{"id":114929,"date":"2026-01-26T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/?p=114929"},"modified":"2026-01-26T15:27:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T20:27:08","slug":"understanding-white-balance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/understanding-white-balance\/","title":{"rendered":"White Balance: Understanding Its Role in Capturing True Colors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

White balance (WB)is a camera setting that adjusts the color temperature while taking an image, ensuring that objects that look white in reality also appear white in the photograph. It corrects color tints caused by different lighting conditions, from the warm orange of a sunset to the cool blue of shaded areas, resulting in more natural-looking colors. Let’s take a look at WB from three different perspectives: beginner, enthusiast, and professional. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Level 1: The Absolute Basics<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you wear orange-tinted sunglasses, everything looks orange at first. But after a few minutes, your brain adjusts, and “white” paper looks white again, as it automatically corrects colors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Problem:<\/strong> Your camera, however, is not necessarily as intelligent. If you take a photo under warm, yellow bulbs, everything takes on a yellow tint. If you shoot in the shade, you find a blue color cast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fix:<\/strong> There is a setting on your camera called White Balance that tells the camera what white should look like so it can remove unwanted color casts. When a photograph’s colors look unnatural, appearing either too cool or too warm, it means the setting is incorrect. The solution is to dial in the appropriate white balance before capturing your image, which we will cover in the section below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Auto White Balance (AWB) mode:<\/strong> In AWB mode, the camera evaluates the scene and selects the most appropriate white point. However, the camera may not get it right, as shown in the image below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The left image is the original, captured by the camera using AWB. The image on the right reflects the final post-processed result, adjusted to match my recollection of the scene.<\/em> – Photo by Muji<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>Level 2: For the Growing Photographer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The color of light is measured in the Kelvin (K) scale. Yes, the same Kelvin that measures absolute temperature. You will see this on your camera’s screen when changing the white balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n