White balance

[amanjalwehra]

This term may appear new to many because todays smartphone camera  has spolied us with their automatic modes making it easy to ignore white balace settings. But we can realise that white balance is a very important part of photograpy as we start taking more and more  interest in photography as well as we advance in the art.

Let me start with some pictures : below are two pictures that I have clicked today  

Pic L is clicked in pro mode by manually setting the white balance while Pic R is clicked with white balance mode set to Auto.

From above pictures , we can easily say that white balance  plays an important role in photography . 

To help you better understand what white balance is and isn’t, and how to set white balance, we’re breaking down the basics so you can snap better photos in whatever lighting conditions life throws your way.

To understand the concept of White Balance, we need to first understand the concept of color temperature .

Color temperature :

In simple terms ,

Colour temperature is a measure of a light's colour. 

It is the measurement, expressed in kelvin (K), of the color characteristics of a given light source — specifically, how warm (yellow/orange) or cool(blue) a light source is.A light having higher color temperature will have more blue light or larger Kelvin value as compared to lower light, which has a smaller Kelvin value.

You must have noticed some photos turn out with an orange/yellow cast if shot under tungsten lighting or a bluish cast if shot under fluorescent lights. This occurs because each source of light possesses a different color temperature. A digital camera can measure the colors in the red, green, and blue light of the spectrum, as reflected to its sensors.  In a photo taken under the midday sun, there is the whole spectrum of light (which makes up “white” sunlight). Under these conditions, the colors in an image appear nearest to the “true” colors. A neutral color temperature (sunlight at noon) measures between 5200-6000 K. You’ll find most external flash units come set from the factory in that range, which means they are basically trying to imitate sunlight. An incandescent light bulb (warm/orange) has a color temperature of around 3000 K, while shade (cool/blue) has a color temperature of around around 8000 K. However, it is possible to shift the color in the desirable direction, provided you have a good understanding of your phone camera and its settings.

What is white balance?

White balance is a camera setting that adjusts the color balance of light the you’re shooting in so that it appears a neutral white or in simple terms it means adjusting colors so that the image looks more natural. 

Why do cameras need help with white balance?

When a human sees an object, the eyes and brain work together to correct colors automatically, making white look white under most natural circumstances. Regardless of whether you are out in a sunny day or indoors under a tungsten light, colors will look natural after your eyes get used to the environment, which doesn’t take long.

A camera needs some help figuring out how to make things look natural. Modern cameras try to emulate our brains, and do a pretty good job by using Auto white balance mode but sometimes things get wrong. So sometimes we need to set manually the white balance. 

Now lets turn to  our Galaxy Smartphones capability to adjust  white balance in the picture.

Auto : By default Auto mode ins enabled in your galaxy phone  .The Auto setting helps in adjusting the white balance automatically according to the different lighting conditions.

Manually adjustment: 

You can adjust white balance in Pro Mode

Pro Mode is available when shooting through the rear cameras. Select Pro Mode from the options at the bottom of the Samsung Camera app to make manual adjustments. Pro mode have many options for the white balance WB option is available there.

White Balance: Tap the Auto Icon to switch to manual, and use the slider to adjust the WB

You can slide between many color temperature range there and use them according to the situation.

Some pics clicked of same scene  on S10 plus at different color temperature

 2500K- 3500K :

This range  is used for light under a little bulb like tungsten, and it is often used while shooting indoors.

 3000k-4000k : 

Best for shooting under sunrise and sunset

6000K - 6500K :

Best for shooting under clear sky and at noon time.

Some people consider it amateurish to use predetermined settings, when in fact there may be times when we are in a rush and cannot adjust everything manually.

Also, remember that using these modes will teach you about photography and ideal settings for different conditions.

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I hope you have enjoyed  my article.

Please provide feedback in comment section. 

Thanks 😊

Aman jalwehra 

Samsung BA

[afzarulsamsung]

very informative 👍👍

[Anonymous]

great info 

[ramdasphotography]

Well explained..

[Adimane]

nice one

[DhruvNowal]

Very Informative

[RajatAm]

nicely explained

[Anonymous]

very nice bro