Which statement about white balancing RAW footage is true?

Which statement about white balancing RAW footage is true?

• A. It must be white balanced in-camera
• B. It cannot be white balanced afterward
• C. White balance adjustments are not possible in RAW
• D. White balance can be adjusted in post

Answer: (D)

RAW footage preserves the sensor data with minimal processing, so white balance isn’t locked in at capture. White balance is a setting that maps colors to look neutral under a given light, and in a RAW workflow that mapping isn’t baked into the data. You can adjust temperature and tint after shooting when you render the RAW, refining the look without degrading image quality. That’s why the statement that white balance can be adjusted in post is the correct one. In-camera white balance can be set as an initial starting point, but it isn’t required because you can fully adjust WB later. The other options imply WB can’t be changed in RAW, which isn’t true because RAW keeps the data that makes post-processing possible.

RAW footage preserves the sensor data with minimal processing, so white balance isn’t locked in at capture. White balance is a setting that maps colors to look neutral under a given light, and in a RAW workflow that mapping isn’t baked into the data. You can adjust temperature and tint after shooting when you render the RAW, refining the look without degrading image quality. That’s why the statement that white balance can be adjusted in post is the correct one.

In-camera white balance can be set as an initial starting point, but it isn’t required because you can fully adjust WB later. The other options imply WB can’t be changed in RAW, which isn’t true because RAW keeps the data that makes post-processing possible.