Understanding White Balance for Accurate Colours in Your Shots

White balance is a critical concept in photography, ensuring that the colours in your photos are true to life. In this post, we will delve into the intricacies of white balance, including how to adjust it to achieve natural-looking images. 

What is White Balance?

White balance controls the colour temperature of your photos. This adjustment helps ensure that different types of lighting do not distort the colours in your images. Essentially, white balance allows your photos to reflect what you see accurately. colour temperature, measured in Kelvins (K), varies from warmer tones (yellow/orange) to cooler tones (blue).

For example:

- Lower values such as 2500K produce warmer, yellowish images.

- Higher values such as 6000K produce cooler, bluish images. 

Modern artificial lighting, like LED lights, often comes in different tones such as warm white, daylight, or cool white, each producing a different effect on your photos.

Why White Balance is Important

Different light sources emit different colour temperatures. For example:

- Sunlight has a different colour temperature compared to incandescent bulbs.

- Fluorescent lights impart a greenish cast to images.

- Overcast skies or shaded areas can also affect colour temperature.

Without appropriate white balance, photos captured under varying lighting conditions can appear unnatural. Therefore, understanding white balance is vital for achieving photos with accurate and pleasing colours.

Options for Setting White Balance

You generally have four options to choose from when it comes to setting white balance on your camera:

Auto White Balance (AWB)

Most cameras offer an auto white balance setting. This allows the camera to decide the best white balance for you. While this is convenient and works well in most situations, it might struggle under mixed or unusual lighting conditions. It’s suitable for quick snapshots or casual shooting but not recommended for more serious photography.

Preset White Balance

Cameras often come with several preset options for specific lighting conditions, indicated by icons.

• Sun for daylight

• Cloud for overcast skies

• House with a tree for shaded areas

• Light bulb for tungsten lighting

• Fluorescent tube for fluorescent lighting

• Flash for flash photography

These presets are more precise than AWB but might still lack the exactness some photographers prefer.

Custom White Balance

This involves setting a custom white balance using a white or grey card under the specific lighting conditions you’ll be shooting in. Each camera has a different method for setting this, so refer to your camera manual. For instance, on some cameras, you take a picture of the grey card, and the camera uses that image to set the white balance.

Post-processing White Balance

Adjusting white balance during post-processing in software like Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop offers the most flexibility. It’s crucial to shoot in RAW format for this method, as RAW captures all image data, allowing for detailed adjustments without loss of quality. Using a reference shot of a white or grey card taken during the shoot can help fine-tune white balance during editing.

Practical Exercises for White Balance

Here are some exercises to help you understand the impact of white balance settings:

Experiment with Presets

Shoot the same scene using different white balance presets on your camera. Observe how each setting alters the colour temperature of your images. 

Shoot in RAW Format

Capture images in RAW format and adjust the white balance using editing software. This exercise helps you see how different settings affect your photo in a more controlled environment.

Setting Custom White Balance

Try setting a custom white balance using a white or grey card. Follow your camera’s manual for detailed instructions. This is especially useful in environments with complex lighting.

Review and Adjust

Always review your photos on your camera’s LCD screen and make real-time adjustments if necessary to ensure accurate colours.

By understanding and correctly setting white balance, you can vastly improve the colour accuracy and overall quality of your photos. Experiment with different settings and methods to find what works best for your photography style.

If you have any questions or found these tips helpful, let me know! Now, grab your camera and start practising!