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Colour and White Balance

Brillant colours to ensure impact

Want to maximise the impact of your photos? Accurate colours are essential. The problem we have is that the colours in a scene vary as the colour of the illuminating light – its colour temperature – changes from reddish to white to blue or, indeed, other colours.

Close and continue Tell us what you think We appreciate feedback on the tutorials in our Learn & Enjoy section. Would you like to take our quick survey? Yes, take me to the survey No thanks Ask me later We can overcome the problem with White Balance: the camera’s correction for the colour of light. Learn here how you can use camera features to ensure accurate colour recording.

The temperature of colour

How, you ask, does colour have a temperature? Actually, the colour of light is only related to the temperature of a light-source. As we heat this up, the light from this source changes from being reddish, yellowish through to bluish.

See here how different colours change as the colour temperature of the illuminating light changes.

Auto White Balance for speed

Generally, colours in images appear more accurate when they include neutral areas of whites, greys or black without any tint of colour.
The Auto White Balance control on your Sony DSLR camera is the speed-optimised way to obtain accurate colour. Like auto-exposure, this function examines the light and calculates the camera setting for best results.

However, manual settings may give results which are a better match to your specific requirements. As lighting conditions change, try the specific settings:

Daylight: When outdoors on bright, sunny days
Shade: When you’re in shade on bright days
Cloudy: When outdoors on cloudy or partly cloudy days
Tungsten: When you’re indoors with home lighting
Fluorescent: When you’re indoors in an office or an other environment using fluorescent lighting

For maximum flexibility with colour, record in RAW format: you can choose the precise White Balance for your scene.

Here’s an advanced tip for professional results: use a Grey Card

Purchase a Grey Card (it should be grey on one side, white on the other) from a photo-store
Select White Balance Custom Setup
Use the grey side in good light, the white side in low light: hold the card to receive the illuminating light
Aim the Spot Metering area at the card
Press the shutter button to register the colour temperature

Eager to learn more?

RAW

All Sony DSLR cameras give you the choice: either record in JPEG format for speed and convenience, or record in RAW for the ultimate quality performance. Which you choose depends on your photo needs and access to computers.

Learn more