White Balance is a camera setting that’s used to ‘balance’ or correct colour to depict a setting as true as possible in an image. All
Canon cameras provide the option to either choose a range of preset White Balance settings – for example ‘
Tungsten’ or ‘Shade’, or have the cameras work it out automatically, ie, ‘Auto White Balance’ (AWB). You can also manually adjust your camera’s white balance to achieve true colour for the scene.
When the colour of light changes - say, from sunny to cloudy to being indoors - our eyes automatically adjust to the change of light, making it seem as though nothing has changed. But take a photo indoors, then outside, and you’ll immediately notice the difference the change in light has on colours and the way your camera depicts colours based on its White Balance settings.
See
colour temperature for more information.