White Balance

&

Colour Temperature

Introduction to White Balance

In standard filmmaking, achieving a neutral and natural-looking image is crucial.

This is done by setting the 'white balance' correctly, ensuring that whites appear truly white rather than tinted orange or blue.

Every light source - from living room lamps to the sun - has a colour temperature which affects the overall tone of a scene and cameras can be adjusted to reflect this to ensure that true whites can be obtained regardless of the environment.

The goal of setting the white balance is to find the sweet spot between these extremes, so colours appear accurate to the eye.

Colour Temperature

Colour temperature refers to the warmth or coolness of a light source, measured in Kelvin (K).

- Indoor (tungsten) lighting is typically around 3200K, giving off a warm, orange hue.
- Daylight is around 5600K-6500K, producing a cooler, blue tone.
- Setting the camera’s white balance to match the light source NEUTRALISES unwanted colour casts, creating a balanced and realistic image.

In creative filmmaking, colour temperature can also be manipulated to help set the mood of a scene or create a more unique and stylistic look in camera.

- Cool lighting and/or setting the camera to the Indoor setting (around 3200K) creates a more clinical or dramatic effect.
- Warm lighting and/or setting the camera to the Outdoor setting (around 5600K) creates a cosy, softer and brighter effect.

Why Colour Temperature Can Be Confusing—Especially for Stylised Looks...

The key thing to remember is that colour temperature in Kelvin (K) does not directly describe the colour you will see in your footage, it describes the colour of the light source itself.

This can be confusing, especially when trying to create a stylised blue or orange look in a film, because the way white balance works is the opposite of what you might expect on the Kelvin scale.

To make a scene warmer (orange-toned) → Lower the Kelvin setting (e.g., 3200K), tricking the camera into adding warmth.
To make a scene cooler (blue-toned) → Raise the Kelvin setting (e.g., 5600K+), making the camera compensate by adding blue.

However if you are simply trying to set a white balance for neutral correction:

Tungsten light (3200K) appears warm—setting the camera to 3200K balances it by adding blue.
Daylight (5600K-6500K) appears cool—setting the camera to 5600K balances it by adding warmth.

This reversal is why colour temperature charts can be misleading:

They show the actual light source’s colour, not how your camera will adjust to it. Understanding this allows you to control white balance creatively, rather than just for neutral correction.
So, when looking at charts that show blue at high Kelvin values, they are referring to the actual colour of the light source itself—not how the camera will interpret it when white balance is applied:

White Balance Presets:

Cameras generally have 3 built in settings for lighting:

- WHITE BALANCE which enables you to set the camera to the available light in the room.
- OUTDOOR - light settings around 5600k.
- INDOOR - light settings around 3200k.

However the Canon cameras offer a range of other presets for quick use...

Custom White Balance:

For the most accurate colour balance, especially in mixed lighting conditions, consider using the "Custom White Balance" setting.
You can use a white sheet of paper to set a custom white balance.
Place the white sheet in the scene, take a photo, and then use the camera's custom white balance function to set the white balance based on that image.

Outdoor Settings:

Daylight (5600K):
Use this for bright, sunny days with a clear blue sky.
Cloudy (6000K):
If the sky is overcast, this setting will help to capture a slightly warmer, more natural color temperature.
Shade (7000K):
If you're shooting in shade, this setting will help to capture a cooler, more accurate colour temperature.

Indoor Settings:

Tungsten (3200K):
This is ideal for lighting from incandescent light bulbs, which have a warmer colour temperature.
Fluorescent (4000K):
This setting is best for fluorescent lights, which have a cooler, bluish colour temperature.

Auto:

As a last resort, this setting allows your camera to automatically adjust the white balance based on the lighting conditions.

Tips for Choosing the Right White Balance Setting:

Consider the lighting conditions:
Pay attention to the type of light you're shooting in, and choose the white balance setting that best matches those conditions.
Experiment:
Don't be afraid to experiment with different white balance settings to see what works best for your films.
Know the rules so you can break them:
Using extreme ends of the colour temperature spectrum can give your films strong visual looks, just make sure you don't commit to them unless you are sure it's what you want.
Check your footage:
After shooting, take a look at your footage to see if the colours are accurate.
Adjust in post-processing:
If the colours aren't quite right, you can always adjust them in post-processing software.

Note:

We will cover other aspects such as filming with C-Log, S-Log & LUTS soon...

Research Task

TASK A: SUMMARISE THE CONCEPT OF WHITE BALANCE & COLOUR TEMPERATURE, PARTICULARLY FOR INDOOR & OUTDOOR SHOOTS

TASK B: TAKE STILLS THAT ILLUSTRATE A MANUAL WHITE BALANCE IN SITUATIONS AT APPROX. 3200K, 4500K & 5600K

TASK C: SUMMARISE HOW TO SET A WHITE BALANCE, WHY WE DO IT AND NOTE KEY COLOUR TEMPERATURES ON YOUR PORTFOLIO

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