Under which lighting conditions should the operator white-balance the camera?

Under which lighting conditions should the operator white-balance the camera?

• A. Under all lighting conditions
• B. Only in daylight
• C. Only under tungsten lighting
• D. Only under fluorescent lighting

Answer: (A)

White balance adjusts the camera so that colors, especially whites, look neutral under the light you’re filming in. Different light sources have different color temperatures, so a scene lit by daylight can look cooler while tungsten lighting can look warmer. To keep colors accurate and consistent, you should set white balance to match the current lighting and re-check or re-set it whenever the lighting changes or you move to a different environment. In practice, you can rely on Auto White Balance, but for consistent results across shots, using a gray or white reference under the present light and locking the setting is the best approach. So, white balance should be established under all lighting conditions.

White balance adjusts the camera so that colors, especially whites, look neutral under the light you’re filming in. Different light sources have different color temperatures, so a scene lit by daylight can look cooler while tungsten lighting can look warmer. To keep colors accurate and consistent, you should set white balance to match the current lighting and re-check or re-set it whenever the lighting changes or you move to a different environment. In practice, you can rely on Auto White Balance, but for consistent results across shots, using a gray or white reference under the present light and locking the setting is the best approach. So, white balance should be established under all lighting conditions.