What is WHITE BALANCE in camera ? | LAL PICTURES STUDIOS

 What is White Balance in Camera ?

What is the white balance ?, how to set the white balance value ?, what is kelvin ?

Here we are again with another hot topic about the camera settings for beginners. Some may have a doubt that is this blog post for Smart phone photography or the Digital camera. There is no difference in the settings between smart phone and digital camera. There will be a small difference in the kelvin values otherwise the settings is same and you can check it in both camera settings.. 

• What is White Balance

• White Balance Values

• Manual Presets of White Balance  

In our previous post we discussed about what is ISO in camera. Which is also a important settings in camera and it is related to our today's topic to. Today we discussing about "white balance" which helps in lighting in the photography.

INTRODUCTION

White balance, it is our today's topic. In the simple terms, in our previous post we discussed about the lightings and how its helps in photography. White balance means the color of the lighting or in other hands, its the color temperature. 

When we are capturing a photo, we may have different kinds of light sources in one time, Natural lights (day lights) and artificial lights. It will be mixed color in our subject or scenery. With our eyes, we can see it perfectly, our brain helps us to adjust the color gives the correct result.

But the cameras can't the adjust the mixed colors in the photo, it may only adjust just one light in one time it won't show us exact colors to our photographs. Instead we gets a different temperature images.. Unless we have to manually correct the color temperature in the settings.

WHAT IS WHITE BALANCE ?

White balance helps us to adjust the color tone and the color temperature in settings for us to get the amazing results. With mixed lighting sources, the images may look like unrealistic and unnatural in the output, cameras don't have the intelligence to automatically adjust the color temperature as human brain. With white balance we can adjust the temperature or the color tone manually. Like ISO, white balance also have different values and we have to set it in the situation.

In the other hand, we can change the values as we like. We can change the images look like cool temperature to warmth temperature look or the opposite, we can change to cloudy look, shady look, fluorescent look etc.. Its all upon your creative mind and you can change it as you like and comfortable.. There is no rule that "you should take photos in these values or you should take it in that way". No one is going to judge you for the photographs.. 

By changing white balance values or the presets in settings, we gets different color temperature images. Before changing you should know about the values and how its works. If you want to be a professional photographer, you should always know that which value you should use in that scenario. you can't use morning values in evening, it will be different in the day light and it is way more difference in night and it will be totally different in indoor shoots. The correct capturing moment won't wait for us to capture it. so we should understand the right values in the right moment.

WHITE BALANCE VALUES.

White balance temperature have been calculated in the Kelvin (k) values.  When we lower the values, the temperature becomes warmer and it becomes yellowish then later reddish  and when we increase the values, the temperature becomes coolish temperature, looks like bluish cooler and it will increase the blue shade more as we increase the kelvin (k) values. Here is the example for the values and the colour temperature.

Here you can see the different values of color temperature in the chart. You have to manually adjust in the settings for the correct temperature in the images. Always trying in the manual gives us a new experience in the photography and trying new experiments in the settings is always a experience for our future. 

Sunrise, sunset, candle lights, these light temperature will be always below 3500 (k). You can manually adjust the settings to below 3500 (k) to take pictures that look like it was taken in that temperature. When its comes to daylight, the kelvin values will be 5000 (k) to 6000 (k). Its gives us a pleasant image and above 6000 (k) will gives us a blueish tone to the images., after above 6000 will increase the blue tone more and more. When camera automatically set the values, it may affect the skin tone of the subject in the images.

MANUAL PRESETS OF WHITE BALANCE

There are inbuild presents of white balance in the digital cameras (unfortunately these presets are not available in the smart phones, you have to manually set the kelvin (k) values in the settings but it is quite simple to set the values comparatively in the digital cameras). In the digital cameras, you can just select the preset as the current lighting when you are taking pictures. There are several modes which is available, you just have to select the mode as per required.

There will be a slight changes in the modes, that because of the camera models. Some camera models gives us some extra mode or presets in the settings, but its all in the values, you can set it manually in all the camera models available in the market. You can set any values it in manually that which presets are not available in your camera. 

for example - 5500 (k) to 6500 (k) is the ideal values for the day light, which is close to the daylight and it will be natural day light. you can set it manually by selecting the preset or you can set it by changing the values by selecting between 5500 (k) to 6500 (k). Its all upon you.

Your gear (camera) won't be matter on any point, its all on the cameraman and his creative mind. There will be no point in buying expensive camera without knowing the basic rules and knowledge of the camera and with good knowledge you can capture amazing and beautiful images with simple mobile cameras.

 TUNGSTEN (Light Bulb) – Use it strictly under tungsten light bulbs or the image will look very blue.

 Fluorescent (Glowing Tube) – Use if photos look too green or when under fluorescent lights. Since there are many different types of fluorescent bulbs, some cameras provide several different selections for this setting.

Day light (Sun) – Used when shooting outdoors with the sun shining on the subject.

Flash (Lightning Bolt) – Used when utilizing on-camera flash.

Cloudy (Cloud) – Used in cloudy days or in shades. Will yield warmer images than sunlight.

Shade (House with a Shadow) – Warmer than cloudy, adding orange colors to the photograph. Good for sunsets and shades.

Manual Color Temperature (K) – Lets you manually change the Kelvin value (typically from 2,500 to 10,000).

CONCLUSION 

With the information we given here you can simply takes pictures as you like. The important part is that knowing the basic of the these settings and with the time and experience you can take pictures as like the professionals. The only matter is when to use and how to use it properly and with this blog you can simple understand it to use it. 

I hope understand how to use the white balance. In our next blog, we will cover another important topics about the photography