Absolute Beginner's Guide to Digital Photography

Digital Cameras and Color Balance

Digital cameras are not immune to color balance issues, although white-balance

features in most cameras help to reduce problems when used properly. White-bal-

ance enables photographers to set the “white point” for a camera before pictures are

taken. This forces a camera to consider a specific color of lighting as purely white

light.

The purpose of a white point (white balance) is to force the camera sensor to see the

color you designate as pure white. To avoid off-color images taken indoors with fluo-

rescent bulbs or zenon bulbs, you might need to point the camera at a white object

(such as a piece of cardboard or a white wall), and then set the white balance on the

camera. By setting a white point, the camera will not have color-cast issues later on.

Television news crews, for example, avoid strange colors and skin tones by setting

the white point of their video cameras prior to every shoot.

Most digital cameras can accurately compensate for lighting color and overcome

unusual lighting conditions. However, occasionally their automatic adjustment sys-

tems get confused. This often happens indoors, where lighting systems can vary

greatly. If you’re shooting indoors under unusual lighting, set the white balance on

the camera before taking pictures.

To set the white balance for your camera, follow these general steps:

1. Access the menu on your camera. Usually there is a dedicated Menu button
   somewhere on the back of the camera.


2. Scroll through the menus until you find a setting for WB, White Bal, or White
   Balance.


3. There might be a few more choices, such as Presets. Continue through the
   menus until you reach choices that resemble the following:
   ■ Auto. Automatically corrects white balance. This setting is often the
   only one you need, especially if you photograph outdoors.
   ■ Daylight. Set the white balance to daylight if you’re shooting outside.
   ■ Tungsten. Set white balance to tungsten, if you’re shooting indoors
   with incandescent bulbs (the screw-in type from GE). These bulbs emit a
   lot of yellow light. The tungsten setting will compensate by reducing
   yellow and increasing blue.
   ■ Fluorescent. Set to fluorescent to compensate for the excessive green
   output by these tubes.


4. Highlight one of these choices and then press OK. The camera is ready for
   unusual lighting.

64 ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TODIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY