In short: Tungsten light is about 3200K and daylight is about 5500K at noon, so a mix of the two needs correcting. Use a full CTB gel to take tungsten to daylight (about 5700K) and a full CTO gel to take daylight to tungsten (6500K to 3200K). Fluorescent needs its own correction, and LEDs must be checked on the fixture, because their colour temperature is not a fixed number.
The numbers to know
Colour temperature is measured in kelvin. A low figure is warm and orange, a high figure is cool and blue. The figures below are typical values. Check the fixture or the bulb when you can.
| Source | Typical colour temperature |
|---|---|
| Tungsten | About 3200K |
| Daylight at sunrise or sunset | About 2000K |
| Daylight at noon, clear sky | About 5500K |
| HMI | About 6000K |
| Fluorescent | No single value, correct with a fluorescent filter |
| LED | Set by the fixture, check the spec or the display |
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Correction filters
The LEE correction numbers below are the ones most crews reach for. Check the filter number on the sheet before you cut, because similar numbers do different jobs.
| Filter | Change | Use |
|---|---|---|
| 201 Full CTB | 3200K to 5700K | Tungsten to daylight |
| 202 Half CTB | 3200K to 4300K | Tungsten, partly to daylight |
| 203 Quarter CTB | 3200K to 3600K | Slight correction |
| 204 Full CTO | 6500K to 3200K | Daylight to tungsten |
| 205 Half CTO | 6500K to 3800K | Daylight, partly to tungsten |
| 206 Quarter CTO | 6500K to 4600K | Slight correction |
| 241 Fluorescent 5700K | Tungsten to 5700K | Matching a tungsten lamp to a cool white or daylight tube |
| 242 Fluorescent 4300K | Tungsten to 4300K | Matching a tungsten lamp to a white tube |
| 243 Fluorescent 3600K | Tungsten to 3600K | Matching a tungsten lamp to a warm white tube |
| 219 Fluorescent Green | Tungsten to fluorescent | Matching a tungsten lamp to a tube of unknown colour temperature |
A worked example
An interview lit by a tungsten lamp with a window behind the subject. The window is daylight at about 5500K, and the lamp is 3200K.
- Correct the lamp with a full CTB, which takes it to about 5700K. The lamp and the window now match.
- Set the camera's white balance to daylight, or to the colour temperature you want on the picture.
- Check the skin tones on the monitor. If the face looks blue, the correction is too strong, so use a half CTB.
Common mistakes
- Mixing a tungsten lamp with daylight and setting the camera to one of them. The other source then looks orange or blue.
- Putting a CTB or CTO gel on a fluorescent tube and expecting the green to go. Those gels change warmth, and the green or magenta tint stays.
- Assuming every LED is 5600K. Fixed LEDs have their own figure, and adjustable LEDs are set by the operator from the fixture's own display or app.
- Using a half correction and expecting the full result. A half gel gives a partial correction, so the light stays warmer or cooler than the source it is matched to.
- Filming with the colour temperature set on the camera but not checked against the light on set.
Where it fits
Colour is a matter of the light, so read three-point lighting and beyond for the placement. The building itself has no windows, so the only daylight in a shot is the daylight that is brought in. Tungsten and LED: why our rig still runs both explains the choice of sources in our rig.
Sources
- LEE Filters, Colour temperature calculator, read 5 November 2026
Related guides
Questions we get asked
What gel turns tungsten light into daylight?
A full CTB, LEE 201, which takes 3200K to about 5700K. A half CTB, LEE 202, takes it to about 4300K.
Why does my fluorescent light look green?
Fluorescent tubes have a spike in green that white balance alone does not remove. Fix it at the source with a minus-green filter on the tube, or match your tungsten lamps to the tubes with LEE 241, 242 or 243 (or 219 when the tube's colour temperature is unknown).
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