Saturday, September 13, 2008

Using a Gray Card for White Balance Adjustment in Another Image



So this is a relatively simple thing to do but I truly was puzzled because the way I was trying was just not working. So I will tell you a few different ways to do it.  First you have to make sure that you take a shot with a gray card in it with the same light as the other images. So like I said there are a few ways to do this.  Both the images are on the left. The first one is to open both your images up in photoshop. 
1. Make sure the image with the gray card is selected. 
2. Open up levels (Image>adjustments>levels) or (Apple-L will open it)
3. There will be three little squares on the lower right, each with an eyedropper. Click on the one in the middle. If you run your mouse over it will say "Sample in image to set gray point".
4. After you have that dropper selected click on the gray card. Your image will instantly adjust to the correct white balance. 
5. Then , still in levels, click on save. It will ask you where you want to save it, choose somewhere you will remember. Then close out of levels. Select the other image that you want to correct.
6. Open levels again (Image>adjustments>levels) and then click on load. Find where you saved the profile you just made with the other image. It should instantly correct to the same settings as the last image. 
Okay now for the second way. I did the above way and it wasn't working for me so here is an alternative. This way will only work if you have the raw files. So if you do:
1. Open them in photoshop. Camera raw should pop up. 
2. Select the image with the gray card(still in camera raw). There is a bunch of icons on the top of the camera raw screen. The third one over should be a eye dropper that if you run you mouse over it should read "White Balance Tool". Click on this. 
3. Then after that icon is selected, click on the gray card. It like the first method should instantly correct. 
4. Then on the upper left corner there are two buttons, one that says select all and one that says synchronize. 
5. First click select all, or manually select the ones you want to be color corrected, and then click synchronize. All the images you selected should now be corrected. 
6. Click open image and finish the rest of your editing. :) happy editing. 

Im almost positive there is another way to do this, as there are a billion ways to do anything in photoshop, so if anyone else has another way feel free to post it. Thanks!! and happy photoshop-ing!

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