[BigDave]

AWB may be fine for many applications, but if you are shooting a sunset, and want the yellows and reds, AWB will try very hard to neutralize them, and usually does. The key is to at least get close. If you are shooting outside, Daylight shoot be fine (even in shade or cloudy). Inside, switch it to incandescent, if that is what the scene is under, or if under fluorescent, try the Cool setting. If you are moving from room to room, the WB should not change much unless one room had more daylight exposure than another. With mixed light, what source will be prominent? Adjust to that.

Definitely shoot in RAW (DNG) so that final tweaks can be made.

[ZombieArmy]

I find if the AWB is way off and the lighting doesn't change much (or if I'm doing a pano) then I'll just pick a preset. Otherwise AWB and correct when needed.

[UncleVanya]

In my limited understanding I was under the impression that white balance had zero actual impact on the data captured in raw and only impacted the embedded jpg. Then post processing reads the metadata and applies the white balance as a starting point. But in most packages switching white balance is super easy on raw files.

[ZombieArmy]

In my limited understanding I was under the impression that white balance had zero actual impact on the data captured in raw and only impacted the embedded jpg. Then post processing reads the metadata and applies the white balance as a starting point. But in most packages switching white balance is super easy on raw files.

Yes this is indeed the case. But sometimes it's just easier to get it right the first time, like with a big panorama for example.

[UncleVanya]

Yes this is indeed the case. But sometimes it's just easier to get it right the first time, like with a big panorama for example.

My other point is that the k-3 is very very accurate for me. The multi auto white balance and simple auto white balance are almost always close if not accurate. I do sometimes fiddle with white balance in camera if jpgs will be sent SOOC for some reason.

[JimD]

Usually grey card - Lightroom

[wildman]

How Do You White Balance?

In photography and image processing, color balance is the global adjustment of the intensities of the colors (typically red, green, and blue primary colors). An important goal of this adjustment is to render specific colors – particularly neutral colors – correctly. Hence, the general method is sometimes called gray balance, neutral balance, or white balance. Color balance changes the overall mixture of colors in an image and is used for color correction. Generalized versions of color balance are used to correct colors other than neutrals or to deliberately change them for effect.

Color balance - Wikipedia

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Given the above I don't concern myself with achieving a "proper" white balance. First I get tone (luminosity) the way I want it in ACR then pass the file on to Photoshop for, what I call, a complete manual color correction. For this I use the very powerful "White Balance" function in Photoshop. This allows me to control the RGB channels based on luminosity (shadow, midtones and highlights). First get rid of any color cast then keep the neutrals neutral. Sometimes, for problem files, I may have to go over to the "Channel Mixer" function but this is high skill stuff and you really need to know what you are doing to use it right. After that I just, push the sliders around in the "White Balance" function until I, subjectively, get the look I want.

Done with "White Balance correction".

Final word of wisdom - only two identical display systems are going to display the same file identically.

[AquaDome]

I use an ExpoDisc. Less editing makes life better.

[PDL]

I shoot my x-rite target during set up if possible and or my Kodak 18% grey card. I only shoot RAW so setting color balance for the shoot is pretty quick and easy.
I also have a color managed Post Processing environment.

[Kerrowdown]

How Do You White Balance?

Leave on auto wb most of the time, but for really colour critical work I use a X-Rite Colorchecker Passport.

x-rite Colorchecker Passport reviews - Pentax Camera Accessory Review Database

[mikeSF]

As a rule I never ever use AWB for my landscape work, as in many cases it will counter the actual look of a colorful sky or cool twilight. Moreover, if any blending or pano work is to be done, I would never want my individual frames to arrive for editing with differing color schemes.
That said, I use the in cameta presets and choose the closest one to the actual shooting situation so I can view relatively accurate colors on LCD if needed. Then correct globally in ACR.