Colour Temperature Reference
A visual guide to light sources and their Kelvin values. Use this to understand colour casts and choose appropriate film or filtration.
Colour temperature scale
Visual reference from warm (1800K) to cool (12000K). Colours are approximations — actual appearance varies with intensity and adaptation.
Film stock white balance
Colour films are balanced for specific light sources
| Film Type | Balanced For | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Daylight film | 5500K | Standard colour negative and slide films |
| Tungsten film | 3200K | Kodak Cinestill 800T, Ektachrome 160T |
| Type A film | 3400K | Photoflood balanced (largely discontinued) |
Colour correction filters
Filters to convert between colour temperatures
| Filter | Converts | Shift | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80A | Daylight → Tungsten | -2300K | Blue, strong cooling |
| 80B | Daylight → ~3400K | -2100K | Blue, moderate cooling |
| 80C | Daylight → ~3800K | -1700K | Blue, light cooling |
| 85 | Tungsten → Daylight | +2300K | Amber, strong warming |
| 85B | Tungsten → Daylight | +2300K | Amber, standard conversion |
| 85C | Tungsten → ~4500K | +1300K | Amber, light warming |
| FL-D | Daylight → Fluorescent | — | Magenta, fluorescent correction |
Understanding colour temperature
Colour temperature describes the hue of a light source, measured in Kelvin (K). The scale is based on the colour a theoretical "black body" would emit when heated to that temperature.
Counter-intuitively, lower Kelvin values appear warmer (orange/red) and higher values appear cooler (blue). This is because:
- A cooler physical temperature produces warm-coloured light (like a candle)
- A hotter physical temperature produces cool-coloured light (like a blue star)
For film photography, matching your film's white balance to the ambient light produces neutral colours. Mismatches create colour casts — sometimes deliberately for creative effect.
Log your lighting conditions with Silverlog
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