daylightlike

Daylightlike is a descriptive term used across photography, lighting design, and color science to refer to light, color, or spectra that resemble natural daylight. It is not a formal technical term with a single universal definition; instead, its meaning varies by context but generally connotes color quality, spectral balance, and a color temperature akin to daylight conditions.

In color science and lighting practice, daylightlike illumination is often associated with the CIE daylight standard illuminants, especially D65, which represents average daylight around noon with a correlated color temperature of about 6500 kelvin. Daylightlike light tends to have a broad spectral distribution and aims to reproduce colors faithfully under daylight, providing a natural appearance in many applications.

In photography and videography, daylightlike white balance assumes neutral daylight surroundings and uses color temperature settings typically in the range of 5200–6500 kelvin, depending on the scene. Equipment marketed as daylight-balanced seeks to render colors in a way that remains consistent with sunlit environments, reducing the need for color correction.

In computer graphics and rendering, daylightlike lighting uses a daylight spectrum or a combination of sun and skylight to simulate daylight conditions. Daylightlike environments or HDRI maps often describe scenes that are illuminated in a way that mirrors natural daylight, producing realistic shading and color in outdoor or interior scenes with daylight coming through windows.

Limitations include the fact that actual daylight varies with time and weather, and different light sources have distinct spectral power distributions. Therefore, daylightlike is a relative descriptor rather than an exact standard.

See also: daylight, color temperature, CRI, D65, illuminant.