Warm Color Balance
By
Bruce Walls
If you have read my article on white balance article
then you are already familiar with the term 'white balance'.
Understanding and using white balance can make the difference between
an amateurish video, and one that has a more professional look.
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You have already shot some video and on playing it back the colors just
don't seem right, the sky is not the blue that it was when you shot the
clip and your face appears 'different' than what you see looking in the
mirror.
So what do you need to do to to capture the rich colors
that you would expect to see in a Hollywood movie and that nicer on the
eye for your viewers.
The answer is that you need to '[tag]warm balance[/tag]'
your camcorder before you shoot to obtain better results. Now this is
new to me and it is important that you appreciate what warm balance is
compared to white balance.
Instead of using pure white, you will often get far
better colors in video by using a light color, but something other than
white. If you use a very pale shade of blue when you white balance your
camera, you will get much deeper colors from your camcorder. It will
actually help give pale skin a healthy, natural glow.
If you use a 'minus green' to do a white balance, it
will help eliminate the pale effects normally seen when shooting under
fluorescent lighting.
The picture shows a comparison between shots taken with a white balanced camera, and one that was warm balanced.
Thousands of television cameraman, videographers, and
digital photographers around the world use warm balance every day
because it is an indispensable tool for high end video production and
digital photography.
You can buy warm balance cards from WarmCards.com or
make your own. Print out an A4 page on your ink jet printer colored
warm blue (hex color code: #D1EEF2) and one colored minus green
(#DDF4E2).
Normally you will want to use the warm blue but the minus green is used when shooting under harsh fluorescent lights.
To use your warm balance card and improve the color of your videos do the following.
1. Set up your video shoot as normal and turn on the lights if using them.
2. Set the camcorder to manual mood.
3. Place the card or have someone hold it at face level
and zoom in so that the color card fills the viewable area of the
screen.
4. Press the 'white balance' button on your camcorder.
5. Remove the card, keep in manual mode and shoot the video.
Check the results of your warm balance shoot and notice
the richer tones. To undo the warm balance repeat the above using a
white balance card or use 'auto white balance'.
About the Author:
Bruce Walls writes about using video on your website to increase traffic. You can read this article and more at WebsiteVideoGuide
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