Have you ever been disappointed by the result of the photo you took? In reality, the colour is supposed to be white, but the result shows a yellowish colour instead. Worry not! It is not because of your photography skill but rather the camera and might also be the lighting. One thing to master is called white balancing which is very important in photography.
What is Colour Temperature?
Before going further into white balance, let’s get to know colour temperature first. We all can agree that light affects the result of your photography. However, the light actually has colours which are unseen to a bare sight; whilst your camera is able to capture the difference of colour spectrum. It is the reason why your photography tends to present in a different colour than what you see while taking a photo.
For example, you may realise that light coming from a light bulb results in an orange colour compared to sunlight which is called a warm colour. Meanwhile, areas lacking light might cause your photography to present a blue colour. This condition is usually called ‘cooler’.
Why does colour temperature matter in photography? Cameras are not so dependable in compensating with different colour temperatures. This is where you need white balancing in photography. In this photo editing feature, you will need to shift the colour, adjust the colour temperature and remove the unnatural skin tones.
What is White Balance?
The particular feature in photo editing is to balance colour temperature to the normal one or neutral white. How does it work? If your image is in blue or orange colour, you simply need to reduce the temperature to the proper white.
To put it simply, it refers to adjusting colour temperature in order to achieve images with natural colour or resemble ones in reality. The adjustment can be done on your own camera or any editing software. If you are unsure how to correct colours alone, there are quite a handful of photo colour correction services that you might consider.
Why is White Balance Important?
White balance may not affect much if you are satisfied with your shooting, especially if the lighting of the sunlight is satisfactory. However, it definitely helps you to achieve a great result in photography because it provides you with consistency, a better-looking image, a more refined resolution, and a balanced contrast.
Methods of White Balancing
As mentioned, there are two methods that allow you to balance the whiteness or colour temperature of your photography. Here is the explanation:
1. In-Camera White Balance
Usually, your camera phone provides a pre-setting to adjust white balance whilst taking a photo. There are two options: selecting white balance setting on the preset and custom setting. You may also use a grey card while taking a photo. It will help you to produce an accurate temperature of a photo.
However, this in-camera feature may not give the best results. Here are the drawbacks you may need to remember:
- You are required to use the method only when you are in an enclosed environment. If you insist on capturing a photo on outdoors, you will need to constantly adjust the white balance preset again especially when the sunlight keeps moving
- The feature is indeed helpful. However, the result is often unsatisfactory
- If you choose to use a grey card method, it is impossible to have a good result if you shoot from a distance
2. Post-Processing White Balance
Compared to the in-camera, white balancing after taking a photo is quite simple. Simply set your camera into an auto setting of white balance and open the result in the editing program of your choice. Usually, editors will undergo the same process using the eyedropper to know the neutral tone and fine-tuning.
However, in the adjustment, you might need to remember several things, which are:
- Since you need to adjust the white balance yourself, you need to spare time to do editing especially when you have captured more than one photo. If your shooting takes place in different lighting, you may want to consider in-camera white balancing.
- If you take a photo for casual purposes, a grey card may not be needed. However, you may want to include it especially if your photography will be presented to a client. It will help you prove a better result with the best and realistic colour
- If you want a great flexibility in editing, it is recommended to shoot in RAW. JPEG formats do provide good white balance adjustments. However, there are limitations. RAW will allow you to reset and set the white balance according to your needs.
Ready to Balance Your Photography?
White balancing in photography should not be forgotten since it is always nicer to have a photo depicting the real objects. You simply need to choose between in-camera presets or post-processing white balance.
If you are hesitant to do it on your own or find it quite challenging, there are services that offer assistance including a background removal service from Dropicts. Come check out our services today!
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