by [TC]²
Why Daylight?
A white paper by GretagMacbeth
By Ray Frugia, Product Marketing Manager
Daylight renders color accurately. Since natural daylight changes throughout the day and with changes in the weather, the need exists to simulate daylight. Almost 100 years ago, Norman Macbeth – an illumination engineer and founder of the former Macbeth – identified the need to use simulated standardized daylight for making accurate visual color judgments.
Depending on the light source, color perception varies. That’s because the spectral quality or color content of the light affects how we see color. The spectral quality of natural daylight depends upon atmospheric conditions, geographic location, time of year – even time of day. For example, the color appearance of early morning sunrise and late afternoon sunset can be as low as 2300o Kelvin (also known as horizon daylight). At noon, the color appearance of light is approximately 5000o Kelvin and can exceed 10,000o Kelvin (on a clear day facing a north sky).
Norman Macbeth pioneered the development of accurately simulated daylight. This technology is still used today in GretagMacbeth’s SpectraLight® viewing booths which permit accurate color viewing under all phases of daylight – including filtered tungsten halogen daylight, horizon daylight, blended daylight and patented 7-phosphor fluorescent daylight. GretagMacbeth lighting products provide accurate simulation of daylight and can be used at night for second and third shift color evaluation.
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