1. The CIE System
Dr Huw Owens

2. Lights, Surfaces and Observers Colour Matching Experiments
Introduction
Lights, Surfaces and Observers
Colour Matching Experiments
The CIE System
Tristimulus Values
Chromaticity Diagrams
Dominant Wavelength and Purity
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018

3. Standing in line to See the show tonight And there's a light of
Heavy glow
By the way I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for
Dani's the girl is
Singing songs to me
Beneath the marquee
Overload
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018

4. How can we simplify colour specification? Colour matching.
The CIE System
Specifying colour can be difficult. Even if a physical sample is selected from a colour order system, its appearance will probably change with changes in illuminant and viewing conditions.
How can we simplify colour specification? Colour matching.
Colour matching first performed by Newton (1730). He found white light could be produced by mixing yellow and blue lights.
Colorimetry: A synthesis of two words, colour and metrein (Greek meaning to measure). It is the science of colour measurement.
Lovibond (1887) developed a device with which he could specify the colour of beer.
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018

5. Requires three factors
Colour Perception
Requires three factors
Light Source
Observer
Object
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018

6. Illuminants and Light Sources
A light source is a physical emitter of radiation such as a candle or the sun.
An illuminant is a table of spectral power distributions; a blueprint for a possible light source.
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018

7. A - a tungsten filament lamp
Standard Illuminants
In 1931 the CIE (Commision Internationale de l’Éclairage) defined 3 light sources by their SPD (relative power, nm).
A - a tungsten filament lamp
B - tungsten with yellow filter (sunlight)
C - tungsten with blue filter (daylight) B and C no longer used.
In 1964 the CIE introduced a further series of standards based on measurements of daylight and extended the spectral range. D50, D55, D60, D65
D65 used in textile industry as standard daylight No lamp available to emulate D65 exactly.
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018

8. Illuminants
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018

9. Surface Reflectance Spectra
Wavelength (nm) %R
400
6.1
420
6.2
440
6.5
460
7.1
480
7.3
500
7.2
520
7.5
540
8.1
560
8.5
580
10.2
600
22.1
620
40.1
640
58.9
660
65.5
680
70.2
700
73.4
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018

10. 1924 CIE Standard Photopic Observer
Brightness: Attribute of visual perception according to which an area appears to emit, or reflect, more or less light (CIE 17.4)
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018

11. Grassmann’s Laws of Additive Colour Matching
Symmetry Law – If colour stimulus A matches colour stimulus B, the colour stimulus B matches colour stimulus A.
Transitivity Law – If A matches B and B matches C then A matches C.
Proportionality Law – if A matches B, then αA matches αB, where α is any positive factor by which the radiant power of the colour stimulus is increased or reduced, while its relative spectral distribution is kept the same.
Additivity Law – If A, B, C, D are any four colour stimuli, then if any two of the following three colour matches:
A matches B, C matches D, and
(A+C) matches (B+D), then
(A+D) matches (B+C)
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018

12. Primaries for the 1931 Colour Matching Experiment
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018

13. Colour-Matching Experiment
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018

14. Admixture of three primaries Reference Field
Test Field
Admixture of three primaries
Reference Field
Admixture of three primaries

15. RGB colour-matching functions
CIE colour-matching experiment Wright’s observers’ results
Blue
Green
Red
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018

16. The Standard Observer
The CIE defined the colour vision of the ‘average’ human by asking a panel of observers to match the monochromatic spectral colours with red, green and blue lights, having first ‘balanced’ them to match a standard ‘white’ lamp.
In 1931 the CIE converted 2 sets of results, Wright’s (10 observers) and Guild’s (7 observers), so that the white and the 3 primaries were the same. They used the equal energy white (illuminant E) and 3 monochromatic primaries. However, this still meant that at any wavelength the amount of one of the primaries was negative.
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018

17. RGB to XYZ colour-matching functions
Judd suggested to the CIE that new ‘supersaturated’ primaries be defined so as to avoid negative values. These were called X (red), Y (green) and Z (blue). They were defined by drawing a triangle which was outside the spectrum locus and the RGB triangle.
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018

18. The Standard Observer
The standard observer is a set of colour-matching functions. These were obtained in 1931 for a 2 degree field of view.
In 1964 the CIE introduced a new set of colour-matching functions and these were obtained using a larger (10 degree) field of view.
CIE degree CIE degree
In 1964 the CIE also supplemented the original set of illuminants (A,B and C) with a new set of illuminants based upon the spectral power distributions (SPDs) of a blackbody radiator – these are the D illuminants. D65 is the spectral power distribution of a blackbody radiator at 6500K and is used to simulate daylight.
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018

19. XYZ colour-matching functions
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018

20. Computing Tristimulus Valuesλ
E(λ)
P(λ)
Y(λ)
E(λ)P(λ)Y(λ)
400 90
0.8
0.01
0.72
420 85
0.83
0.02
1.41
440 82
0.84
0.04
2.76 …
700 99
0.12
Observer (colour-
matching function)
Tristimulus Value
Illuminant
Reflectance
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018

21. Computing Tristimulus Values
k is a normalising factor, k =
This ensures that Y is always 100 for a perfect reflecting diffuser for any illuminant. Note that X and Z do not necessarily sum to 100.
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018

22. Table of Weights Tables of weights are reproduced in many text books
that pre-multiply K,E, and X,Y,Z.
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018

23. Illuminant White Points
Illuminant\ Observer X Y Z
Equal Energy 1931
100.0
Equal Enegy 1964
A (1931)
109.9
35.6
A (1964)
111.1
35.2
D65 (1931)
95.0
108.9
D65 (1964)
94.8
107.3
TL84 (F11) 1931
101.0
64.4
TL84 (F11) 1964
103.8
65.6
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018

24. The CIE Chromaticity Diagram
This is a 2-dimensional x,y chart which gives an indication of colour, but removes lightness information.
This can be rectified by quoting the Y tristimulus value as well as the x,y coordinates.
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018

25. However, they cannot be used to predict appearance!
Tristimulus Values
The XYZ values can easily be computed. They quantify the amounts of the three imaginary primaries that an observer would use to match the stimulus if used in an additive mixture. They form a specification of the stimulus that takes into account the illumination, the surface and the observer.
However, they cannot be used to predict appearance!
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018

26. The CIE Chromaticity Diagram
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018

27. Dominant Wavelength and Purity
© Dr Huw Owens - University of Manchester : 23/11/2018