WhiteBalance

White balance is a camera setting and post-processing concept that aims to render colors, especially whites, neutrally by compensating for the color temperature of the illumination. When white balance is correct, objects that are truly white in the scene appear white in the image rather than tinted by the light source.

Color temperature is measured in kelvin (K). Lower temperatures produce warm, yellow-red light (roughly 2700–3200 K, typical of tungsten lamps), while higher temperatures produce cool, blue light (roughly 5000–6500 K, typical of daylight). The goal is to set a neutral reference so white surfaces appear white rather than tinted.

Automatic white balance (AWB) is common in cameras; it analyzes the scene and tries to guess the appropriate WB. It can produce good results most of the time but can fail in scenes dominated by a single color or unusual lighting. Common WB presets include daylight, cloudy, shade, tungsten, fluorescent, and flash. For precise control, photographers use manual or custom white balance, often with a gray card or white card to define a neutral reference.

In videography and multi-shot projects, consistent white balance is important; some cameras allow setting a fixed WB or matching to a color temperature. Many photographers shoot in RAW so WB can be adjusted later without degrading image data; JPEGs bake the WB into the image.

Notes: WB affects color cast but not luminance. Mixed lighting can complicate WB; in those cases a neutral gray target helps, or color-correction in post.