How to White Balance Your Video Camera

Do your videos ever have an unnatural orange or blue tint? You can easily remedy this by overriding your camera's auto white balance and performing a manual white balance. When you set your camera's white balance, you are telling it what true white is. Once the camera recognizes true white, all other colors fall into place, and the picture loses the unusual blue and orange hues, showing true-to-life colors instead. Although it may seem intimidating to alter your camera's color balance, it is actually an easy process.

1. First: Know when to white balance

   You should manually white balance every time you start a new shoot or when the lighting conditions change during a shoot. If you move from an indoor to an outdoor shoot, or if the light changes as the sun moves, you need to readjust the white balance.

2. Second: Select a "true white" object

   In order to teach your camera what true white is, you need an object that is true white. You can carry a white card that you purchase for this purpose or select an object that you believe is true white. For best results, choose an object that is non-reflective.

3. Third: Fill the viewfinder with true white

   Point your camera at the true white object. Most camera manufacturers recommend filling at least 50 percent of the viewfinder with white. Sony, and a few others, recommend filling at least 80 percent of the viewfinder with white. Read the manual to determine the specifications for your camera's make and model.

4. Fourth: Focus

   Set your camera's focus and exposure to the desired settings.

5. Fifth: Engage manual white balance

   Locate the white balance button or switch on your camera. If you do not see it at first, check the user's manual. Some cameras may not have a manual white balance option. Once you have found the white balance button or switch and have your camera focused on the white object, engage the white balance by pressing the button or flipping the switch. After a few seconds, you should see a message in the viewfinder confirming that the white balance is set. The new setting remains active until you perform another white balance reset or restore the auto white balance setting.