Brightness—a review of current knowledge

Abstract

The paper examines the process of scaling brightness and compares the various reported relationships between brightness and luminance for single visual elements using a ratio scale of brightness. The influences on this basic relationship of previous stimulation of the eye (adaptation), of simultaneous luminances in the field of view (induction) and of the lightness and chromaticity of surface elements are reviewed and summarised. The significance of these findings on the brightness of building interiors is examined briefly.