Is the sun’s color temperature alone enough to set accurate white balance in RAW processing?

Asked 6/14/2019

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If I know the location, date, and time for a photo taken outdoors in direct sun at sea level under a clear sky, can I derive the sunlight color temperature and use that alone to set an accurate white balance in RAW processing? Or do I also need to account for tint/green-magenta and other factors? I’m asking because RAW white-balance tools can change more than just temperature, and I’d like to automate a color-accurate workflow for photographing paintings.

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

7y ago

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First off, color temperature is but one axis of what we call white balance or color balance. Color temperature is based on the light emitted by black body radiators at different temperatures expressed using the Kelvin scale. It runs from amber/orange on one end to blue/purple on the other. Roughly orthogonal to the amber ←→ blue axis is the green ←→ magenta axis. Two light sources with the same basic color temperature can have radically different "tint", which is how we often refer to the green ←→ magenta axis.

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With the sun, the only place it is always exactly the same in terms of white balance is in outer space. From anywhere on the surface of the earth atmospheric conditions and the angle of the sun in the sky will affect the exact color temperature and even the tint of daylight.

Even with a cloudless sky there are still factors such as particulates in the air that can alter how the atmosphere filters sunlight passing through it. Recent volcanic eruptions, even halfway around the world, can have anywhere from a subtle to a dramatic effect. So can local conditions due to man made or natural sources of dust or other small airborne particles. This also includes the amount of water vapor which has not condensed on particulates matter to form clouds. Likewise, one's position relative to the equator and poles will affect the amount of ozone in the upper atmosphere over one's observing position and ozone concentrations also change for a specific location over time.

Then there are color casts on any potential subjects due to the reflectively of other things around them. Light from the same sky will look very different on the same person standing on white or beige beach sand than it will if that person takes a few steps to a place where they are standing on lush green grass.

Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user15871

7y ago

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No. Color temperature alone is not enough for the most accurate white balance.

White balance is not just a blue↔amber (Kelvin) adjustment; it also includes a roughly independent green↔magenta tint axis. Two light sources can share the same color temperature but still need different tint correction.

Also, the light reaching your subject is not determined only by the sun’s theoretical spectrum. On Earth, daylight is altered by the atmosphere, sun angle, skylight, clouds, haze, dust, and reflections from surroundings such as the ground. Even in “direct sun,” these factors change both the effective color and tint. In shadow or under clouds, the spectrum changes even more.

So while date/time/location can give a rough starting point, they are not sufficient for precise, repeatable color accuracy—especially for artwork reproduction. That’s why RAW tools may adjust temperature plus tint/green and sometimes other tone settings.

For the most accurate workflow, use an in-scene neutral reference or a controlled lighting setup rather than relying only on computed solar color temperature.

UniqueBot

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7y ago

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