Of all the different photography settings, white balance is possibly one of the most commonly overlooked. Like many other aspects of manual shooting, white balance is often ignored by beginners and amateur photographers, who hope their camera will simply adjust for them. While most modern cameras can certainly do the job themselves, learning how to manually adjust white balance will ultimately help you become a better photographer. If you're building your manual shooting skills, our guide to the exposure triangle covers the other core camera settings you'll need to master.
With a little bit of practice, you'll learn that white balance isn't that complicated after all - and that well-lit, well-adjusted photos make mastering this photography technique well worth your time. Whether you're an aspiring landscape photographer or prefer to shoot portraits, read on to learn how white balance works and which white balance to use in your photography.
Last updated: June 2026
What Is White Balance?
For many beginners, the number one question is: what does white balance do? In short, white balance is the process by which your camera removes unrealistic colour casts so that all white objects appear, well, white.
When properly adjusted, white balance ensures that all the colours in your frame are shown true-to-life, leaving you with a photo that captures your scene exactly down to the last detail. For a deeper understanding of how colour works in photography, our complete guide to colour theory is a great place to start.
The Lowdown on Colour Temperature
While our eyes can easily adjust to different light sources so that all objects appear as they should, a camera doesn't necessarily have the same ability. Because of that, your camera will often render the same object differently under two light sources. For example, it will capture a white t-shirt differently indoors under artificial lighting and outdoors in bright sunlight.
This effect is known as "Colour Temperature", and photographers measure it using the Kelvin (K) scale. For reference, daylight comes in at 5,500K. Warmer lighting (such as tungsten) measures at 2,500K to 3,500K, the lower end of the scale. On the other hand, shady conditions have cooler lighting, so they tend to measure between 6,500K to 8,000K.
How to Adjust White Balance on Your Camera
With its focus on numbers and wide range of options, white balance can seem a little confusing at first. The good news is, you don't need to remember the numbers on the Kelvin scale to adjust the white balance on your camera.
Every digital camera has a list of predetermined settings that match the lighting you're working with - Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, and Fluorescent modes. See the White Balance Settings for Different Lighting Conditions section below for the full breakdown of when to use each.
Once you've gotten the hang of those white balance camera settings, you can even enter the colour temperature manually. So, if you're shooting and feel that your images should be warmer or cooler, you can use the presets as a guide to tweak the colour temperature and make manual adjustments as necessary. For example, if you're outdoors and your photos aren't as warm as you'd like, try switching to 5,300K - as opposed to the general daylight temperature of 5,500K.
New to photography? Don't worry, your camera will have an Automatic White Balance setting that's brilliant at ensuring the colours in your photos are as realistic as possible - see the Auto vs Manual section below for when to rely on it versus taking control yourself.
Top Tip: Experiment with the "custom white balance" option on your camera. Generally, this involves photographing something white (like a sheet of paper) for your camera to use as a reference point and adjust the white balance accordingly.
How to Adjust White Balance in Post-Production
Many professional photographers now shoot in RAW mode, which means adjusting the white balance in-camera has become less crucial.
If you shoot in RAW (rather than JPEG), your images will retain all of their original data - so you can change the white balance in the editing stage. While you can use any professional software to edit your images, we recommend adjusting your white balance in Lightroom or Photoshop. Not sure why so many photographers reach for Lightroom first? Our overview of Lightroom's key advantages explains what makes it the go-to choice.
RAW conversion software typically includes the same presets found in your camera, plus a slider that can be easily adjusted to make the image warmer or cooler, and an eye-dropper tool for choosing a neutral point in your image. Together, these features help you to adjust the colour temperature of your image to achieve an accurate white balance. White balance is closely related to colour space - understanding both will give you full control over colour accuracy from capture to final output.
See Photography in a New Light
The more comfortable you become with adjusting the white balance on your camera, the better your photographs will be. Once you've nailed this photography technique, you'll be able to comfortably shoot in all kinds of lighting, knowing your images will turn out well.
Ready to put your new skills to the test? Check out our blog for more photography tips, or drop by your local Ted's Cameras store for expert advice today!
White Balance Settings for Different Lighting Conditions
Choosing the right white balance setting depends entirely on your shooting environment. Here's a quick reference guide:
- Daylight (5200K-5500K): Ideal for bright, sunny outdoor conditions. Produces natural, balanced colours.
- Cloudy (6000K-6500K): Adds warmth to compensate for the cool, blue cast of overcast skies.
- Shade (7000K+): Even warmer than Cloudy - great for open shade where blues can dominate.
- Tungsten / Incandescent (3200K): Cools down the orange glow of indoor bulb lighting.
- Fluorescent (4000K): Neutralises the greenish tint common in office and supermarket lighting.
- Flash (5500K): Matches the colour temperature of your camera's built-in or external flash.
When in doubt, shoot in RAW - see the How to Adjust White Balance in Post-Production section above for why this matters.
Auto White Balance vs Manual White Balance: Which Should You Use?
Auto White Balance (AWB) is a convenient starting point. Modern cameras are remarkably good at detecting the dominant light source and adjusting colour temperature on the fly. For casual shooting, events, or fast-moving subjects, AWB saves time and delivers solid results.
However, AWB has limitations. It can struggle with mixed lighting, artificial colour sources, or scenes that are intentionally warm or cool in tone - such as golden hour landscapes or candlelit portraits. In these cases, AWB may overcorrect and strip away the mood you were trying to capture. This is especially true during golden hour, where warm tones are the whole point — see our golden hour photography tips for how to preserve that beautiful light.
Manual white balance puts you in control of the final look and feel of your images. As you grow more confident with your camera, experimenting with manual settings will help you develop a more consistent, intentional photographic style. For the best of both worlds, shoot RAW with AWB and fine-tune in editing.