How can I balance mixed tungsten and daylight in an interior showroom?
Asked 11/26/2015
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I need to light or photograph an interior showroom that has tungsten room lighting plus daylight coming through a display window. I'm new to lighting and want a simple explanation of how to handle this mixed-color situation. What are the main ways to balance the light so the scene looks consistent?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
1
You have four options:
1) cover the windows with warming gels to match the tungsten lighting
2) cover the windows completely
3) shoot early or late in the day as the sun is rising or setting (golden hour)
4) replace the tungsten lighting with daylight balance bulbs
Originally by user39427. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user39427
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Mixed tungsten and daylight means you have two different color temperatures in the same scene, so the usual fix is to make them match or handle them separately.
Common options are:
- Gel the daylight at the windows with warming gel so it matches the tungsten lighting.
- Block the windows completely and use only the tungsten light.
- Shoot near sunrise or sunset when daylight is warmer and closer to tungsten in color.
- Change the interior bulbs to daylight-balanced bulbs so they match the window light.
- If this is for a still photo, take two shots: one white-balanced for daylight and one for tungsten, then blend them in Photoshop using layers and soft masking.
In short, the goal is to get both light sources to the same color temperature, or combine separate exposures in post. The best choice depends on whether you can modify the windows, bulbs, or shooting time.
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