Colour temperature & white balance · Core
Colour temperature
Also called: color temperature, Kelvin
ELI5
A description of a light source’s warm-to-cool appearance expressed in kelvin.
Used in conversation
“Can we see the colour temperature on the performer during the camera test?”
Pitch context
This term helps a treatment describe how the camera or light will shape the viewer's experience.
Why it matters: Explains what the image should look like and how it can be framed, captured and lit.
Connected terms
- White balanceColour temperature describes the colour of a light source; white balance is the camera’s compensation or reference for that colour.
Sources & evidence · 10
Direct term-level sources and supporting source families.
- Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — Academy Color Encoding System DocumentationDirect source · primary · checked 2026-08-14
- Adobe — Adobe Premiere Pro User GuideDirect source · institutional · checked 2026-08-14
- AICP — Suggested Best Practices for Bidding and Bidding Reference GuideDirect source · primary · checked 2026-08-14
- Directors Guild of America — DGA Creative Rights HandbookDirect source · primary · checked 2026-08-14
- Epic Games — In-Camera VFX Best PracticesDirect source · primary · checked 2026-08-14
- Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers — SMPTE Time Code StandardsDirect source · primary · checked 2026-08-14
- ARRI — Lens and Camera Technical ResourcesSupporting source family · primary · checked 2026-08-14
- Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences / ACES — ACES Glossary and User GuidesSupporting source family · primary · checked 2026-08-14
- ScreenSkills — Online Learning Glossary and Job ProfilesSupporting source family · institutional · checked 2026-08-14
- Epic Games — In-Camera VFX OverviewSupporting source family · primary · checked 2026-08-14