How to set White Balance in Lightroom

There are several ways to set white balance in Adobe Lightroom. If you want to know more about white balance, read my blog entry about it here.

After you have opened your images in Lightroom, select the Develop module to change the white balance setting and use one of the options below.

Option 1

From the Basic menu in the right pane you will be presented with the "WB:" drop down menu when you click on "As shot". Then, select the white balance setting desired.

White Balance Drop Down Menu

What is White Balance?

The term "white balance", in fact, refers to color balance. Balancing the colors in your image will allow them to be represented accurately. The process of creating white or color balance is a simple adjustment that requires very little time and leads you to a better image.

The picture on the left uses automatic white balance (AWB). The camera made the picture too blue because it was not able to determine the light source. This picture was actually taken indoors under tungsten light. The image on the right had the white balance setting set to Tungsten. As you can see, the colors have been adjusted to be accurate.

The Subject in Your Composition

Photography is an art form and therefore can be interpreted in many different ways. Your goal is to make it pleasing to your eye. To get there, ask yourself these questions: Who or what is your subject? What captured my attention? Is this the best angle? How can I make this look more interesting?

Defining Your Subject

"If you want your pictures to be better, stand in front of more interesting stuff." - Joe McNally a National Geographic photographer.

Understand that photography is about capturing light. In a broad sense, light is your subject. No one shoots dark. If you do, remove the lens cap. What you need to be able to do is describe what your subject is. If you photograph an old lady walking down the street, consider the details that will be reflected in the image. Is the subject the old lady? Is it the way her hair and the way light is making it look in a particular way? Is it what she is wearing? Your photograph will also be telling a story that will make the viewer think. Is she walking in the morning or evening? What are her surroundings? Where is she going? If she is smiling, why is she smiling?