What is white balance and why is it important in video production?

White balance is the process of adjusting the color temperature of a video camera to accurately reproduce colors, ensuring that white objects appear white regardless of the lighting conditions. Different light sources emit light with different color temperatures, measured in Kelvin (K). For example, daylight has a higher color temperature (around 6500K) than incandescent light (around 2700K). Without proper white balance, colors in the video will appear inaccurate, with a color cast that is either too warm (yellowish/orange) or too cool (bluish). White balance is important in video production because it ensures consistent and natural-looking colors across different shots and scenes. It allows viewers to see the scene as it would appear in real life, without distracting color distortions. To perform white balance, the camera is pointed at a white object under the current lighting conditions, and the white balance setting is activated. The camera then analyzes the color of the white object and adjusts its color settings to ensure that it appears neutral white. This corrects for the color temperature of the light source, allowing all other colors to be reproduced accurately. Failing to white balance properly can result in unprofessional-looking video with inaccurate and distracting colors.