Whether you’re shooting stills or video, your images are initially recorded in a ‘raw’ format that is unique to the camera you use. This Insider explains how colour is produced from the recorded data, first for stills and then when video is recorded.
The same sensor is used to capture light that is filtered through the same array of red, green and blue coloured filters. All colours in the visible spectrum can be created by combining different percentages of these signals in a process known as ‘demosaicing’, which compares the values of adjacent pixels and pixels within multi-pixel blocks using sophisticated algorithms. Black is produced when no signal reaches the sensor and white when there’s a strong, even balance of all three colours.
Each camera manufacturer has their own processing algorithms and each delivers different results, leading to a ‘characteristic’ default colour balance. Most cameras provide additional ‘picture controls’ for tweaking this balance, as outlined on page 48.
