Correct colour rendition and stable white balance are essential for professional video. This chapter explains each white balance mode, how to fine-tune colours, boost saturation, and—if you have the CCM license—match your camera to other systems.
White Balance Modes
- Auto – Continuously measures and adjusts to changing light conditions.
- Manual – Use RG/BG sliders to add or remove red/blue bias when lighting is consistent.
- XX00 K – Lock white balance to a specific Kelvin temperature (e.g. 5600 K for daylight).
- OnePush – Calibrates white balance on a white card in the frame, then locks it until changed.
OnePush White Balance
OnePush gives the most accurate, repeatable white point:
- Web GUI: VIDEO ▶ Camera Settings ▶ Color ▶ WB Mode ▶ OnePush
• Place a white card to fill the frame and click Adjust. - OSD menu: MENU ▶ CAMERA ▶ COLOR ▶ WB Mode ▶ OnePush
• Press HOME to begin calibration. - During calibration the camera measures the white reference and locks the white balance:
Adjusting Colour Saturation
Why: IP streaming often reduces colour richness. Boost saturation to restore vibrancy.
- OSD menu: MENU ▶ CAMERA ▶ COLOR ▶ Saturation
- Web GUI: VIDEO ▶ Camera Settings ▶ Color ▶ Saturation
- Recommended: 120 % – 130 %
Auto White Balance (AWB) Sensitivity
This determines how quickly the camera responds to changing light:
- High – fast adjustments, may cause flicker in mixed lighting.
- Mid – balanced response.
- Low – slow adjustments, helps prevent “pumping” in low light.
Customizable Color Matrix (CCM)
If you’ve purchased the SRT & CCM license, an extra CCM tab appears. The 3×3 matrix lets you match colours across camera systems.
Channels & Signals
The matrix has horizontal Channels (source RGB) and vertical Signals (output RGB). Adjust cells to add or subtract colour components.
- Channel – row = source colour component.
- Signal – column = output colour addition/subtraction.
- CCM total – sum of R+G+B per column; turning red if not 256 (you can ignore).
Subtracting Colours
Use values above/below zero to remove a colour:
- Green > Red = +256 removes red from green areas, adding a green tint.
- Green > Green = +256 removes green, reducing overall intensity.
Remember: +256 = lighter, −256 = darker overall.
Adding Colours
Use a + value in one cell and − in another to add a colour:
- Blue > Red = +256 and Blue > Blue = −256 adds blue, yielding purple tones.
- Blue > Red = −512 and Blue > Blue = +512 adds red, shifting hues.
Best practices
- Use OnePush white balance whenever possible.
- Boost saturation to 120 %–130 % for IP streaming.
- Use CCM to harmonise colours in multi-camera setups; calibrate with colour cards.
- Re-run white balance after significant lighting changes.