Lighting color is not what you may think
When you’re looking for the right lighting color for your space, whether it’s a soft yellow or a daylight white, it’s important to remember that there are no absolute colors per se. Instead, color is perceived by viewers based on the energy of the light source and other factors such as the position of the light.
Scientifically, there is only a small window within the electromagnetic spectrum where humans can perceive visible light. Depending on how quickly a light source emits electromagnetic waves within this range, you can see different colors of the rainbow, with white light being all the wavelengths of the rainbow mixed as one.
Moreover, the color you ultimately see is simply a reflection of wavelengths that are not absorbed by matter. For example, a leaf looks green because it absorbs all wavelengths except green, and by reflecting this wavelength back it looks green to you.
So what does this all mean for commercial lighting? Rather than just looking for a specific light color such as white or yellow, it’s important to consider how the color of different objects will appear under your light source. Fortunately, the Color Rendering Index (CRI) provides a useful reference. The higher the CRI, the closer colors look as they would when under daylight, whereas a light with a low CRI may alter your perception of the colors of the objects in your space.
As you can see, lighting color is not so straightforward, but there are ways to get a good sense of what colors you’ll perceive, such as by looking at CRI.
Ideoli’s team is here to help if you’re unsure how to choose a light that will display colors the way you want.
