HDR - Multiple WB

October 19, 2011 @ 1:19AM

HDR - Multiple WB

Color temperature X2

By John Neel

This is one of my own techniques.

Most photographers choose a white balance that is appropriate for the lighting that they shoot. Daylight is different than tungsten in that the color is much cooler than the latter and vice-versa. There are many different color balances within the spectrum of light. These differences can be useful for producing a number of color effects when used as a tool for creative control.

There are times when colors are rendered in interesting ways when a different balance is used. This can create fascinating and unexpected imagery. In such cases, it is not so important to use exact color correction. It is more about creating interest, adding drama or producing some other effect. An example is shooting a daylight scene using a tungsten WB setting in which case, the image becomes more bluish. In some scenes such as flat overcast, this can be used to create a dramatic effect which looks more like a night shot. At night, the light from a fluorescent lamp will render differently when balanced for tungsten. Night photography especially, tends to consist of a variety of man made light sources including neon, sodium vapor, fluorescent, tungsten, carbon arc, and many others. Each different source has its own color quality and will render in a different way with each choice of correction.

I am in love with the light of the night!

On occasion, however, I find that rendering the scene as seen, can produce colors that are not as interesting as I would prefer. The great thing about digital and post processing is its capability to translate light into other colors using various techniques.

One of my favorite methods is to use HDR software to produce a series of images that have been processed with different color balances. I then blend these into a single image using Photoshop. Blending can be done using a number of layer blending options. The methods possible are as varied as anything else that can be produced in Photoshop.

The act of blending and modifying different color temperatures can be a very useful technique. With a bit of skill and imagination, it can be used to produce amazingly beautiful imagery.

To create color temperature corrections, I use the input menu selection in Photomatix Pro to produce warmer or cooler color temperatures. This allows me to see the color differences for a particular light source within the scene.

In a soon to be post, I will show how I produce a multiple white balance HDR image.

Above is an example of previewing a color correction in Photomatix Pro.

Here are sample images which have been processed using a variety of color corrections.

For further HDR reading:

THIS POSTING AS WELL AS ANY OR ALL PHOTOGRAPHS AND GALLERY IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHT - © JOHN NEEL UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED AND ARE NOT TO BE USED FOR ANY PUPOSE WITHOUT WRITTEN CONSENT FROM THE WRITER, THE PHOTOGRAPHER AND/OR PIXIQ.

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