Today the photographic quality assessment of aerial and space images is made visually, with a big deal of subjectivity. The main problems are the lack of parameters characterizing the photographic quality of images and the lack of methods for determining these parameters. The correctness of color rendition is one of the most important indicators of the photographic aerial and space images’ quality. Research problems included the developing methods for determining the color imbalance of digital images; developing the assessment criterion of color imbalance and a method of its calculation; as well as the experimental verification of the suggested method by correcting the color balance of an image. The article describes the algorithm for automatic color imbalance detection of a digital image that enables searching pixels as parts of gray field areas of an image; the value of a color imbalance is estimated by selected gray pixels. One of the most important indicators of the photographic quality of aerial and space images was determined, it is the color imbalance expressed numerically. The method of automatic assessment of color rendition correctness is offered, the criterion of estimation of color imbalance of the photographic image and a method of its calculation is specified, results of the experimental check of the offered method of assessment of color rendition correctness are given.