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Relative White Balance Adjustments in Layers

Comments

12 comments

  • Drew Tronvig

    Ooo, I'll check that out. I'm actually not hip to style brushes, but this would be the time ...

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  • Janusz Wronka

    Ich kann nicht einzahlen per neue Visa Karte!!!

    -1
  • Drew Tronvig

    That's sad to hear, Janusz, but a little off topic. Please remove your comment

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  • John Hardiman

    I also find this behaviour of white balance in layers confusing.  Once white balance has been adjusted somewhere on a layer, the background layer will no longer affect the entire white balance of the image as any other adjustment would do.  This makes it very difficult to make future white balance adjustments if areas of the picture have been warmed or cooled.  It would make much more sense if adjustment layers used relative white balance by default, rather than an absolute white balance. I'm also quite confused about how multiple layers would affect the white balance, is it the top layer that takes precedence?  To have a relative WB option for layers would resolve the problem.

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  • BeO
    Top Commenter

    I'm also quite confused about how multiple layers would affect the white balance, is it the top layer that takes precedence?

    That's easy to find out, and I am surprised!

    Create two filled layers each setting a custom WB.

    Each of the layers, or both together, will overwrite the settings of the background layer (changes to the background layer WB have no effect).

    But the top layer depends on the layer beneath (changes to the middle layer affects the top layer). That surprised me a lot.

    Windows C1 15.2

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  • BeO
    Top Commenter

    Which means you need to defer your "background" WB to a filled layer, if you want relative WB.

    If you set the filled first layer to match your overall WB, then the second layer with a local mask to adjust WB, you can go back to the first layer and adjust the overall WB and the masked area will be adjusted relative to your change in layer1.

    Layer no. 3..? Not absolute either.

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  • BeO
    Top Commenter

    Now one could think that the first (filled) layer makes a good warming or cooling filter:

    One would think that if you activate / deactivate the first layer, having WB set to Shot (and background layer is set to Shot as well) that nothing happens. But unfortunately that is not true, there is a shift in colors.

    That doesn't mean you couldn't use it as a warming cooling filter, but it seems this first layer is relative as well. Everything is a bit unclear and not much related to the Kelvin and Tint numbers, maybe it is the difference to the lower layer numbers which is added.

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  • John Hardiman

    I see that now too (comment about first layer making a relative adjustment possible across the image), but it's not very intuitive and comes at the cost of extra steps, extra layers and having to learn a yet another Capture One quirk. I wonder if this is this an oversight or if it was implemented for a reason, if so why should it be different to other adjustments, such as exposure?  Just doesn't quite add up to me.

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  • BeO
    Top Commenter

    If the WB tool would have an option absolute or relative, and relative slider values starting from 0, would have been better. Maybe this makes a good feature request?

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  • BeO
    Top Commenter

    And sometimes, you can get away with the Color Balance tool on the background layer for warming/cooling/toning, if you don't have it used already for something else.

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  • John Hardiman

    My version of this request would be that the White Balance works like every other slider on the background layer and layers on top of that are 'relative' adjustments, so adjusting the white balance on the background would affect the whole image even if a layer on top has some white balance applied.  If you wanted absolute adjustments in layers to override the background layer, it could be available as an option in when using layers, but not the default.  I'm assuming there's a use case for absolute adjustments since it's been implemented in Capture One that way, but I would think that relative adjustments are what most users find intuitive and logical given the way layers normally work.

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  • BeO
    Top Commenter

    I'm assuming there's a use case for absolute adjustments since it's been implemented in Capture One that way, but I would think that relative adjustments are what most users find intuitive and logical given the way layers normally work.

    I think of three use cases, generally:

    1.  Color correction of "normal" images with even or single light source
    2.  Color correction of images lit by different light sources, e.g. interior architecture shots with artificial light sources + light from outside, or differing inside light sources
    3.  Creative color grading
    • For (1) background layer WB is often sufficient, maybe a bit of local WB
    • For (2) absolute WB in layers might be better
    • For (3) typically, other tools are used

    Whatever the change or default would be, if it gives us more flexibility and at the same time allows us to intuitively understand how it works and the UI is good, I would welcome it. It must not affect old image edits though (=new Engine in base characteristics).

    I do remember now the trick with the first filled WB layer, but I almost forgot it, which means I never needed actually it.

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