Color temperature is a characteristic of visible light that has important applications in lighting, photography, videography, publishing, and other fields. The color temperature of a light sources is determined by comparing its chromaticity with that of an ideal black-body radiator. The temperature, usually measured in kelvins(K) at which the heated black-body radiator matches the color of the light source is that source’s color temperature, for a black body source, it is directly related to Planck’s law and Wien’s displacement law.
Color Temperature
Counterintuitively, higher color temperatures (5000K or more) are “cold”(green-blue) colors, and lower color temperatures(2700-3500K) “warm”(yellow-red) colors.
Categorizing different lighting
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Temperature
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Source
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1700K
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Match flame
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1850K
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Candle flame
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2700–3300K
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Incandescent light bulb
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3350K
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Studio “CP” light
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3400K
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Studio lamps, photofloods, etc.
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4100K
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Moonlight, xenon arc lamp
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5000K
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Horizon daylight
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5500–6000K
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Typical daylight, electronic flash
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6500K
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Daylight, overcast
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9300K
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CRT screen
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Note:
These temperatures are merely approximations; considerable variation may be present. |
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