture One gives me a good overview, it quickly browses through images and I see it as an essential part of my equipment – it is my darkroom. It is crucial that all RAW files are converted to the best image quality. I get that with Capture One.

I use the feature called Styles a lot. It is really nice that you can see the style change immediately on all images. It is much easier to create a new look with the Styles function as inspiration.

Today digital development and improvements are moving unbelievably fast. Still, I cannot recall the last time I had problems with my equipment. It is essential for my work that my digital back is working 100% of the time, especially when I have clients in the studio!

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Capture One 3.7.6 includes a Live Preview feature.

Live Preview gives you instant feedback on your composition and any changes you make to this, when capturing images. With Live Preview you can speed up your work and capture the perfect images quickly, even if your camera is placed inaccessibly.

Live Preview currently supports Phase One's: P 45, P 30 and P 21 digital backs and will be an out-of-the-box feature with all the coming P+ digital backs.

With Capture One 3.7.6 we have also improved the support for Leica M8, Canon 400D/Rebel XTi; Nikon D80 and Sony α (alpha) DSLR-A100.

For specific improvements please refer to the release notes for Capture One.

Download Capture One 3.7.6 and release notes: http://www.phaseone.com/Content/Downloads.aspx