Summary

Understanding white balance is essential if you want to take amazing pictures.

But how exactly can you define white balance in photography?

Keep reading to discover everything that you better learn.

Person holding black DSLR camera with photo settings open

What Is White Balance?

White balance is a term used to determine the “temperature” of your pictures.

Or, in simple terms, how blue or yellow the whites in your photo look.

Lens on table with bad white balance

you might get creative with white balance in photography.

Is Auto White Balance Mode Worth Using?

If you’re taking photos with automatic white balance, your camera decides what white balance setting to use.

Lens on table with correct white balance

This is the case regardless of whether your camera mode.

If you’re outdoors, most cameras can get this right.

Sometimes, interior photos or complex scenes can confuse the cameraand it may not set the correct white balance.

Photo of a Snowy Mountain Landscape During the Day

When you use the Kelvin meter, remember that some cameras offer more control than others.

The correct Kelvin to use can also vary for each manufacturerso you’ll need to experiment a little.

Maybe the tone is too blue, for example?

photo of a city at golden hour

If so, the wrong white balance almost certainly caused that problem.

Snowy landscapes are one scenario where you should consider using an alternative to auto white balance.

Your camera can sometimes get confused and make the snow look more blue.

Woman Running Through Flower Field on Sunny Day

Instead, use a Kelvin number of around 6,500-8,500.

So, you should actually drop the Kelvin meter slightly compared to other situations.

Aim for around 2,000-4,000 on the Kelvin meter for golden hour pictures.

Man walking along a sidewalk during nighttime

Once you’ve edited your pictures, consider using thesegolden hour captions on social media.

Somewhere in the middle of the Kelvin range usually works for sunny days.

Aim for something between 5,000 and 6,000.

photo of a city on a rainy day

Meanwhile, those in big cities can capture skylines and much more when it’s dark.

The correct Kelvin meter to use for night photography varies significantly depending on the situation.

But in many cases, 2,000-4,000 is a good range to aim for.

food served in 4 bowls

And when that happens, it can be quite difficult to change in post-production.

But for most indoor situations, you’ll want to reduce the number on your Kelvin meter.

Start with 1,500-3,000 and go from there.

Edit the White Balance in Lightroom Via the Sliders

For food photography, you’ll need to consider whether you’re indoors or outside.

On top of that, you also have to think about the colors of the food.

you might learnhow to elevate your food photography gamefor further guidance.

Customize Lightroom White Balance Settings

Can I Change the White Balance in Post-Production?

Getting an accurate white balance in photography is best done from the camera.

However, you could edit your white balance in Adobe Lightroom.

In Lightroom, go toWB(under the camera profile section).

Here, you’re free to move the temperature and tint sliders in whichever direction you want.