Kleurcasts

Kleurcasts is a term used in color discussions to describe a consistent bias toward a particular hue in an image, scene, or display. The word combines the Dutch kleur, meaning color, with the English cast, and is encountered primarily in Dutch-language sources, though the underlying concept appears in English as color cast.

In photography, film, video, and digital imaging, a kleurcast refers to an overall tint that shifts colors away from true values. This can result from lighting conditions, improper white balance, or camera processing that favors a warmer, cooler, or greener/magenta tint. Detecting a kleurcast typically involves comparing captured colors against a neutral reference.

Causes include mixed or nonstandard lighting (for example, tungsten and daylight in the same scene), aging or mismatched light sources, camera sensor characteristics, or color filtration. In print and display workflows, kleurcasts can arise from inaccuracies in color management pipelines, outdated ICC profiles, or inadequate calibration.

Correction and management aim to restore neutral color rendering. Techniques include setting correct white balance, neutral gray or white references during capture, applying color grading or LUTs in post-production, and using calibrated monitors and spectrophotometric measurements to align devices with reference standards. In printing, color management workflows and profile-based color adjustments help minimize kleurcasts across substrates.

See also: color cast, white balance, color management, color calibration.