White Balance & Colour Theory

How to change the colour cast for artistic and practical effect

​Some text here about the topic of discussion.

White Balance

There are 3 main colour wheels

1. Artist's Colour Wheel

2. CMYK Colour Wheel

3. RGB Colour Wheel

Since cameras create images by recording light, they use the RGB colour wheel

Into to Colour Theory

• Artists' Colour Wheel (a.k.a. RYB) because it's used by artists to mix paint

• Primary Colours: Red, Yellow, & Blue

• Adding all of the primaries colours creates black.

• The only way to get white is to take all of the colours away. This will leave you with a blank white canvas.

• As a result, it's is called a Subtractive model.

​The Artists' Colour Wheel

• Used by printers to mix colours

• Primary Colours: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, & Key (black)

• Adding all of the primaries colours creates black.

• The only way to get white is to take all of the colours away. This will leave you with a blank white sheet of paper.

• As a result, it's is also a Subtractive model.

​The CMYK Colour Wheel

Click Here

CMYK Colour Simulator

1. Click below and use the diagram on the right to mix different Colours

2. Add the Cyan, Magenta, & Yellow all the way to 100%. What colour do you see?

3. Move the Cyan, Magenta, & Yellow all the way to 0%. What colour do you see?

Multiple Choice

Add the Cyan, Magenta, & Yellow all the way to 100%. What colour do you see?

• Yellow

• Black

• Cyan

• White

• Magenta

Multiple Choice

Take away all of colour (move all the markers to 0). What colour do you see?

• Yellow

• Black

• Cyan

• White

• Magenta

• The colour wheel of light

  • Computer & TV screens use it to project light

  • Cameras use it to record light

• Primary colours: Red, Green, & Blue.

• Adding all of the primaries together creates white. When there is no light you are in a black room.

• As a result, it's an Additive Colour Wheel model.

​The RGB Colour Wheel

Click Here

RGB Simulator:

1. Click below and use the diagram on the right to mix different Colours

   1. Add Red & Green. What colour do you see?

   2. Add Red & Blue. What colour do you see?

   3. Add Green & Blue? What colour did this make?

2. Add the Red, Blue, & Green all together. What colour do you see?

3. If the Red, Blue, & Green lights were all turned off, what colour would you see?

Multiple Choice

Add the Red & Green lights. What colour do you see?

• Yellow

• Black

• Cyan

• White

• Magenta

Multiple Choice

Add the Red & Blue lights. What colour do you see?

• Yellow

• Black

• Cyan

• White

• Magenta

Multiple Choice

Add the Green & Blue lights. What colour do you see?

• Yellow

• Black

• Cyan

• White

• Magenta

Multiple Choice

If the Red, Blue, & Green lights were all turned off, what colour would you see?

• Yellow

• Black

• Cyan

• White

• Magenta

Multiple Choice

Add the Red, Blue, & Green all together. What colour do you see?

• Yellow

• Black

• Cyan

• White

• Magenta

Drag and Drop

The RGB colour wheel is used by: ​ ​

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​

The CMYK colour wheel is used by:​  ​

Placeholder

The RYB colour wheel is used by:​  ​

Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

Computer Screens & Cameras

Printers

Artists

Drag and Drop

A colour wheel is considered Additive if mixing all of the primaries creates ​

Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

White

Yellow

Magenta

Cyan

Green

Blue

Black

Drag and Drop

A colour wheel is Additive if taking away all of the colours creates ​​

Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

Black

Yellow

Magenta

Cyan

Green

Blue

White

Drag and Drop

A colour wheel is considered Subtractive if all the primaries mixed together creates ​

Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

Black

Yellow

Magenta

Cyan

Green

Blue

White

Drag and Drop

A colour wheel is considered Subtractive if removing all of the colours creates ​

Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

White

Yellow

Magenta

Cyan

Green

Blue

Black

Multiple Choice

The CMYK Colour Wheel is...

• Additive

• Subtractive

Multiple Choice

The RYB Colour Wheel (a.k.a. Artist's Colour Wheel) is...

• Additive

• Subtractive

Multiple Choice

The RGB Colour Wheel is...

• Additive

• Subtractive

Multiple Choice

In the RGB colour wheel (see picture on the left), adding all of the colours together creates white. This means that adding a colour's compliment (i.e. it's opposite colour) will cancel it out & create white

To turn a red light white, you should add which colour of light?

• Blue

• Cyan

• Yellow

• Red

• Magenta

Multiple Choice

In the RGB colour wheel (see picture on the left), adding all of the colours together creates white. This means that adding a colour's compliment will cancel it out.

To turn a Yellow light white, you should add which colour of light?

• Blue

• Cyan

• Yellow

• Red

• Magenta

Multiple Choice

In the RGB colour wheel (see picture on the left), adding all of the colours together creates white. This means that adding a colour's compliment will cancel it out.

To turn a Green light white, you should add which colour of light?

• Blue

• Cyan

• Yellow

• Red

• Magenta

What is White Balance?

●White balance is a

setting that ensure that
subjects that are white in
person appear white in
your photo

●Takes into account the

"color temperature" of a
light source, which refers
to the relative warmth or
coolness of white light.

Multiple Choice

What is white balance?

• An aperture feature.

• A filter.

• A digital camera setting that balances color.

• A color temperature that is measured in Kelvins.

Multiple Choice

According to the video, White Balance Presets add what to pictures to get rid of colour casts so whites appears white?

• Warm Colours

• Cool Colours

• Opposite Colours

• More light

• Less light

Multiple Choice

White Balance is important to set before taking pictures because it directly correlates with the ______ and _______ of an image.

• color and lighting

• zoom and focus

• texture and scale

• point and shoot

Multiple Choice

What color temperature is this light?

• warm

• cold

Multiple Choice

What color temperature is this light?

• warm

• cold

Multiple Choice

What color temperature is this light?

• warm

• cold

Multiple Choice

What is the Kelvin scale used to measure?

• sensor sensitivity

• f stop

• color temperature

Multiple Choice

According to the video, if a colour has a warm colour cast, you should use a White Balance preseet that adds __________ to your picture?

• Warm Colours

• Cool Colours

• Opposite Colours

• More light

• Less light

Multiple Choice

According to the video, if a colour has a cool colour cast, you should use a White Balance preseet that adds __________ to your picture?

• Warm Colours

• Cool Colours

• Opposite Colours

• More light

• Less light

White

Multiple Choice

What White balance would you use in this scenario?

• Cloudy

• Sunny

• Fluorescent

• Incadescent

Multiple Choice

What White balance would you use in this scenario?

• Cloudy

• Sunny

• Fluorescent

• Flash

Fill in the Blanks

Multiple Choice

What setting should you choose for this light source?

• Tungsten

• Fluorescent

• Sunny

• Cloudy

Multiple Choice

According to the graph, what colour is Flourescent light?

• Deep Blue

• Light Blue

• Green

• Yellow-Orange

• Red-Orange

Multiple Choice

Since Florescent light is green, what colour will the fourescent preset add to your picture to make your whites appear white (instead of green)?

• Blue

• Cyan

• Yellow

• Red

• Magenta

Multiple Choice

According to the graph, what colour is Sunlight?

• Deep Blue

• Light Blue

• Green

• Orange

• Yellow

Multiple Select

What colour will the white balance Sunlight preset add to your picture to make your whites appear white?

• Blue

• Azure

• Yellow

• Red

• Rose

Multiple Choice

What setting should you choose for this light source?

• Tungsten/Incadescent

• Fluorescent

• Sunny

• Cloudy

Multiple Choice

According to the graph, what colour is Tumgsten?

• Deep Blue

• Light Blue

• Green

• Orange

• Yellow

Multiple Choice

What colour will the white balance Tungsten preset add to your picture to make your whites appear white?

• Blue

• Azure

• Yellow

• Red

• Rose

Multiple Choice

When using the shade setting, the camera compensates by adding ____________ tones.

• cool

• warm

Summary: You can change the white balance depending on the type of light you’re photographing in

Example:

• As you can see from the chart, Tungsten light is very warm. This will make anything white in your picture look red or orange.

• By using the Tungsten Light White Balance Preset, your camera will compensate for this warm light by adding cool tones.

• The cool tones will cancel out the warm light, so your whites appear white in your picture rather than orange.

Using White Balance for Artistic Effect

You can also alter white balance to
emphasize colours
in your work for
artistic effect

Every light has a temperature and mood/feeling associated with that temperature

Multiple Choice

In the video, the photographer photographed his subject under cloudy conditions. What was the natural colour of the light?

• Deep Blue

• Light Blue

• Green

• Orange

• Yellow

Multiple Choice

Tungsten light is orange. What does using a Tungsten Preset do to a picture taken under cloudy conditions?

• Makes the picture more blue

• Makes the picture more magenta

• Makes the picture more yellow

• Makes the picture more red

• Makes the picture more green

Multiple Select

Why did the artist add more blue tones to the artwork?

• For artistic effect

• Add drama and emotion

• He made a mistake

• He didn't know how to adjust his white balance

use a white piece of paper

To set the white balance manually

​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q49KPMHrPq0

​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo8lYbKM2qs