Using white balance reference cards

[EL Pistoffo]

I have an order on the way of a set of Amazon.com: Optek Premium Reference White Balance Card - 3 Card Digital Color Correction Tool: Camera & Photo. My intended use of these are for helping with color balancing underwater while filming with a GoPro Hero 3 Black. Using an editor such as Adobe Premiere or Vegas Pro I will use color correcting tool/filter to set hi, mid, and low levels with dropper tool on each the reference cards while briefly in frame at each different depth/lighting level. This should vastly improve the image.

My question is about the GoPros WB setting. It will be set on Pro-Tune mode. Should the WB be set to the Raw Camera setting?

Also, slightly off topic, when doing general outdoor video filming, can the Auto WB be used, negating the needed use of the reference cards? I understand the need underwater because of the huge difference in environment coloring/lighting.

Some of my editing apps like Cineform and PowerDirector 11 only have a white balance correction dropper tool. I've noticed that in some poor lit situations it doesn't work very well. I've seen many photographers white balance with the gray reference card instead of the white. What's your take on the that?

 

[Interceptor121]

The grey card is less reflective so it does not give you overexposure issues when you white balance

I suppose you are aware that there is no white balance in the gopro and you will have to actually video the slate to then use the white balance picker???

If you do that you should go for cam raw

You may as well buy a filter and forget all of this...

 

[danvolker]

Having a dive buddy with a white tank....a tank with a good shade of white painted on it, or with white fins might be easier than the slate...just have them swim in to the frame, shoot, then swim out of frame and shoot.
For most shots, once one shot has been taken at depth with the white there for white balancing on the computer ( cineform), this correction can then be applied to all other clips at the same depth, with ideal results.

 

[EL Pistoffo]

The grey card is less reflective so it does not give you overexposure issues when you white balance

I suppose you are aware that there is no white balance in the gopro and you will have to actually video the slate to then use the white balance picker???

If you do that you should go for cam raw

You may as well buy a filter and forget all of this...

Having a dive buddy with a white tank....a tank with a good shade of white painted on it, or with white fins might be easier than the slate...just have them swim in to the frame, shoot, then swim out of frame and shoot.
For most shots, once one shot has been taken at depth with the white there for white balancing on the computer ( cineform), this correction can then be applied to all other clips at the same depth, with ideal results.

My intention is to put the set of reference cards in front of the camera at beginning of the shoot once at depth for a few seconds. that way I can use balance picker in post. I will again place the reference cards in front of the camera when ever conditions change.
These cards are about the size of credit cards and on a lanyard so it's very easy.
I am definitely going to use a filter. Using the cards in addition to the red filter should give even better results in post correction, or so I've been told.

I'm going to try white balancing with the gray card and see what kind of results I get.

Thanks for tips

 

[EL Pistoffo]

Well I've tested the white balance cards on some regular land based video and the results in post processing are great. The colors are true. Post color corrected with Vegas Pro using color picker on all three cards. Used camera Protune, WB raw.
I expect underwater results to be great as well.

 

[Interceptor121]

The gopro works well on land the auto white balance covers an extensive range of temperature so the tuning you are doing is marginal
Underwater it will be very different and the gap much wider results will not be the same

 

[guruboy]

For photography you typically white balance with a grey card.

If the GoPro can record in RAW the same way my DSLR can, you can fix the WB afterwards no problem with a reference color.

I don't know how practical it would be, but I've seen things like this that could be useful.

http://spyder.datacolor.com/en/portfolio-view/spydercube-video/

 

[TheTrickster]

If the GoPro can record in RAW the same way my DSLR can, you can fix the WB afterwards no problem with a reference color.

I don't know how practical it would be, but I've seen things like this that could be useful.

I've tried using the RAW features on the GoPro, with CineForm Studio, and its a right pain (way too slow, for editing up the weekends diving). Yes the results are okay, but side by side with a Red filter its just not worth the effort. (Admittedly the shots with the filter are a tiny bit softer)

 

[EL Pistoffo]

I'm shooting in WB RAW, similar to DSLRs. I have a white, gray and black reference card. My editing software uses all three shades (superior to just white card balancing) to accurately correct the color. I can't see how it would not work under any conditions. With these cards you are in effect telling the software what white (high-tones), gray (mid-tones) and black (low-tones) should calibrate to. Using a red filter in conjunction would simply keep the pre-edited video color more balanced than without, thus requiring less correction by the WB reference card calibrating during post editing through software.

---------- Post added July 25th, 2013 at 04:06 PM ----------

For photography you typically white balance with a grey card.

If the GoPro can record in RAW the same way my DSLR can, you can fix the WB afterwards no problem with a reference color.

I don't know how practical it would be, but I've seen things like this that could be useful.

SpyderCUBE - Datacolor Imaging Solutions - Datacolor Imaging Solutions

That is essentially what I am doing minus the color card. I tried looking up color cards but finding a small one for underwater use hasn't panned out, plus I don't know how to use the color card in post processing yet.

I researched quite a bit on this and found that this is the method photographers use to correct thier images. Good Video editing software can do the same to videos. You simply have to re-place the cards in the view of camera frame for a second or so while filming whenever conditions change. Simple.

The WB cards I use are small and waterproof and they have worked very well for correcting the colors.



This is the kind of results you can get from using the cards in post editing:

 

[ronscuba]

I'm shooting in WB RAW, similar to DSLRs. I have a white, gray and black reference card. My editing software uses all three shades (superior to just white card balancing) to accurately correct the color. I can't see how it would not work under any conditions. With these cards you are in effect telling the software what white (high-tones), gray (mid-tones) and black (low-tones) should calibrate to. Using a red filter in conjunction would simply keep the pre-edited video color more balanced than without, thus requiring less correction by the WB reference card calibrating during post editing through software.

There are limitations with color correcting video. Video raw is not the same as photo raw and color correcting video requires much more computer power than correcting photo. I have a pretty powerful computer. I like to shoot protune cam raw with a filter. A little boost to contrast and minor color correction in editing gives me better and more consistent color. However, I am a little critical when it comes to color and luckily have a capable computer.