WhiteBalance: What This Metadata Tag Means
WhiteBalance shows whether the camera set the color balance automatically or manually when a photo was taken, which affects its colors.
Last updated: November 13, 2026
What it means
This EXIF tag records only Auto or Manual. Many cameras also store the exact preset, such as Daylight or Tungsten, or a color temperature in their maker notes.
Example
- Tag
- WhiteBalance
- Group in ExifMeta
- EXIF
- Example value
- Auto
This is how the tag appears in ExifMeta’s results. The value in your file will differ.
Typical values
The standard EXIF tag has only two values, Auto and Manual. Look in the MakerNotes group for details such as Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, or a color temperature in kelvin.
Where it comes from
The camera writes it at capture.
What it is useful for
It helps explain a color cast: a warm or blue tint is more likely when white balance was set manually for different light. Photographers also use it to compare settings between shots.
Watch out for
If you shoot RAW and change the white balance later, this tag still shows the setting at capture. The edit lives in the editor’s settings or in XMP.
Find it in your file
Upload a file to ExifMeta, then type WhiteBalance into the “Search tags and values” box under All metadata. If nothing matches, the file does not contain this tag.
Learn more in the guide: How to See What Camera Settings a Photo Used
See the tags in your own file
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