White Balance
White balance is the process of adjusting the colors in a photograph so that white objects appear white. This is important because different light sources can cast different colors onto objects, making them appear unnatural. For example, under incandescent lighting, objects may appear yellow or orange, while under fluorescent lighting they may appear green. By adjusting the white balance, a photographer can ensure that the colors in the photograph appear as they would to the human eye.
There are several ways to adjust white balance, including:
- Auto white balance (AWB): Many cameras have an auto white balance setting that adjusts the colors automatically based on the lighting conditions.
- Preset white balance: Some cameras have preset white balance settings for different types of lighting, such as incandescent, fluorescent, and daylight.
- Custom white balance: This allows the photographer to manually set the white balance by taking a photograph of a white or gray card under the current lighting conditions.
- Kelvin temperature: This method allows the photographer to manually set the white balance by specifying the color temperature of the light in degrees Kelvin.
- post-processing software: After the photo is taken, it can be corrected with software such as Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, etc.
In general, it is always best to get the white balance as close as possible in-camera, as correcting it in post-processing can result in a loss of quality.
White balance is a very important aspect of photography, and it can make a huge difference in the overall look and feel of a photograph. By understanding how to adjust white balance, photographers can ensure that their photographs accurately represent the colors and tones of the scene.
