Modelling the effects of inter-observer variation on colour rendition

Abstract

The colour rendition characteristics of light sources are quantified with measures based on CIE standard observers, which are reasonable representations of population averages. However, even among people with normal colour vision, the natural range of variation in colour sensitivity means any individual may see something different than the standard observer. Modelling results quantify the effects of these inter-observer differences on colour rendition measures defined by IES TM-30-15. In general, inter-observer differences tend to be smaller for light sources with high colour fidelity values, and they are affected by spectral characteristics of different lighting technologies. The magnitude of variation in colour rendition measures, up to 5–10 units in IES TM-30-15 ( Rf, Rg), measures is compared with other sources of variability and ambiguity.