Below you can drag the slider or click on some of the preset buttons to see what color a certain color temperature value looks like.
Color Temperature (light source): 5000 K
White Balance Setting (camera): 5000 K
Adjust the white balance in relation to the selected color temperature and you'll see if the image will be neutral, cool or warm.
👍 Image will be neutral (whites will be white)
💡 Some facts:
- ◉ The subject of color temperature gets sciency really quickly, but in a nutshell color temperature is the color of the light source.
- ◉ Color temperature is measured in degrees kelvin (abbreviated with K).
- ◉ Lower color temperature sources appear warmer and more orange while higher color temperature sources appear cooler and more blue.
- ◉ White balance is the camera's way to neutralize the color temperature so that whites appear white. It works in the opposite direction to color temperature (higher white balance settings for warmer images, lower white balance setting for cooler images).
- ◉ Normally you'll want to set your white balance to match the color temperature of the source, for a neutral images. You can however make creative use of white balance for cooler or warmer results and create a different mood in your images.
- ◉ You can also make use of colored gels, color temperature orange (CTO) and color temperature blue (CTB), to color correct certain areas of your scene or for creative effects.
- ◉ When shooting RAW, the white balance setting in your camera is not as important because white balance can always be changed in post-production.