Adjust the warmth and tint of any color with our interactive color temperature tool
* The color temperature values above are widely accepted reference standards in color science and photography.
* Actual light source color temperatures may vary slightly depending on specific environment, manufacturer, and conditions.
| Application | Recommended Temp. (K) | Professional Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Daylight Film | 5500-5600K | Standard for outdoor shooting, balanced for natural daylight |
| Tungsten Film | 3200K | Studio lighting standard, matches traditional studio lights |
| ARRI Studio Lights | 3200K / 5600K | Professional film lighting with dual standards, adjustable with color filters |
| Digital Cinema White Balance | 3200K / 4500K / 5600K | Preset white balance values for professional digital cinema cameras |
| Portrait Studio Light | 4000-5000K | Modern LED studio light standard, optimal for skin tone reproduction |
| Commercial Product Photography | 5000-5500K | Standard lighting for accurate product color reproduction |
| Color Printing Standard Light Source | 5000K (D50) | International standard light source for print color proofing |
| Film Emotional Tones | Wide range | Suspense/Horror: Bluish (7000K+), Romantic/Intimate: Warm (2700-3200K) |
Color temperature is a characteristic of visible light that has important applications in photography, videography, publishing, and design. It is measured in Kelvin (K) and represents the appearance of light from different sources.
Warm colors (2000K-4000K) contain more red and yellow tones. They create a cozy, intimate feeling and are often associated with fire, sunset, and incandescent lighting.
Cool colors (5000K-9000K) contain more blue tones. They create a fresh, clean feeling and are associated with daylight, clear skies, and modern fluorescent lighting.
In digital color editing, adjusting temperature doesn't actually change the physical temperature of a color but rather shifts the color balance to create the perception of warmth or coolness.
Color tint refers to the green-magenta balance of a color. This is perpendicular to the temperature (blue-yellow) axis in color space. Tint adjustments are commonly used in photography to correct for:
Shifting toward green can help correct magenta color casts from some digital cameras or create a cinematic look reminiscent of certain film styles.
Adding magenta can warm up skin tones, counteract excessive green from fluorescent lighting, or create stylistic effects for design.
Temperature and tint adjustments are fundamental in photo editing to correct white balance, match lighting conditions, or create consistent looks across image sets.
Web designers use temperature adjustments to create mood, improve readability, ensure brand consistency, and establish visual hierarchy.
UI designers adjust color temperature to create comfortable viewing experiences, such as warmer colors for night modes to reduce blue light.
| Temperature (Kelvin) | Light Source / Appearance | Color Characteristic |
|---|---|---|
| 1000-2000K | Candlelight, Fire | Very warm, strong orange/red |
| 2500-3500K | Incandescent bulbs, Sunrise/Sunset | Warm, yellowish |
| 4000-5000K | Fluorescent lights, Morning sun | Neutral white |
| 5000-6500K | Daylight, Flash photography | Cool, slightly blue |
| 6500-8000K | Overcast sky, Shade | Cool, moderately blue |
| 8000-10000K | Blue sky, Heavy shade | Very cool, strongly blue |
This tool is ideal for designers, photographers, and anyone working with digital colors who needs precise control over color temperature and tint adjustments.
In photography, color temperature is used to ensure that white objects appear white under different lighting conditions. Photographers adjust the white balance of their cameras to match the color temperature of the ambient light, or intentionally mismatch it to create artistic effects.
Cinematographers use color temperature to establish mood and atmosphere. Warm tones (lower Kelvin) are often used for intimate or nostalgic scenes, while cool tones (higher Kelvin) might be used for tense or clinical settings.
Interior designers select lighting with specific color temperatures to enhance the ambiance of spaces. Warmer lights are preferred in living areas and bedrooms, while cooler lights are often used in kitchens and workspaces.
Web and graphic designers manipulate color temperature to evoke specific emotions and ensure readability. Warmer colors tend to advance (appear closer), while cooler colors tend to recede (appear farther away).
Color temperature refers to the blue-yellow balance (coolness vs. warmth), while tint refers to the green-magenta balance. They represent two different axes in the color space.
You might want to adjust temperature to create a specific mood (warm and inviting vs. cool and clean), correct for lighting conditions, match colors across different sources, or achieve certain aesthetic goals.
The Kelvin scale quantifies color temperature based on the color of light that a black body radiator would emit when heated to that temperature. Lower Kelvin values (2000K-4000K) produce warmer yellow/red light, while higher values (5000K-9000K) produce cooler blue light.
Yes! This tool is perfect for web designers who want to fine-tune colors for websites, apps, or digital products. You can adjust the temperature and tint of any color and instantly get the new HEX and RGB values.
Yes, our color temperature adjustment tool is completely free to use. You can use it as much as you want without any limitations, both on our website and embedded in your own projects.
Our tool uses carefully calibrated algorithms based on color science principles to ensure accurate adjustments. The temperature adjustment primarily modifies the red-blue balance, while the tint adjustment modifies the green-magenta balance, providing precise control over your colors.
Understanding and manipulating color temperature and tint gives you greater control over your visual creations. Whether you're a photographer adjusting white balance, a designer creating a mood, or just someone who wants to make their colors look perfect, our color temperature tool provides an easy way to make precise adjustments.
Start using our temperature and tint adjustment tool today and discover how subtle shifts in color balance can dramatically improve your designs and visual content!