Abstract

Transmissive color filters, in the form of gels, plastics and thin-films, are employed in various lighting systems. To reproduce or match a particular color for the end-user, the filter must have nearly identical spectral transmission properties and the same light source. Additional factors affect the appearance of color, but are not covered in this paper. For any light source (e g. equal-energy, 3200K temperature, etc), the properties of color filters can be quantified using a variety of well established methods, such as 1931 Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage (1931 CIE) or L*a*b*. Using the 1931 CIE method, chromaticity coordinate (x,y) can be calculated from tristimulus values. Furthermore, the dominant wavelength and saturation color performance of a filter can be determined graphically from a chromaticity diagram, or by numerical computation.

© 1995 Optical Society of America