There seems to be a lot of confusion on how to white balance an underwater videocam since there are so many variables, so let's see if we can ad some techniques here favored by some of us.

This will not be the cure-all, try some of the different techniques and see what gives you the best results.

Since water filters out first the red spectrum, many videographers and housing manufacturers try to add the red back by adding a reddish or orange colored flip down filter to put the warmer tones back into the footage.

Other's use a "warming" white balance slate, such as Amphibico's excellent offering.



You'll notice that Amphibico's slate is not white, but a blue-green. The purpose of this is to do the same thing a reddish orange filter would do-warm up the image. That is also why you either need one or the other, not both! I've white balanced with a blue-green slate, then flipped down the red color correction filter, what a reddish mess!

Now if you don't have such a slate, you can attempt to get a piece of Plexiglas near the same color, or some adhesive film that is the same color as the Amphibico white balance slate. If course you'll spend more time then it is worth driving all over kingdom come, but I know some of you are terminal tinkerers.

Some videographers forgo using a white balance slate all together and white balance against light colored sand underwater, and I've even heard guys saying they point their videocams towards the surface. I tried it and the results were better than not white balancing at all.

The issue with sand is it can be inconsistent, but you can usually pick up on this on your videocam monitor. But if you're like me, if after 10 dives you spot that elusive Periclimenes imperator AND it is staying on top of the sea slug calling you out to video him, white balancing is the LAST thing I will remember in my kid-in-the-candy store rush to video capture those amazing animals.

The other issue is, for those who like to shoot closeups and thus use supplemental lighting, white balance WITH the lights on.

Always white balance with the way you're going to be shooting.

So to recap just one videographers technique:

Lights on, white balance against slate, no color correction filter

Lights off, wide angle, white balance against slate and then flip down color correction filter

Lights off, wide angle, white balance against Amphibico's blueish-green slate, maybe do not use color correction filter, test

Lights off, macro, white balance against Amphibico's blueish-green slate, do not use color correction filter.

I didn't list a lights on wide angle, because the lights will not work much past 1 meter/3 feet.

And remember, when you can, white balance at the beginning of EVERY shot if possible.

Lastly, if things don't go perfect, but close, you can always color correct in post, you just do need at least something halfway there as an overly blue/grayed out clip is often beyond hope. Getting good color balanced footage FIRST is better than trying to fix it in post.

If others have particular white balancing tips they would like to share, go ahead an ad to this thread.