-
anyone ever use Warm Cards?
I’m looking for any advice about buying or using
warm cards. They are used to warm up the white
balance – a set of cards that are various shades of
very light blue and “fool” the camera’s white balance
in a warmer direction.I found a set at a place called Vortex Media for $95.
Thanks,
DaveiMac 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7, 8 GB
OS 10.6.2
Final Cut Pro 7.0 -
7 Replies
-
Hello Dave-
I purchased the Vortex Media warm card set and they work well. The price is not cheap for the amount of laminated plastic you are buying, but they work and they are very convenient. They do save time in post if you know the look you want.
dan
-
We used to do this a lot prior to NLE systems that now have quite sophisticated colour grading tools.
What we used then was grades of blue lighting gels (normally 1/4 CTB) held over the lens when we balanced. Another more economical trick than spending so much money on a set of “warming cards” was to go to an office or art supplies shop and buy a few different light blue pieces of paper. Experiment a bit and stick with the ones you prefer. Pure blue tends to turn skin tones a bit towards yellow, a slight cyan tint keeps them a little more towards a healthy orange.
These days a clean white balance will get you a good neutral setting that can be tweaked to perfection in post and only certain tones ie skin can adjusted without changing other colours in the scene.
Cinematographer, Steadicam Operator, Final Cut Pro Post Production.
https://philming.com.au
https://www.steadi-onfilms.com.au/ -
I’m with Phil on the warm cards. There are lots of other ways to do this a lot cheaper. But was in the days of analog, in the digital era, this is completely unnecessary considering what you can do in post. It is much better to stay neutral during acquisition and grade in post.
Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.com“If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.” —Red Adair
Where were you on 6/21?
-
Dan, Phil and Scott,
Excellent comments – thanks. I have been using the 3-way color corrector
and your comments make me think that I might get closer to what I want with
a warm card but I will still probably use the corrector to get all the way there.
So what’s the point? Plus, the color corrector is quick and renders fast and there’s
not much down side.I think you guys just saved me 100 bucks.
iMac 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7, 8 GB
OS 10.6.2
Final Cut Pro 7.0 -
One other thought. Most cameras have scene files that allow you to alter the exposure latitude, color channel balance, knee, etc and save those settings, and even move it to other cameras. My preference is to use the scene files to open up the cameras exposure range, and make it more neutral for post grading, but you can paint the camera to be anything from neutral to an Amelie’ or Three Kings look. The one downside is doing this makes post grading more difficult if you don’t want/like the look.
Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.com“If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.” —Red Adair
Where were you on 6/21?
-
Anything baked in by the camera makes it harder to get rid of in grade if you change your mind.
As a grader, my ideal starting point is flat contrast with proper white balance and not over saturated. This allows a grader the maximum flexibility to get any look you want. But bake it in an there are limits if you want to get rid of that look.
-
thanks for additional comments, guys
iMac 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7, 8 GB
OS 10.6.2
Final Cut Pro 7.0
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up