Even After Setting White Balance, Colors Keep Changing

[peterinwa]

I am photographing ceramics of all colors with my ELPH 115 IS on a table under LED lighting. After adjusting the lighting, I set a whiteboard on top of the table and adjust White Balance. This is what happened today.

Next, I placed a dark green cloth on the table and placed my ceramics on top of the cloth. Looking through the viewfinder, the colors of the ceramics were way off.

I replaced the dark green cloth with the whiteboard and set my ceramics on the whiteboard. They now looked fine in the viewfinder and I took my photo.

The ceramics came out too dark, and I was able to correct for this in Photoshop by increasing the brightness by 50%.

Is there a way to stop the camera from continuously making automatic adjustments after I set White Balance? I don't think it should keep changing settings when I change what I'm photographing.

Thank you.

[Waddizzle]

Are you using "Custom" WB [properly]?  As for the exposure, you might want to try "Spot" metering on the ceramic. 

[peterinwa]

Yes, in that I go to the custom white balance feature, point the camera at my whiteboard under my lighting, and then press MENU.

Each photo may have multiple objects in it of different colors.

[kvbarkley]

If color is really important to you, I suggest you get a whibal, shoot in raw and use color management in your workflow.

[kvbarkley]

Sorry, you don't have raw, you can still use the Whibal with JPEGs but you don't have the lattitiude.

Your light source might be lickering, too. Try taking multiple shots of the same object.

[peterinwa]

Thanks, but can anyone explain why after setting white balance the camera keeps making further adjustments?

For example, why is the color of the objects correct when they are on a white background but not when on a dark background? Why is the camera changing the settings? It thought the custom white balance feature SET them.

Or another example, when I use the whiteboard for a background, it usually comes out a bit off-white. And it changes depending on the color of the objects I set on it to photograph. Again, the camera is making adjustments at all?

[Tim]

peterinwa, 

I do not believe that you are setting the white balance properly.  You should set the white balance in the exact shooting situation you'll be capturing the final image in.  If you are setting the WB with a white cloth/ background and then putting in a dark green cloth you are changing the way the light is reflected.  Set the Custom WB with the green cloth and use a gray card to obtain proper white balance. 

[peterinwa]

Tim,

I guess I don't understand what the process of setting white balance is supposed to do. I thought it was to adjust the camera for the lighting, and once done you could change anything in the image you are photographing. The camera instructions say to point it at a white paper so the entire image is white.

"Aim the camera at a plain white subject, so that the entire screen is white. Press the MENU button."

That makes sense to me, as the white paper is reflecting the lighting to set the camera.

I don't understand how your suggested process would work.

Thank you for your patience with me!

[Waddizzle]

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@peterinwa wrote:

Tim,

I guess I don't understand what the process of setting white balance is supposed to do. I thought it was to adjust the camera for the lighting, and once done you could change anything in the image you are photographing. The camera instructions say to point it at a white paper so the entire image is white.

"Aim the camera at a plain white subject, so that the entire screen is white. Press the MENU button."

That makes sense to me, as the white paper is reflecting the lighting to set the camera.

I don't understand how your suggested process would work.

Thank you for your patience with me!

---

I agree with Tim's observation.  You may not be properly defining a "Custom" WB setting.  The camera always shoots in an automatic exposure mode.  Again, I suggest that you use Spot Metering mode to correct your under/over exposure problems when attempting this type of product photography.

[peterinwa]

Waddizzle,

That helps to know that it's always adjusting exposure. I can see now that switching backgrounds would have an effect on the objects in the foreground.

I just set it to Spot Metering and it sure makes a difference, moving from a view of my mostly white screen to my black keyboard.

I'll try it in a couple of days and report back before closing this topic.

Thank you.