White balance tells the camera what colour of light is falling on the scene so that white objects look white in the photo. Different light sources have different colour temperatures, and without correction your pictures can look too orange, too blue or slightly green. Getting it right early saves editing time later.
Colour Temperature Basics
Light colour is measured in Kelvin. Lower numbers are warm and orange, such as candlelight or tungsten bulbs. Higher numbers are cool and blue, such as open shade or an overcast sky. Midday sun sits roughly in the middle at about 5000 to 5500 Kelvin, though the exact figure depends on conditions.
Your Camera’s Options
- Auto: the camera estimates the light colour. It works well in many scenes.
- Presets: daylight, cloudy, shade, tungsten, fluorescent and flash, each tuned for a typical source.
- Kelvin: you set the temperature directly.
- Custom: you photograph a neutral grey or white card, and the camera uses it as a reference.
Preset Guide
| Light source | Colour of light | Preset to try |
|---|---|---|
| Midday sun | Neutral | Daylight |
| Overcast sky | Slightly cool | Cloudy |
| Open shade | Cooler | Shade |
| Household bulbs | Warm | Tungsten |
| Office lighting | Often greenish | Fluorescent or custom |
Getting Reliable Colour
- Shoot RAW. White balance can then be changed later without damaging the file.
- Photograph a grey card in the first frame of a session to use as a reference.
- Keep one light type per scene where you can. Mixed lighting is hard to correct.
- Use the eyedropper tool in editing software on a neutral part of the picture.
- Check the screen on your camera, but remember that screen brightness and colour can mislead.
Mixed and Tricky Light
Scenes lit by two or more sources, such as a window and a warm lamp, produce different colour casts in different parts of the frame. No single setting fixes both. In these cases choose the light that falls on your main subject, or switch off one source if you can. In editing, local adjustments let you correct one area without changing the rest. Neon signs and coloured stage lights also confuse automatic systems, so a manual setting is often better.
Using Colour Creatively
Correct is not always best. A slightly warm setting can make sunsets and candlelit scenes feel cosy, and a cool setting can add a calm or cold mood. Many photographers deliberately shift the balance for style. The key is that you choose the look instead of letting it happen by accident.
FAQ
Is auto white balance good enough?
Often yes, especially in daylight. It can struggle with scenes dominated by one colour, such as a green forest, or with mixed artificial lights.
Can I fix white balance after shooting?
With RAW files, easily. With JPEG, you can still adjust it, but you have less room before colours look wrong.
The Short Version
White balance matches the camera to the colour of the light. Use auto for convenience, presets or Kelvin for control, and RAW for flexibility. A grey card helps when accuracy matters.
