White balance
White balance is the camera setting that corrects colour for the light, so white looks white under daylight, tungsten or LED — baked into JPEGs, adjustable in RAW.
Light sources have different colours: tungsten is warm and orange, shade is cool and blue, LEDs vary. The eye adapts; a camera needs telling. White balance (WB) shifts colours so neutral objects look neutral. Cameras offer auto WB, presets (daylight, cloudy, tungsten), a Kelvin value and a custom setting measured from a grey or white card.
For RAW files, WB is just a starting point you can change later. For JPEGs it's baked in.
How it works
The camera multiplies the red, green and blue channels to cancel the light's colour cast. Auto WB estimates the cast from the scene and can be fooled by strong colours or mixed lighting. Presets and Kelvin values give consistency from frame to frame. Custom WB, measured from a reference card, is the most accurate under one light source.
An example: a reception under coloured lights
Under purple uplighting, auto WB shifts frame to frame as the lights change, and skin tones swing. Setting a fixed Kelvin value keeps the look consistent, which matters when JPEGs go straight to the client.
White balance and CloudTether
When CloudTether sends JPEGs live — to a client gallery, a sneak-peek folder or a press desk — the white balance your camera applied is what the client sees, so it's worth getting right in camera. RAW files delivered to storage keep their full adjustability. Shooting RAW+JPEG with JPEG only gives you both: correct-looking JPEGs live and RAW on the card for fine-tuning.
Mixed light
Where light sources mix — window light and tungsten — no single WB is perfect. Pick the light falling on faces, or gel lights to match.
Tips and common mistakes
- Use a fixed WB or Kelvin value for consistent live JPEGs.
- Carry a grey card for custom WB under tricky light.
- Check WB on the first test shot before a live gallery starts.
See also
Put it into practice
CloudTether tethers your camera to your phone and delivers every shot to the cloud, live as you shoot — no laptop.