White balance is the process of adjusting colours in photography and videography to ensure that whites appear neutral and other colours are rendered accurately. Different light sources, such as sunlight, tungsten bulbs, or fluorescent lamps, have varying colour temperatures measured in Kelvin. Without correction, images may appear too warm (orange/yellow) or too cool (blue).
Cameras allow white balance to be set automatically, manually, or by selecting presets such as daylight, cloudy, shade, tungsten, or fluorescent. Correct white balance ensures that skin tones, product colours, and environmental details appear true to life.
Advanced
White balance is managed by calibrating colour temperature and tint. Photographers may use tools such as grey cards, colour checkers, or custom Kelvin settings for precision. Shooting in RAW format allows white balance adjustments during post-processing without degrading image quality.
In professional workflows, consistent white balance is critical for colour grading, brand photography, and multi-camera video production. Advanced setups may use colour calibration hardware and controlled lighting environments to maintain accuracy.
Relevance
- Ensures accurate colour reproduction in photos and videos.
- Maintains brand consistency in product and marketing visuals.
- Improves post-processing efficiency and accuracy.
- Enhances overall professionalism and viewer trust.
Applications
- Correcting colour cast in indoor photography under artificial light.
- Balancing colours when switching between outdoor and indoor shooting.
- Maintaining accurate product colours in e-commerce photography.
- Achieving consistent tones across multiple cameras in video shoots.
Metrics
- Kelvin temperature value of the light source.
- Accuracy of whites and neutral greys in test shots.
- Consistency of colour across a series of images.
- Colour calibration results during editing or grading.
Issues
- Incorrect white balance creates unrealistic or unappealing colours.
- Over-reliance on auto white balance may cause inconsistency.
- Mixed lighting sources can make an accurate balance difficult.
- Poor colour reproduction can harm product trust and visual appeal.
Example
An online fashion retailer photographs clothing under mixed studio lighting. Initial photos appear too yellow, misrepresenting fabric colours. By setting a custom white balance with a grey card, the photographer ensures accurate colours, reducing product returns due to customer dissatisfaction.