White Point

Setting the Image's White Point

Setting the white point is the critical first step in proper color correction. The white point setting neutralizes the color and adjusts the image's tonal range to match the white point of the printer/media combination.

Info Palette

Make sure the Info Palette is visible on your screen. If it is not visible, select Window - Info. Next, with the Color Sampler Tool selected from the Tool Palette, set the Point Sample to 3 by 3 Average. The 3 by 3 Point Sample averages an area of 3 square pixels—in other words, nine pixels. Avoid the Point Sample setting, as it uses the value of a single pixel to set the White Point. An erroneous or slightly lighter or darker pixel than the overall area sampled will distort the White Point. For very large files, you may want to use the 5 by 5 Average setting, but be careful not to average too large an area. The 3 by 3 Average works well in most situations.

White Point Curves with Black Point moved to determine the White Point.

Determining the Image's White Point

While still in the Adjustment Layer Curves Dialog Box, make sure the value readout is set to Ink Percentage. Drag the Black Point to the left until only the lightest areas in the image are visible. Make sure the Preview (eye icon at the bottom) is selected. This should help you visualize the highlight areas. Pick a white point that is neutral and not a specular highlight. Specular highlights are direct reflections of light sources. You can hover the cursor over parts of the image and compare the value readouts in the Info Palette. For more information on selecting white points, see White Point Parameters. Here is a link for more information on Specular Highlights.

Original image (left) and the adjusted version for White Point selection (right).

Setting the White Point in the Image

Now click the White Point Eyedropper and use it to select the white point area you have identified.

You may notice a color shift when you make a selection with the eyedropper. This will work as long as you select a neutral area and an appropriate highlight tone.

There is no single White Point. The photographer can choose to adjust the image to be lighter or darker to suit their personal aesthetic goals. The point of the Tone System is to gain control over the process.

On the next page, we will compare the White Point-adjusted image with the original.

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