How To Use A Color Checker/Gray Card

[rainerfilm]

Yes, you did forget something, what is the purpose of the colored blocks on the chart?

[c4dfreak]

PT V

You see each sensor lens combo changes. I would buy a light meter and calibrate it to my camera to ensure proper exposure. Colors change as exposure changes, if you need critical color and skin tones you need to use a light meter and calibrate the light meter to your camera.

If not then just make sure to set a custom WB based on your scene and take pictures in raw. I would also take a picture of a color card like the one he is showing here or a Color Checker Passport to create profiles.

[c4dfreak]

pt VI

in the middle of the grey card image, use your notes to see what image = which camera lens, and focal length was used to make that image.

Read the Mean: number. Mak sure you are in Channel RGB of the drop down. To see the Info for the histogram you may have to right click on the histogram tab and choose expand view. The mean is average of the R G and B channels and should read 128 or close to it.

Notice how each image changes based onthe lens to camera combo and the focal length.

[c4dfreak]

pt III

frame, make sure the card is evenly lit, the sun will be fine, (set wb to daylight) take a shot. Make a note, change the lens take a shot make a note, Zoom in zoom out take shots make nots of each one.

Take all the shots into Photoshop then look at the histogram, click on the little down pointing arrow with 4 bars, click expanded view also click window > then info. This will show you all the info for the histogram. Mean is over all average of the image. Make a rectangle selection

[c4dfreak]

Pt. II of the response. falling in the sensor. Each lens you put on the camera changes the amount of light falling on the sensor. If you want to see what I am saying, buy an 18% grey card (be sure it is a real 18% grey card) not a white balance card. This will be your reference. Take a shot in manual mode make sure the camera WB corrected and the exposure is reading dead center. The camera wont Auto Focus on the grey card so you will need to manual focus. Fill the frame, be sure to fill the

[c4dfreak]

white balance is a function of the camera adjusting to the actual light/color spectrum falling on the sensor. The camera does not know what is white or black. It knows middle grey or as it is known is 18% grey. You see the camera sets WB balance based on this 18% value it should be called 17.5% grey as from 0 to 255 (black to white) in the middle is 17.5. This sets exposure. A white balance card sets proper WB. Not the same a a grey card. Focus wont change WB it does changing the amount of light

[hyperfocus2011]

Wrong patch!

[c4dfreak]

PT IV

Please pay no mind to this fellow, for what he did with the target, one could use a coffee cup lid or a white sheet of paper to make a custom WB with any DSLR, Those targets are 80 bucks for so and he is using one patch to make a WB correction in post.Dont try that with Jpeg, It will only full work with a raw file. Colors will block up on a Jpeg, the info is been compressed and thrown away. Fro I know you know whats up, why let this guy clutter your channel. Fro knows photo but profiling?

[hyperfocus2011]

@c4dfreak But does my focus choice change my white balance when Im in manual mode? Because the light changes with every product?

[c4dfreak]

PT III

So when he said he doesn't have time to do custom WB during weddings just product shots, this really shows he is clueless. People pay big money for So Called Pros to shoot weddings then people like him show up and fake it.

All of the profiles created in the past live in the calibration section of the Dev module in LR. A word of caution, do not clip the target when doing the initial profile shot, it will be rejected when doing a custom profile. Make a proper exposure and all is good.

[c4dfreak]

Pt II. These targets are still available but I suggest the Color Checker Passport, Gretagmacbeth and Pantone are the master minds behind color management. They developed these targets and have been used since the film days. FF to digital, Xrite had created a DNG converter plugin that allows one to creates a custom profile each camera you own (all sensors are different) and for all lighting conditions. Sun, Cloudy, Tung, Florescent, Flash, Mixed ect... Do it once then you have a profile in LR

[c4dfreak]

WOW, Like he knows what all of the colors are for. Jesus, use the GD chart to create a profile using Xrite software in LR an automated plugin. This target has not changed for 30 years or more. I hate when people try to BS their way thru a video. The newbies dont know any better. The Color patches are for creating custom profiles , all have been measured with a color spectrometer to a known value. These targets replaced IT8 film targets. His is old, they should be replaced yearly due to fading.

[AiraceProductions]

you picked the 10% gray not the 18%

[EpicsodeOne]

So you think it's fine if you photograph the chart with a flash? Does it affect the settings?

[TheOriginalJoeBloggs]

You had a haircut?

[legalbrr]

Your background stills gray after the white balance...

How to get a 255/255/255 real white background at all?

[sgtjlopez]

@legalbrr 255 white...you're referring to the exposure, not the white balance.

Making white backgrounds pure white can cause the image to lose depth or blow out parts of the image if you didn't expose properly. An easy way to get a white background is to simply Magic Wand the area and create a Curves adjustment using a layer mask...which is done in Photoshop, sorry if you don't have PS! :)

[phuang3]

Trun on the over exposure warning on Lightroom, increase the exposure until you see the clipping color appeared on the white patch, then you will get the pure white.

[karpurshri]

HEY NICE VIDEO, THANKS.

[hikinguphigh]

could you do that after if you shoot in raw in photoshop or something

kind regards

[arrogantbastard76]

@gregorycasillo Thank you for this instructional video on a seemingly basic technique. I know and am aware that everyone is perfectly entitled to their opinion but it strikes me as counter productive to see people argue over the small details. We shouldn't forget photography is an art form. The technical aspects should not interfere with finding and making our images beautiful and interesting.

[whoscooldaddydre]

I like the tutorials - thanks Godzillo :o)

PS The I shoot RAW photos contest is it too late? And if not, where should I send them?

[whoscooldaddydre]

I like the tutorials - thanks Godzillo

[WarrenAckary180]

I didnt think anything of it until I saw the video and Greg showed how it could be used

Great idea:)

[Jamicron]

so do you pre-select the photo's the sync will apply to in some special way? I wouldn't want this running through my entire library.

[kissthis200]

i like how i know who its guna b by the intro music lol

[redman68au]

cazillo is the real guru of the fro team! jared talks to much shit and doesnt do anywhere near as much hands on photography lessons as does greg, gavin, and dom! all of who have yet to blow there own horn how good they are!!! Get your shit together greg and start your own channel mate, every man and his dog will defect! where here to learn photography man not listen to continuous rants about how fantastic the fro and nikon is, this kind of videos rock!

[EverlastingStills]

Hey is that the 70-200mm f2.8? Just kidding. LOL

[theddygrumo]

you should have shown the product photo wit the uncorrected WB so that we can see the difference.

[gregorycazillo]

@theddygrumo In the video you can see a small change before I click the card. Its actually going to be relative to your situation, not sure how it would matter.

[stubones]

Awesome, thanks Greg :)

[Musicmixer1994]

I think you should put some cheap starter equipment and moving your way up...And talk about why and how you started photography

[gregorycazillo]

@Musicmixer1994 We talked about how we got started in week 1 of the FroKnowsPhoto show, check it out....there really isn't a cheap way to go with regards to photography...just save up and buy the right equipment and you will save yourself a lot of headache. You can purchase inexpensive lenses like the 50 1.4 of which we use often.

[beekydogg]

I'd love for you to make a video explaining how/when to use all the other colors at some point.

[oceandrew]

@beekydogg Look up Colour Checker Passport and you'll find explanations on how to create colour profiles to adjust your colours in post using those colour chips.

[antropoloscar]

could i just save as preset the white balance obtained and then aplied to the product photo ??..thanks guys

[gregorycazillo]

@antropoloscar Yes, you could but the lighting and proper WB could change with each scene

[DHaney004]

Hey Greg, I'm looking for an affordable studio lighting kit. Any suggestions?

[gregorycazillo]

@DHaney004 Yes, check my video a few weeks ago on how to buy flash photography equipment

[galaxiedance]

There's simply nothing that we wont learn here :)  I was curious about this too, just didn't ask. Thanks for the Video !! Never hurts to know these things.

[MrFrankdole]

yeah whats the song called?

[gregorycazillo]

@MrFrankdole Its a custom song we had recorded just for us, no name.

[justsaymusic]

whats the name of the song?! It sound soooo familiar...

[PainKillerization]

could you please remove the white line above the fro in the intro? its kind of distracting... :)

[SuperDashRendar]

@PainKillerization And stop saying "Fro.......Knows.........Photo­.com" You sound like a damm weatherman watching the clock.

[geomox4]

Why aren't you selecting the same color patch as the 18% card? Are you going to get the same result using the darker card and if so why???

[estudio100rafa]

Thank you very much Greg man you rule!

[TheNeonWorm]

This video was thanks to me :D It was my question in the live show.. :)

[gregorycazillo]

@TheNeonWorm Thanks for the great question....keep them coming!

[MVC7CVM]

what's the name of the cazillo intro song?

[gregorycazillo]

@MVC7CVM Its custom music we had made just for us.

[MVC7CVM]

@gregorycazilo wow nice :D just like your tips/vids ;)

[gregorycazillo]

@neooptimist its the closest to 'white'. You could technically use any of the gray patches but you want the one that is closest to white, without hitting 100% white.

[Lunaa3]

Do you ever use custom white balance through the camera settings instead? Or is this unnecessary since you're shooting RAW anyway?

This video is actually pretty perfect timing for me since I was just trying light tent photos for the first time last night. I didn't have a white card, but I made with what white I had and did a custom white balance. Poor lighting and lack of an actual white card caused it to turn out a little gray, so I ended up adjusting it in post-production anyway.

[gregorycazillo]

@Lunaa3 I have NEVER ONCE set custom white balance in camera...its a waste of time.

[hcoll]

@gregorycazillo And it's also not always accurate unless you fill the frame with the card every time.

[gregorycazillo]

@hcoll I disagree. If you fill the frame with the card every time the placement of the card could vary in relation to the product or distance to the lights. That could change your WB...

[hcoll]

@gregorycazillo I agree. But I never said move the card. You'd fill the frame with it(or most of it more likely) by moving closer or zooming in.

[gregorycazillo]

@hcoll I've shot this way for years without issue and tested each technique. Never had a difference.

[pn3r]

Monitor the start sound... it`s annoying when always is louder.

Good tips!

[ZachOly]

Is there a paint colour that is 18% grey?

[sauroborsi]

Thanks Greg, I love your lessons!!!!

[paolowolverine]

you don't mentioned the fact that you can create a camera profile for the colors using the X-Rite software or the lightroom/photoshop/aperture plug-in

[gregorycazillo]

@paolowolverine Camera profiles are a whole other topic, this is just for white balance.

[paolowolverine]

@gregorycazillo ok! oh, the passport version of the CC offer different WB's choises for portraits and landscapes

[MrJubblegum]

Colour*** Checker Chart. Thanks for the instructions ! :) 

[gregorycazillo]

@MrJubblegum COLOR.....;)

[MrJubblegum]

@gregorycazillo Haha, the Great debate. I think your doing it wrong.

[eleventhphotograph]

Good to know. Are there any other ways to do it properly outside of lightroom? I imagine in photoshop RAW you could select all the images you opened up and do a WB to affect them all?

[gregorycazillo]

@eleventhphotograph Yes, ACR is very similar just select the 2nd gray patch, not the lightest one.

[RoVaSpaCe]

fro :D

[joaofso]

Very instructive, Greg!

There are any other "test" to be done with the colorchecker?

I mean color tests indeed, because white balance test can be done in another way and with another card.

[gregorycazillo]

@joaofso Not sure what you mean, can you elaborate?

[joaofso]

@gregorycazillo There is some color squares in the card, there are tests that use the another colors in the card?

I asked because you used only 1 square in the card, the second white color! And the another?

[plawkzer]

Jared :D

[ExportAli]

Greg :D