Quick Links
Getting the right white balance is much easier on a DSLR camera than a smartphone, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible on the latter. In this guide, I’ll show you the ways that I get better white balance in my smartphone photography.
1Changing the Filter
Since I use an iPhone, one of the ways I get the perfect white balance is by adjusting the filters. You can choose whether you want warmer or cooler filters, making them pretty versatile. When I use them will depend on the lighting situation, but I’ll also pick varying options based on the style I’m trying to achieve.
As a general rule of thumb, I recommend using warmer filters when you need to compensate for your images looking too blue—and vice versa if your pictures look too warm. Consider checking out this full guide onwhat balance in photography isfor more tips.
2Trusting My iPhone’s White Balance
The simplest way I get better white balance in my photos is by trusting my iPhone’s white balance. Most of the time, it’s pretty accurate and I don’t need to do much else. Even if you have an older iPhone, you should still have a pretty solid white balance when taking pictures.
If worst comes to worst, it’s very easy to change the warmth in the Photos app. And if you have an Android phone, I would also recommend trusting your device’s white balance before you start making any changes.
3Changing the Temperature in Post-Production
In addition to editing the white balance in the Photos app, I also use other apps to change the temperature in my smartphone photos. My favorite choice is Lightroom, and even if I didn’t use the desktop version, I’d still happily purchase a Photography Plan for the mobile app alone.
If you don’t want to pay for an editing app, I would recommend using VSCO. It’s also a good idea to change the tint and not just the temperature for more accurate colors. You might also want to consider usingcolor grading tools to make your smartphone photos really pop.
4Using a Third-Party App
Since you can’t change the white balance on the iPhone Camera app, it’s sometimes worth using a third-party app.KEVis an app that helps you determine the right balance for your pictures, but you can use several other tools. For example,ProCamalso lets you change the white balance level in your pictures.
You will often have to pay for full access to apps that let you control white balance, but it’s a worthwhile investment if you want to get the colors right in your images.
5Bonus: Consider Changing the White Balance on Your Phone
Although iPhones don’t let you change the white balance, some smartphones do. If you have a device that does, I recommend learning how to customize this setting to get better colors in your pictures.
To help you out, I can tell you what I normally do when taking pictures on my mirrorless camera. In daylight situations, I try to keep the white balance between 5,400 and 5,800. I will push things higher when trying to achieve a specific style, but that’s quite rare. At sunset and sunrise, I push the number above 6,000. When taking pictures at night, I recommend going for around 3,800 to 4,200.
Regardless of your camera’s settings, you can do several things to get better white balance in your smartphone photos. Changing the filter on your device can help, as can using third-party apps when needed. And in other cases, trusting your smartphone’s white balance is the best thing you can do.
