Canon EOS Rebel T6/1300D For Dummies

Chapter 6

Mastering Color Controls

IN THIS CHAPTER

Exploring white balance and its effect on color

Creating custom White Balance settings

Bracketing white balance

Experimenting with the Picture Style option

Compared with understanding certain aspects of digital photography — resolution, aperture, shutter speed, and so on — making sense of your camera’s color options is easy-breezy. First, color problems aren’t that common, and when they are, they’re usually simple to fix by changing the White Balance setting. And getting a grip on color requires learning only a few new terms, an unusual state of affairs for an endeavor that often seems more like high-tech science than art.

This chapter explains the White Balance control along with other features that enable you to fine-tune colors, whether you’re shooting photos or recording movies.

Understanding the White Balance Setting

Every light source emits a particular color cast. The old-fashioned fluorescent lights found in most public restrooms, for example, put out a bluish-green light, which is why our reflections in the mirrors in those restrooms look so sickly. And if you think that your beloved looks especially attractive by candlelight, you aren’t imagining things: Candlelight casts a yellow-red glow that’s flattering to the skin.

Science-y types measure the color of light, or color temperature, on the Kelvin scale, which is named ...