What is White Balance? (Kelvin Temperature)
DefinitionAdjusting colors so that white looks white.
1The Simple Explanation
Different light sources have different colors. Candlelight is orange. Cloud cover is blue. Your eyes adjust automatically; your camera does not. White Balance tells the camera 'This is what white looks like'.
2Technical Deep Dive
Measured in Kelvin. Tungsten ~3200K, Daylight ~5600K, Shade ~7500K. Shooting in RAW allows you to change this after taking the photo.
Common Misconceptions
Myth: Auto White Balance (AWB) is always right. Fact: AWB fails in mixed lighting or extreme conditions (like a sunset), trying to 'fix' the beautiful orange color to make it neutral gray.