Color

Color

When it comes to lighting, there are many misconceptions about how the color is light is described. As you'll see on the next few pages, there are some specific ways to describe color - including CCT and SAE color quadrants.

The most precise way to describe a visible color of light is with the CIE 1931 color space.  This is a chart that describes the relation between the distribution of wavelengths, or colors, of light, and the human perception of color. 

While there are many nuances in how the chart is designed, the basic summary is that a light's color is defined as a specific point on this chart. A single point is mapped with an X value, on the horizontal axis, and a Y value, on the vertical axis.

See the chart below. A color of (0.2, 0.7) would be a bright green. A color of (0.45, 0.45) would be yellow.

What color would be mapped at (0.6, 0.2) ?