How to set white balance on a DSLR or cinema camera

There are three ways to set white balance on a camera: a preset (Tungsten, Daylight, etc.), a custom Kelvin value, or a custom WB from a grey card. For anything that matters - video, paid stills, anything you’ll grade later - use one of the last two. Presets are guesses.

The fastest workflow: meter, then dial Kelvin

1. Open KEV - White Balance Meter AI on your iPhone.
2. Point at the dominant light or subject.
3. Read the Kelvin value.
4. On the camera, switch WB to K / Custom Kelvin and enter the number.

Done. That works on every modern stills, mirrorless and cinema camera.

By camera brand

Canon (R5, R6, R3, 1DX, C70, C300)

• Press WB button → scroll to the K icon → turn the main dial to set Kelvin.
• For cinema bodies: Menu → WB Settings → Color Temperature. Enter Kelvin and CC (color compensation / tint).

Sony (A7, A7S, FX3, FX6, FX9, Venice)

• Press WB / Fn → Color Temp/Filter → set Kelvin with the rear dial.
• FX cinema bodies have presets A / B / C - store metered values for fast recall during a multi-cam shoot.

Nikon (Z8, Z9, D850, D780)

• Press WB → rotate the rear dial until K appears → set Kelvin with the front dial.

BlackMagic (Pocket 6K, URSA, etc.)

• Tap the WB value on the touchscreen → swipe to your Kelvin → set tint separately.
• BMD bodies expose tint explicitly - very useful when you’re correcting green LED light.

ARRI (Alexa Mini, Alexa 35)

• Menu → Image → White Balance. Enter Kelvin and CC.
• Three slots (CC, MM) for fast preset recall.

When to use a grey card instead

The “custom WB from a card” workflow:

1. Place an 18% grey card (or pure-white sheet) in the scene’s actual light.
2. Fill the frame with it.
3. Trigger your camera’s Set Custom WB function.
4. The camera computes its own neutral point.

Use this when:

• You’re shooting product / e-commerce / catalog work and need bulletproof colour accuracy.
• You want a fast WB reset between rooms.
• Your camera doesn’t let you enter tint separately and you need accurate magenta/green compensation.

A meter is faster across multiple shots; a grey card is more accurate when you can drop it into the actual frame.

Tint - don’t forget it

Kelvin is one axis. Tint (magenta/green) is the other.

• Fluorescents and cheap LEDs push green. Camera neutralises with magenta.
• Some daylight and HMIs push magenta. Camera neutralises with green.

Cinema bodies and BlackMagic cameras expose this axis explicitly. Most stills cameras only let you set Kelvin - which is why a meter that reads tint (like KEV) is so useful. Set Kelvin in the camera, then dial the tint in a colour-correction node in post.

More on this → Tint vs Kelvin

Common mistakes

• Leaving Auto WB on for video. It drifts every shot.
• Using “Daylight” preset on a cloudy day. Cloudy is 6500K+, not 5500K.
• Forgetting tint under fluorescents. The Kelvin can be right and skin still looks sickly.
• Setting WB once and never re-metering. Magic hour shifts ~200K every 5 min.

The TL;DR workflow

1. Open KEV → meter dominant light → read Kelvin + tint
2. Camera → WB → K mode → enter Kelvin
3. Camera → WB → tint → enter tint (if supported)
4. Shoot a test of skin or grey card → verify
5. Lock WB for the scene

That’s a deliberate, repeatable white balance. Match it on a second camera and your multi-cam will cut clean.

Get KEV on the App Store →