What does adjusting the white balance in a camera help achieve?

Adjusting the white balance in a camera is important for accurately reproducing colors in photographs, particularly under various lighting conditions. When you set the white balance correctly, it ensures that what appears white in the scene is captured as white in the image. This adjustment helps to balance the overall color temperature and can remove any unwanted color casts caused by different light sources, such as tungsten bulbs or fluorescent lights.

By matching the true white in an image, all other colors in the photograph are affected correspondingly, leading to a more natural and realistic appearance. This is especially critical in capturing accurate skin tones and vibrant colors, which can be skewed if the white balance is incorrect.