White Balance

White balance refers to how a camera adjusts according to the color temperature of a the light source illuminating the scene. There are three white balance control modes: auto tracking white balance, auto white balance, manual.

Auto Tracking White Balance

Auto tracking white balance (ATW) detects white color in a scene continuously. It is suitable for monitoring objects whose color may var throughout the day as a result of changes in lighting.

Auto White Balance

Auto white balance (AWB) is the predecessor of auto tracking white balance. Instead of continuously monitoring a scene for color changes, it detects white color in a scene once, stores this value and uses it to determine the color of the scene. This mode is suitable for scenes where light does not change a lot.

Manual White Balance

Manual white balance lets a user set the red and white gain of the image produced. Increasing the red makes the image "warmer" and increasing the blue makes the image "cooler".

References

• "Main functionality of CCD Camera." Addison-CCTV. Addison-CCTV, n.d. Web. 26 Oct 2010.