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Lydia N
Participant
January 30, 2023
Question

Question About White Balance

  • January 30, 2023
  • 1 reply
  • 1313 views

I just recently learned about white balance, and I'm wondering how important it is? More specifically changing the white balance on your camera BEFORE uploading and editing photos. (Not changing white balance while editing in Lightroom, I already know about that.) Will this tint the image to make it look too blue or too yellow or do some of you love adding that in while shooting? If so what's a good point to put it at? I read that a good spot for natural-looking photography during broad daylight is 5000-6500k but I wanted to hear other opinions. If I like that creamy look where it's not nearly considered yellow just a tiny bit warm, should I change the white balance on my camera settings?

 

Thank you thank you thank you!

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1 reply

TheDigitalDog
TheDigitalDog
Inspiring
January 30, 2023

Are you referring to JPEGs (from the camera) or raw? 

WB is 'burned' into JPEGs. The camera 'assumes*' a WB and writes this into the JPEG from the raw you may or may not keep. This is proprietary processing. 

WB in raw is really meaningless. It doesn't affect the raw data. Only exposure and ISO affect raw. 

The WB is "recorded" and is just metadata used or not used by a raw converter. 

The values define a large number of possible colors! CCT 5000K is not one color but many possible colors. 

See: http://digitaldog.net/files/22Thecolorofwhite.pdf

When you WB a raw in Lightroom Classic, it is subjective. You can use the WB eyedropper on white, and it may or may not be how you wish to express the color of that edit. You can and should use the Tint/Temp sliders to 'season to taste'. Again, this is totally subjective. There is no right 'number'. There is a desired color appearance. 

 

*Now the fun part; the number the camera provides is not only a range of possible colors, and it is up to interpretation by the raw converter. It, is in no way the correct CCT value, as seen below. Here is an actual measurement of a light source, then two raw converters reporting a CCT Kelvin value. They do not correlate, and no one should expect them to. A camera isn't a Spectrophotometer. 

 

Author “Color Management for Photographers" & "Photoshop CC Color Management/pluralsight"
L
Lydia NAuthor
Participant
January 31, 2023

Okay this makes so much sense! That was lots of information you're the best! Yes, I always shoot in RAW. So you're saying it really won't make a difference to change my white balance on my camera if I can just change it in Lightroom later? I should just keep it on auto?

Sean McCormack
Community Expert
Sean McCormackCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 31, 2023

Yes. Generally keep it on Auto with Raw, unless you want to see it look a particular way on the back of screen. Portrait photographer Jeremy Cowart likes to keep it on shade for outdoor portraits to preview them warm. Personally I'm on auto unless I'm shooting a gig where there are mixed LED and tungstens lights, just for the camera preview as Auto jumps about. Occasionally I'll have in on daylight in studio for consistancy (unless I do a custom white balance first). Enjoy not worrying about it! 

Sean McCormack. Author of 'Essential Development 3'. Magazine Writer. Former Official Fuji X-Photographer.
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