The basics

SCANNER AND
CAMERA TECHNIQUES
32 ADVANCED PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 5.0 FOR DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHERS
Auto white balance >> The modern digital camera has a highly developed auto white balance system. It performs
well under most lighting scenarios and should be your first choice when shooting under difficult conditions.
Auto white balance
The Auto function assesses the color of the light in the general environment and attempts
to neutralize the mid tones of the image. As with most ‘auto’ camera features, this setting
works well for the majority of ‘normal’ scenarios. The feature does a great job with scenes that
contain a range of colors and tones, but you may strike some difficulty with subjects that are
predominantly one color, or are lit from behind. Also keep in mind that some subjects, such as
cream lace, are meant to have a slight color shift and the use of the Auto feature in this case
would remove the subtle hue of the original.
Apart from these exceptions most cameras’ Auto features produce great results that require little
or no post-shooting color correction work. So it’s my suggestion that if in doubt try the Auto
setting first. Check the results on the preview screen of the camera and if there is a color cast still
present then move on to some more specific white balance options.
Light source white balance settings
The Daylight (Fine), Incandescent, Fluorescent, Cloudy and Flash (Speed light) options are
designed for each of these light types. The manufacturers have examined the color from a
variety of each of these sources, averaged the results and produced a white balance setting to
suit. If you know the type of lighting that your subject is being lit by, then selecting a specific
white balance setting is a good move.
Again, for the majority of circumstances these options provide great results, but for those times
when the source you are using differs from the ‘norm’, companies like Nikon have included a
fine-tuning adjustment. With the light source set the command dial is turned to adjust the color
settings.
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