What's white balance and how does it work?
How does white balance work?
The light in which or with which you take a photo doesn't always have the same color. During a sunset, the light is orange, so the image will get an orange glow too. On many winter photos, the light in your photo turns blueish. If you don't want this to happen, you can adjust the white balance. The camera will add more orange to the image to neutralize the color of the light. That way, the camera restores the white balance.
Which white balance values are there?
The color of the light is expressed in the temperature value Kelvin. The bluer the light, the higher the Kelvin value. Orange light has a low Kelvin value. The values that your camera uses go from 1000K to 15,000K. The light color of sunlight during the day is about 5600K. Below, you'll find an overview of the values and the light types:
- Bright blue sky - 10,000 - 15,000K
- Clouded/shade - 6500 - 8000K
- Afternoon sunlight - 6000 - 7000K
- Average daylight - 5500 - 6500K
- Electronic flash - 5000 - 5500K
- Fluorescent light - 4000 - 5000K
- Morning or evening - 3000 - 4000K
- Indoors - 2500 - 3000K
- Candle light - 1000 - 2000K
When do I adjust the white balance?
Most cameras are very good at adjusting the white balance automatically. If you want to use this function, set your camera to 'Automatic white balance' (AWB). When you photograph at sunset, it's useful to set the white balance manually. In this case, choose a Kelvin value between 3000 and 4000K. You'll see that the camera adds more blue to the photo to correct the white balance, so your photo won't become too orange.
How do I create a specific atmosphere with the white balance?
Sometimes, you want to add a certain atmosphere to your photo. For a romantic photo, it looks nice if the photo is a little orange. Set the white balance to a Kelvin value starting from 7000K. The photo will become a little warmer in color. For more sinister photos, you can use a white balance that causes a blue colored haze. Set to a low Kelvin value, your camera will add more blue to the photo.
