In current colour research, the term ‘appearance’ refers to the perceived colour of an object or surface under different lighting conditions and in different environments. Appearance is about how colours are perceived visually by people and how they are influenced by the properties of light, surface texture and other environmental factors.
1. Colour perception under variable conditions
- Light source: The type of light source (e.g. daylight, light bulb, LED) strongly influences the perceived colour of an object. Different light sources have different spectral distributions, which can influence the colour rendering.
- Ambient conditions: The environment in which an object is located, such as the room background or neighbouring colours, can greatly change the appearance of the colour.
2. Metamerism
- Metamerism refers to the phenomenon where two objects can look the same under one light source but look different under another light source. This occurs when the spectral reflectance properties of the objects are similar but not identical.
3. Colour consistency
- Colour constancy describes the ability of the eye to perceive the colour of an object relatively consistently regardless of changes in lighting or the environment. This is an important mechanism that ensures that we can consistently identify objects under different lighting conditions.
4. Surface properties
- The nature of a surface, such as gloss, texture or translucency, also influences the appearance of the colour. Glossy surfaces can reflect light differently than matt surfaces, resulting in different visual impressions.
In colour research, ‘appearance’ therefore describes the complex interaction between light, surfaces and the visual system that determines the appearance of colours. It is a multidisciplinary field of research that includes both physical and psychological aspects of colour perception in order to develop a comprehensive understanding of the visual world.
And why does this field of research exist? A very classic example:
Customer question: Is the same colour on a proof different on a glossy, matt and satin glossy proof paper?
My answer:
Two answers:
1) No: For printing according to ISOCoatedV2, the specification states: ‘Glossy or matt coated image printing paper >80gr/sqm …’, so you can already see here that matt and glossy are synonymous. The geometry of colour measurement technology in the printing industry (45/0/2°) also eliminates any gloss effect in terms of measurement technology, so high-gloss and super matt are also identical in terms of measurement technology.
2) Yes: In terms of colour perception by the human eye, identical colours can certainly have different effects due to the different reflections of matt and glossy surfaces. And: If you take the gloss into account metrologically (for example with a ball-head measuring device (d8° instead of 45/0/2°), then the colour would of course be measured differently for matt and glossy. However, this is not how the printing industry currently measures colour.
More articles related to this topic:
Precise proofing of tonal values of spot colours
In recent weeks, there have been lengthy discussions on the Fogra digital printing mailing list as to whether a research project should be launched to define standardised tonal value gradations for spot colours. What is this all about? In the field of CMYK and seven-colour printing, the definition of clear, printable and proofable standards is well established and has been tried and tested in practice. If the paper or paper class is known and defined, a measuring standard such as M0/M1/M2 has been established and the content of optical brighteners … read more
RGB colour spaces explained
RGB colour spaces are colour systems that represent different hues with the three primary colours red, green and blue. RGB colour spaces are used in digital image processing, photography and computer technology to precisely define colours. The most important RGB colour spaces and their special features are: sRGB sRGB is the most widely used RGB colour space and is used by most monitors, printers and digital cameras. It was developed by HP and Microsoft in the 1990s to create a standard for colour representation on the internet and on various … read more
We passed the first proof certification for the 7C proof under FOGRA55
A few days ago Proof GmbH was the first company to be certified for proofing for the new 7C exchange colour space FOGRA55. Fogra has developed characterisation data for extended multicolour printing with the printing colours CMYKOGV – i.e. cyan, magenta, yellow, black (contrast), orange, green and violet – FOGRA55 as part of a research project over the past few years. The characterisation data and the ICC profile Ref-ECG-CMYKOGV_FOGRA55_TAC300.icc have been published on the Fogra website in recent weeks. We have now carried out the certification via GMG ColorProof, as … read more
Cross-media colour management really works
Peter Jäger is an expert in colour management that reliably works across the boundaries of printers and monitors, web and print – essentially: cross-media.
Proof.de is featured twice in the “Fogra Aktuell” magazine
In the current issue of Fogra News “Fogra Aktuell” Proof GmbH is involved in two places. Firstly, a summary of the Fogra report on our first FOGRA55 certification for seven-colour printing with extended colour space in CMYKOGV appeared. You can also find more information on our FOGRA55 certification on the Fogra website: https://fogra.org/en/press-releases/fogracert-erste-cpc-zertifizierung-fuer-fogra55-cmykogv-330 and on proofing.de: And secondly, there was a report on the completion of the research project for textile digital printing, FOGRA58, in which we were allowed to investigate and test the proof capability of the new textile … read more
PANTONE surveys users online about product and service direction
Today I received an email in which PANTONE asked how it should orientate its products and services in the future. The users were asked which countries, industries and company sizes they come from, but also what PANTONE products should look like in the future and what customers would be prepared to pay for PANTONE services in the future. Question: How much can PANTONE services cost? PANTONE appears to be orientating itself on the PANTONE Connect prices: All price queries have the lowest price category < $ 7,- / month, i.e. … read more
Incorrect grayscale display in Adobe Photoshop and InDesign
Adobe products are ideal for image retouching and layout and handle RGB and CMYK colour profiles very well. However, when editing and retouching grayscale images, for example for a black-and-white photo book, the experience is quite different. Suddenly, images look completely different in InDesign than they do in Photoshop, and even when exporting the image to PDF, greyscale images are suddenly treated differently. This article explains where the problems lie with black-and-white images and greyscale profiles in InDesign and Photoshop layouts, and how you can work in a more ‘colour-accurate’ … read more
New edition of ISOCoatedV2 in M1 in sight?
Even almost 9 years after the introduction of the successor colour space PSOCoatedV3, ISOCoatedV2 / FOGRA39 is still the most widespread colour space in Europe. We at Proof GmbH count around 200 jobs from time to time for the German Printing and Media Industries Federation, among others. In the last count, proofs in ISOCoatedV2 accounted for around 68% of all proof jobs at our company. This is a clear sign of the continued widespread use of the colour space. ISOCoatedV2: From the classic colour space to the beacon of the … read more
New feature: Orders & individual items can now be reordered with a single click
From now on, it’s much easier and faster: in the Proof Shop, you can call up and reorder entire orders or individual proofs directly from your order history. This saves you from having to re-enter every detail and gives you the assurance that all settings will be exactly the same as last time. With just a few clicks, your proofs are reordered – reliably, easily and in no time at all. What exactly is new? You can find your order history in your customer account. There are two new options … read more
Fogra60 proofs for metal decor printing available
From now on you can order proofs for metal decor printing on white sheet metal at proof.de: The ICC profile for Fogra60 is Metal-Printing_MPC1_FOGRA60.icc