LUMU 101: CHROMATICITY
How many colors can you see?
Whether you are a photographer that edits his photos, an architect designing a space, a digital artist, or perhaps a filmmaker - you’ve probably heard of the term “color space”.
It’s the range of colors, that can be accurately reproduced on any analog or digital device that uses the same color space. While different color spaces may use distinct methods of defining those colors, they all have one thing in common. They all exist on the same color map - The Chromaticity Diagram.
It all began in the 1920s, when experiments were done to map the colors perceivable to humans. Scientists defined these limits mathematically, and came up with a horshoe shaped diagram that looks something like this -
Commission internationale de l’éclairage (CIE), who first published the invention, is a 100 year old organization that defined international standards related to light and color forever.
Academics named it the CIE 1931 XY Chromaticity diagram. It tells us the quality of color regardless of its luminance. Constructed from two independent parameters, hue and saturation, it is the base on which most modern digital color spaces on our displays, screens and monitors are built upon.
I want all the colors, how can I use this?
Well, this is where Lumu comes quite handy. The amount of color information that this magical diagram can display is not limited by a specific metric. It can tell us almost everything there is to read about light in the space around us. On Lumu, you can have it all with a tap of a button:
X & Y
Coordinates on the diagram, measuring mathematical proportions of a certain color.
Duv
Delta UV, describes distance of a light color point from the black body curve. Duv is an important metric whenever discussing color sensitive lighting applications, such as film and photography. This is because CCT alone does provide enough information about the exact color.
CCT
Color Temperature, measured in Kelvin. You can read more about it here.
Lux
Illuminance, measured in Lux or Footcandles. You can read more about it here.
When measuring ambiental light in an architectural space, designing lighting fixtures, setting a scene, supervising stage lighting - a chromaticity meter just might be your best friend. A best friend you can fit in your pocket.
You should use Chromaticity everytime you want as much information about color and light around you as possible. With Lumu you can get that in three simple steps:
If you don’t prefer using a metric system you can always change your unit to Footcandles. Just hit the settings icon in your upper right corner on your Chromaticity menu.
Job well done.
Here at Lumu, our goal is to reduce that gap between your creative vision and a wholesome final product. With that in mind, we’re launching a new segment of the Lumu experience on all of our social platforms - Lumu 101. Each week we’ll provide beginners and professionals with tips on how to improve and become the master of your Lumu app, and take your skills to the next level. Until next time,
