Do you control white balance manually?

[black_magic100]

As I do more research and get more flight time in I'm beginning to get to the point where I am comfortable with just about every settings/feature that the mavic has to offer. Like most of you, the only thing I really want the mavic to have is a better camera (here's to hoping the mavic 2 will have a much larger sensor =]). So at this point it's all about maximizing what we've got and for me the only thing I feel like I can change at this point is how I control the white balance.

Now I am no photographer so I tend to just use the preset white balances (sunny, cloudy, etc), but as I use my drone more and take more beautiful shots I am feeling the urge to further maximize my drone's potential. With that being said, I would love it if some you more intelligent photographers could shed some light on controlling white balance manually vs automatically (when I say automatic, I'm not implying actual auto mode, but rather choosing presets vs. adjusting kelvin balance using the slider as it's pretty obvious fully auto is inferior in nearly every way imaginable). Cheers!

 

[RKX]

I use a set 5300k manual white balance setting, When looking at videos on settings and actual use around youtube this seems to be the most universal I've found. I think most of the time if you fly in the same conditions a lot (say at the same time of day & location) setting a manual WB will help you keep consistent video especially for editing in post. as you will be able to use the same correction settings to get the look you prefer.

 

[black_magic100]

I use a set 5300k manual white balance setting, When looking at videos on settings and actual use around youtube this seems to be the most universal I've found. I think most of the time if you fly in the same conditions a lot (say at the same time of day & location) setting a manual WB will help you keep consistent video especially for editing in post. as you will be able to use the same correction settings to get the look you prefer.

Okay but what if your not flying in the same area? I personally never fly in the same area

 

[Lake_Flyer]

The main thing is that the white balance remains the same during the shoot so you won't have a problem in post processing. So you wouldn't want to use auto WB. You can use sunny with bright sun or cloudy with overcast. As long as it doesn't change. Same goes for exposure. Set it to manual, use a shutter speed suitable for the average at that situation, and keep it the same throughout the shoot.

 

[black_magic100]

The main thing is that the white balance remains the same during the shoot so you won't have a problem in post processing. So you wouldn't want to use auto WB. You can use sunny with bright sun or cloudy with overcast. As long as it doesn't change. Same goes for exposure. Set it to manual, use a shutter speed suitable for the average at that situation, and keep it the same throughout the shoot.

Is their any advantage though with setting WB manually?

edit: in terms of image quality

 

[MartinFahrer]

Another way if you are doing still photos is to switch to raw. Take a picture of a white card in flying light conditions. Shoot away then use light room to set white balance in the computer and batch process. I do this with my SLR especially in indoor conditions with different light sources.

 

[Robert Mitchell]

I've been a professional photographer for close to 30 years now.

Yes, it is much better to set your white balance manually to a K value.

You can estimate, using 5500 for bright sunny days, 6000-7000 for shade or overcast, or better yet, you can shoot a grey/white card using any number of K-Value apps you can get for your phone device.

Even if you are off and need to adjust some in post, it will be a uniform adjustment and is better than having the balance change all over the place as the scene changes.

 

[Robert Mitchell]

Is their any advantage though with setting WB manually?

edit: in terms of image quality

There is an advantage in that manually setting the K values can be more precise for a given situation.

That said, presets are still better than auto.

 

[Just_nick]

Is their any advantage though with setting WB manually?

edit: in terms of image quality

Yes, because it's a pain in the *** to try to edit a video if your white balance changes.

 

[black_magic100]

I've been a professional photographer for close to 30 years now.

Yes, it is much better to set your white balance manually to a K value.

You can estimate, using 5500 for bright sunny days, 6000-7000 for shade or overcast, or better yet, you can shoot a grey/white card using any number of K-Value apps you can get for your phone device.

Even if you are off and need to adjust some in post, it will be a uniform adjustment and is better than having the balance change all over the place as the scene changes.

That makes sense, but if at the beginning of my shoot for that area I select a sunny white balance... how is that any different?

I'm assuming that sunny is just selecting a preset K value or does it change within a set of values?

Maybe I'm not understanding it correctly, but that is how I am interpreting it.

 

[Kilrah]

Preset just sets a fixed value, no difference if you set that same value manually.

 

[Roamer105]

I use a fixed value (5400) and if any corrections are needed do it in post/grading.

 

[Robert Mitchell]

That makes sense, but if at the beginning of my shoot for that area I select a sunny white balance... how is that any different?

I'm assuming that sunny is just selecting a preset K value or does it change within a set of values?

Maybe I'm not understanding it correctly, but that is how I am interpreting it.

Yes, you are correct.

As I said in my post following that one, settiing your own value can be a bit more precise, but accomplishes the same thing.

Setting your own value also allows for some artistic interpretation... you want it a little cooler or warmer... fine.