How white balance works in camera?

[Matthew19]

It's really all about how our brains work. From what I can tell, our brains balance for color temps 2500k up to 9000k - after that it seems to accept the color cast, which explains why twilight (14000kish) actually looks cool and candle light (1800k) looks warm. Same for sunsets. So If anything is in between those numbers I balance for neutral white and beyond that It makes sense to just go with it. 

Also sunsets actually have two light sources, the sky, which can be very cold, and the warm sun. So if someone is back lit by the sun thats not really your key light. I often shoot golden hour at 7500k to match the sky and let the sun be like a warm rim light. 

[Damphousse]

27 minutes ago, Vesku said:

I think using a gray card method in "interesting light" gives too neutral or "pure white" result. What is the right method to capture "golden hour" or other interesting scenes? Is it best to rely on screen or EVF or is it best to know by experience what kelvin degree suits best for the wanted result.

AWB in Panasonic is not making images too neutral indoors or in colored lights. Gray card makes much more neutralizing.

Crudely for golden hour?  Use the daylight manual setting on whatever camera you have if it has one.  That's a good starting point.  If the cast isn't warm enough to match what you are seeing dial it up a few Kelvin.  If it is too warm for your tasted dial it down a few Kelvin.  There are several approaches I've read about but they all kind of work off of that idea.

There is not one universal rigid right answer but every article on the topic has said AWB in that scenario is a no no.  It is fighting you.

It is really straight forward if you think about it.  If something is white under high noon sunlight then it should be yellow, orange, or red under the setting or rising sun.  AWB doesn't know it is sunset and it will attempt to make the item white like it is noon.  It has no idea.  Having said that I have used AWB at sunset on some cameras and it doesn't fully correct to white.  Curious.  At any rate I can't afford a computer crap shoot so I do something like 5200K and adjust from there.  High noon?  Custom white balance and leave it alone... unless your subject moves into shade.  But you get the idea.

[cantsin]

5 hours ago, Damphousse said:

The BMPCC codec is robust enough to handle a lot of adjustments in post but I would rather not have to do the adjustments to begin with. 

Actually, when you shoot raw, your in-camera WB settings don't matter at all. 

[Matthew19]

4 hours ago, Damphousse said:

 

It is really straight forward if you think about it.  If something is white under high noon sunlight then it should be yellow, orange, or red under the setting or rising sun. 

 

you're confused on what "white" really is. Your brain is continuously white balancing for the environment, that's why WB from the back of the screen is unreliable. Your LCD screen's white point is set to around 6500k. So if you're indoors in a room lit with 3200k bulbs your brain balances for that oevrall environment, but you have this little window of 6500k light coming from your camera. Everything will look cooler than it will when you get home. also, See my post above about WB for extreme color temps.

[Vesku]

7 hours ago, Matthew19 said:

Your brain is continuously white balancing for the environment, that's why WB from the back of the screen is unreliable. Your LCD screen's white point is set to around 6500k. So if you're indoors in a room lit with 3200k bulbs your brain balances for that oevrall environment, but you have this little window of 6500k light coming from your camera. Everything will look cooler than it will when you get home. also, See my post above about WB for extreme color temps.

This is my experience too. It is quite difficult to adjust manual WB just relying on the camera monitor. When watching at home the result looks different what I have thought in the field. A good EVF helps a little. White card gives often too neutral result. Many times the AWB works well. It should work so that when the video starts is stays the same.

Evening with blue sky is difficult. Green forest looks too blue with AWB. People with very corloful clothes may fool AWB too.

[Vesku]

EOSHD PRO COLOR for Panasonic recommends using AWB. How is it suddenly good for image? Can it cure the bad choices camera makes?