White balance corrects color casts caused by different light sources by adjusting the color channels so that white actually appears white. Color temperature is measured in Kelvin; low values produce warm, reddish light, while high values produce cool, bluish light. Cameras offer automatic, semi-automatic, and manual white balance, with RAW images allowing lossless white balance adjustments later on.
Category: Photography Basics > 3. Exposure & Camera Settings Article ID: 3.11 Created: May 2026
Key Points at a Glance
- White balance (WB) corrects color casts caused by different light sources—making colors appear natural and neutral
- Light has a color temperature (in Kelvin): warm light (incandescent bulb) appears reddish, cool light (cloudy sky, fog) appears bluish
- Most cameras correct this automatically (AWB)—manual adjustment is useful for sunsets, artificial lighting, or critical color demands
Explanation
Why Does the Camera Need White Balance?
The human brain automatically adapts to different light colors—a white wall appears white to us both in candlelight and daylight. The camera cannot do this on its own: without white balance, a photo taken under incandescent light would look reddish-orange, and under cloudy skies it would look bluish.
White balance compensates for these color casts by weighting the color channels (red, green, blue) so that white in the photo actually appears white.
Color Temperature: What Do the Kelvin Values Mean?
| Light Source | Color Temperature | Color Cast Without WB |
|---|---|---|
| Candlelight | ~1,500 K | Strong reddish-orange |
| Incandescent Bulb (100 W) | ~2,800 K | Warm orange |
| Halogen Lamp | ~3,000 K | Warm yellowish |
| Fluorescent Lamp | ~4,000 K | Slightly greenish |
| Morning / Evening Sun | ~5,000 K | Warm golden |
| Midday Sun / Cloudy | ~5,500 K | Neutral (reference value) |
| Overcast Sky | ~6,500–7,500 K | Slightly bluish |
| Fog / Haze | ~7,500–8,500 K | Bluish |
| Shaded North Side, Mountains | ~9,000–12,000 K | Strongly bluish |
Mnemonic: Low Kelvin number = warm, reddish light. High Kelvin number = cool, bluish light.
The Three Types of White Balance
1. Automatic White Balance (AWB)
- The camera independently detects the color temperature and corrects it
- Works well in most everyday situations
- Weaknesses: sunsets (the camera removes the desired warm mood), mixed lighting (e.g., window + artificial light), strongly colored scenes (no neutral white in the image)
2. Semi-Automatic White Balance (Presets)
- The photographer selects from predefined lighting situations:
| Symbol / Mode | Light Temperature | Use |
|---|---|---|
| ☀️ Sunlight | ~5,500 K | Clear day outdoors |
| ☁️ Cloudy | ~7,000 K | Overcast sky |
| 💡 Artificial Light / Incandescent | ~2,500–3,000 K | Indoor with incandescent bulbs |
| 🔦 Fluorescent Lamp | ~4,000 K | Offices, supermarkets |
| 🔦 Flash | ~5,500–6,000 K | Flash photography |
| 🌅 Shade | ~8,000 K | Shady outdoor areas |
- Recommended when the light source is known and constant
3. Manual White Balance
- The photographer points the camera at a white or neutral gray surface (e.g., white sheet of paper) and takes a reference photo
- The camera uses this photo as the color standard for all subsequent shots
- Most precise method—ideal for studio, product photography, and demanding color reproduction
- Alternative without reference photo: include a gray card (18% gray) in the image and correct white balance later in post-processing
When to Intentionally Disable AWB?
| Situation | Problem with AWB | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Sunset / Golden Hour | AWB removes warm orange tones → image looks flat | Choose “Sunlight” or “Cloudy” mode |
| Candlelight Atmosphere | AWB cools down warm light → mood is lost | Choose “Incandescent” mode |
| Studio Continuous Shooting | AWB fluctuates between shots | Manual WB for consistent colors |
| RAW Shooting | WB can be corrected losslessly at any time later | AWB is sufficient—correction in RAW editor |
Practical Tip
If you shoot in RAW, you don’t need to worry about white balance—the WB value is not baked into RAW files and can be corrected losslessly later in any RAW editor. If you shoot in JPEG, you should check the WB at the latest when changing scenes (e.g., from outdoors to indoors)—JPEG bakes the WB into the image, and later corrections reduce image quality.