Canon PowerShot A430 Advanced User's Manual page 52

Using the Custom White Balance
You can set a custom white balance to obtain the optimal
setting for the shooting conditions by having the camera
evaluate an object, such as a piece of white paper or cloth
that you wish to establish as the standard white color.
In particular, take a custom white balance reading for the
following situations that are difficult for the
to detect correctly.
Shooting close-ups
Shooting subjects of monotone color (such as sky, sea or forest)
Shooting with a peculiar source of light (such as a
mercury-vapor lamp)
1
FUNC. Menu
(Auto)
See Menus and Settings
2
Aim the camera at a piece of white paper
or cloth and press the MENU button.
If you are viewing it with the LCD monitor, ensure that
the center frame is completely filled with the white
image. If you are using the optical viewfinder, ensure
that the entire field is filled.
50
(Custom).
You are recommended to set the shooting mode to
(Manual) and the exposure compensation
setting to zero (±0) before setting a custom white
balance.
The correct white balance may not be obtained
when the exposure setting is incorrect (image
appears completely black or white).
Shoot with the same settings as when reading the
white balance data. If the settings differ, the optimal
white balance may not be set.
In particular, the following should not be changed.
(p. 21).
(Auto) setting