2 Ways an 18% Gray Card Can Improve Your Photography
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ก.พ. 2020
- In this video, I demonstrate how to use an 18% Gray Card to set exposure and white balance.
Please follow me on Instagram:
/ anthonymorganti
This is the Gray Card I used in the video:
amzn.to/377HfBu
Other gear used in the video:
Nikon D850: amzn.to/2K498SZ
Nikon 24-70mm F2.8 Lens: amzn.to/2VQMKi9
Sony 120GB XQD Card: amzn.to/2HlfR8Y
Sony XQD/SD Card Reader: amzn.to/2NBuSHB
Spider Pro hand strap (on D850): amzn.to/30k170u
Video recorded with:
Nikon Z6: amzn.to/2TIBGnR
Nikon 24-70mm F2.8 Lens: amzn.to/2VQMKi9
Variable ND Filter - 72mm: amzn.to/2qsHJT8
MeFOTO Travel Tripod: amzn.to/2LjVt9m
Zoom F1 Field Recorder: amzn.to/2L72Z7t
Check out my Recommended Gear List:
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If you're interested in Photoshop, Lightroom, Adobe Stock, and the Creative Cloud, you can find more info here:
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I use this software to record my screen:
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Unsure of how to price your photography? Check the 2019 Guide to Pricing Your Photography:
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All links above are my affiliate links. Please read my code of ethics statement for more info about my affiliations:
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THANK YOU for watching!
In this video, I demonstrate how to use an 18% Gray Card to set exposure and white balance.
Please follow me on Instagram:
instagram.com/anthonymorganti/
This is the Gray Card I used in the video:
amzn.to/377HfBu
Other gear used in the video:
Nikon D850: amzn.to/2K498SZ
Nikon 24-70mm F2.8 Lens: amzn.to/2VQMKi9
Sony 120GB XQD Card: amzn.to/2HlfR8Y
Sony XQD/SD Card Reader: amzn.to/2NBuSHB
Spider Pro hand strap (on D850): amzn.to/30k170u
Video recorded with:
Nikon Z6: amzn.to/2TIBGnR
Nikon 24-70mm F2.8 Lens: amzn.to/2VQMKi9
Variable ND Filter - 72mm: amzn.to/2qsHJT8
MeFOTO Travel Tripod: amzn.to/2LjVt9m
Zoom F1 Field Recorder: amzn.to/2L72Z7t
Check out my Recommended Gear List:
www.amazon.com/shop/anthonymorganti
If you're interested in Photoshop, Lightroom, Adobe Stock, and the Creative Cloud, you can find more info here:
bit.ly/2zwQ0nW
I use this software to record my screen:
telestream.pxf.io/DMrW2
Unsure of how to price your photography? Check the 2019 Guide to Pricing Your Photography:
amzn.to/2S1CiU7
All links above are my affiliate links. Please read my code of ethics statement for more info about my affiliations:
onlinephotographytraining.com/code-of-ethics/
THANK YOU for watching!
I absolutely agree that an 18% grey card can be really useful in tricky lighting situations for obtaining an accurate exposure, however, I believe it is better to train one's eyes to recognise values of brightness in relation to 18% grey, because it isn't always practical to use a card.
It's an widely held misconception that the camera's meter should always be at zero. If you're spot-metering something that you recognise as being darker than 18% grey and you have trained your eyes to be able to estimate that it's approximately 1 1/3 stops darker, then the camera's meter should be displaying 1 1/3 stops below zero.
As an example, caucasion skin is typically somewhere between 1 and 1 2/3 brighter than 18% grey, depending on factors such as whether or not the person is tanned, so when spot metering a caucasion person's skin, aiming for 1 1/3 stops above zero on the camera's meter will get the exposure close enough to good enough.
If I were photographing your son that day, I might have chosen to spot meter off his jacket and would probably have aimed for 1 2/3 stops below zero on the camera's meter.
This is a skill that is well worth practicing and one that serves me well. Just look at an object in your scene, ask yourself "Is this brighter or darker than 18% grey?", then "By how much is it darker or brighter?", allow this to be reflected by the camera's meter and take the shot. After taking the shot, check the histogram to see how close you were to getting it right. The more you do this, the better you become at it.
different lighting conditions can throw off guestimations , i use d850's and still use expensive light meters and grey cards . white ballance and colour temperature are different
Another great video by the great Anthony Morganti. Thank you Anthony!
Thanks, Anthony! You're the best!!!
Outstanding tutorial!!! Thank you for sharing.
Cheers Anthony. You are right about light being tricky to meter sometimes. Especially a mix of diffuse and direct light.
Best video ever. No other videos explained exposure as well as this video.
Thank you for the info, easy to apply these techniques.
Great explaination. I was very confused about using grey card. Now i am totally clear. Thank a lots.
another great video, thanks. Was aware of this function, but nice to see it reinforced.
Thank you for watching!
excellent video on white balance, learn alot just in one video. Thanks
Great work buddy
Bro. You’re a life saver
Thanks for this! I came here for the editing in post instructions in Lightroom
Hi Anthony. I enjoy your videos. You're a fine teacher, and I've picked up numerous Lightroom tricks from you. It's a bit funny that, in this video, I noticed the light changed during your first run-through from the time you metered to the time you made your first exposure, from diffuse to direct sunlight. Predictably, to my eye the final exposure was about 1.5 stops overexposed. No problem since you addressed the issue, and the principle is sound. I doubt many would bother employing an alternative method, but here it is: I'm old-school - now all digital, but I cut my teeth shooting Kodachrome 25 slide film, where proper exposure was especially critical, and I have carried over those long-established habits. I carry a small hand-held meter, and, in challenging situations, I take an incident meter reading with it, and adjust my manual settings based on that reading. This is especially useful for vintage or any other all-manual lenses, since in-camera readings can be tough for a number of reasons, but can be applied for any camera-lens set-up. I don't know if you would want to bother explaining in detail incident versus reflective metering, but it's very reliable, since it reads the light falling onto the subject, rather than what reflects off it. Of course, this is good only for exposure value, and can do nothing for correcting mistaken color-values. Gray cards, as you have shown, are good for both. I carry one of those with me too. Thanks!
Cool to see you in front of the camera. I'm so used to your voice and cursor. Thanks!
Gr8 video. Thnx for the tip.
Thank you.
when out in the field, with film we used the Palm of the hand to get a close 18%
Great Video, Can we use the same technique if the subject is in shade (like under a tree in a park) and the background is bright open.
THANKS Anthony. I oner, what kind of handle do you have attached to your cmera ? Seems to be accurate & thightened...
Hi Anthony, Great video well explained. I guess you could have copied the exposure as well as the white balance to the other images?
Why start in aperture priority then switch to manual mode? Who not just shoot in manual mode? Love your videos!
Anthony, very helpful! Thanks. BTW, I was all set to buy your affiliate gray card and Amazon says they are no longer available. Have you set up a new link yet?
👌👌👌
Probably a daft question but why use the grey side instead of white to set the white balance?
The gray is great for exposure (18%) but not all gray cards are neutral gray for checking white balance. So are cooler or warmer. Even the Amazon site for the gray are suggest using the gray side for exposure and the white side for white balance. A WhiBal G7 White Balance Pocket Card is not 18% but accurate neutral gray for white balance.
Sometimes we get a pack of three cards, white, black and 18per gyey.. What us thecuse of white and black card then... Hope u hav an answer.... Ty
It's not always guaranteed you'll have detail in the blacks and preserved highlights as you mention in the 3 minute mark. Totally depends on a myriad of things for example on an exterior shot, the position and intensity of the sun, high bounce objects in shot and of course the subject in relation to all that. For example there is a lot of shadow detail missing from the example image, this doesn't however matter if you want to preserve or feature that, I'm just highlighting that to get that perfect exterior exposure, you still really need to bracket around the grey card -tricky without a tripod and with a non stationary subject- or use other bits of kit to help you such as reflectors and such. This is a good tutorial but there is a lot of stuff missing or misleading that would further help someone watching this. (for example using aperture priority mode then switching to manual without explaining why you would do that outside of just clicking the shutter in the first mode.)
Shot in RAW and LR takes care of both WB and exposure.
Oh oh... I am doomed, I photograph birds!!!!LOL I can't preview if they are going to a tree in the shade or a tree that's within lot's of sunlight...any suggestions Anthony? Thank you so much!!!
i followed same procedure but found that the grey card turns images warmer than they actually should be....any help on that...
Thanks AM, I thought gray card was just for white balance. Will the gray card be effective if trying to slow shutter speed for smooth water or cloud movement?
Well, it will give you a middle of the road exposure for the specific scene it's in and is equally effective for slow shutter speeds or fast shutter speeds.
What can I do when taking long exposures with ND filters
How to use it with strobe or flash light
What is the point of switching back to manual mode after using either aperture or shutter priority to determine correct exposure?
If you want to exactly replicate aperture and shutter speed as measured with the help of the grey card you need to manually set their values before shooting the scene without the card.
Do hou have a link to the gray card you’re using?
Yes, this is it: amzn.to/377HfBu
📸🎬🎥
Spot metering on the gray card in A mode told you the perfect exposure of 1/60. Why then switching to M mode and not keeping shooting in A mode at 1/60 by keeping shutter half pressed ?
Because the camera will change the exposure (f stop and/or ISO) based upon the clothing or background.
He simply failed to mention he was locking in the ISO, shutter speed, and f stop in manual mode
Wouldn't the gray card also be incorrectly displayed in the mistake photos, thus not a correct reference tool?
How camera light metering works is objects will reflect light with specific RGB values back to the camera. A grey card that has been 100% calibrated will reflect light with 100% neutral RGB values which the camera will capture if ur shooting raw. This is why white balance presets dont really matter much when shooting RAW unless its something you want to get 100% correct in camera to reduce time in post
Don't you want to use the grey card for exposure and a white card for white balance?
Here I though I was the only photographer that used cardboard grey cards.
All these problems, they are only present with dslr cameras and they do not exist with mirrorless cameras with real time histagram and highlights warning
Shoot Raw, a good software will let your eye. Obtain the white balance you are looking for in the image. This idea was good for film. Not needed in this digital world. As long as you shoot Raw. Good video though.
Exposure to the individual eye is subjective. The grey card is telling you a more accurate exposure ☺️
This video and your message completely goes against what you've said about white balance in another video where you stated that a correct WB has to have all 3 RGB values close to 75. The RGB values in this video using a grey card are 52, 60, 80. Erm.... what's correct?!
Why can’t I do this with my phone lmao
DO NOT use an 18% gray card for "white" balance. Use a photographers-grade White Card, such as the X-Rite ColorChecker White Balance Card. The 18% gray card is for exposure ONLY!