White balance and colour temperature

In short: Light has a colour temperature depending on the source, measured in kelvin. White balance makes sure white surfaces appear white in the photo by the camera correcting colour casts.

In more detail: Candlelight at about 1,800–2,000 K is warm (orange), midday sun at about 5,500 K neutral, overcast sky at 6,500–7,500 K cool (bluish).

In detail

• Automatic: Usually works well but can be off in mixed light.
• Presets: Sun, shade, cloud, incandescent, fluorescent.
• Manual: Photograph a grey card or white sheet and use as reference.
• RAW: White balance can be changed later without quality loss (fotografie-grundlagen-belichtungsdreieck-raw-und-jpeg).
• Creative: Deliberately warmer or cooler for mood (golden hour, blue hour).
• Screen: Monitors also have a white point, usually 6,500 K (licht-und-farben).