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What This Skill Means
White balance controls the color tone of your image.
Are whites actually white?
Or do they look yellow, blue, green, pink or gray?
Strong white balance keeps:
Baby’s skin tones natural
Whites clean and consistent
This is not about “warm vs cool style.”
It’s about accurate, consistent skin tone rendering.
Common Mistakes That Lower Scores
Common causes:
Heavy yellow/orange cast from hospital lighting
Blue/gray tones from window-only light
Green tint from overhead hospital bulbs
Skin tones inconsistent across the gallery
White blankets appearing cream, blue, or dull
If whites are clearly off or skin tones look unnatural, the image will not score above a 3.
Non-Negotiables
Baby’s skin should never appear blue, gray, green, or overly orange.
White hospital blankets must not appear tinted.
Mixed lighting (window + overhead) must be corrected.
If temperature shifts dramatically between images, the category cannot score above a 3.
How to Improve
During the Session
During the Session
Control your light sources
Turn off overhead hospital lights when possible.
Avoid mixing window light and yellow overhead bulbs.
If using a flash, be aware of where you are bouncing it.
Watch your environment
Colored walls and blankets can reflect onto skin.
Orange wood floors can warm up skin dramatically.
Check in-camera
Zoom into baby’s face before moving on.
If skin looks yellow or gray in camera, fix it immediately.
Calibration Reminder: Warm vs Wrong
Calibration Reminder: Warm vs Wrong
A slightly warm image is not automatically wrong.
Ask:
Does baby’s skin look healthy and natural?
Do whites look neutral?
Is the tone consistent?
If yes → it can still be a 4.
Warmth becomes a problem when:
Whites look cream/yellow
Skin looks orange
Consistency disappears across the gallery
What This Looks Like at Different Scores
What This Looks Like at Different Scores
Score 1–2 | Needs Coaching
What This Looks Like:
Strong yellow/orange cast
Blue or gray skin
Green tint from overhead lights
Whites clearly not white
Baby’s skin looks unnatural
Why This Scores Here:
Color is distracting and inaccurate. It pulls attention away from the subject and feels unprofessional.
Strong yellow/warm cast throughout the image (skin, blanket, and sign all skew warm). Skin tones lack neutrality and feel overly orange, reducing accuracy and polish.
Noticeable yellow/green cast across the blanket and skin tones. Whites are not neutral, causing baby’s skin to look overly warm and slightly muddy instead of soft and natural.
Heavy magenta/pink color cast affecting skin tones and background. Skin does not appear natural or true-to-life. This would require significant correction.
There is a strong magenta/pink color cast across the entire image. The blanket (which should read neutral white) is visibly pink, and the baby’s skin tone is overly rosy and unnatural.
Score 3 | Developing
What This Looks Like:
Slight warmth or coolness present
Whites slightly off but not extreme
Skin tones mostly natural but inconsistent
Gallery shows variation in temperature
Why This Scores Here:
White balance is usable, but not consistent.
Overall fairly neutral, but slight cool/purple cast in the background and subtle magenta tones in the skin. Not distracting, but not perfectly clean or true-to-life.
The image is usable, but the color temperature appears slightly cool, giving baby’s skin a mild bluish tone. A small adjustment to warm the white balance would help create more natural, true-to-life skin tones.
The image is clearly warm, but not severely color-shifted. Skin tones are still believable and not muddy or green. The whites lean creamy/yellow rather than neutral, which pulls it down from a 4. A moderate cooling adjustment would refine this without major correction.
White balance is slightly warm and magenta-leaning, causing skin tones to appear overly pink and reducing natural skin neutrality. Whites remain mostly clean.
Score 4 | Strong
What This Looks Like:
Whites appear clean and neutral
Skin tones look natural and flattering
Color temperature is consistent across the gallery
No noticeable tint (green, magenta, blue)
Why This Scores Here:
Color supports storytelling without drawing attention to itself.
White balance is warm but natural. Skin tones remain believable and whites are mostly clean, though a slight golden cast suggests a small cooling adjustment would refine accuracy.
White balance is clean and consistent with neutral whites. Skin tones remain natural and balanced.
White balance is well-balanced with clean whites and natural skin tones. Subtle warmth maintains softness without color cast.
Clean, neutral whites with accurate overall skin tone. A slight cool/pink cast in the cheeks keeps this from a perfect 5, but the image remains natural and professional.
Score 5 | Excellent
What This Looks Like:
Whites are clean and true
Skin tones are beautifully calibrated
Subtle warmth/coolness feels intentional
Consistency is flawless across all lighting situations
Why This Scores Here:
Color feels polished and professional in every image.
Clean, neutral whites and accurate skin tones throughout. No yellow, blue, or green cast present. This is an example of properly balanced hospital lighting where both skin and background read true to life.
Clean, neutral whites with natural skin tones. No blue, yellow, or magenta cast — this is true-to-life color that keeps baby’s skin soft and accurate while maintaining crisp hospital whites.
Beautifully balanced and true to life. Skin tones are natural and consistent across all three subjects, and the whites stay clean without shifting cool or warm — exactly what we’re aiming for.
Clean, neutral whites and soft, true-to-life skin tones. No color cast on hands or blanket — everything feels balanced and natural.
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