The quik balance collapsible 12" gray panel from Lightdow is a convenient tool to ensure that your photos and videos are accurately exposed and color balanced.
White Card is basically used to define the white balance, which is often replaced by a sheet of white paper due to its easy access to materials nature. The correct exposure of the white card makes the definition of the white balance of the picture noise is so small that very conducive to define. However, the correct exposure of white card compared to gray card to be more difficult, - generally we recommend to use gray card to define the white balance.
Why gray card, white card can be used to define the white balance?
Because both are R = G = B. That is, as long as the card is R = G = B color, it can be used to define white balance, only in this way, they can be separated from the white balance information carried.
Gray Card, - generally refers to 18% reflectance gray card. Since the camera exposure is based on 18% reflectance, we use the gray card metering to get the correct exposure. Another use of the gray card is to define the white balance. Because of the correct exposure values mentioned above, the gray card carries the correct white balance information.
The exact way of setting the white balance in camera with a grey card might differ from below, depending on the manufacturers.
Check your camera manual or search on Google about custom white balance and specify your camera’s model.
In other camera models, you might need to take a photo of the grey card and then select it in the Custom White Balance as the reference image.
Heres how it works:
1. Exposure Measurement: By metering the light falling on the gray card, photographers can determine the correct exposure settings for their camera. This is especially useful in situations where the light may be uneven or challenging to measure accurately.
2. White Balance Calibration: Gray cards are neutral in color, and this neutrality helps in setting the correct white balance for a photograph. Photographers can use the gray card as a reference point for adjusting the color temperature of the image, ensuring that whites appear truly white without any color casts.
To use a gray card, you typically take a test shot with the card in the scene under the same lighting conditions as your subject. Then, during post-processing, you can use the values from the gray card to adjust exposure and white balance for the entire set of photos taken under similar lighting conditions.