Värvitasakaal

Värvitasakaal, also known as white balance, is a setting on digital cameras that adjusts how colors are rendered under different lighting conditions. Different light sources, such as sunlight, incandescent bulbs, or fluorescent tubes, emit light with different color temperatures. This means they have a different mix of red, green, and blue wavelengths. Without proper color balance, photos taken under artificial light might appear too blue (cool) or too yellow/orange (warm).

The camera's white balance setting attempts to correct for these color casts by introducing a complementary color. For example, if the light is too blue, the camera will add more yellow to the image to neutralize it. Most cameras offer automatic white balance (AWB), which tries to guess the correct setting based on the scene. However, AWB can sometimes be fooled, especially in complex lighting situations.

Alternatively, users can manually select pre-set white balance options like "daylight," "cloudy," "tungsten," or "fluorescent." For the most accurate results, many cameras allow for custom white balance, where the photographer takes a picture of a neutral gray or white object under the current lighting conditions, and the camera uses that information to set the precise white balance. Adjusting white balance is crucial for achieving natural-looking colors in photographs and is a fundamental aspect of digital photography.