Light sources and color temperatures
When shooting a subject, it is necessary to adjust the white balance to a setting which matches the light source. A light source is expressed using a color temperature (K). The bluer the light, the higher the temperature; conversely, the redder the light, the lower the temperature. The table given below shows the correlation between light sources and color temperatures.
Light source | Color temperature (K) | |||
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Clear skies | 10,000 |
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| Blue | ||
Cloudy | 8,000 |
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Rainy | 7,000 |
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Fluorescent lights (daylight) | 6,000 |
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Sunshine at midday | 5,000 |
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White | ||||
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Fluorescent lights (white) |
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1 hour after sunrise, 1 hour before sunset | 4,000 |
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Fluorescent lights (warm white) | 3,500 |
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Studio lights | 3,200 | Yellow | ||
Halogen lamps, video lights | 3,000 |
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30 minutes after sunrise, 30 minutes before sunset |
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Incandescent bulbs | 2,500 |
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Sodium lamps |
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(Lighting inside tunnels) |
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Sunrise, sunset |
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Candlelight | 2,000 | red | ||
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