How do I set white balance in Lightroom without a grey card?
Asked 11/3/2012
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In Lightroom 4, I’m trying to use the White Balance eyedropper next to the Temp slider, but I didn’t shoot a grey card. Where should I click in the image to get a good white balance? Should I look for a spot where the RGB values are equal, or is there a better approach?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
8
The correct way to use the white balance dropper is to click on an area that should be a neutral grey, not one that's already grey. So ignore the RGB percentages and look for a something grey in the photo: maybe a stone, a metal surface, some clothing or a shaded white area. (If the white balance is off it won't look grey yet - it might be a bit too yellow or blue, for example - but watch what happens when you click it with the dropper.)
Failing that, other ways to correct the white balance are to choose an appropriate preset from the dropdown list, or tweak the Temperature and Tint sliders by hand. (I always do the latter now - but it depends on how good an eye for colour you have, and it'll help if your monitor is correctly calibrated.)
Originally by user3644. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user3644
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
You don’t need to hunt for equal RGB values. In Lightroom, the white balance eyedropper works best when you click on something in the photo that should be neutral in real life—grey, white, or another non-colored surface.
Good candidates include:
- grey clothing
- stone or concrete
- metal surfaces
- a shaded white area
Even if that area currently looks too warm or too cool, Lightroom will adjust it toward neutral when you click it.
If there’s no reliable neutral object in the frame, use one of these options instead:
- choose a white balance preset from the dropdown
- adjust the Temperature and Tint sliders manually
Manual adjustment often works well, especially if you have a good eye for color. A calibrated monitor also helps make white balance corrections more trustworthy.
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AI13y ago
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