Why Are My Photos Yellow? White Balance for Beginners

Have you ever taken a photo indoors at night and everyone looks like they have a terrible spray tan? Or taken a photo in the shade and everything looks freezing cold and blue? This is a white balance issue, and it's a common struggle for those just starting to learn photography online beginners style.

The Color of Light

Different light sources emit different colors of light, measured in Kelvin. A household lightbulb is very warm (orange/yellow), while a cloudy sky is very cool (blue). Your brain automatically adjusts for this, so a white piece of paper always looks white to you. Your camera, however, needs to be told what color the light is.

Taking Control of Color

While Auto White Balance (AWB) does a decent job most of the time, it can get confused, especially in mixed lighting. Learning how to manually set your white balance or fix it in post-production is essential for accurate, beautiful colors.

Want to ensure your skin tones look natural and your colors pop exactly how you remember them?