Standard Illuminant

A standard illuminant is a theoretical source of visible light with a Spectral Power Distribution that is published. They are useful for comparing images or colours recorded under different lighting.

International Commission on Illumination (CIE) is responsible for publishing all of the well known standard illuminants. They are represented by a letter or a letter number combination.

Examples

• Illuminant A
• Illuminants B and C
• Illuminant series D
  • D50 (5000K) - Used in printing and arts industry
  • D65 (6500K) - CIE Standard for paper, ink, paint, textile, film and TV, displays and sRGB.
• Illuminant E
• Illuminant series F - represent various types of flourescent lighting.
• Illuminant series LED