BSE511 Lighting Engineering

Week 5
Light & Color

Minchen(Tommy) Wei
Dept. of Building Services Engineering
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Email: minchen.wei@polyu.edu.hk
Office: ZN821

1
Learning Outcomes
1. Understand what affects color appearance
2. Differentiate light color, object color, and
practical color, and how to characterize
them
3. Explain the structure and function of each
part of human eyes
4. Explain Munsell color system and
calculate measures in CIE colorimetry
system
5. Explain limitations of CRI

2
Color Sensation vs Color Perception

3
Color Sensation vs Color Perception

4
 Color Sensation vs Color Perception

So far we cannot accurately

characterize how color perception C
varies with different surrounding
conditions. We are only
characterizing the stimulus itself. 5
“Light Color”
• Light is a type of electromagnetic radiation,
which is capable of exciting the human visual
system.
• Spectral Power Distribution (SPD): Radiant
power of the light over a range of wavelengths.
0.00

1.00
0.90
0.80
0.70
0.60
W/nm

0.50
0.40
0.30
0.20
0.10
0.00
-0.10
380 480 580 680 780
6
Wavelength (nm)
 “Light Color”
Spectral Power Distribution for Monochromatic Light

0.00 0.00

1.00 1.00
0.90 0.90
0.80 0.80
0.70 0.70
0.60 0.60
W/nm

W/nm

0.50 0.50
0.40 0.40
0.30 0.30
0.20 0.20
0.10 0.10
0.00 0.00
-0.10 -0.10
380 480 580 680 780 380 480 580 680 780

Wavelength (nm) Wavelength (nm) 7

“Light Color”
Spectral Power Distribution for White Light

1.00
0.90
0.80
0.70
W/nm 0.60
0.50
0.40
0.30
0.20
0.10
0.00
-0.10
380 480 580 680 780
Wavelength (nm)

8
 “Light Color”
Spectral Power Distribution for White Light Sources NIST 75: Triphosphor model. Duv=
NIST 11: Incandescent NIST 84: NIST Booth SSL-2
+0.000

1.00 1.00 1.00

0.90 0.90 0.90

0.80 0.80 0.80

0.70 0.70 0.70

Power

Power
Power

0.60 0.60 0.60

0.50 0.50 0.50

0.40 0.40 0.40

0.30 0.30 0.30
0.20 0.20 0.20
0.10 0.10 0.10
0.00 0.00 0.00
-0.10 -0.10 -0.10
380 480 580 680 780 380 480 580 680 780 380 480 580 680 780

Wavelength (nm) Wavelength (nm) Wavelength (nm)

NIST 89: NIST RGB model (Ra=67)
NIST 7: Metal Halide NIST 9: HPS
enhanced -460/540

1.00 1.00 1.00

0.90 0.90 0.90
0.80 0.80 0.80
0.70 0.70 0.70
Power

Power
Power

0.60 0.60 0.60

0.50 0.50 0.50
0.40 0.40 0.40
0.30 0.30 0.30
0.20 0.20 0.20
0.10 0.10 0.10
0.00 0.00 0.00
-0.10 -0.10 -0.10
380 480 580 680 780 380 480 580 680 780 380 480 580 680 780

Wavelength (nm) Wavelength (nm) Wavelength (nm) 9

 “Light Color”
Which SPD does each light setting have?

1.00 1.00
0.90 0.90
0.80 0.80
0.70 0.70
0.60 0.60
W/nm

W/nm
0.50 0.50
0.40 0.40
0.30 0.30
0.20 0.20
0.10 0.10
0.00 0.00
-0.10 -0.10
380 480 580 680 780 380 480 580 680 780
Wavelength (nm) Wavelength (nm)
10
Luminous Efficiency Function
• Spectral Power Distribution (SPD): Radiant
power of the light over a range of wavelengths.
• Question: How can we calculate the radiant
power (flux) using SPD?

• Luminous flux: the radiant power evaluated in

terms of a standard observer.
Weighting function
Radiant power (flux) Luminous power (flux)

11
Luminous Efficiency Function
Characterizing a standard observer

• The relative brightness of monochromatic

radiant power throughout the visible
spectrum.
• Question: How to calculate the luminous
flux using SPD?

12
Luminous Efficiency Function

13
“Object Color”
• Objects have different abilities to reflect radiation at
different wavelengths.
• Spectral Reflectance Distribution (SRD): Percentage of
the radiant power reflected at each wavelength over
the visible spectrum.
100%
90%
80%

Reflectance Factor
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
-10%
380 480 580 680 780

14
Wavelength (nm)
“Object Color”
Spectral Reflectance Distribution (SRD)
100% 100%
90% 90%
80% 80%
70% 70%
60% 60%
50% 50%
40% 40%
30% 30%
20% 20%
10% 10%
0% 0%
-10% -10%
380 480 580 680 780 380 480 580 680 780

Wavelength (nm) Wavelength (nm)

100% 100%
90% 90%
80% 80%
Reflectance Factor

70% Reflectance Factor 70%

60% 60%
50% 50%
40% 40%
30% 30%
20% 20%
10% 10%
0% 0%
-10% -10%
380 480 580 680 780 380 480 580 680 780
15
Wavelength (nm) Wavelength (nm)
“Practical Color"

16
“Practical Color”
• The color perceived in an object results from
the radiation produced by a source, modified
by the object due to reflection, and finally
entering the eyes.

17
 “Practical Color”
Light Source & Object Interaction

1.00 100% 1.00

0.90 90% 0.90
0.80 80% 0.80

Reflectance Factor
0.70 70% 0.70
0.60 60% 0.60
W/nm

W/nm
0.50
0.40
× 50%
40%
= 0.50
0.40
0.30 30% 0.30
0.20 20% 0.20
0.10 10% 0.10
0.00 0% 0.00
-0.10 -10% -0.10
380 480 580 680 780 380 480 580 680 780 380 480 580 680 780

Wavelength (nm) Wavelength (nm) Wavelength (nm)

This is what enters your eyes and

what you see
18
“Practical Color”
Light Source & Object Interaction
Within a limited conditions,
our eyes can compensate
the color of illumination,
make objects have a
constant color appearance:
chromatic adaptation

Why HPS has bad color

rendering, but high efficacy?

19
Human Eye
• Cornea – the clear front layer. The curvature provides
most of the focusing power (the process of focusing on
an object is called Accommodation).
• Pupil –the hole formed by the iris – changes size
based on the light level allowing more or less light to
enter the eye.

20
Human Eye
• Retina – Location of photoreceptors
• Fovea – highest visual acuity

21
Photoreceptors
• Cones:
• Color vision (3 types)
• Operate under high light level
• Signals provided by the three types of cones
determine color
• Deficiency in one or more: Color blindness
• Rods:
• Night vision (1 type)
• No color vision
• ipRGCs: Intrinsically photosensitive Retinal
Ganglion Cells
22
Photoreceptors

23
Cone Sensitivity Functions

24
Color Mixing
Additive Color Mixing

25
Color Mixing
Subtractive Color Mixing

26
Color Specification
Munsell Color Order System

• The system is used to specify surface colors

(object colors)
• It has three scales: hue, value, and chroma.
Used as: [Hue] [Value]/[Chroma] (e.g., 5R 4/10)

It is not a
symmetric
sphere! 27
Munsell System – Hue
• 5 principle hues (purple, blue, green, yellow,
red; denoted 5P, 5B, 5G, 5Y, and 5R); 5
intermediate hues (5PB, 5BG, 5GY, 5YR, 5RP)
• 10 smaller steps between two adjacent, with a
total of 100 steps

28
Munsell System – Value
• Value describes lightness, with increasing
lightness on a scale from 0 to 10
• Important: what is black?

29
Munsell System – Chroma
• Chroma represents numerically the increasing
intensity or vividness (how pure it is). This can
contain as large as 20 steps depending on the
hue and value. 0 is neutral samples.

30
Color Specification
CIE System

• The CIE system is employed for virtually

all colorimetric measures that are related
to light sources or surfaces, including the
specification of CCT, CRI, and others.
• CIE system is based on color matching
for a 2 degree field of view.

31
 CIE System
Color Matching

• In a 2-degree field of view (corresponding to

our fovea, with cones), surrounded by dark
• Test field: three monochromatic lights [primaries]
• Reference field: one monochromatic light
• Task: to adjust the intensity of the three lights in the
test field to match the appearance (brightness and
color) of the light in the reference field
• Original experiment:
• Primaries: Test Field
• 436 nm, 546 nm, 700 nm
• Labeled as [B] [G] [R]
Reference
Field
Note: 10-degree also exists
32
Original Color Matching Experiment
RGB Color Matching Function (CMFs)

• Repeat the experiment for different wavelengths in the

reference field and record the results
C1 [C1] = R1 [R] + G1 [G] + B1 [B]
• Some wavelengths cannot be matched, requiring one
light move to the test field: negative values

Three monochromatic lights

Test Field
Reference
Field
A monochromatic light
33
RGB Color Matching Functions
• 𝑟ҧ  , 𝑔ҧ  and 𝑏ത  are amounts of [R], [G] and
[B] needed to match monochromatic stimuli of
each wavelength.

34
Tristimulus values
C1 [C1] = R1 [R] + G1 [G] + B1 [B]
C2 [C2] = R2 [R] + G2 [G] + B2 [B]
C1 [C1] + C2 [C2] = (R1 + R2 )[R] + (G1 + G2 )[G] + (B1 + B2 )[B]
C [C] = R [R] + G [G] + B [B]
R, G, B are called Tristimulus Values, the amount of
primaries need to match the light in the test field
R= S()𝑟()
ҧ
G= S()𝑔()
ҧ
ത
B= S()𝑏()

35
XYZ Color Matching Functions
• Created an imaginary primary set [X][Y][Z]
to fix the problems in RGB CMFs:
• Get rid of negative values
• To make V(λ) as one CMF --- 𝒚
ഥ()

36
XYZ Color Matching Functions
• 𝑟ҧ  , 𝑔ҧ  and 𝑏ത  are amounts of [R], [G] and [B]
needed to match monochromatic stimuli of each
wavelength. C [C] = R [R] + G [G] + B [B]

• 𝑥ҧ  , 𝑦ത  and 𝑧ҧ  are amounts of [X], [Y] and [Z]

needed to match monochromatic stimuli of each
wavelength. C [C] = X [X] + Y [Y] + Z [Z]
• R=S()𝑟()
ҧ ----- X=S()𝑥()
ҧ
• G=S()𝑔() ҧ 𝒚()
----- Y=S()ഥ
ത
• B=S()𝑏() ----- Z=S()𝑧()
ҧ
• Φ=683S()𝑽()

37
Calculation fo Tristimulus Values

 S()𝑥()
ҧ

 S()𝑦()
ത

 S()𝑧()
ҧ

38
Chromaticity Coordinates
• C [C] = X [X] + Y [Y] + Z [Z]
• Thus, we can use X,Y,Z to specify a color
• 2-D is better:
• x = X/(X+Y+Z)
• y = Y/(X+Y+Z)
• (x,y) is called chromaticity coordinates

39
 Chromaticity Diagram

y
X

40
x
Chromaticity Diagram
• Spectrum locus:
chromaticities of
monochromatic light,
boundary of colors
we can see
• Blackbody locus
(Planckian locus):
chromaticities of
blackbody radiator
at various CCTs

41
Spectral Power Distribution for Blackbody
Radiator
• A black body is an idealized physical body that absorbs
all incident electromagnetic radiation. It emits radiation
according to Planck's law, meaning that the radiation
has a spectrum that is determined by the temperature
alone.

42
Chromaticity Diagram

43
 Chromaticity Coordinates for White LEDs
0.45

0.40 Tolerance defined for

2700K
3000K
White LEDs
• LED
EMSD (Jan 2017)
y

3500K Sources
4000K • ANSI C77.388-2015
0.35 4500K
5000K LEDs in the market
5700K [Wei and Houser, 2012]
6500K

0.30
0.30 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50
x

44
Blackbody Locus and CCT

1
𝐶𝐶𝑇 = 106
𝑉𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒

45
Blackbody Locus and CCT

46
Duv (Used together with CCT)
Distance to the Blackbody Locus

CCT

Duv -

47
Duv (Used together with CCT)
Distance to the Blackbody Locus

+0.02

+0.01

0
-0.01

-0.02

-0.03

48
Other Chromaticity Diagram
CIE 1931 (x,y) CIE 1976 (u’,v’)

v’

More Uniform

x u’
49
Chromaticity for Color Mixing
• The mixture of two lights
will have its chromaticity
between the chromaticities
of the two lights,
depending on the weight
• How about purple
boundary?
• How about more than two
lights mixed together?

50
Metameric Light Stimuli
• Light stimuli that have same chromaticity
but different SPDs
• Same color appearance of the light
• Different color rendition

51
CIE Color Rendering Index (CRI)
• Describe how close the colors appear under a
light source in comparison to a reference
illuminant having a same CCT.
Test Light Source Reference Illuminant*

SAME CCT

*When:
CCT ≥ 5000K, CIE Daylight Illuminant
CCT < 5000K, blackbody radiator 52
 CRI Test Color Samples (TCS)

TCS 01 TCS 02 TCS 03 TCS 04 TCS 09 TCS 10 TCS 11 TCS 12

TCS 05 TCS 06 TCS 07 TCS 08 TCS 13 TCS 14

Reflectance Factor (%)

Reflectance Factor (%)

Wavelength (nm) Wavelength (nm)

53
CRI
Magnitude of color shifts (differences)

Test Source
Reference Illuminant

𝑅𝑖 = 100 − 4.6∆𝐸𝑖
54
 CRI – Ri and Ra

R1=48 R2=72 R3=90 R4=47 R5=49 R6=59 R7=69 R8=21

8
1
𝑅a = ෍ 𝑅𝑖
8
𝑖=1

R9=-102 R10=36 R11=31 R12=38 R13=52 R14=94

55
Note: colors are for illustration only
 Currently, CRI is widely adopted
for conventional and LED sources
“CRI (Ra) shall be equal to or greater than 80”
-EMSD, Guidelines for Specifying & Procuring LED
Lighting Products for Lighting Projects (Jan 2017)

“CRI of 80 or above is good enough”

-EMSD, The Hong Kong Voluntary Energy Efficiency
Labelling Scheme for LED Lamps (Jan 2017)

56
BUT, CRI has problems for LEDs

“…CRI is generally not

applicable to predict the
color rendering..when
white LED light sources
are involved”
-CIE 177:2007

57
CRI is a fidelity measure
It characterizes the magnitude of color shifts

Test Source
Reference Illuminant

𝑅𝑖 = 100 − 4.6∆𝐸𝑖
58
Limitation of considering only magnitude
Direction also matters!
Hue shift
Same magnitude
Same CRI

Decrease Increase
Saturation Saturation

Hue shift
59
Limitation of considering only magnitude
Direction also matters!
Hue shift
Same magnitude
Same CRI

Decrease Increase
Saturation Saturation

Hue shift
60