Principles of Light and Color

Abstract

This chapter stresses the fact that there are three parts to viewing color: the light source, the object, and the human observer. It specifies each of these parts of the system and uses this information to describe a number of different imaging scenarios. The chapter begins by looking at what light is. It looks at how to specify the characteristics of a light source. The Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) provides a number of standards for all aspects of imaging. The chapter defines CIE illuminants, standard light sources, and the CIE standard observer. The chapter also looks at specifying the color of an object, such as an apple. It describes the concept of the spectrum and shows how it can be used to predict object colors in many situations. The chapter considers the effect of changing the illuminant and explores important phenomena including chromatic adaptation and metamerism. Finally, it discusses color, vision, and measurement.