Gray Card Tutorial

maiMelissa

Hi everyone! Can someone please direct me to a good video that teaches about using gray cards for exposure? I haven't found anything really good on youtube.

withns

My understanding is that you don't use grey cards for exposure, you use it for white balance. Sorry I can't help with a video.

maiMelissa

Isn't it used for both white balance and exposure? What would you use then for accurate exposure if not a gray card?

Moose

@maiMelissa - Yes, you can use a gray card to determine exposure.

To do this, rotate the mode dial to P, Av or Tv. Set your metering mode to spot and select the center focus point. Place the card in front of your subject and then focus on the gray card.

Take note of the aperture and shutter speed displayed on the LCD screen. You can then input these settings manually in Manual mode (M).

As @withns mentioned, you can also use a gray card to get an accurate custom white balance reading. Hope that all makes sense and happy shooting! :)

rookie8155

Sorry, I am a bit confused about white balance. What setting I should chose in camera? Should I leave it on auto? I tried to take pictures with the white balance set to flash and used bounce flash, but it gave me blue tone pictures.

Moose

Howdy @rookie8155 - If using an external flash, I'd stick with Auto. The 'Flash' white balance setting is meant for the built-in flash which directs it's light directly towards the subject. I also recommend shooting in RAW, that way you can tweak the white balance in post-processing. All the best!

maiMelissa

Thank you for the useful information guys.

rookie8155

Thanks a lot for your advice.