Differences Between Object Color And Source Color

Determining the color of an object was described previously. However, there is a difference when a color is created independently such as by a light bulb. This is called source color. The following is a simple explanation of the differences between objects and source color.

Definition Differences
There are three basic factors involved when a human observes the color of an object. They are illumination, the object, and the perception of the observer. However, when a source is observed, there are only two factors: the spectral distribution of the light source and the perception of the observer.

For object color, it is necessary to determine and evaluate the spectral distribution of the illuminants. This is because the color appears differently when the light source varies. The illuminants are not required when the light source color is measured because the color of the light source itself must be determined.