lightcolor

Lightcolor refers to the color of visible light as perceived by the human eye. It is determined by the light's spectral power distribution—the distribution of power across wavelengths in the visible range—and by the eye’s response, which is based on three cone types. The visible spectrum spans roughly 380 to 750 nanometers; shorter wavelengths appear blue or violet, while longer wavelengths appear yellow, orange, or red. Light with a narrow wavelength is called monochromatic; light with a broad spectrum can appear white or tinted by particular colors.

Lightcolor is commonly described by color temperature, color rendering, and chromaticity. Color temperature characterizes how warm or cool the light appears, measured in kelvin; lower temperatures yield warm, amber hues, higher temperatures yield cool, bluish hues. Color mixing follows additive theory: combining red, green, and blue light can reproduce most colors seen on screens or in lighting. In color science, color is quantified in standardized spaces such as the CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram, which reduces perceptual color to coordinates independent of intensity. Tristimulus values, chromaticity coordinates, and correlated color temperature are used to specify lighting and displays. The Color Rendering Index (CRI) gauges how faithfully a light source reproduces colors compared with a reference source.

Applications include lighting design, photography, and display technology. Understanding lightcolor is essential for color matching, vision science, and the development of lighting that aligns with human perception and needs.