Select the right preset

The white balance presets are designed to give neutral whites under a range of common light sources It’s easy to get too clinical about colour temperature. If the character of the light is something that drew you into taking a photo, the last thing you wa

‘AWB’), plus a number of manual presets that match various light sources, such as Daylight, Cloudy and Tungsten (or Incandescent). These are indicated by icons and the colour temperature of the light source for which they’re calibrated. You’ll also find a Custom White Balance option that allows you to take a specific white balance reading for the scene you are shooting. Some cameras also give you the option of entering a Kelvin value.

When you record JPEGs or movies, it’s important to set the appropriate white balance for the scene (or for the look you’re trying to achieve, at least). This is because the colour temperature set at the time of shooting is ‘baked’ into the file. What you see is what you get with a JPEG or a movie file; if the image on the back of the camera looks too ‘warm’, that’s what it’ll be like when you open it on a computer. To remove the yellow tint, you’ll need to work on it in editing software.

If your camera has an electronic viewfinder, you’ll be able to see the effect that a different white balance setting has on the image before you take it. The Live View display can be used to preview the effect on cameras that have optical viewfinders.

It’s easy to get too clinical about colour temperature, though. If the character of the light is something that drew you into taking a photo, the last thing you want to do is to remove it. Besides, some pictures look better with a little added warmth or coolness. Try to treat white