As the day progresses, the "Kelvin" light temperature changes. This chart shows the approximate color temperature for different types of daylight, and different films and bulbs. Remember: precise color temperature can vary from moment to moment and even from expert to expert. Plus, light bulbs change colors (become "warmer") as they age. Fortunately, in a vast majority of cases, it is more important to know where a light source is on the color scale than it is to know its precise Kelvin rating.

For those few times when you have to know, you will probably need a color temperature meter which you can rent.The most common way to match the film and light source's color temperature is with on-camera filters. To find the right match use our On-Camera Filters Colors and Effects Chart.

To see color temperatures in action, look at these two sample images.