Not all photography enthusiasts are aware of the digital camera’s setting called "white balance." This article will discuss what this feature of the camera is all about, and how you can use it to help make your pictures look better.

White balance indicates under what kind of lighting situation you are taking your digital shot. Because the type of lighting you have when taking pictures will have a bearing on the quality of your pictures, you can choose your camera’s white balance setting to get good results.

Many digital cameras function on the default white balance setting, which is auto mode, meaning the camera will automatically adjust to the type of lighting available for the photograph to be shot. The auto white balance setting doesn’t work equally well in all digital cameras. It can be tricked by several false cues, and so make a mistake while trying to determine type of lighting condition present. You get pictures you won’t be proud of.

Learning to change the white balance settings will give you greater control over the quality of the pictures you take. The basic settings in most digital cameras function well enough. The white balance settings outlined below are the most commonly ones.

Auto

This is the automatic setting discussed earlier. When in auto white balance, your camera will do the adjusting by itself depending on the kind of lighting it assumes you have on hand.

Cloudy

This white balance setting is used outdoors under cloudy or overcast conditions.

Daylight

When outdoors on sunlit days or indoors illumined by daylight style bulb or lamps, choose Daylight setting.

Tungsten

In some cameras, this will be indicated as "indoors" or "incandescent." Interior lamps and overhead lights impart an orange or yellow hue to your pictures. Choosing the Tungsten white balance mode will alert your camera to make the necessary adjustments.

Fluorescent

Fluorescent lighting tends to give subjects a slightly bluish appearance. This setting will help to make the skin tones of the people in your photos look closer to the way they would be in person.

Flash

This is the white balance setting to select when using a flash on your digital camera.

Custom

Found in some point-and-shoot digital cameras and all DSLR (digital single lens reflex) cameras, this setting has a bit more ins and outs than the others. If this feature is new to you, it would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with it by going over a tutorial or two before proceeding.

Your camera’s manual will in all likelihood provide useful information about available options for standard white balance setting. Not all cameras have all the selections discussed above. Some will have all or most of them, others only a few.

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