Color temperature & white balance.
Calculate conversion filters and digital corrections for precise white balance – with Mired values that are linear and therefore practically usable.
Ideal for analog film photography, mixed-light situations, and anyone who wants to deliberately correct color casts.
- ◆Mired values
- ◆Filter recommendations
- ◆Analog & digital
- ◆Light-source presets
Color Temperature & White Balance Calculator
Calculate conversion filters and digital corrections for precise white balance
Input parameters
Current: 5500K
Current: 5500K
Calculation basis:
- • Mired = 1,000,000 ÷ Kelvin
- • Mired shift = target mired - light mired
- • Positive values = warming filter (orange)
- • Negative values = cooling filter (blue)
- • Digital correction in white balance steps
Results
What are mired values?
- • Mired = Micro Reciprocal Degrees
- • Linear measure of color temperature differences
- • 1 mired = 1,000,000 ÷ Kelvin
- • Equal mired difference = equal visual difference
- • Standard in professional photography
Understanding color temperature and white balance.
Color temperature describes the color of a light source in Kelvin – and Mired makes the differences between light sources linearly calculable.
Kelvin and light color.
Color temperature is based on the color a black body would radiate at the corresponding temperature:
- 1900 – 2700 K: very warm (candle, tungsten)
- 3200 K: warm (halogen, tungsten)
- 4000 K: neutral-warm (fluorescent)
- 5500 K: neutral (daylight, flash)
- 6500 K+: cool (overcast sky, shade)
Linear correction.
Mired (Micro Reciprocal Degrees) = 1,000,000 ÷ Kelvin. Equal Mired differences correspond to equal visual color differences.
- 81 / 85 series (orange): warming filters
- 82 / 80 series (blue): cooling filters
- Higher numbers: stronger correction
From Kelvin to the right filter.
Two simple steps: convert Kelvin to Mired, then take the difference between light source and target.
Halogen (3200 K) → daylight film (5500 K)
Halogen Mired = 1,000,000 ÷ 3200 = 312.5 Mired
Daylight Mired = 1,000,000 ÷ 5500 = 181.8 Mired
Required shift = 181.8 − 312.5 = −130.7 Mired → 85B filter
Color-temperature scale and light sources.
A compact overview of typical light sources with Kelvin, Mired and character.
| Kelvin | Mired | Light source | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 K | 526 | Candlelight | Very warm, romantic |
| 2700 K | 370 | Tungsten bulb | Warm, cozy |
| 3200 K | 312 | Halogen, tungsten | Film standard warm |
| 4000 K | 250 | Fluorescent | Neutral-warm |
| 5500 K | 182 | Daylight, flash | Film standard neutral |
| 6500 K | 154 | Overcast sky | Cool, diffuse |
| 7500 K | 133 | Shade | Cold, bluish |
| 10000 K | 100 | Clear sky | Very cold, strongly bluish |
Conversion filters in detail.
Orange and blue series with their typical Mired values – the foundation of analog color correction.
Correcting cool light.
- 81 series: +9 to +18 Mired (weak)
- 81A: +18 Mired
- 81B: +27 Mired
- 85B: +131 Mired (tungsten → daylight)
Use case: correcting light that's too cool (bluish cast).
Correcting warm light.
- 82 series: −10 to −21 Mired (weak)
- 82A: −21 Mired
- 82B: −32 Mired
- 80A: −131 Mired (daylight → tungsten)
Use case: correcting light that's too warm (yellowish cast).
Five pointers for precise white balance.
Analog or digital – these rules apply in both worlds and save you from color casts that are hard to rescue later.
Two worlds, one goal.
Film forces you to use physical filters – digital cameras allow flexible correction. Both routes have their strengths.
Filters are mandatory.
With film photography, color-temperature correction is only possible through physical filters. Films are optimized for specific color temperatures:
- Daylight film: optimized for 5500 K
- Tungsten type A: optimized for 3400 K
- Tungsten type B: optimized for 3200 K
Advantages: natural color reproduction, no post-processing required.
Flexible correction.
- Auto white balance: automatic adjustment
- Preset modes: daylight, tungsten, fluorescent etc.
- Manual Kelvin: precise setting possible
- RAW post-processing: lossless correction
Advantages: flexible, can be corrected after the fact.
Answers to common questions.
Related tools.
These calculators match the current tool and extend your workflow.
Solid photography knowledge.
Calculators give you the number. On the blog and in 1:1 coaching I turn theory into results you can see in your images.