Alien Bees Temp?

What colour temp do you process your studio with Alien Bee strobes?

I use a Softbox and AB400's. They say they are colour corrected for 5600K but I am finding 5700 is a little better with a tint of -4. Any other thoughts on this.

Dave,
I don't use Alien Bees, but wanted to comment on the color temp issue.
When it comes to color, I guess everyone sees differently. And I mean that, literally. You may like 5700k on a certain image taken with your lights and interpret it as being the correct color and someone else may like the same image in 5600k. Additionally, scientists tell us that each of us see a different color of the same color, depeniding on our mood, time of day, ambient light conditions, what the seer ate for lunch, etc.. Color is mysterious that way and we cannot trust our own eyes, really. In that sense, machines do a better job at seeing, then interpreting colors time after time. In our case, as digital photographers, the machine to read the color is most often photoshop's color sampler tool in combination with a standard color chart like the Gretag-MacBeth color checker chart or equivalent. If one's end product is color critical, like many product shots, a simple placement of a color checker in the frame along with custom white balance to the lights, would ensure correct color process in post. If non-color crucial... what the hell--shoot it, process it, if it looks good, we print it.
Getting back to the Alien Bees and color temps--I guess all lamps vary in color temp over their life. It may look proper in 5700k today. Tomorrow, you may think 5600k. Given the two weeks since your original post, do you still like 5700k?

What colour temp do you process your studio with Alien Bee strobes?

I use a Softbox and AB400's. They say they are colour corrected for 5600K but I am finding 5700 is a little better with a tint of -4. Any other thoughts on this.


Here's an excellent article I found which covers ABs color temperature: http://www.rangefindermag.com/magazine/archives/Dec01/firstexpalein.tml

That was a good read Tim, I think where I was having a bit o ftrouble is I was using a softbox and a silver umbrella.

Thanks

I guess I am not as critical, i jsut set mine to flash and they usually come out pretty close. i guess the best thing to do is buy a grey card to shoot before you start. one thing i have noticed is that my enviroment changes the color. I have to shoot in rooms with mirrors, or different color walls, and it seems to change slightly depending on where i am at. they also have a filter thing you can put in front of your camera that you shoot through and it gives you the right temp. i cant remember what it is call though, it looks like a bug eye, you see it advertised in magazines.

I recently read a book called "Skin" by Lee Varis (I think) I showed the proper way to get colour balance using the colour cards and such, I will have to give that a go when I find one.

Yes Tim A I am sure it does change depending on the colour of the room and so on. I guess it comes down to user adjustments. Not sure what you are toaking about with the filter bug eye thingy though, what does it do measure it. I shoot in raw and adjust it after in PP.

ahh, you made me go and look it up.:LOL: i havent used them but heard they work good. Expodisk
http://shutterbug.com/equipmentreviews/lighting_equipment/0507expodisk/

Very interesting, I wonder if anyone here use them. Thanks for the info Tim.

I have been wondering about buying the Skin book. I've skim through and there seems to be a lot of useful information. It's just that I won't have time to read most of them. I'm afraid it may end up unread like my other books :).

Leo