Color Perception Estimations of Metameric Pairs Under Different Illuminance Levels

Abstract

LEDs or light emitting diodes of the lighting class dominate both the indoor and outdoor lighting industries today due to their accuracy and consumer-friendly color temperature. In the context of color science, it is necessary to analyze both the spectral power distribution of lighting and the human characteristics of color perception under these lights. In this article, we provide estimates of the appearance of eleven metameric pairs under LEDs with four correlated color temperatures and six illuminance levels, using color difference formulas based on the CIELAB, CAM02-UCS, and CAM16-UCS models to verify our estimates. We followed ASTM D4086 standard visual methods for detecting metamerism and for estimating the magnitude of a metameric color difference. Our investigations found that color appearance models are more reliable than CIELAB in evaluating color difference under various LED conditions. CAM16-UCS more accurately predicted the color difference estimates between all three formulas. Our comparative study confirms that the variation in the estimates with the CCT and illuminance levels of the LED sources depends on the color appearance model used. The results also showed that in order to determine the color difference of metameric pairs, optimal conditions regarding the colorimetric properties of the samples and the variability of the observer should be considered separately. We noticed an increasing correlation trend with increasing illuminance. However, there was no such increase or decrease trend in CCTs. The trend of the STRESS change in the color appearance models showed the influence of the chromatic adaptation, but the establishment of adaptation patterns is far beyond the scope of this work. Although our research has had limitations on correlated color temperature and illuminance, we believe that it can be beneficial for the lighting application to ensure correct lighting decisions when assessing the color differences of metameric pairs.