Nikon D5000 For Dummies
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If the white objects in your photos aren’t showing up as you’d like, none of the standard White Balance settings on your Nikon D7000 do the trick, and you don’t want to fool with fine-tuning them, take advantage of the PRE (Preset Manual) feature. This option enables you to base white balance on a direct measurement of the actual lighting conditions or match white balance to an existing photo.

You can create and store up to five custom White Balance presets, which are assigned the names d-0 through d-4.

Setting white balance with direct measurement on your Nikon D7000

To use this technique, you need a piece of card stock that’s either neutral gray or absolute white. (You can buy reference cards made just for this purpose in many camera stores for less than $20.)

Position the reference card so that it receives the same lighting you'll use for your photo. Then take these steps:

  1. Set the exposure mode to P, S, A, or M.

  2. Frame your shot so that the reference card completely fills the viewfinder.

  3. Check exposure and adjust settings if needed.

  4. Press the WB button while rotating the Main command dial to choose the PRE (Preset Manual) White Balance setting.

  5. Release the button and then immediately press and hold it again until the letters PRE begin flashing in the Control panel and viewfinder.

  6. Release the WB button and take a picture of the gray card before the PRE warning stops flashing.

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Each time you go through these steps, your d-0 preset is replaced by the new white balance data you record. However, you can preserve your original preset by copying it to one of the other preset slots.

Matching white balance to an existing photo with a Nikon D7000

Basing white balance on an existing photo works well only in strictly controlled lighting situations, where the color temperature of your lights is consistent from day to day.

To give this option a try, follow these steps:

  1. Copy the picture that you want to use as the reference photo to a camera memory card, if it isn't already stored there.

  2. Set the exposure mode to P, S, A, or M; then open the Shooting menu, highlight White Balance, and press OK.

  3. Select PRE (Preset Manual) and press the Multi Selector right.

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  4. Use the Multi Selector to highlight any preset except d-0.

  5. Press the ISO button.

  6. Highlight Select Image and press the Multi Selector right.

  7. Use the Multi Selector to move the yellow highlight box over the picture you want to use as your white balance photo.

  8. Press OK.

    You return to the screen showing your White Balance preset thumbnails. The thumbnail for the photo you selected in Step 7 appears as the thumbnail for the preset slot you chose in Step 4.

  9. Press OK to travel to the white balance fine-tuning screen.

  10. Press OK to return to the Shooting menu.

    The White Balance setting you just created is now selected.

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