What white balance gives a natural-looking sunset photo?
Asked 6/4/2021
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2 answers
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I photographed a sunset with a Canon EOS T5i and Tamron 17-50mm, then compared several RAW conversions. Adobe Auto white balance looks too blue to me, while the in-camera As Shot/Camera Standard version makes the yellows very saturated. Which white balance setting is best if I want the most natural-looking sunset? Should I use a preset like Daylight/Sun, or simply choose the version that looks most pleasing to my eye?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
5y ago
2 Answers
5
It's strictly an artistic decision.
If you want the photo to most closely resemble the way that your eyes and brain interpreted the scene, go with whichever one most closely resembles the way you remember it. It will probably be somewhere between Adobe's "Auto WB" setting and your camera's "As Shot" interpretation.
I tend to use actual color temperatures and tint adjustments for such photos. I'll start at 5200K and work in either direction, but usually towards higher temperatures, from there until it begins to look 'natural' to my eye, then adjust tint (the Green ←→ Magenta axis that is more or less orthogonal to the Blue ←→ Amber color temperature axis) the same way. Usually tint needs to go just slightly towards magenta for me.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
5y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
There isn’t one universally “correct” white balance for sunsets. It’s largely an artistic choice.
If your goal is a natural look, use the version that best matches how you remember the scene. For sunsets, auto white balance often cools the image too much and can reduce the warm orange glow by trying to neutralize it.
A good starting point is Daylight/Sun white balance rather than Auto. That usually preserves the natural warm cast of sunset light better. If you’re editing RAW, you can then fine-tune from there.
A practical approach is:
- start around daylight color temperature (about 5200K)
- adjust warmer or cooler until it looks natural to your eye
- then make small tint adjustments if needed, often slightly toward magenta
So: for sunsets, avoid relying on Auto WB if you want to keep the warmth. Use Daylight/Sun or a manual Kelvin setting as your baseline, then adjust in post. Ultimately, the best result is the one that both preserves the character of the sunset and looks right to you.
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