Kelvin Scale
The absolute temperature scale used to state the colour of light sources and white balance settings.
Formula / rule
K = °C + 273.15
Measured in
K
In depth
Setting a camera to a Kelvin value tells it what colour the light is assumed to be, and the camera corrects for it — so choosing a higher number than the actual light produces a warmer image, not a cooler one. Understanding that inversion is what turns the setting from a corrective control into a creative one.
Examples in practice
Setting 8000 K under 5500 K daylight deliberately warms a sunset well beyond what the eye saw.