Two surfaces or two light sources with different spectral distributions can produce the same color sensation under one condition and different sensations under another. Illuminant metamerism is why paint or fabric chosen under store lighting looks wrong at home; observer metamerism is why two displays or LED mixes that match for one person do not match for another. Color-critical spaces control it with high-fidelity light sources and spectral matching.
Upholstery matched the sample in the showroom, but under our 4000 K LEDs it's metamerism, the two fabrics split apart.
Also heard as
- metameric failure
Related terms
SPD
Spectral Power Distribution: a graph of how much power a light source emits at each wavelength.
CRI
Color Rendering Index: a score up to 100 for how true surface colors look under a source compared with a reference light.
TM-30
A color rendition method that rates fidelity and saturation with 99 color samples, giving Rf, Rg and a color vector graphic.
Spectroradiometer
An instrument that measures light's power at each wavelength, from which color and photometric values are calculated.