BabelColor CT&a Help

BabelColor
Color Translator & Analyzer

help manual
Version 3.0
© 2010 Danny Pascale

BabelColor
Color Translator & Analyzer
BabelColor Color Translator & Analyzer (CT&A)
All rights reserved. No parts of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any means - graphic, electronic, or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems - without the written
permission of the publisher.
Products that are referred to in this document may be either trademarks and/or registered trademarks of the respective
owners.
While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this document, the publisher and the author assume no
responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of information contained in this document
or from the use of programs and source code that may accompany it. In no event shall the publisher and the author be
liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage caused or alleged to have been caused directly or indirectly
by this document.
Published in June 2010 in Montreal / Quebec / Canada.

Contents 5
Table of Contents
Foreword 0
Section I Introduction 10
1 What is BabelColor
...................................................................................................................................
CT&A ? 11
QuickStart: Main..........................................................................................................................................................
screen 14
QuickStart: Spectral
..........................................................................................................................................................
tools 16
2 Purchasing and
...................................................................................................................................
Registration 24
3 Specifications
................................................................................................................................... 25
Inputs .......................................................................................................................................................... 27
Outputs .......................................................................................................................................................... 28
DeltaE* formats .......................................................................................................................................................... 29
4 System requirements
................................................................................................................................... 30
Display calibration
.......................................................................................................................................................... 31
5 Version history
................................................................................................................................... 33
6 Legal notice ................................................................................................................................... 39
7 Copyrights and
...................................................................................................................................
Trademarks 40
8 Credits ................................................................................................................................... 41
Section II Main screen GUI 44

1 Space interface
................................................................................................................................... 45
Space selection .......................................................................................................................................................... 46
Sliders .......................................................................................................................................................... 47
Data displays .......................................................................................................................................................... 48
L*a*b* / L*u*v*
.........................................................................................................................................................
input interface 51
2 Deck interface
................................................................................................................................... 54
Deck selection .......................................................................................................................................................... 55
Deck Select .........................................................................................................................................................
dialog 56
Illuminant selection
.......................................................................................................................................................... 57
L*C*h* pad .......................................................................................................................................................... 58
List view .......................................................................................................................................................... 61
Color strip .......................................................................................................................................................... 62
Data displays .......................................................................................................................................................... 63
3 Chromaticity...................................................................................................................................
diagram 65
4 Color patches
...................................................................................................................................
displays 67
5 Text on backgrounds
................................................................................................................................... 71
6 Mouse input ...................................................................................................................................
interface 73
7 DeltaE* display
................................................................................................................................... 74
Section III Custom RGB space Interface 78
Section IV Spectral tools GUI 84

1 Density tools...................................................................................................................................
GUI 86
5
6 BabelColor CT&A
2 Metamerism ...................................................................................................................................
Index tools GUI 90
3 RAL DESIGN...................................................................................................................................
tool GUI 97
4 Graph tools GUI
................................................................................................................................... 99
5 ISO 3664+ tools
...................................................................................................................................
GUI 110
6 Whiteness tools
...................................................................................................................................
GUI 120
Section V Menus 128

1 Apple menu................................................................................................................................... 129
2 BabelColor ...................................................................................................................................
CT&A menu 130
3 Options / Preferences
................................................................................................................................... 131
4 File menu ................................................................................................................................... 139
Windows File menu
.......................................................................................................................................................... 140
Mac OS X File menu
.......................................................................................................................................................... 141
5 Edit menu ................................................................................................................................... 142
6 Peripheral menu
................................................................................................................................... 143
7 Mode menu ................................................................................................................................... 148
8 Tools menu................................................................................................................................... 149
9 Data menu ................................................................................................................................... 150
Bradford data .......................................................................................................................................................... 152
Illuminant data .......................................................................................................................................................... 153
RGB to XYZ data
.......................................................................................................................................................... 153
Space data .......................................................................................................................................................... 154
ColorChecker chart
.......................................................................................................................................................... 155
10 Help menu ................................................................................................................................... 157
Section VI Mode Settings 160

1 Space / Deck
...................................................................................................................................
select 161
2 Compare mode
................................................................................................................................... 162
3 Convert modes
................................................................................................................................... 164
4 Input modes................................................................................................................................... 166
5 Gamma modes
................................................................................................................................... 173
Section VII Technical data 176

1 Data flow ................................................................................................................................... 176
2 Data integrity
................................................................................................................................... 178
3 Definitions and
...................................................................................................................................
theory 179
xyY and XYZ .......................................................................................................................................................... 180
Illuminants .......................................................................................................................................................... 185
Bradford matrix..........................................................................................................................................................
definition 187
XYZ to RGB .......................................................................................................................................................... 188
RGB to R'G'B', ..........................................................................................................................................................
and gamma 189
R'G'B' to Hex # .......................................................................................................................................................... 192
R'G'B' to HSB .......................................................................................................................................................... 193
XYZ to L*a*b* .......................................................................................................................................................... 195
XYZ to L*u*v* (UCS)
.......................................................................................................................................................... 197

Contents 7
L*a*b* or L*u*v*..........................................................................................................................................................
to L*C*h* 199
XYZ to Munsell .......................................................................................................................................................... 200
L* (L-star) .......................................................................................................................................................... 202
DeltaE* .......................................................................................................................................................... 205
CIELAB & CIELUV
......................................................................................................................................................... 206
CIE94 ......................................................................................................................................................... 207
CMC(l:c) ......................................................................................................................................................... 209
CIEDE2000......................................................................................................................................................... 210
4 RGB spaces...................................................................................................................................
description 213
Adobe (1998) .......................................................................................................................................................... 214
Apple RGB .......................................................................................................................................................... 214
BestRGB .......................................................................................................................................................... 215
Beta RGB .......................................................................................................................................................... 216
Bruce RGB .......................................................................................................................................................... 217
CIE RGB .......................................................................................................................................................... 217
ColorMatch .......................................................................................................................................................... 218
DonRGB4 .......................................................................................................................................................... 218
eciRGB_v2 .......................................................................................................................................................... 219
Ekta Space PS5.......................................................................................................................................................... 220
Generic RGB .......................................................................................................................................................... 221
HDTV (HD-CIF) .......................................................................................................................................................... 221
NTSC .......................................................................................................................................................... 222
PAL / SECAM .......................................................................................................................................................... 222
ProPhoto .......................................................................................................................................................... 222
SGI .......................................................................................................................................................... 223
SMPTE-240M .......................................................................................................................................................... 223
SMPTE-C .......................................................................................................................................................... 223
sRGB .......................................................................................................................................................... 224
Wide Gamut .......................................................................................................................................................... 224
5 Decks description
................................................................................................................................... 225
British Standard
..........................................................................................................................................................
5252F 226
FED-STD-595 .......................................................................................................................................................... 227
Munsell Color System
.......................................................................................................................................................... 229
RAL CLASSIC .......................................................................................................................................................... 232
6 Spectral tools
...................................................................................................................................
description 233
Density tools description
.......................................................................................................................................................... 234
Reflection density
......................................................................................................................................................... 235
Dot / Tone .........................................................................................................................................................
(Dot Area) 237
Apparent Trap
......................................................................................................................................................... 239
Print Contrast
......................................................................................................................................................... 240
Hue Error - .........................................................................................................................................................
Grayness - Saturation 241
MI tools description
.......................................................................................................................................................... 243
RAL DESIGN tool
..........................................................................................................................................................
description 245
ISO 3664+ tools..........................................................................................................................................................
description 247
Whiteness tools
..........................................................................................................................................................
description 252
7 References ................................................................................................................................... 259
Section VIII Tutorials 264

1 1- Two simple
...................................................................................................................................
Compares 266
Apple RGB vs sRGB
.......................................................................................................................................................... 267
sRGB vs Adobe..........................................................................................................................................................
(1998) 271
2 2- Two simple
...................................................................................................................................
Converts 275
7
8 BabelColor CT&A
Mac demo version

.......................................................................................................................................................... 280
3 3- Understanding
...................................................................................................................................
clipping 284
4 4- A color picker
...................................................................................................................................
with a twist 291
5 5- L*a*b* / L*u*v*
...................................................................................................................................
input 299
6 6- Simulate ...................................................................................................................................
a ColorChecker color patch 304
7 7- Using the...................................................................................................................................
decks 308
8 8- Measure ...................................................................................................................................
your display ISO 3664 characteristics 314
9 9- Measure ...................................................................................................................................
the display Contrast using the Graph tool 321
10 10- Measuring
...................................................................................................................................
color patches on a display 330
Section IX Technical support 342
Index 345

BabelColor Color Translator & Analyzer
help manual
Section
I
10 BabelColor CT&A
1 Introduction
Thank-you for your interest in

BabelColor CT&A!
Introduction - Table of Contents

· What is BabelColor CT&A ?
QuickStart guide : Main screen
QuickStart guide : Spectral tools
· Purchasing and Registration
· Specifications
· System requirements
· Version history
· Legal notice
· Copyrights and Trademarks
· Credits
Main Help Topics

· Main window Graphic User Interface (GUI)
· Custom RGB space Interface
· Spectral tools Graphic User Interface (GUI)
· Menus
· Mode Settings
· Technical data
· Tutorials
· Technical support
BabelColor® CT&A V-3.0

Help version : 3.0a

Introduction 11
1.1 What is BabelColor CT&A ?

"BabelColor Color Translator & Analyzer", or "BabelColor CT&A" in short form, is :
· a bidirectional color-language translator and comparator, and
· a multi-purpose set of spectral tools.
The color translator and comparator functions are available to anyone who has the program. Access
to the spectral tools requires an Eye-One (also written as "i1") spectrometer, manufactured by X-Rite,
which has to be purchased separately.
A bidirectional color-language translator and comparator :

The "languages" understood by the software include the principal color characterization and
description standards used in the graphic and colorimetric trades : "xyY", "XYZ", "L*a*b*", "L*u*v*",
"Hex #", "HSB", "Munsell HVC", and "RGB", in various illuminant settings.
The first four languages, also called color spaces, are quite common and many tools can be found to
translate amongst them. However, these tools are often provided in the form of computer software
used in conjunction with a connected colorimeter or spectrophotometer, or directly embedded in the
measuring device. Stand-alone tools usually convert the values to a single RGB space, which is often
not defined.
The "Hex #" color representation is simply a conversion of RGB values from the decimal base
(base-10) to the hexadecimal base (base-16). Previously used mainly by programmers, for specifying
colors within a program code, it is now often required for assigning colors when designing Web
pages.
Both "HSB" (Hue-Saturation-Brightness) and the "Munsell HVC" (Hue-Value-Chroma) color systems
describe color using a code structure which attempts to simplify the relation between the perceived
color and its description. The simpler HSB notation is used by many graphic applications in color
pickers, whereas the Munsell notation, a perceptively uniform system and an International Standard,
is used for accurate and critical color assessment.
The last language, "RGB" (in reality : R'G'B'), is the most used but least understood of the lot. For
most people, "RGB is RGB" is like "A rose is a rose", where the same word describes the same
"thing". Alas, RGB spaces are often not the same. The graphic designer is well aware of the
difference between the look of an image created on an Apple Macintosh computer and how it is
displayed on a Windows compatible PC, where both the colors and the brightness (luminance) are
affected. Similarly, the serious amateur or professional photographer will be confronted with a choice
of RGB spaces which are all presented as the best choice for manipulating its images, but which
produce vastly different results.
High-end graphic processing software can easily navigate between several RGB spaces and change
an image color according to desired output intent. They can also perform translations between the
color spaces of the numerous input and output devices. This conversion is often done via ICC based
color management software. The process, performed in the background, even if controlled by the
user, is usually complex and does not provide direct information on how a specific color was
translated : What are the RGB coordinates of a particular color in the new space? Was that color
clipped? By how much? These answers can be found with BabelColor CT&A.
You can also define your own custom RGB space and compare it against any of the standard RGB
spaces provided. You can export the matrix parameters used for XYZ to RGB conversion and get the
Bradford chromatic adaptation matrix between a custom illuminant and many standard illuminants.

12 BabelColor CT&A
In addition to color spaces, the software can translate colors between any RGB space and industry
standard color chips catalogues, herein called "Color Decks". The included Color Decks are : British
Standard 5252F (BS 5252F), the framework for many British color standards; FEDERAL STANDARD
595 (FED-STD-595), a set of colors used in the United States of America for government
procurement; the Munsell collection, which are samples based on the Munsell color system and
manufactured at uniform Hue, Value, and Chroma intervals; and the RAL CLASSIC colors, a set of
colors used in Europe since 1927. User-defined color lists can also be added as Color Decks. Adding
a Deck is performed using the "BabelColor CT&A Export" dialog of the PatchTool program (an
external program), which converts color lists saved in CGATS, CXF or plain text format to the Color
Decks database format.
All of the functions described so far are available through the main window interface, on which you
can compare two colors on various backgrounds (white, gray, black), against each other or
superimposed on one another. You can also see how text of the two selected colors will look on white
or black, or on a background of the other color.
Click here for a QuickStart guide on the Main screen interface.
A multi-purpose set of spectral tools :

These tools are accessed through a dedicated interface dialog, separate from the main window; they
are grouped in six "Themes" :
· Density
· Metamerism Index (MI)
· RAL DESIGN
· Graph
· ISO 3664+
· Whiteness
The Density tools offers a basic Reflection Density tool as well as more advanced Dot Area, Apparent
Trap, Print Contrast, Hue Error, Grayness, and Saturation measurement capabilities.
The MI tools provides numerical data on the stability of a color under various illuminants using the
Color Inconstancy Index (CII, CIECAT02) as well as a a virtual light booth which shows how the color
would appear. When two colors are compared, a MI index is automatically computed. In addition to
many standard Illuminants, you can measure or upload the spectrums of up to two ambient
illuminants for visualization and computation.
The RAL DESIGN tool is used to directly obtain the color of a measured sample in RAL DESIGN
notation.
The Graph tools enable you to compare two spectrums and perform simple math operations between
them. Measurements can be taken in reflectance, emission, ambient and flash modes. Tristimulus
and color space data for both standard Observers (2 degree CIE1931 and 10 degree CIE1964), and
many standard illuminants is also shown. An image of the graphs can be printed and the spectral data
can be exported.
The ISO 3664+ tools can be used to assess compliance for most of ISO 3664 requirements and
viewing conditions, with additional flexibility in setting the individual goals. For example, you may want
to verify how close your display is to a D50 white point, instead of D65 as specified by ISO 3664.
Within seconds, obtain the illuminance, the chromaticity, the color temperature, the Color Rendering
Index (CRI, as per CIE Publication 13), the spectral quality index as per ISO 23603/CIE Standard 12
(an update of CIE Publication 51), and the brightness uniformity of a light booth or of your room
illumination setup. You can save detailed data reports or print a one page formatted sheet which is
ideal for compliance reports.

Introduction 13
The Whiteness tools are designed to measure the whiteness, brightness, fluorescence, and opacity of
printing papers. Please note that fluorescence measurements require a thin, transparent, UV filter,
which is not provided, and an Eye-One which is NOT UV-Cut. The other measurements require
compliant white or black backings, which are also not provided; however, you can easily check a
backing compliance with the provided tools.
Click here for a QuickStart guide on the Spectral tools.

14 BabelColor CT&A
1.1.1 QuickStart: Main screen

The screenshot just below represents the main screen at its smallest size. The main screen can be
continuously enlarged to show additional patch layouts, as shown farther below.
· The LEFT and RIGHT sides both offer the selection of either "RGB Space mode" or "Color Deck
mode".
· Within the RGB Space interface, data can be inserted in display/input boxes with solid black text,
i.e. boxes with grayish text will not accept input.
· In the image shown above, input for Space #1 can be done either with the sliders or the RGB
display/input boxes.
· For Deck #2, input can be done by clicking in any color patch surrounding the center patch, by
selecting a color within the multi-color strip, or by clicking the arrows on the top and bottom of the
strip. A color chip selection mode based on a scrolling patch list can also be selected by clicking on
the "List" radio button.
· In addition, for Space #1, data can be inputted by clicking in the "xy" chromaticity diagram window
(CIE1931, 2 deg.); the input is directed to the space selected in the mouse input control window.
· L*a*b*, L*u*v*, L*a*b* (D50), or L*u*v* (D50) are alternate input modes for all RGB spaces; they are
selected with the checkboxes in the bottom of the space interfaces.
· In "Compare mode", shown above, the inputs are independent of one another.
· In "Convert mode", one space input drives the other one; the "driven" space has all inputs disabled.
· The color-difference between the two spaces colors is shown in the DeltaE* display which also
shows the individual contributions of DeltaL*, DeltaC*, and DeltaH*, as well as Deltah*; fourteen
DeltaE* variants are offered.
· A color patch of each space is shown below the chromaticity diagram. BabelColor CT&A is
color-managed and all colors are processed through the display profile (this display profile can be
changed by the user); any clipping between the actual space color and the converted color is
flagged with a clip indicator (exclamation point) in the bottom-left corner of the color patch.

Introduction 15
In the screenshot below, we see the main screen enlarged to show the additional patch layouts, and
colored text.
In the bottom-left, we see larger patches presented side by side; you can select a gray, white or black
background by just clicking on the patches. In the top-right, we see the patches on different
backgrounds simultaneously. In the bottom-right, we see text of each color on black and white
backgrounds, as well as on a background of the other color; the text content and style can be edited.
For more information on the main screen features, go to the following sections :
· Main screen Graphic User Interface (GUI)
· Menus
· Mode Settings
· Technical data
· Tutorials
For information on the spectral tools :

· QuickStart: Spectral tools
· Spectral tools description

16 BabelColor CT&A
1.1.2 QuickStart: Spectral tools

To get to these tools, you need to have an Eye-One spectrometer connected to the computer on
which BabelColor CT&A is running.
Note : In Windows, if the Eye-One USB drivers are not installed, please consult the
"BabelColor_CT&A_Readme.txt" file located within the main BabelColor CT&A application folder. This
file can be opened directly with the "Start menu/BabelColor/BabelColor CT&A Readme" shortcut.
When the spectrometer is detected on program start-up, the "Peripheral/Calibrate" and "
Tools/Spectral tools..." menus are enabled. A status of the connected instrument can always be
obtained using the "Peripheral/Instrument info..." menu.
The program will select the measurement mode (Ambient, Emission, Reflectance) based on the
selected tool; some tools require/offer more than one measurement mode. At all times, you can
calibrate the current measurement mode by clicking the "Calibrate" button located in the bottom-left of
this dialog.
The "Save to file...", "Save image...", and "Print report..." buttons will appear when the related feature
is available for a given tool. Clicking the "Close" button will close the "Spectral tools" dialog and erase
all current data.
A short introduction to each tool set follows.

Introduction 17
Density Tools
· Setup-1 : Select a "Density standard"; all density data is erased when you accept to change the
density standard.
· Setup-2 : Select a "Measurement type"; data is kept independently for each measurement type.
· Setup-3 : Select a "Formula" (for Dot Area and Apparent Trap) and set the n Factor, if required (for
Dot Area/Yule-Nielson).
· Setup-4 : Select a "White base" if a selection is available (Reflection density, Print Contrast, Hue
error - Grayness - Saturation).
· Setup-5 : Select the "Filter" mode if a selection is available (Reflection density, Dot Area, Print
Contrast).
· If "Paper" is selected for the "White base", click on the "Get" button and follow the instructions.
· Up to five sets of measurements can be done for each Density tool. Select the measurement set by
clicking on a radio button in the "Measurement control" group. You should also see the selected
number (#1, #2, etc.) in the upper-left cell of the data table.
· To make a measurement, either click on the "Get x" button under the square patches or click the
Eye-One button. A yellow indicator is located beside the "Get x" button that will be selected if you
press the Eye-One button. This indicator automatically changes location when multiple inputs are
required for a measurement set.
· To automatically change the measurement number in the "Measurement control" group, simply
check the "Auto-select" box.
· Once a measurement is completed, you can grab it as the reference using the "Grab (Ref.)" button.
· Once there is at least two complete measurements, you can display the average by checking the
"Show avg." box. You can grab the average as the reference.
· Click on "Save to file..." to save the data of the selected "Measurement type". You can also save the
data acquired in all Density tools.

18 BabelColor CT&A
Metamerism Index (MI) Tools
· Setup-1 : Select a "Color difference formula" for the Color Inconstancy Index (CII) and the Special
Metamerism Index (SMI); data will be updated if it is changed after a measurement is done. This
setting does not affect the Metamerism Index (MI) value which is always computed using the
CIELAB color-difference formula.
· Setup-2 : Select an "Observer"; data will be updated if it is changed after a measurement is done.
· Setup-3 : If required, click the "Get Ambient-1" or "Get Ambient-2" button to acquire an ambient
illumination (follow the on-screen instructions). Once acquired, you can save the spectrum in a
standard CGATS file format. You can also load a ambient spectrum from file.
· Setup-4 : Select the two "Illuminants" that will be used for metamerism evaluation; data will be
updated if either is changed after a measurement is done.
· Setup-5: Select the reference illuminant for CII computation. The default value is D65.
· To make a measurement, click on the "Get Ref." or on the "Get Sample" button. A yellow indicator
is located beside the "Get x" button that will be selected if you press the Eye-One button. This
indicator automatically changes location when an input is done at one position; you can change the
indicator location by clicking on it.
· To erase a measurement, first press the Alt key, in Windows, or the Option key on a Mac.
Whenever the mouse cursor is within the tool window, the "Get Ref." or "Get Sample" buttons will
change their caption to "Clear" (if there is a measurement).
· A Color Inconstancy Index (CII) is computed independently for both the Reference and the Sample,
and for each selected illuminant. The CII is computed relative to the CII reference illuminant as
selected in "Setup-5". For example, if D65 is selected as the CII reference, the CII will be zero if
D65 was also selected in "Setup-4" above.
· The DeltaE* color difference is computed between the Reference and the Sample for both selected
illuminants of "Setup-4" above. If the reference and Sample match, or nearly match, under one
Illuminant, the color difference obtained for the Illuminant which does not match is called the
Special Metamerism Index (SMI).
· The Metamerism Index (MI) is computed when there is a Reference and a Sample. There is no
need for a perfect match under one Illuminant.
· Click on "Save to file..." to save a "Metamerism report".

Introduction 19
RAL DESIGN Tool
· Just click on the "Get RAL" button or on the Eye-One button to obtain the RAL DESIGN coordinates
of a color patch (reflectance mode only).

20 BabelColor CT&A
Graph Tools
· Setup-1 : Select a measurement "Mode" in the "Next sample" group (Emission, Ambient,
Reflectance, Flash). Different modes can be used for each sample.
· Setup-2 : Select an "Illuminant" and an "Observer" that will be used to compute the colorimetric data
(L*C*h*, xyY, etc.); data will be updated if they are changed after a measurement is done.
· Setup-3 : Select the data type (L*C*h*, xyY, etc.) and the color difference formula that will be used
with the acquired data; data will be updated if they are changed after a measurement is done.
· Setup-4 : If not already done, calibrate the selected measurement mode by clicking the "Calibrate"
button.
· To make a measurement, click on one of the "Get Sample" buttons. A yellow indicator is located
beside the "Get Sample" button that will be selected if you press the Eye-One button. This indicator
automatically changes location when an input is done at one position; you can change the indicator
location by clicking on it.
· When a measurement is made in "Emission", "Ambient" or "Flash" mode, the photometric quantity,
cd/m2, lux, or lux-sec is shown for this sample.
· When a measurement is made in "Ambient" or "Flash" mode, the Correlated Color Temperature
(CCT, in kelvin) and Color Rendering Index (CRI) of the sample are shown. You can compare such
spectrums against an ideal illuminants by selecting the "S1 vs Illum." or "S2 vs Illum." radio button.
· You can see the numerical coordinates of the spectrums by moving the mouse over the graphs.
· To erase a measurement, first press the Alt key, in Windows, or the Option key on a Mac.
Whenever the mouse cursor is within the tool window, the "Get Sample" buttons will change their
caption to "Clear" (if there is a measurement).
· Mathematical operations can be performed with the spectrums. The operations are enabled
according to the measurement modes of both samples.
· Click on "Save to file..." to save the spectral data or on "Save image..." to save an image of the
display.

Introduction 21
ISO 3664+ Tools
· Setup-1 : Select the "VIEWING CONDITIONS". If "Color monitors" is selected, the Color Rendering
Index (CRI) and Metamerism Index (MI) tests are not required, and not shown in the dialog.
· Setup-2 : Select the "Target center"; selecting "Goal" will show the tolerance required by ISO 3664
.Data will be updated if the target center is changed after a measurement is done.
· Setup-3 : Select the "Ref. Illuminant" for the Color Rendering Index (CRI); D50 is required by ISO
3664. Selecting "Auto" will compute the CRI based on the measured temperature, in kelvin. A
D-series illuminant will be selected for color temperatures over 4000 K, and a blackbody will be
selected for color temperatures below 4000 K. The temperature is assigned in steps of 100 K for
D-series illuminants and 50 K for blackbodies. Data will be updated if the reference illuminant is
changed after a measurement is done.
· Setup-4 : Select the "Ref. Illum." for the Metamerism Index (MI) determined as per ISO 23603/CIE
S 012; D50 is required by ISO 3664. Data will be updated if the reference illuminant is changed
after a measurement is done. This test gives a Quality Grade, from "A" to "E", with "A" being the
best grade, to the measured illumination relative to the selected ideal illuminant.
· Select one of the nine positions in the "Brightness uniformity" group. A complete set of
measurements (Brightness, Chromaticity, CRI, MI) can be taken for each position.
· A test result will be shown as PASS or FAIL. A green colored PASS indicates that the test meets
the requirements of ISO 3664. A yellow colored PASS indicates that the test meets the selected
goal but this goal is not the one recommended by ISO 3664.
· When a measurement is made in more than one position, the relative brightness of each position is
shown in the "Brightness uniformity" group.
· To rapidly take a measurement at each position, select the "Take all" button. The input position will
automatically change after each click on the "Test" button or press of the "Eye-One" button. If the
"Color monitors" viewing condition is selected, the program can automatically draw white target
patches at the prescribed screen positions.
· Click on "Save to file..." to save the measured data and all derived results.
· Click on "Print report..." to print a well-formatted one-page report which contains information
dedicated to compliance reports.

22 BabelColor CT&A
Whiteness Tools
· Important : Fluorescence measurements require a thin, transparent, UV filter, which is not

provided, and an Eye-One which is NOT UV-Cut. The other measurements require compliant white
or black backings, which are also not provided; however, you can easily check white and black
backings compliance with the provided tools.
· Setup-1 : Select the "Whiteness" formula; a common choice is "CIE-GANZ 82".
· To make a measurement, click on one of the buttons. A yellow indicator is located beside the button
that will be selected if you press the Eye-One button. This indicator automatically changes location
when an input is done at one position; you can change the indicator location by clicking on it.
· For a full measurement sequence, first place a blank sheet of paper on a compliant white backing
and press on the "Paper on Wh" button. This will give you the paper Whiteness and Tint, and its
Brightness.
· Then place the UV filter on the paper and press on the "Paper w/filter" button. This will give you the
Brightness w/filter, and the Fluorescence.
· Finally, remove the UV filter and place the paper on a compliant black backing and press on the
"Paper on Bk" button. This will give you the Opacity.
· To check a backing compliance, place your Eye-One on the backing and click on the relevant
"Check..." button. A short message with data will be shown against th button.
· This tool uses the spectrum of a generic UV filter to process the "Paper w/filter" measurement. You
can use your own filter by first measuring a white backing (using the "Check Wh back." button, and
then measuring the transmission of the filter on this same backing with the "Get new UV filter"
button. BabelColor CT&A processes these two measurements to extract the filter transmission
properties. The measured filter will become the default filter afterwards, even if you do not save it in
a file; you can export the filter spectrum in a separate file if you wish, or load a filter spectrum from
file (this is useful to restore the default filter if required; the file is provided in the "UV-filters files"
folder located within the BabelColor application folder).
· To see the spectrum of one of the inputs, check the corresponding box in the "Show" group.
· Click on "Save to file..." to save the spectral data and all the derived data, or on "Save image..." to
save an image of the display.

Introduction 23
For more information on the spectral tools features, go to the following sections :
· Spectral tools description
· Menus
· Mode Settings
· Technical data
· Tutorials
For information on the main screen features :

· QuickStart: Main screen
· Main screen Graphic User Interface (GUI)

24 BabelColor CT&A
1.2 Purchasing and Registration

Important
For Windows :
· You need to purchase a license in order to enable all of the program's features.
· You need to purchase a license in order to use the program after the free evaluation period.
· The evaluation period starts at the date of the first installation.
· Removing and re-installing BabelColor CT&A will not reset the evaluation period.
For Mac OS :
· You need to purchase a license in order to enable all of the program's features.
· The software will remain in evaluation mode as long as it is not registered.
Purchasing
If you decide to purchase this program, please go to our Web site, where clicking on our Home page
"Software Purchase" button will provide detailed instructions, and a link to our secure third party
payment processor.
To purchase, click on the following link to open a Web-browser window :

„ http://www.BabelColor.com .
If you do not find answers to your questions on our Web site, click on the link to send an e-mail :
„ [email protected] .
Registration
Following your purchase of the program, you receive an e-mail confirming the transaction. Keep-it in a
secure place since it also contains your registration name and license key. Enter this information in
the launch dialog as it appears in the document you received. You can Copy/Paste the information to
minimize the possibility of a wrong entry.
For Windows :
· To copy the name or the key, first select the text by double-clicking on it, then press the Control +
C keys (Control and C); to paste, press the Control + V keys.
· The license key received after your purchase is permanent.
· No other key will be sent.
For Mac OS :
· To copy the name or the key, first select the text by double-clicking on it, then press the
Command (z) + C keys (z and C); to paste, press the Command (z) + V keys.
· The license key received after your purchase is permanent.
· No other key will be sent.
Upgrades
The license key will not need to be updated for fractional changes in the software version. For
example, it will be possible to use the same license key for versions 3.x up to, but not equal to, 4.0.
For this reason, keep your licensing information; please note that no other license key will be sent if
you loose track of the first one.
Upgrading to version 3.0 requires purchasing a new license. A rebate will be offered to owners of
previous versions for a certain period following the version release.

Introduction 25
1.3 Specifications
Color comparison and translation tools :
· Supported instruments : X-Rite/GretagMacbeth Eye-One Display, Display 2, and Eye-One Pro
models
· Supported instruments measuring modes : reflectance, emission, ambient illumination (when
available for a given model)
· Compare two RGB spaces amongst twenty (20) pre-defined spaces and one custom space.
· Create a custom RGB space with any primaries, any illuminant, and any single or detailed gamma.
· Define a D-series or blackbody illuminant simply using the source temperature (in kelvin).
· Translate (Convert) from one RGB space to any other.
· Compare and Convert RGB spaces to industry standard color catalogues (Color Decks).
· Input RGB space data in six different formats.
· Acquire a L*a*b* or L*u*v* input from a colorimeter or spectrometer.
· Obtain output data in up to eleven different formats for RGB spaces and nine formats for Color
Decks.
· Calculate the color-difference (DeltaE*) in up to fourteen formats.
· Get the individual contributions of DL*, DC*, DH* in the DeltaE* color-difference, as well as Dh*.
· See the "xy" chromaticity coordinates in graphical form (chromaticity diagram).
· The colors are displayed using the assigned ICC display profile. The display profile can also be
user-selected.
· Get clipping information (an Out-Of-Gamut flag) when converting to a RGB space and when data is
entered using the L*a*b* / L*u*v* input mode.
· Get access to tabular data on spaces, illuminants, Bradford matrices, and XYZ to RGB and RGB to
XYZ matrices.
· Display the chromaticity data of the X-Rite/GretagMacbeth ColorChecker card, the periphery of the
SWOP coated profile, and the Planckian locus.
· Print the chromaticity diagram with or without the numerical colorimetric data.
· Save a report with exhaustive comparative data for the selected colors.
· Export a spreadsheet savvy text report that contains all the parameters required to define and
compute the custom RGB space coordinates, including the XYZ to RGB and RGB to XYZ matrices.
· Get the Bradford chromatic adaptation matrix between the custom Illuminant and many standard
Illuminants.

26 BabelColor CT&A
Spectral tools :
· Supported instruments : X-Rite/GretagMacbeth Eye-One Pro spectrometer (all versions)
· Supported instruments measuring modes : reflectance, emission, and ambient and flash
illumination (when available for a given model)
· Density tools : Reflection Density, Dot Area, Print Contrast, Apparent Trap, Hue error - Grayness -
Saturation
· Metamerism Index (MI) tool : Hunter Metamerism Index (MI), Special Metamerism Index (SMI),
CIECAT02 Color Inconstancy Index (CII), and a virtual light booth; two ambient spectrums, either
measured or loaded from a file can be assigned as illuminants. Measured ambient spectrums can
also be exported as CGATS compliant files.
· RAL DESIGN tool : get the RAL DESIGN coordinates of a color patch.
· Graph tools : Acquire two spectrums and perform basic spectral math operations (Add, Subtract,
Average, Multiply); compare ambient or flash illumination spectrums to the spectrums of ideal
blackbodies or D-series illuminants; user-selected colorimetric data can be displayed for both
Observers (2 and 10 degree) and many illuminants; get the illuminance (lux or lux-sec), the color
temperature (CCT, in kelvin), and Color Rendering Index (CRI) for ambient and flash sources; get
the luminance (cd/m2) for emission sources.
· ISO 3664+ tool : Evaluate the viewing conditions for Prints, Transparencies, and Color monitors, as
per ISO 3664. The measurements include : Color Rendering Index (CRI; CIE Publication 13);
ambient illuminance (lux); monitor luminance (cd/m2); monitor and ambient color temperatures,
chromaticity, and illumination uniformity; light-booth and daylight simulators evaluation (MI and
Quality Grade based on ISO 23603 / CIE S 012. Print a well-formatted one-page report which
contains information dedicated to compliance reports. You can also load an ambient spectrum from
a file instead of measuring it with an Eye-One.
· Whiteness tools : Measure the whiteness, the brightness, the fluorescence, and the opacity of white
papers. Check the compliance of white and black backings. Important : Fluorescence
measurements require a thin, transparent, UV filter, which is not provided, and an Eye-One which is
NOT UV-Cut. The other measurements require compliant white or black backings, which are also
not provided. You can use the default UV filter spectrum, load a filter spectrum from a file, or
measure your own filter and assigned it as the program default.
· Export a spreadsheet savvy text report for the Density, MI, Graph, ISO 3664+, and Whiteness tools.
The Graph and Whiteness files are also CGATS compliant and can be opened by many
color-management software, including BabelColor's PatchTool.
· Export an image of the Graph and Whiteness tools spectrums.

Introduction 27
1.3.1 Inputs
For RGB spaces :
Input formats can be either :
· RGB (in reality : R'G'B')
· L*a*b* referenced to the illuminant of the selected space
· L*a*b* referenced to illuminant D50
· L*u*v* referenced to the illuminant of the selected space
· L*u*v* referenced to illuminant D50
· xy coordinates selected by clicking in the chromaticity diagram
· L*a*b* or L*u*v* input through Eye-One measurements ( input modes are instrument dependant)
For Color Decks :

A color chip can be selected by either :
· clicking in any color patch surrounding the center patch (L*C*h* pad mode)
· clicking in any color patch over or below the center patch (List view mode)
· selecting a color within the multi-color strip
· clicking the arrows on the top and bottom of the multi-color strip

28 BabelColor CT&A
1.3.2 Outputs
For RGB spaces :
Output formats are (for both the space where the input was entered and the destination space, when
in Convert Mode) :
· Hexadecimal equivalent of R'G'B' (Hex #)
· HSB (Hue-Saturation-Brightness)
· Munsell HVC (Hue-Value-Chroma)
· L*C*h* based on either L*a*b* or L*u*v* and the D50 checkbox
· xyY referenced to the illuminant of the selected space
· XYZ referenced to the illuminant of the selected space
· When using a colorimeter/spectrometer in emission or ambient measurement mode, obtain the
Luminance (cd/m2) or Illuminance (lux), as well as the Correlated Color Temperature (CCT, in
kelvin).
In addition, xy coordinates are shown in the chromaticity diagram .
For Color Decks :

Output formats are :
· the color chip name
· L*a*b* referenced to the illuminant of the selected deck
· L*u*v* referenced to the illuminant of the selected deck
· xyY referenced to the illuminant of the selected deck
· XYZ referenced to the illuminant of the selected deck
In addition, xy coordinates are shown in the chromaticity diagram.

Introduction 29
1.3.3 DeltaE* formats

For RGB spaces and Color Decks :
Color-differences, DeltaE*, or DE in abridged form, can be displayed in the following formats
(definitions and equations are shown in the DeltaE* section) :
· DE*ab
"CIELAB color-difference", referenced to the selected space or deck illuminant
· DE*uv
"CIELUV color-difference", referenced to the selected space or deck illuminant
· DE*ab D50
"CIELAB color-difference", referenced to D50 illuminant
· DE*uv D50
"CIELUV color-difference", referenced to D50 illuminant
· DE*94
DE*94-textile
"CIE94 color-difference", referenced to the selected space or deck illuminant. It is generally
assumed that when no other indication is given, the kL, kC, and kH factors of the CIE94 formula are
all equal to 1 (i.e. CIE94(kL:kC) shown as CIE94(1:1) is CIE94; please note that kH is usually not
shown as it is almost always equal to 1). The DE*94-textile version has its kL factor equal to 2, and
can also be expressed as CIE94(2:1).
· DE*94 D50
DE*94-textile D50
"CIE94 color-difference", referenced to D50 illuminant
· DECMC(2:1)
DECMC(1:1)
"CMC(l:c) color-difference", referenced to the selected space or deck illuminant. CMC(2:1) is used
for acceptability (pass/fail) measurements while CMC(1:1) is used for perceptibility measurements.
· DECMC(2:1) D50
DECMC(1:1) D50
"CMC(l:c) color-difference", referenced to D50 illuminant
· DE00
"CIEDE2000 color-difference", referenced to the selected space or deck illuminant
· DE00 D50
"CIEDE2000 color-difference", referenced to D50 illuminant
The color-differences are computed for the illuminant of the spaces or decks being compared, only if
both sides have the same illuminant, and for illuminant D50, in all cases. In addition, the individual
contributions of
· DL*, the lightness difference,
· DC*, the chroma difference, and
· DH*, the hue difference,
to the DeltaE* value, as well as
· Dh*, the hue angle difference,
are shown for each selected format.

30 BabelColor CT&A
1.4 System requirements

Windows
Minimum :
· Windows 2000
· 250 MHz
· 512 MB RAM
· 800 x 600, 16 bit color (the additional patch layouts of the main screen cannot be seen with this
resolution)
· 1024 x 768, 32 bit color (the tool bar should be hidden to maximize the display area)
Recommended :
· Windows XP / Vista / Windows 7
· 700+ MHz
· 1+ GB RAM (2+ GB for Vista and Windows 7)
· 1280 x 1024, 32 bit color (Calibrated display)
Help file :
· Available in PDF and HTML Help formats. Use this link to get the free "Adobe Reader" application.
To use HTML Help, you need to have Internet Explorer 4.0 or above installed on your system,
which also installs the HTML Help support files. Updates to Internet Explorer or for HTML Help can
be obtained from the Microsoft Web site :
„ http://www.microsoft.com/downloads .
Mac OS
Minimum :
· Mac OS X 10.2+
· 250 MHz
· 512 MB RAM
· 800 x 600, 16 bit color (the additional patch layouts of the main screen cannot be seen with this
resolution)
· 1024 x 768, 32 bit color (the task bar should be hidden to maximize the display area)
Recommended :
· Mac OS 10.4+
· 700+ MHz
· 1+ GB RAM
· 1280 x 1024, 32 bit color (Calibrated display)
Compatible with :
· PowerPC and Mac Intel
· The Windows version is compatible with Windows OS on dual boot Mac.
Help file :
· Available in PDF format. To read PDF files, we suggest you install the free "Adobe Reader"
application (formerly named "Acrobat Reader"), Version 5 or above, available at the following Web
site :
„ http://www.adobe.com/products/reader/ .

Introduction 31
1.4.1 Display calibration

In order to maximize the usefulness of the color patches displayed in the program windows, a
calibrated display is strongly recommended; however, a lack of calibration will not affect the numerical
values or the conversion accuracy. If you do not have access to dedicated display calibration
hardware and software tools, we suggest you use the following procedures to optimize the display
contrast and its dynamic range. If you do have access to calibration instruments, then you most likely
have already done a custom ICC profile for your display and no further calibration should be required.
We nonetheless suggest that you check your display using this procedure, but without making any
additional hardware adjustments (go over Steps 8 and 9).
BabelColor CT&A being color-managed, it will automatically load the default display profile when
launched, or a profile that you have selected (see the Options / Preferences Section for more info).
Note : Some displays dedicated to Windows based PCs offer a sRGB setting which, when selected,
disables their contrast and brightness controls. In the absence of any calibration equipment, you
should select this setting and use the following procedures for checking purposes only.
Note : The following procedures were originally written for CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) displays. Since
most LCD (Liquid Crystal Displays) flat panels usually do not have individual contrast and brightness
adjustments, you can only use the procedures for evaluation. In addition, for LCD displays, because
of their rapidly changing luminance, color and contrast characteristics with view angle, it is important
to maintain the same horizontal and vertical view angles relative to the display.
Important : Since displays can represent only a subset of the colors humans can see, all colors in
BabelColor CT&A are converted, for viewing purposes only, to the user-selected display profile. If you
do not have a custom ICC profile of your display, we strongly suggest that you select one of the
standard profile provided offered in the Options/Preferences dialog; you should select "sRGB (CT&A)"
for the Windows platform and for Mac OS X 10.4+, and "Generic RGB (CT&A)" on a Mac with an
older OS. In many cases, a given space color will be out of the display profile range (gamut); when
this happens, clip indicators are shown in the bottom-left corner of the corresponding patch (no clip
indicator should appear while doing the following "Contrast adjustment" and "Highlight check"
procedures).
Contrast adjustment
This procedure is based on Ref. 4.
1. Open the computer and let the display stabilize for at least 15 minutes (30 minutes plus
recommended), making sure that the screen saver does NOT start during this period.
2. Dim the room lights, and make sure no direct light comes from the room windows if this
procedure is done during daytime.
3. Start BabelColor CT&A.
4. Open the Options (Windows) / Preferences (Mac) dialog. This dialog is called with the "
File/Options..." menu command in Windows, the "BabelColor CT&A/Preferences..." menu
command in Mac OS X. If you have previously calibrated (profiled) your display, check that it
is selected as the "default" Destination in the "Display profiles" section. If you do not have a
custom ICC profile of your display, select "sRGB (CT&A)" for the Windows platform and for
Mac OS X 10.4+, and "Generic RGB (CT&A)" on a Mac with an older OS. You can now close
the dialog and go back to the main screen.
5. In Windows and for Mac OS X 10.4+, select sRGB for Space #1 and Space #2. Select
Generic RGB for both spaces on a Mac with an older OS.
6. Bring the "Y" sliders of both spaces to zero (i.e. pure black with "R", "G" and "B" = 0).
7. Raise the "Y" slider of Space #2 to 16 (i.e. "R", "G" and "B" = 16). This very dark gray is
displayed in the smaller center patch.
8. Set the display contrast control, usually represented by a circle with two contrasting halves, to
its highest setting.

32 BabelColor CT&A
9. Adjust the brightness control, usually represented by a "sun" logo (circle with rays), to make
the center patch as dark as possible, but not black.
10. If you have problems distinguishing the contrast between the two patches, simultaneously
raise all the sliders of Space #2 by steps of 2 by clicking the Up-arrow of the "Y" slider and
readjust the display brightness control.
On the other hand, you can try lowering the Space # 2 values and further increase the display
brightness until it is no longer possible to do Step 9. It is not unusual to be able to see the
center patch when Space #2 is as low as 12 (i.e. "R", "G" and "B" = 12), or even lower. If
performed in sRGB, these settings correspond to a DeltaE*ab color difference of 3.32; in
Generic RGB and Apple RGB the DeltaE*ab color difference is 3.69.
Important : We do not recommend increasing the display brightness control above the point
where a patch corresponding to RGB values of 10 or less is noticeable with just a glance (i.e.
a fraction of a second).
Note : This procedure is similar to the first steps of the "Adobe Gamma" Control Panel
formerly provided with most products from Adobe Systems Inc. Please note that "Adobe
Gamma" used a center patch value of 38 (sRGB) which is, in our view, too high.
Note : Color accuracy is not obtained with this procedure. Also, obtaining neutral grays require
additional display adjustments. Nonetheless, relative color comparison can still be done.
Highlight check
This procedure enables you to verify that your display is not saturated when displaying pure white,
i.e., that it can show details in the highlights. The contrast adjustment procedure should be done prior
to this check.
1. In Windows and for Mac OS X 10.4+, select sRGB for Space #1 and Space #2. Select
Generic RGB for both spaces on a Mac with an older OS.
2. Set all Space #1 RGB values to 255 and all Space #2 RGB values to 251.
3. You should be able to see the lower intensity center patch; these settings correspond to a
1.38 DeltaE*ab color difference for sRGB and a 1.1 DeltaE*ab difference for Generic RGB. If
not, lower the Space #2 values by steps of 2 until you see a difference. You can try lowering
the brightness to see if it affects saturation but this will affect your contrast adjustment and
ability to distinguish shadows.

Introduction 33
1.5 Version history

Version 3.0 b238 (2010-06-07)
New features :
· The program is now color-managed. The patches color in the main screen and in Spectral Tools are
corrected using the default, or user-selected, ICC display profile.
· Spectral Tools - Whiteness : Added a set of tools to measure paper whiteness, brightness,
fluorescence, and opacity. There are also tools to check if white and black backings are compliant.
Some accessories are required; see the Specifications for more information.
· Spectral Tools - Whiteness : Use this tool to measure color patches with and without UV-cut with
only a non-UV-cut Eye-One. A UV-blocking filter is required; see the Specifications for more
information.
· Spectral Tools - Metamerism Index : There are now two custom Ambient inputs instead of one.
· Spectral Tools - Metamerism Index : You can save a measured Ambient illuminant to a file and load
the illuminant from a file.
· Spectral Tools - ISO 3664+ : You can print well formatted one-page reports which contains
information dedicated to compliance reports.
· Spectral Tools - ISO 3664+ : You can load an Ambient spectrum from a file instead of having to
measure it.
· Custom RGB space: added the L* (L-star) tone response curve in the preset gamma list.
· Main screen : Additional patch layouts are available when increasing the screen dimensions.
Compare color patches on various backgrounds and see how text of each color looks like on black
and white backgrounds, as well as on a background of the other color.
· Main screen : The chromaticity diagram is now represented in color to help select a colors with a
mouse-click, and the coordinates are shown while moving the mouse over the diagram.
· Main screen : You can select a color on the chromaticity diagram with a mouse left-click or a mouse
right-click (ctrl + click on a one-button Mac mouse) and assign the input respectively to one space
or the other.
· Main screen : Added the option to show the Planckian locus in the chromaticity diagram.
· Added a Page Setup menu to set the margins, paper size, and paper orientation prior to printing.
Improvements :
· Spectral Tools - Graph : You can save an image at twice the screen resolution for improved quality
when printing.
· Spectral Tools - ISO 3664+ : Updated the requirements to those of ISO 3664:2009(E) (essentially,
the expected display Luminance is now 160 cd/m2 instead of 100 cd/m2)
· Main screen : The eciRGB 1.0 space has been updated to eciRGB_v2, with a L* (L-star) tone
response curve.
· Main screen : You can change the instrument measurement mode with the mouse popup menu.
· The measuring instrument serial number and UV filter information is included in saved files and
reports.
· The saved files and reports have been reviewed for presentation uniformity.
Bug fix :
· Will show a warning message and not an error message when trying to save a file which is opened
by another application, or locked.
· (Mac OS X-Intel) The main screen gray background is uniform on program start; before the fix, it
was required to resize the display to refresh the background.

34 BabelColor CT&A
Version 2.8.5 b200 (2009-03-11)
New feature :
· Spectral Tools - Graph : Added the capability to measure FLASH light sources (Flash mode).
Improvements :
· Spectral Tools - Graph : The CRI (Color Rendering Index) and the reference illuminant used to
compute it are now shown in the Graph tools for Ambient and Flash modes.
Bug fix :
· Fixed the problem where the program would go into an infinite loop with imported Color Decks of
less than 20 chips (Note: Custom Color Decks are imported via BabelColor's PatchTool).
Version 2.8.0 b198 (2008-05-05)
New features :
· Spectral Tools - Graph : A contextual menu was added to configure the horizontal and vertical
graph grids.
· Spectral Tools - Metamerism Index : The reference illuminant for the Color Inconstancy Index (CII)
used to be fixed at D65. It is now possible to select among a list of 12 preset illuminants, or select a
locally measured ambient illuminant.
Improvements :
· Spectral Tools - ISO 3664+ : The brightness uniformity can now be done on up to nine points as per
ISO 12646 and the uniformity tool interface has also been improved. Target images for monitor
brightness uniformity measurements have been redone; they are included as individual files.
· Spectral Tools - Graph : Finer scaling steps for the graph display.
Bug fix :
· Fixed a computation problem when measuring reflectance samples (with an Eye-One Pro) with an
RGB space based on Illuminant E, in the main screen. The problem did not affect Emission or
Ambient measurements in the main screen, or any measurement type, including Reflectance, in
the Spectral tools.
Other :
· New tutorial : Measuring color patches on a display.
· (Windows) The Color Decks database is now located in the user "Documents" folder, where it can
be more easily accessed. As an additional benefit, there is no more a requirement to be a system
administrator in Windows XP; this change also makes the program better compliant to Windows
Vista security requirements.
· Windows 98 is no longer supported; the last compatible version for this OS is 2.7.1.

Introduction 35
Version 2.7.1 b189 (2007-12-06)
Improvements :
· (Windows Vista) The drivers and system libraries (DLL) are now fully approved for this OS.
· (Mac) The program is now offered in Universal binaries and Intel packages.
Bug fix :
· Fixed the reload of the custom RGB space data when starting the program. This bug was
introduced in version 2.7.0.
· (Windows Vista) Windows Vista incorporates a Data Execution Prevention (DEP) feature which
monitors how applications access memory. In most Vista Home systems, the DEP setting is set, by
default, to check only the system programs and services; in this case, even before the fix,
BabelColor CT&A started correctly. However, the DEP setting can be changed by the user, either
globally or on a program by program basis, and its default setting may also vary for other OS
configurations. BabelColor CT&A did not start when the DEP was assigned to all applications, or to
BabelColor CT&A only; this has been fixed.
Version 2.7.0 b187 (2007-05-21)
New features :
· A contextual menu was added to most data fields, enabling a copy of all coordinates in a single
mouse click. The copied data, in Tab-delimited format, can be pasted in multiple columns within
spreadsheets and document tables.
· Because many LCD displays have a natural D60 white point, the D60 Illuminant was added in the
selection menus of the Graph Tools and the ISO 3664 Chromaticity measurement.
· The Generic RGB space (ColorSync default space on Mac OS X) was added to the RGB space list.
· Additional selections were added to the display space Options/Preferences setting, and the Generic
RGB space is now the proposed default selection for Mac OS X.
Improvements :
· Faster program startup.
· Faster loading of the Color Decks.
Bug fix :
· Fixed a data corruption problem when measuring emission data in the main screen after opening
the ISO 3664 tools tab and coming back to the main screen (Note: there was no corruption when
staying in the main screen or using the other Spectral Tools).
Other :
· Changed the Color Decks database format.
Version 2.6.1 b181 (2007-04-03)
Bug fix :
· Corrected a bug which made the program crash in certain operations when not registered.
Other :
· (Mac) The downloadable file is now compressed in a zip type archive.

36 BabelColor CT&A
Version 2.6.0 b180 (2007-01-03)
New feature (via PatchTool) :

· User-defined color lists can now be added as color chips catalogues (Color Decks). Adding a Color
Deck is performed using the "BabelColor CT&A Export" dialog of the PatchToolTM program (an
external program), which converts color lists saved in CGATS, CXF or plain text format to the Color
Decks database format. PatchTool can also remove Color Decks from the deck database.
PatchTool's "BabelColor CT&A Export" window is accessible even when the program is not
registered; however, accessing all of PatchTool's features requires purchasing a separate license.
Bug fix :
· Fixed a crash problem on Windows OS when using the program from account names defined with
letters having accented characters (Ex: Frãnz, János, etc.).
Other :
· The program name was changed to "BabelColor Color Translator and Analyzer", or "BabelColor
CT&A" in short form, to better differentiate it from other BabelColor products.
Version 2.5.1 b178 (2006-08-18)
New features :
· Added the British Standard 5252F (BS 5252F) and RAL CLASSIC Color Decks.
Bug fix :
· The Eye-One Display and Eye-One Display 2 colorimeters are now properly recognized (Note : the
Eye-One Pro instruments were not affected by the problem).
Version 2.5 b175 (2005-06-20)
New features :
· Can input data from the Eye-OneTM colorimeters and spectrometers
· Spectral tools which include :
1. Density tools : Reflection Density; Dot Area; Print Contrast; Apparent Trap; Hue error -
Grayness - Saturation;
2. Metamerism Index tools : Hunter Metamerism Index (MI); Special Metamerism Index (SMI);
Color Inconstancy Index (CII); virtual light booth with ambient illumination input;
3. RAL tool : get the RAL DESIGN coordinates of a color patch;
4. Graph tools : analyze reflectance, ambient or emission spectrums; get ambient illuminance
(lux), monitor luminance (cd/m2), ambient Correlated Color Temperature (CCT, in kelvin);
spectral math operations (Add, Subtract, Average, Multiply); compare an ambient spectrum to
ideal blackbodies or D-series illuminants spectrums;
5. ISO 3664+ tools : viewing conditions assessment, with Color Rendering Index (CRI; CIE
Publication 13), ambient illuminance, monitor luminance, CCT, chromaticity, and illumination
uniformity, light booth and daylight simulators evaluation (CIE Standard 12, an updated version
of CIE Publication 51).
· Export a spreadsheet savvy text report for most spectral tools (Density, Metamerism Index, Graph,
ISO 3664+) and export an image of the spectral graphs.
Bug fix :
· Fixed a registration issue associated with operating systems set in languages using double-bytes
font encoding (Unicode), languages such as Japanese, Chinese, etc.

Introduction 37
Version 2.1 b100 (2005-01-04)
New features :
· A custom RGB space can now be defined by the user (Tools menu).
· A custom D-series or blackbody illuminant can be defined using the source temperature (in kelvin).
· Export a spreadsheet savvy text report that contains all the parameters required to define and
compute the custom RGB space coordinates.
· Get the Bradford chromatic adaptation matrix between the custom Illuminant and many standard
Illuminants.
Version 2.0.5 b094 (2004-11-01)
New feature :
· Addition of the DeltaE2000 (CIEDE2000) color difference formula.
Bug fixes :
· Solved the issue where it was not possible to precisely select colors near the blue primary of large
RGB spaces, such as ProPhoto, by clicking in the "xy" chromaticity diagram.
· Fixed the problem of unstable interface for users in regions of the world where a period is used as a
separator for thousands (ex. : 6.123,43). Editing the regional preferences to assign a space to the
thousands separator is no longer necessary. Affected regions included: Belgium, German speaking
countries, Italy, the Nederlands, Portuguese speaking countries, and some Spanish speaking
countries.
Version 2.0.1 b092 (2004-10-17)
Bug fix :
· Solved the issue where the program crashed when entering particular combinations of RGB values
(out-of-range parameters were sometimes generated when converting to other color notations).
Version 2.0 b091 (2004-10-12)
New features :
· First release with the "Color Deck" viewing mode where the user can browse and convert colors
from and to catalogues of color chips.
· Now provides the individual contributions of DL*, DC*, DH* in the DeltaE* color-difference, as well
as Dh*.
· Six RGB spaces have been added : BestRGB, Beta RGB, DonRGB4, eciRGB, Ekta Space PS5,
and ProPhoto.
· Two color spaces have been added : Munsell HVC (interpolated) and L*C*h*.
· User selected Options (Windows) / Preferences (Mac) are now saved, when changed, and loaded
when the program starts.
Improvements :
· The data tables in the saved report are easier to read (and import in a spreadsheet).
· The input boxes parsing routine has been redone.
· The tutorials were reviewed for better cross-platform use. A tutorial was added for the new "Color
Deck" mode.

38 BabelColor CT&A
Bug fixes :
· Solved the issue where entering negative numbers in the L*a*b*/L*u*v* input boxes resulted in odd
data entry point behavior.
· Solved a bug in the CMC DeltaE* computation which introduced a small error for small color
differences, but which increased with large color differences.
Version 1.2 b019 (2004-03-15)
New features :
· First release of the Mac version with support for OS 8 and 9 (Mac Classic), and OS X.
Improvements :
· Windows version significantly faster than version 1.1.
· Better Print routine which supports more printers and page widths.
· Improved parsing in input boxes.
· Improved GUI uniformity with various display Appearance settings (Windows).
Bug fixes :
· No more printing limitations when using the program in a 800 x 600 display.
Other :
· Windows 95 not supported anymore.
Version 1.1 (2003-11-03)
First released version. For all Windows versions : 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP.

Introduction 39
1.6 Legal notice

IMPORTANT NOTICE
Read this License Agreement carefully before using this Software. BY USING THIS SOFTWARE IN
ANY WAY YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTAND AND AGREE TO THE
TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THESE TERMS, DO NOT USE THIS
SOFTWARE IN ANY WAY, AND PROMPTLY DELETE ANY COPIES OF THIS SOFTWARE IN
YOUR POSSESSION.
LICENSE GRANT
The BabelColor Company ("BabelColor") grants you a non-exclusive license ("License") to use the
BabelColor Color Translator & Analyzer software ("BabelColor CT&A"), and any associated files and
documentation, hereby collectively called "The Software", as indicated herein.
For Windows :
You MAY : (a) install and use the Software for evaluation purposes only during 14 days after the
installation; (b) when purchased, install and use the registered Software for a single (one) user, on a
single (one) computer, per purchased License. One additional "Home" install, for personal use, is
granted to the SAME user of a given License if the program is purchased for business purposes.
For Mac OS :
You MAY : (a) install and use the Software in evaluation mode as long as you wish; (b) when
purchased, install and use the registered Software for a single (one) user, on a single (one)
computer, per purchased License. One additional "Home" install, for personal use, is granted to the
SAME user of a given License if the program is purchased for business purposes.
RESTRICTIONS
You MAY NOT : (a) sell or resell this Software package; (b) transfer your License; (c) distribute or
offer for download the Software without a written agreement with BabelColor; (d) cause or permit
reverse engineering, disassembly, decompilation or alteration of this Software; (e) remove any
product identification, copyright notices, or other notices or proprietary restrictions from this Software;
(f) copy the documentation accompanying the Software; (g) extract the data contained in the Color
Decks database and publicly distribute it, or offer it for resale, or use it within another product, without
a written agreement with BabelColor.
TERM
This License is effective until terminated. You may terminate it at any time by destroying the Software,
together with all copies thereof. This License will also terminate if you fail to comply with any term or
condition of this Agreement. Upon such termination, you agree to destroy the Software, together with
all copies thereof.
COPYRIGHT/OWNERSHIP
This Software and its source code are proprietary products of BabelColor and are protected by
copyright and other intellectual property laws.
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES
The Software is supplied "AS IS". BabelColor disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including,
without limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. The user must
assume the entire risk of using the Software.
DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES
BabelColor assumes no liability for damages, direct or consequential, which may result from the use
of the Software, even if BabelColor has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

40 BabelColor CT&A
1.7 Copyrights and Trademarks

"BabelColor" is a registered trademark, and the BabelColor logos :
and "PatchTool" are trademarks of Danny Pascale and the BabelColor Company.
· "Adobe", "Adobe Gamma" and "Photoshop" are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems
Incorporated.
· "Apple", "ColorSync", "Mac", "Mac OS" and "Macintosh" are registered trademarks of Apple
Computer Incorporated.
· "ColorMatch" and "Radius" are registered trademarks and "Digital Origin" and "PressView" are
trademarks of Digital Origin. (Note : company status unknown)
· "Fujichrome" is a trademark and "Velvia" is a registered trademark of the Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
· "GretagMacbeth" is a trademark, and "ColorChecker", "Munsell" and "Eye-One" are registered
trademarks of GretagMacbeth. GretagMacbeth is wholly owned by X-Rite Incorporated.
· "IDEAlliance" is a registered trademarks of International Digital Enterprise Alliance, Incorporated.
· "Kodak" and "Ektachrome" are trademarks of the Eastman Kodak Company.
· "Pantone" is a registered trademarks of Pantone, Inc.
· "RAL" and "RAL DESIGN" are registered trademarks of the RAL German Institute for Quality
Assurance and Certification e.V.
· "SGI" and "Silicon Graphics" are registered trademarks of Silicon Graphics Incorporated.
· "SoLux" is a registered trademark of Tailored Lighting, Incorporated.
· "Sony" and "Trinitron" are registered trademarks of Sony Corporation.
· "SWOP" is a registered trademark of SWOP Incorporated.
· "Windows" is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
· "X-Rite" is a registered trademark of X-Rite Incorporated.

Introduction 41
1.8 Credits
DEVELOPED BY
· Danny Pascale, programming, documentation, etc.
SPECIAL THANKS TO
· Sylvie Fournier, for her support of the project, especially during the long hours...
· Frédérique and Pierre-Alexandre, for their interest in dad's work.
· Roger Breton, for his critical questioning of the program internal mechanics, his curiosity, and for
his numerous pertinent suggestions.
· Marti Maria, for his free lcms (Little Color Management System, or LittkeCMS) color software
libraries ( http://www.littlecms.com ).
· Jordan Russell, for Inno Setup, a free, and really good, installer for Windows applications (
http://www.jrsoftware.org ).
· All beta testers and customers, who helped improve this product by their questions, comments,
bug reports and request for enhancements.

help manual
Section
II
44 BabelColor CT&A
2 Main screen GUI
On the above image, click on any zone defined by a red border for more specific information, or use
the Table of Contents below. Clicking in a zone with a green border will make you jump to topics
discussed in the Mode Settings section.
Interface - Table of Contents

· Space interface
· Deck interface
· Chromaticity diagram
· Color patches displays
· Text on backgrounds
· Mouse input display
· DeltaE* displays
See also the following topics in the Mode Settings section :

· Space/Deck select
· Compare/Convert select

Main screen GUI 45
2.1 Space interface
The interface is identical for Space #1 (LEFT side) and Space #2 (RIGHT side).
Click on a specific zone of the interface image for more information, or use the Table of Contents
below.
Space interface - Table of Contents

· Space selection
· Sliders
· Data displays
· D50 mode checkbox
· L*a*b* / L*u*v* input mode checkbox

46 BabelColor CT&A
2.1.1 Space selection
You can select any of twenty (20) pre-defined spaces or one custom space by clicking in the window
where the space name appears and sliding the mouse to the required space. The selection list is the
same for Space #1 and Space #2. The "Custom space" can be defined in terms of "illuminant",
"primaries", and "gamma" with a dialog that is opened using the "Tools/Define custom RGB..." menu
command.
The illuminant corresponding to the selected space will automatically be shown below the space
name.
Selection change effect in Compare mode

After a space selection, if the Input mode for the Space is R'G'B', the system uses the displayed
R'G'B' values to re-compute (recalc) all other data fields (xyY, XYZ, L*a*b*, L*u*v*, L*a*b* (D50),
L*u*v* (D50), DeltaE*... ).
If the input mode for the Space is L*a*b* / L*u*v* (see L*a*b* / L*u*v* input mode), and the
button (click here for information on this button) is NOT active at the change request, the system uses
the displayed values of either L*a*b*, L*u*v*, L*a*b* (D50), or L*u*v* (D50), depending on the selected
modes, and updates all the others, including R'G'B'.
If the button is active at the change request, then the following sequence is performed :
1. The L*a*b* / L*u*v* display boxes are reloaded with the last computed values.
2. The "GO !" button is de-activated.
3. A recalc is performed with the new space parameters.
In Compare mode, the spaces and decks are independent and only the Space for which the space
selection was changed will be updated.
Selection change effect in Convert mode

If the change is in a Space which is the source of the data (i.e. being converted "FROM"), then the
selection change has the same effect as if in Compare mode. However, the other Space or Deck (i.e.
being converted "TO"), is updated thereafter.

Main screen GUI 47
If the change is in a Space which is being converted "TO", then the selection change first triggers a
recalc on the other side, Space or Deck, which then updates the Space which was changed. If that
other side (i.e. being converted "FROM") is in "L*a*b* / L*u*v* input" mode and the button is
active at the change request, the L*a*b* / L*u*v* display boxes are reloaded and the "GO !" button is
de-activated before a recalc of both sides.
2.1.2 Sliders
R'G'B' SLIDERS
The R, G and B sliders control the R'G'B' inputs. Their minimum value is zero and their maximum is
255; all values in between are integer numbers. The actual values are shown in the R'G'B' display
boxes under the sliders.
"Y" SLIDER
The Y slider is a luminance control related to the "Y" in the xyY or XYZ color representations. Its
minimum value is zero but its maximum is controlled by a combination of the R'G'B' values and the
selected space characteristics. The "Y" value is not linearly related to the slider position. Moving the Y
slider affects the R, G and B sliders and displays, as well as the "Y" display, but it does not affect the
"xy" coordinates, as it can be verified by looking at the xyY data display or the position of the space's
color on the chromaticity diagram.
The Y slider has the following characteristics :

· It is always positioned at the level of the maximum value of the current R'G'B' data set.
· Increasing and decreasing it will maintain the color content (chroma, i.e. "xy" coordinates) irrelevant
of luminance.
· In order to maintain the accuracy of the "xy" coordinates when moving the "Y" slider, the slider will
generate fractional values of R', G' and B'. See the data integrity section for more information. The
R'G'B' data displays show rounded integer values in this case.
· Moving the Y slider to the top will give you the brightest R'G'B' coordinates (with maximum "Y" and
maximum "L*"), in the selected RGB space, for the current "xy" data set.
· "Y" acts like the Brightness variable in the HSB (Hue-Saturation-Brightness) color model. Calling it
"Y" prevents confusion with the B of RGB. But, more importantly, by not providing a fixed scale
value display and associating it, instead, to a variable with a physical significance, "Y", it gives a
better assessment of the real luminance of a color; in comparison, the "B" in HSB is the relative
brightness of a Hue and Saturation combination, with a maximum of 100 for all combinations.

48 BabelColor CT&A
Note : "Y" is proportional to the luminance of the color (measured in cd/m2) as it would be measured
with a photometric detector. Doubling its value doubles the amount of flux emitted by the color patch.
However, since the human eye is not a linear detector, the perceived brightness is less than doubled.
The "L*" of the L*a*b* and L*u*v* color representations are designed to closely mimic the human eye
in terms of brightness response and can, as well, be mentally associated with the Y slider. One
advantage of doing so is the somewhat more linear association of the slider position with the "L*"
value. Please note, however, that increasing or decreasing the Y slider not only changes "L*" but the
"a*" and "b*" coordinates as well.
SLIDERS' CONTROL
All four sliders in each space can be positioned by either :
· Moving the elevator box directly with the mouse.
· Clicking between the elevator and the arrows at the extremities.
· Clicking the arrows at the extremities.
The R'G'B' values will change by the amounts showed in the above illustration. The "Y" slider will
affect the maximum value of the R'G'B' data set by the amount shown. The actual value change for
"Y" is relative to the maximum emitted flux of each specific color, and is thus different for each color
and space.
Note : Starting with "Y" at the top of its slider, clicking repeatedly between the elevator box and the
bottom arrow will give 32 color patches of uniformly decreasing brightness, plus a patch of black at
the last click.
2.1.3 Data displays

As a rule, within the space interface zone, a display box which can accept an input from the user has
solid black text. As well, a display box which cannot accept an input has grayish text.
Click or double-click in the data display boxes to change the values. Use the Tab key to move
between all the enabled boxes of both spaces, either R'G'B' or L*a*b* / L*u*v*.
Data is presented in the following formats :
The red, green and blue background colors of the RGB data displays shown above indicate that
this space input mode is R'G'B', i.e. color data for this space is entered either directly in these
boxes, or via the sliders. If data in this space was converted from the other space, the RGB display
would be seen as follow :

Main screen GUI 49
In the display just above, the background color of the R'G'B' display boxes is yellowish and the text
is grayish (input is disabled). The sliders are also disabled.
When this display is visible, you will notice, from time to time, the appearance and disappearance
of red exclamation points ( ! ) between the display boxes and the sliders; these clipping
indicators which inform the user that the color from the originating space is out of the converted
space gamut, and it had to be clipped; see the Mode settings section for more information on the
Convert mode.
You can copy numerical data into other applications by making a mouse right-click (or ctrl + click
on a one-button Mac mouse) on a data field. Shown below is the contextual menu which appears
with a right-click on an RGB field or on a xyY field; selecting the menu will transfer the three
coordinates into the clipboard, separated by Tabs. You can then easily paste the values in a
spreadsheet or document table, where they will be distributed in three columns.
· Hex # (Hexadecimal equivalent of R'G'B')

· HSB (Hue-Saturation-Brightness)
Use the menu located below the "RGB" label to select among the following color spaces : Hex #,
HSB, Munsell HVC, L*C*h*, xyY or XYZ.
The Munsell HVC values are not simply the ones corresponding to the closest sample in the
Munsell deck catalogue, but are INTERPOLATED values that closely match the selected Space
color.

50 BabelColor CT&A
The L*C*h* values are automatically updated, even if there is no color change, when you change
the L*a*b* / L*u*v* display and when you click in the "L*a*b* / L*u*v* in D50" checkbox described
below. The displayed values are :
1. L*C*abH*ab referenced to the space illuminant when L*a*b* is selected and the "L*a*b* /
L*u*v* in D50" checkbox is NOT selected
2. L*C*uvH*uv referenced to the space illuminant when L*u*v* is selected and the "L*a*b* /
L*u*v* in D50" checkbox is NOT selected
3. L*C*abH*ab referenced to D50 when L*a*b* is selected and the "L*a*b* / L*u*v* in D50"
checkbox IS selected
4. L*C*uvH*uv referenced to D50 when L*u*v* is selected and the "L*a*b* / L*u*v* in D50"
checkbox IS selected

Use the bottom menu to select either the L*a*b* or L*u*v* color space.
Checking the "L*a*b* / L*u*v* in D50" checkbox instructs the program to show L*a*b*, L*u*v* and
L*C*h* values converted to illuminant D50, irrelevant of the illuminant of the selected space. Of
course, if the space illuminant is D50, no change will be seen in the displays. When the "L*a*b* /
L*u*v* in D50" checkbox is unchecked, the L*a*b*, L*u*v* and L*C*h* displays show values
corresponding to the illuminant of the selected space.
Changing the L*a*b* / L*u*v* selection or changing the "L*a*b* / L*u*v* in D50" checkbox status will
automatically update the L*C*h* display, whether it is visible or not. Please refer to the additional
information on the L*C*h* display above.
Checking the "L*a*b* / L*u*v* input" checkbox instructs the program to use L*a*b* or L*u*v* as
input values; this selection is also required for Eye-One input. Click here for more information on
the "L*a*b* / L*u*v* input" interface.
When in "L*a*b* / L*u*v* input" mode, and when the button is active, changing the L*a*b* /
L*u*v* selection or the "L*a*b* / L*u*v* in D50" checkbox status will reset the display to the
previously calculated values, and disable the "GO !" button.
Note : Be cautious, the L*a*b* values shown in Adobe Photoshop are always in D50, irrelevant of
the illuminant of the selected space.
For more information on the program modes, go to the Mode Settings section.

Main screen GUI 51
2.1.3.1 L*a*b* / L*u*v* input interface
The above display is obtained by checking the "L*a*b* / L*u*v* input" checkbox.
The light green background color and the solid black text of the L*a*b* data displays indicate that this
space input mode is L*a*b*, i.e. color data for this space is entered directly in these boxes. The R'G'B'
sliders and RGB data boxes are disabled.
ALTERNATE INPUT MODES

Alternate input modes are L*u*v*, L*a*b* (D50), or L*u*v* (D50); they are selected with a combination
of the L*a*b* / L*u*v* dropdown selection list and the "L*a*b* / L*u*v* in D50" checkbox :
INPUT PROCESS
Click or double-click in the data display boxes to change the values. Press the Tab key to move
between the boxes. Whenever a display content is changed, a button with a red background and "GO
!" written on it appears :
You will notice, when entering data, that all other displays are NOT automatically updated. To update,
click on the button; alternately, press the Return or the Enter key.

52 BabelColor CT&A
This manual refresh procedure was devised because the L*a*b* and L*u*v* spaces can describe all
the visible spectrum while the R'G'B' spaces only represent a subset of it. When entering data, it is
very likely that the color described by the input data is outside of the R'G'B' space gamut; clipping will
occur. In such a case, the software will derive the closest color corresponding to the input data when
the "GO !" button is clicked.
Eye-One input
If you have an Eye-One colorimeter (Display or Display 2 models) or spectrometer (Eye-One Pro
model), you can input data using either the "Peripheral" menu, a pop-up menu (right-click, on a three
buttons mouse, or ctrl + click on a single-button Mac mouse), or simply by clicking on the Eye-One
button (Pro model).
When in ambient or emission mode, set using the "Peripheral / Measurement mode" menu, a
measurement will also provide the Illuminance (in lux) or Luminance (in cd/m2), plus the Correlated
Color Temperature (CCT), in kelvin. Please note that the CCT will be computed only if the coordinates
are within the central "Illuminant" zone of the chromaticity diagram.
More information on how input from the Eye-One is processed can be found in the Input modes
section.
CLIPPING INDICATORS
The red exclamation points ( ! ) between the display boxes and the sliders, like the one visible in the
image shown in INPUT PROCESS, just above, are clipping indicators. They give advanced clipping
warning. They identify the R'G'B' coordinate(s) that are clipped by the data present in the input
boxes. The three data input fields can be modified at will, until the "GO !" button is pressed, to see
how and if other data sets will be clipped.
By clicking the "GO !" button in the above display (space is Adobe (1998)), we obtain the following
screen :
By comparing the display above with the display shown in INPUT PROCESS, we understand that the
requested L*u*v* (D50) input of (57.8, 75, 48.5) would have required an out of bound B' (blue) value.
The nearest valid color computed by the software has a B' value of zero, indicative of the clipping
minimization process. Also, the program recomputed the L*u*v* (D50) value (and all other color
representations) to match the R'G'B' data.
The clipping indicators disappear once the "GO !" button is pressed.

Main screen GUI 53
APPEARANCE IN CONVERT MODE

By default, the "L*a*b* / L*u*v* input" checkbox is disabled if the user selects to Convert "TO" a space
set for "L*a*b* / L*u*v* input". The display then looks as follow (data content is irrelevant in the
following image) :
The display appearance is the same whether the input was R'G'B' or "L*a*b* / L*u*v* input" before the
requested Convert "TO" mode change. The background color of the R'G'B' display boxes is yellowish
and the text is grayish (input is disabled). The sliders are also disabled.
If the system is set in Compare mode afterwards, input mode becomes R'G'B', by default.

54 BabelColor CT&A
2.2 Deck interface
The interface is identical for Deck #1 (LEFT side) and Deck #2 (RIGHT side). Two deck navigating
modes are available, one using the L*C*h* pad, and the other a List view. They are selected with the
radio buttons located below the color patches.
Click on a specific zone of the interface image for more information, or in the Table of Contents below.
Deck interface - Table of Contents

· Deck selection
· Illuminant selection
· L*C*h* pad
· List view
· Color strip
· Data displays

Main screen GUI 55
2.2.1 Deck selection

Selection change effect in Compare mode
You can select a Color Deck by clicking in the window where the deck name appears and sliding the
mouse to the required space. The selection list is the same for Deck #1 and Deck #2.
User-defined color lists can be added as Color Decks; one such list, named "My color list", is shown in
the screenshot above. Adding a Deck is performed using the "BabelColor CT&A Export" dialog of the
PatchTool program (an external program), which converts color lists saved in CGATS, CXF or plain
text format to the Color Decks database format. PatchTool can also remove Color Decks from the
deck database. PatchTool's "BabelColor CT&A Export" window is accessible even when the program
is not registered; however, accessing all of PatchTool's features requires purchasing a separate
license. Please consult the PatchTool Help manual for more information.
The default D65 illuminant will automatically be shown below the deck name. Another illuminant can
be assigned using the Illuminant dropdown selection menu; click here for more information on
illuminant selection.
After a deck selection, the system loads the deck information from the database.
The sequence of events is as follow :

1. The color strip is regenerated according to the Color Deck database content.
2. The data corresponding to the first color chip in the database is computed in relation to the
selected illuminant.
3. The L*C*h* pad or the List view is updated.
In Compare mode, the spaces and decks are independent and only the Deck for which the deck
selection was changed will be updated.
Selection change effect in Convert mode

If the change is in a Deck which is the source of the data (i.e. being converted "FROM"), then the
selection change has the same effect as if in Compare mode. However, the other Space or Deck (i.e.
being converted "TO"), is updated thereafter.
If a Deck is being converted "TO", then two new items appear at the bottom of the deck selection list :

56 BabelColor CT&A
These additional items are :

· "Selected decks (more than one)"
· "Select more than one deck"
Selecting the last item opens a Deck Select dialog that is used to select, as its name says, more than
one deck as destinations for converting "TO". When more than one deck are selected, the next to last
item, "Selected decks (more than one)", is shown in the deck selection window.
When making changes to a Deck(s) which is (are) being converted "TO", then the selection change
first triggers a recalc on the other side, Space or Deck, which then updates the Deck(s) which was
(were) changed. If that other side (i.e. being converted "FROM") is in "L*a*b* / L*u*v* input" mode and
the button (click here for information on this button) is active at the change request then :
1. The L*a*b* / L*u*v* display boxes are reloaded with the last computed values.
2. The "GO !" button is de-activated.
3. A recalc is performed for both sides.
2.2.1.1 Deck Select dialog
This dialog enables the selection of the decks to be used as destination (Convert TO) in Convert
mode.
User-defined color lists can be added as Color Decks; the deck database is designed to accept a
maximum of ten Color Decks. Adding a Deck is performed using the "BabelColor CT&A Export" dialog
of the PatchTool program (an external program), which converts color lists saved in CGATS, CXF or
plain text format to the Color Decks database format. PatchTool can also remove Color Decks from
the deck database. PatchTool's "BabelColor CT&A Export" window is accessible even when the
program is not registered; however, accessing all of PatchTool's features requires purchasing a
separate license. Please consult the PatchTool Help manual for more information.
The "Reset" button is enabled whenever a change is done in the selection. Clicking on this button will
reselect the initial configuration.
At least one deck has to be selected when leaving the dialog; if not, a window with a warning
message will pop up. Once the dialog is closed, the color strip is regenerated according to the dialog
selection, and will show a snapshot of ALL selected decks.
This dialog is called with the "Select more than one deck" menu item which appears in the Deck
selection list when a deck is being converted TO.

Main screen GUI 57
2.2.2 Illuminant selection

The default illuminant used to show deck data is D65. This illuminant can be changed using the
illuminant selection list :
The selection will affect the deck data, the data displays, as well as the chromaticity diagram. The
"Custom" illuminant is the one selected for the custom space; it can be changed by first selecting the "
Tools/Define custom RGB..." menu command and editing the illuminant section of the Custom RGB
space dialog.
Important : The data displays will not show any change if the "L*a*b* / L*u*v* / L*C*h* in D50"
checkbox is selected. This checkbox forces the display to show data converted to illuminant D50,
irrelevant of the illuminant of the selected deck. However, if you uncheck this box, you will notice that
the data has indeed changed according to the selected illuminant.
Note : The Munsell HVC values shown in the data displays are, by design, referenced to Illuminant C
and will remain unchanged following a change in the deck illuminant selection.

58 BabelColor CT&A
2.2.3 L*C*h* pad

The L*C*h* pad is one of the two deck navigating modes available in Compare mode (the other is List
view). It is selected by clicking the corresponding radio button located below the color patches.
L*C*h* INTERFACE
The center square patch is the selected patch (Munsell 2.5BG 5/4 in the screenshot above) . This
patch name and coordinates are shown in the data displays. The selected patch is also shown in the
main color patches displays. The name of the other patches can be seen by resting the mouse cursor
over a patch for a moment; a pop-up tag with the patch name will then appear.
The patches surrounding the center patch show the nearest patches in the deck(s) corresponding to
the following criteria :
· +sat and -sat : These labels respectively identify the patches which display more and less
saturated colors than the center patch while being the closest to the center patch in terms of
luminosity and hue.
· +lum and -lum : These labels respectively identify the patches which are more and less luminous
than the center patch while being the closest to the center patch in terms of color saturation and
hue. In the screenshot above, the center square represents the Munsell 2.5BG 5/4 patch. The
mouse is over the "+ lum." patch, and 2.5BG 6/4 is shown in the popup help text; this patch has the
same Munsell Hue (2.5BG) and the same Munsell Chroma (i.e. saturation, =4) as the center patch,
but its Munsell Value (i.e. brightness, luminosity) is higher (6 instead of 5).
· +hue and -hue : These labels respectively identify the patches which have a hue angle which is
bigger and smaller than the center patch hue angle while being the closest to the center patch in
terms of saturation and luminosity.
All computations are based on the chips L*C*h* values, as determined with the selected illuminant.
The +sat and -sat patches are based on the chroma (i.e. C*), the +lum and -lum patches are based
on the lightness (i.e. L*), and the +hue and -hue patches are based on the hue angle (i.e. h*).

Main screen GUI 59
The L*C*h* pad search algorithm uses the current DeltaE* formula, as selected in the DeltaE* display,
for some of its calculations; accordingly, changing the DeltaE* formula may result in a different L*C*h*
pad layout. In Compare mode, the CIE94 and CMC(l:c) formulas are further impacted by the state of
the "'Compare mode' DeltaE: LEFT: Reference; RIGHT: Sample" option, located in the "Math" tab
of the Options / Preferences dialog. Please note that the search is always performed for the deck
illuminant even if the D50 version of a DeltaE* formula is selected.
When the algorithm cannot find a valid chip, a neutral color is used for the patch (same color as the
main screen background) and "N.A." can be seen in the pop-up tag.
Clicking on any patch besides the center one will bring that patch to the center and all other patches
will be recomputed. You can thus navigate within the deck using the three L*, C* and h* dimensions.
You can also select a chip by clicking directly in the color strip or on the arrows at both ends of the
strip. You can also go back and forth between the L*C*h* pad and the List view.
Repeatedly clicking on +hue will move the selection in an anti-clockwise direction. Similarly,
repeatedly clicking on -hue will move the selection in a clockwise direction.
Important : Not all decks have dense and uniform distributions across the visible spectrum and you
may find, for example, that the nearest chip for increased luminance shows a significant hue and
saturation difference. This is less frequent in large uniformly distributed deck such as Munsell.
Note : The L*C*h* space is more uniform than the xyY space. When navigating by clicking on the
+hue and -hue patches, you will follow a somewhat elliptical path around the illuminant, instead of the
expected circular path. This is more obvious when using a large uniformly distributed deck such as
Munsell.
Note : The coordinates of all the patches as well as the color differences between the center patch
and the other patches are presented in the report saved using the "File/Save Report..." menu
command.
CONVERTING "TO" A DECK

The L*C*h* display mode is the only mode available when the deck(s) is/are being converted "TO"
(see Convert mode) :
In such instance, the L*C*h* pad is disabled (i.e. it cannot be used to select patches).
When converting "TO" a deck, the center patch is the best match relative to the reference on the other
side. THE OTHER PATCHES ARE THEN DETERMINED RELATIVE TO THE REFERENCE, NOT
THE CENTER PATCH. As mentioned in the "L*C*h* interface" section above, you can change the
DeltaE* formula to see how it affects the match.
Note : The coordinates of all the patches as well as the color differences between the reference patch
and all the L*C*h* patches, including the center one, are presented in the report saved using the "
File/Save Report..." menu command.

60 BabelColor CT&A
L*C*h* PAD OPTIONS

In Windows, these options can be set using the "Options" dialog. On the Mac, they are set using the
"BabelColor CT&A Preferences" dialog accessed through the Mac OS X BabelColor CT&A menu.
· Sensitivity : Because the searching algorithm looks for the closest chip which minimizes the other
two parameters, for example the lightness and the hue when searching for the chroma (saturation),
it may find a chip which is almost the same as the one represented in the center patch. This may
happen, for example, if the deck contains chips of the same hue but with different surface finishes
(i.e. mat, glossy, etc.). To filter out these chips, we impose a threshold, or sensitivity, on the search
algorithm; the sensitivity value is set in the "Math" tab of the Options/Preferences dialog. The
default sensitivity value is 0,2 units of L*, C*, or h*; it can be set between 0 and 10 units with 0,1
units steps.
· Hue search extent : For chips located very near the illuminant, it does happen that the best
candidates for +hue and -hue—which are chips which minimize the lightness and chroma
differences with the center patch—have a large angular difference with the center patch. To prevent
this situation, the hue search extent is limited to an angle which can be set by the user in the
"Math" tab of the Options/Preferences dialog. The default angular extent is 22 degrees; it can be set
between 5 and 60 degrees with 1 degree steps.
· Patches outline : By default, the patches are surrounded by a thin black border. This border can
be removed by deselecting the "Decks L*C*h* pad view : Draw borders around patches" checkbox
located in the "Display" tab of the Options/Preferences dialog.
Important : To prevent odd program behavior, a message will appear if you set the sensitivity setting
too close, or higher, than the hue search extent value, and when you set the hue search extent too
close, or lower, than the sensitivity. The program will then assign the nearest valid number to the
parameter being set.

Main screen GUI 61
2.2.4 List view

The List view is one of the two deck navigating modes available in Compare mode (the other is the
L*C*h* pad). It is selected by clicking the corresponding radio button located below the color patches.
LIST VIEW INTERFACE

The name of all the patches is shown in their lower-left corner. The largest rectangular patch in the
middle of the patches is the selected patch. The selected patch is also shown in the main color
patches display; its name and coordinates are shown in the data displays.
The patches surrounding the center patch show the nearest chips in the order they are catalogued.
Although there is a logic in how the catalogues are built, you may find the chips grouped by hue,
saturation, or any other criteria.
Clicking on any patch besides the center one will bring that patch to the center, and the other patches
will shift accordingly.You can also select a chip by clicking directly in the color strip or on the arrows at
both ends of the strip. You can also go back and forth between the List view and the L*C*h* pad.
Note : Only the L*C*h* display mode is available when the deck(s) is/are being converted "TO".
LIST VIEW OPTIONS

By default, the patches are NOT surrounded by a thin black border. A border can be added by
selecting the "Decks List view : Draw borders around patches" checkbox located in the "Display" tab
of the options dialog.

62 BabelColor CT&A
2.2.5 Color strip

The color strip shows a snapshot of all the "chips" in a color catalogue (Color Deck) as if you looked
at the edge of a fan deck :
Two small black arrows on each side of the strip indicate the position of the selected chip.
These chips are shown as color patches in the L*C*h* pad and List view.
When in Compare mode, the color strip can be used to select a chip by clicking either in the color strip
itself or on the arrows at both ends of the strip. Clicking on the arrows will move the selected chip by 6
positions in the deck database. When in List view, clicking on the "upward" arrows will bring the top
patch at the bottom of the view, as if we were moving towards the top of the strip; similarly, clicking on
the "downward" arrows will bring the bottom patch at the top of the view, as if we were moving
towards the bottom of the strip. Clicking on the arrows in L*C*h* pad view also moves the selected
chip by 6 positions in the strip, but the overall pad view change is not as obvious as with the List view.
Chip selection is also possible by clicking the L*C*h* pad and List view patches.
In Convert mode, it is possible to select more than one deck as a destination (see Deck selection). In
such a case, the color strip shows a snapshot of ALL selected decks.
Note : The color strip cannot be used to select chips when the deck(s) is/are being converted "TO".

Main screen GUI 63
2.2.6 Data displays

The data display boxes in the deck interface are for display only and do not accept input from the
user. You can copy numerical data into other applications by making a mouse right-click (or ctrl +
click on a one-button Mac mouse) on a data field. Shown below is the contextual menu which
appears with a right-click on one of the L*C*h* fields; selecting the menu will transfer the three
coordinates into the clipboard, separated by Tabs. You will note that the contextual menu indicates
that the L*C*h* data is derived from L*a*b* (i.e. the "ab" in parenthesis), and for Illuminant D50, which
is expected since the "L*a*b* / L*u*v* / L*C*h* in D50" checkbox is selected. You can then easily
paste the values in a spreadsheet or document table, where they will be distributed in three columns.
Data is presented in the following formats :
· Name
The chip name is the usual reference number or name used in the color catalogue. In Convert
mode, more than one deck can be selected as a destination (see Deck selection); to prevent
confusion when in this mode, the deck name is also shown besides the selected chip ID in the
name field :

Use the menu located below the "Name" field to select among the following color spaces : Munsell
HVC, L*C*h*, xyY or XYZ.
The Munsell HVC values are not simply the ones corresponding to the closest sample in the
Munsell deck catalogue, but are INTERPOLATED values that closely match the selected deck
color.
The L*C*h* values are automatically updated, even if there is no color change, when you change
the L*a*b* / L*u*v* display and when you click in the "L*a*b* / L*u*v* / L*C*h* in D50" checkbox
described below. The displayed values are :
1. L*C*abH*ab referenced to the space illuminant when L*a*b* is selected and the "L*a*b* /
L*u*v* / L*C*h* in D50" checkbox is NOT selected
2. L*C*uvH*uv referenced to the space illuminant when L*u*v* is selected and the "L*a*b* /
L*u*v* / L*C*h* in D50" checkbox is NOT selected

64 BabelColor CT&A
3. L*C*abH*ab referenced to D50 when L*a*b* is selected and the "L*a*b* / L*u*v* / L*C*h* in
D50" checkbox IS selected
4. L*C*uvH*uv referenced to D50 when L*u*v* is selected and the "L*a*b* / L*u*v* / L*C*h* in
D50" checkbox IS selected

Use the bottom menu to select either the L*a*b* or L*u*v* color space.
Checking the "L*a*b* / L*u*v* / L*C*h* in D50" checkbox instructs the program to show L*a*b*,
L*u*v* and L*C*h* values converted to illuminant D50, irrelevant of the illuminant of the selected
deck.Of course, if the space illuminant is D50, no change will be seen in the displays.
When the "L*a*b* / L*u*v* / L*C*h* in D50" checkbox is unchecked, the L*a*b*, L*u*v* and L*C*h*
displays show values corresponding to the illuminant of the selected space.
Changing the L*a*b* / L*u*v* selection or changing the "L*a*b* / L*u*v* / L*C*h* in D50" checkbox
status will automatically update the L*C*h* display, whether it is visible or not. Please refer to the
additional information on the L*C*h* display above.
Note : Be cautious, the L*a*b* values shown in Adobe Photoshop are always in D50, irrelevant of
the illuminant of the selected space.

Main screen GUI 65
2.3 Chromaticity diagram
This diagram represents the chromaticity coordinates ("xy") of the selected Space or Deck colors on
each side of the program main screen. This coordinates system was defined by the Commission
Internationale de l'Éclairage (CIE) in a standard published in 1931. It is based on the observation of
color patches subtending a 2 degrees Field-of-View. The diagram is often referred to by the simpler
"CIE1931, 2 degree" description. Please see the xyY and XYZ section for a description of how the
"xy" data is obtained.
In a nutshell, the "horseshoe" shape represents the gamut of perceivable colors by the human eye.
On the contour are located pure (or fully saturated) colors typically generated by lasers. The "reddest"
red is located at the extreme right and the deepest blue at the bottom (x=0.175, y=0). Following the
contour, clockwise from the deepest blue, all other "rainbow" colors will be found (blue, cyan, green
(toward the top), yellow, orange and red). The straight line between red and blue represents a mix of
the two colors located at the extremes of the visible spectrum (red + blue = magenta).
The colors within the horseshoe are less saturated variants of the pure colors. Typical "whitish"
illuminants have colors located towards the center of the horseshoe.
The BabelColor logo can be used as a reminder of the locations of the red, green and blue
zones.
The colors used to draw data in the diagram match the colors used to print the illuminant description
in the space interface and the chip name in the deck interface :
· Light green for Space #1 and Deck #1
· Orange for Space #2 and Deck #2
Additional data such as the chromaticities of the X-Rite/GretagMacbeth ColorChecker patches, the
limits of the SWOP gamut, or the locus of blackbody illuminants (i.e. the Planckian locus), can be
superimposed on the diagram. For more information, see the Data menu section.

66 BabelColor CT&A
In order to maximize the area of the display dedicated to the visible gamut, the "x" and "y" axis are
clipped to values less than one. Because it is possible to define a space, using the Custom RGB
space dialog, which extends past the displayed limits, a little arrow will appear next to the data point
when its location is outside of the display :
The values shown in the data displays are not affected and the full extent of the chromaticity diagram
is represented, with both axis up to one, when printing using the "File/Print Graphic..." menu
command :

Main screen GUI 67
2.4 Color patches displays

A color patch of each space or deck is shown under the chromaticity diagram, and in the additional
patch layouts which can be seen when enlarging the main screen dimensions. Since displays can
represent only a subset of the colors humans can see, all colors in BabelColor CT&A are converted,
for viewing purposes only, to the user-selected display profile. To see the currently selected profile,
position your mouse cursor over the patches and wait for a second; a popup help message should
appear with the profile settings.
In many cases, a given space color will be out of the display profile range (gamut), with one or more
coordinates clipped at either zero or 255; when this happens, clip indicators are shown in the
bottom-left corner of the corresponding patch :
For built-in display profiles which are identified with a "(CT&A)" suffix, such as "sRGB (CT&A)", the
clip indicator is made of periods ( . ) and exclamation marks ( ! ). There are three characters per
indicator, corresponding, from left to right, to R', G' and B'. If clipping was encountered during the
conversion between the space coordinates and the display space, the clipped coordinates are
assigned an exclamation mark; non-clipped coordinates are assigned a period. This is shown in the
image above, on the left. In this image, the Space #1 (or Deck #1) patch has its G' and B' coordinates
clipped ( .!! ). Space #2 (or Deck #2) patch has only its green coordinate clipped ( .!. ).
For ICC profiles, there is only one exclamation point, which is shown in a small triangle. This is
illustrated above, on the right screenshot, for the same patches shown in the left screenshot. As we
see, the green is within the display profile while it was not in the selected default profile. Also, while it
is not obvious when the patches are separated by a small distance, there is a variation in the
displayed colors, with more accurate colors expected with a dedicated ICC profile than for a default
RGB space. A mix of the above screenshots is shown below, with the default sRGB profile colors on
the left, and the colors from the display ICC profile on the right; we can see a small difference in the
center.

68 BabelColor CT&A
The colors used to draw the clip indicators in the patches match the colors used to print the illuminant
description in the space interface and the chip name in the deck interface :
· Light green for Space #1 and Deck #1
· Orange for Space #2 and Deck #2
Important : Please note that the clipping indicators in the color patches display are NOT indicative of
any clipping resulting from the conversion from one space to the other (ex. : from Space #1 to Space
#2), or between a deck and a space, or from L*a*b* / L*u*v* input. See the L*a*b* / L*u*v* input
interface and data displays sections for more information on these other clipping indicators.
Additional patch layouts appear when you enlarge the main screen dimension. This is shown below.
The bottom-left section is dedicated to larger patches seen side-by-side; the upper-right section is
dedicated to patches super-imposed on standard backgrounds and on a background of the other
color, and the bottom-right section is dedicated to color text shown on black, white, and the other color
backgrounds. The text layout is described further in the next section.

Main screen GUI 69
Depending on your display resolution, these other patches can be much bigger than the two patches
shown under the chromaticity diagram. The patches in the bottom-left of the main screen are shown
side-by-side instead of one over the other. If you click on these patches, the layout background and
the patches size will cycle through five combinations, one of which is shown above, and the four
others below. You will notice that we have reduced the main screen dimensions to hide the patches
on the right side. These layouts can be useful when comparing colors which may be used on white or
black backgrounds, or when checking if two nearly identical colors will be seen as identical when
viewed separated by a distance.
Of course, you can adjust the window dimension so that the patches become one pixel high lines, as
shown below at full scale. This is useful for judging the visibility and contrast of such lines on black or
white backgrounds.

70 BabelColor CT&A
The layout in the upper-right is useful to judge the two colors on various backgrounds simultaneously.
The backgrounds are: white, mid-gray, black, and the other color.

Main screen GUI 71
2.5 Text on backgrounds

Additional patch layouts appear when you enlarge the main screen dimension. This is shown below.
The bottom-right section is dedicated to color text shown on black, white, and the other color
backgrounds.
Depending on your display vertical resolution, you will be able to see more or less lines of each
combination. At least one line of each combination should be visible with a display size of 768 pixels
vertically.
Note : If your display has a vertical size of 768 pixels, you may need to hide the tool or task bar in
your desktop to see all the text layout.
The text layout comprises six text boxes. The top two boxes show text of the Space #1 / Deck #1
color on a black and white background. The middle two boxes show text of the Space #2 / Deck #2
color on a black and white background. The boxes at the bottom show text of one of the the two
colors on a background of the other color.
(System font, Regular style, Small size)
The text is the same in each box. It can be edited by clicking in any box; a text change in one box will
be replicated in the other boxes. You can Cut/Copy/Paste with the usual keyboard or Edit menu
commands, or using a popup menu which appears with a mouse right-click (ctrl + click with a

72 BabelColor CT&A
one-button Mac mouse). In addition, with the mouse menu you can select all the text, clear-it, or
restore it to its default content; you can also change the font, the font style, and the font size for the
entire text. The screenshot below shows the mouse menu over large italic text in Times New Roman.
(Times New Roman, Italic, Large size)

Main screen GUI 73
2.6 Mouse input interface

An alternate means of entering data for a given space is to do a mouse click (a left-click on a
multi-buttons mouse) or a mouse right-click (or ctrl + click on a one-button Mac mouse) directly on
the chromaticity diagram, within the horseshoe. A mouse click will direct the input to the space
selected in the mouse input control window; a mouse right-click will direct the input to the other space.
Note : The mouse input controls must be enabled to enter data via this method.
See the Input modes section for more information on how the data is processed.
INPUT SELECTION
To select the space to which the input will be directed with a mouse click, click on the radio button
with the arrow pointing toward the chosen side :
The arrow of the radio button selected just above points towards the RIGHT side, or Space #2.
DISPLAY VARIATIONS
One or both buttons are automatically disabled when the program is set in specific modes. The
various displays are :
· Display seen in Compare mode when both sides are in Space mode; both buttons are enabled :
When you select the LEFT side, as shown above, a mouse click will enter data in the LEFT side
(Space #1), and a mouse right-click will enter data in the RIGHT side (Space #2). When you select
the RIGHT side, a mouse click will enter data in the RIGHT side (Space #2), and a mouse
right-click will enter data in the LEFT side (Space #1)
· Display seen in Convert mode Right-to-Left (Space #2 to Space #1) OR Compare mode with Space
#1 in L*a*b* / L*u*v* input mode OR Compare mode with Deck #1 selected :
A mouse click will enter data in the RIGHT side and a mouse right-click will do nothing since mouse
input is disabled for the LEFT side.
· Display seen in Convert mode Left-to-Right (Space #1 to Space #2) OR Compare mode with Space
#2 in L*a*b* / L*u*v* input mode OR Compare mode with Deck #2 selected :
A mouse click will enter data in the LEFT side and a mouse right-click will do nothing since mouse
input is disabled for the RIGHT side.
· Display seen in Convert mode with the input space in L*a*b* / L*u*v* input mode OR Compare
mode with both spaces in L*a*b* / L*u*v* input mode OR Compare mode with both decks selected;
both buttons are disabled :

74 BabelColor CT&A
2.7 DeltaE* display

The color-difference between the two sides—space or deck—is shown in the DeltaE display (DE in
abridged form). The difference is shown at all times, irrelevant of the Mode Settings. You can copy
this data into other applications by making a mouse right-click (or ctrl + click on a one-button Mac
mouse) on a data field. Shown below is the contextual menu which appears with a right-click on the
DeltaE* field; you can copy either the DeltaE* value or all Deltas in one operation. When selecting
"Copy ALL Deltas", the values are separated by Tabs into the clipboard, and will be separated in
different columns when pasting them in a spreadsheet or document table.
FORMULA SELECTION
Up to twelve DeltaE formulas and variants are available :
· DE*ab
"CIELAB color-difference", referenced to the selected spaces illuminant (shown only if same
illuminant for both spaces)
· DE*uv
"CIELUV color-difference", referenced to the selected spaces illuminant (shown only if same
illuminant for both spaces)
· DE*ab D50
"CIELAB color-difference", referenced to D50 illuminant
· DE*uv D50
"CIELUV color-difference", referenced to D50 illuminant
· DE*94
DE*94-textile
"CIE94 color-difference", referenced to the selected spaces illuminant (shown only if same
illuminant for both spaces). The DE*94-textile version has its kL factor equal to 2; kL equals one for
the standard version.
· DE*94 D50
DE*94-textile D50
"CIE94 color-difference", referenced to D50 illuminant
· DECMC(2:1)
DECMC(1:1)
"CMC(l:c) color-difference", referenced to the selected spaces illuminant (shown only if same
illuminant for both spaces). CMC(2:1) is used for acceptability (pass/fail) measurements while
CMC(1:1) is used for perceptibility measurements.
· DECMC(2:1) D50
DECMC(1:1) D50
"CMC(l:c) color-difference", referenced to D50 illuminant

Main screen GUI 75
Selecting between these choices is done by clicking in the window where the DeltaE* text appears
and sliding the mouse to the required one :
DISPLAY DATA
In addition to DE, the following information is presented in the DeltaE* display :
· DL* : The lightness difference between the two sides.
· DC* : The chroma difference between the two sides.
· DH* : The hue difference between the two sides.
· Dh* : The hue angle difference between the two sides.
The DL*, DC*, and DH* parameters are defined in the CIELAB & CIELUV section. they represent the
individual contributions of lightness, chroma and hue to the global DE color difference. Dh*, defined in
the L*C*h* section, is also shown because this angular difference is readily associated with a 360
degrees hue circle whereas DH* is an indirectly derived value.
Since DL*, DC*, and Dh* can be positive OR negative, it is important to identify a reference and a
sample. In Compare mode, the reference is always on the LEFT side and the sample on the RIGHT
side. In Convert mode, the reference is always on the side being converted "FROM" while the sample
is the side being converted "TO".
DISPLAY VARIATIONS
As mentioned above, all color-differences referenced to the selected space or deck illuminants are
shown only if the illuminants on both sides are the same (Ex. : Apple RGB and sRGB, where both
spaces are defined with illuminant D65). If not, the following display will be seen (Ex. : Apple RGB,
with illuminant D65, and ColorMatch, with illuminant D50) :

76 BabelColor CT&A
You are still able to get a color-difference by selecting the corresponding D50 color-difference
formula; for DeltaE*ab it is DeltaE*ab D50 :
where the L*a*b* coordinates of both spaces, translated in D50, are used to compute the numbers. All
color-difference formulas have an equivalent D50 selection.
Hint : If you want to see the L*a*b* D50 values used to compute the D50 color-difference, select the
L*a*b* / L*u*v* in D50 checkbox appearing under the data displays of the corresponding space, or the
"L*a*b* / L*u*v* / L*C*h* in D50" checkbox of the corresponding deck.
Hint : Although the results for only one color difference formula are displayed at a time, all formulas
are computed. The data for all formulas can be seen by saving or printing data.
Important : As per their definition, the CIE94 and CMC(l:c) color-differences will be different
depending on which of the two color sides is defined as the reference, or if none of the sides can be
considered a reference. The software will automatically adjust the formula according to the definitions;
as a result, variations in the displayed values will be seen when going from Compare mode to Convert
mode, or vice-versa. See the DeltaE* section for detailed formula information.

help manual
Section
III
78 BabelColor CT&A
3 Custom RGB space Interface
This dialog is called with the "Tools/Define custom RGB..." menu command.
Important : Any change in a user-modifiable field—with a white background—will take effect only
after pressing the "Tab" key, clicking on another field, or making a selection in a list.
SPACE SELECTION
Selecting any of the preset RGB spaces will automatically fill the "Illuminant", "Primaries" and
"Gamma" input fields with the values corresponding to this space. Modifying any field will
automatically change the space selection list to "Custom...", and the "Space name" field will allow user
input (default name: "CustomRGB").
MESSAGE WINDOW
This window is used to indicate to the user the various characteristics and limitations of the input
fields. Any change in a field will take effect only after pressing the "Tab" key, clicking on another field,
or making a selection in a list.

Custom RGB space Interface 79
ILLUMINANT SELECTION
Selecting any of the standard illuminants will fill the corresponding fields. Modifying the illuminant
coordinates will automatically change the illuminant selection list to "Other...", and the "Illuminant
name" field will allow user input (default name: "Custom").
When a new value is assigned by the user to the "x" coordinate, the system makes sure that the "x + y
+ z" total remains equal to one. The "z" value will first be adjusted to fill the difference; if "z" reaches
zero or one, then the "y" value is adjusted. Similarly, when the user assigns a new value to "y", the "z"
value will first be adjusted to fill the difference; if "z" reaches zero or one, then the "x" value is
adjusted.
Additional pre-calculated illuminants are available by pressing the "More..." button, which will open the
"Custom illuminant" dialog :
The selection list of this dialog offers additional standard illuminant presets, such as B, F2, F7, and
F11, and will automatically calculate the coordinates of either D-series illuminants or blackbodies as
per a user specified temperature (in kelvin). The equations of the D-series illuminants are presented
in the Illuminants section.
A simulated representation of the illuminant "whiteness" relative to D65 is shown in concentric color
patches; these patches are to be used as a guide only.
Pressing "OK" will transfer the coordinates shown in the "Custom illuminant" dialog into the "
Custom RGB space" dialog.
The Bradford chromatic adaptation matrices between the Custom illuminant and the standard set of
illuminants included in this software (i.e. A, C, D50, D65, and E) can be seen in the Bradford data
dialog opened with the "Data/Table data/Bradford matrices..." menu command.
Important : The illuminant has to be located within the triangle formed by the primaries. If the
illuminant is outside or on the periphery of this triangle, the program will not accept the Custom space
when pressing "OK".
Note : The illuminant defined for the Custom space is also available in the illuminant selection list of
the Deck mode.
Note : Bradford chromatic adaptation will map all custom illuminants to white in the color patches
display (i.e. converted to D65 for either sRGB or Apple RGB), even if the custom illuminant cannot be
adapted (i.e. has a definite color tint).

80 BabelColor CT&A
PRIMARIES SELECTION
Selecting any of the standard primaries sets will fill the corresponding fields. Modifying a coordinate in
a field will automatically change the primaries selection list to "Custom...".
When a new value is assigned by the user to any "x" coordinate, the system makes sure that the "x +
y + z" total remains equal to one. The "z" value will first be adjusted to fill the difference; if "z" reaches
zero or one, then the "y" value is adjusted. Similarly, when the user assigns a new value to "y", the "z"
value will first be adjusted to fill the difference; if "z" reaches zero or one, then the "x" value is
adjusted.
The coordinates shown in the input fields are displayed in the "CIE1931" diagram of the dialog. They
are identified by the "Current space" legend.
Important : The primaries have to be positioned to form a triangle which encompasses the illuminant.
If the illuminant is outside or on the periphery of this triangle, the program will not accept the Custom
space when pressing "OK".
Important : Make sure the primary coordinates you enter are x, y, and z chromaticities, which are
always shown in lowercase. For instance, you cannot use the XYZ coordinates presented by Apple's
ColorSync Utility, as shown below. You first need to derive xyz from XYZ with the following
equations (see this section for more info) :
x = X / (X+Y+Z)
y = Y / (X+Y+Z)
z = Z / (X+Y+Z) .

Custom RGB space Interface 81
GAMMA SELECTION
Selecting any of the standard gamma sets will fill the corresponding fields. Modifying a value in a field
will automatically change the gamma selection list to "Custom...".
The values shown in the input fields are used to compute the simple and detailed gamma functions
shown in the "Gamma" diagram of the dialog. The functions are identified by the "Current space"
legend. The equations for gamma are shown in the RGB to R'G'B', and gamma section. Here is an
example that illustrates how the detailed gamma parameters affect the function :
To ease the design of the detailed gamma, the software will automatically compute the slope value
that matches the offset, gamma and transition values; the slope characterizes the linear portion of the
gamma function located below the transition. If a change is required to the current slope value, the
new value will be displayed with either a green or a red background. As a design rule, you should not
define a detailed gamma which results in a red (negative) slope. Clicking in the slope field and then
going to another field, by using the "Tab" key for example, will change the color of the slope
background back to white, as if you accepted the change; if the value was negative, it will be clipped
to zero. You can always select a different value than the one suggested, as long as it is positive, and
that you do not further change the offset, gamma or transition; if this is the case, a new slope value
will be suggested.
Note : If you set the detailed gamma to zero, the program will use the simple gamma instead, even if
the other detailed gamma fields are not zero.

82 BabelColor CT&A
DISPLAY SETTINGS
These settings affect what is seen in the graphics window :
The "Space template" selection list affects both the "CIE1931" and "Gamma" diagrams. Using this list,
you can overlay a gray colored template corresponding to any of the preset RGB spaces or to the last
saved Custom space; you can also select to not display any template using the "(none)" selection.
These templates are to be used as design guides. The current space data is always shown in orange.
The "Gamma display" selection list affects only the "Gamma" diagram. Using the list enables you to
see either the simple or the detailed gamma function, or both. If the detailed gamma function is not
defined for a given space, a red X will be shown over the legend symbol.
Note : To see the Planckian locus, you should select it with the main screen "Data/Graphic
data/Planckian locus" menu before opening the custom RGB space dialog.
EXPORT TO FILE
At any time while you are editing the custom RGB space, you can export a file which contains the
following information :
1. the illuminant description and coordinates;
2. the primaries coordinates;
3. the gamma parameters;
4. the RGB to XYZ matrix coefficients;
5. the XYZ to RGB matrix coefficients.
This file can be opened by any text editor. It can also be imported in any spreadsheet that supports
space delimited tables.
Important : No check of the validity of the current RGB space is made before exporting the space
data.
Note : A Custom space is not saved for use within the program until the "OK" button is pressed.

help manual
Section
IV
84 BabelColor CT&A
4 Spectral tools GUI
This dialog is called with the "Tools/Spectral tools..." menu command.
When the spectrometer is detected on program start-up, the "Peripheral/Calibrate"and "Tools/Spectral

tools..." menus are enabled. A status of the connected instrument can always be obtained using the "
Peripheral/Instrument info..." menu.
Important : To get to these tools, you need to have an Eye-One spectrometer (Eye-One Pro). The
Eye-One Display and Display 2 are colorimeters which only provide tristimulus data (color
coordinates) but not spectral data; they cannot be used with these tools.
Important : The program automatically records the user-selectable setups of each tool as well as the
tool in use when the dialog is closed. The dialog opens to the last saved configuration. This feature is
not available on the non-registered Mac version.
Important : Not all Spectral tools are available, and some results may not be shown, when the
program is not registered.
Hint : It can happen that the peripheral is not recognized if it was connected into the computer after
the program start, or if the computer was in sleep mode just before starting the program. In this case,
simply select the "Peripheral/Instrument info..." menu; this will re-initialize the USB driver.
The "Spectral tools" dialog has six tabs which regroup the tools by "themes". Click on a link to get
Graphic User Interface (GUI) information :
· Density tools GUI
· Metamerism Index (MI) tools GUI
· RAL DESIGN tool GUI
· Graph tools GUI
· ISO 3664+ tools GUI
· Whiteness tools GUI

Spectral tools GUI 85
Click on the following links to jump to the section containing a description of the tools :
· Density tools description
· Metamerism Index (MI) tools description
· RAL DESIGN description
· Graph tools description (see the Graph tools GUI section)
· ISO 3664+ tools description
· Whiteness tools description

86 BabelColor CT&A
4.1 Density tools GUI
INTRODUCTION
Using these tools, you can perform five types of density measurements :
· Reflection density : Measure the absolute or relative (to paper) density of color patches.
· Dot / Tone (Dot Area) : Measure the Dot Area by comparing the densities of solid (no half-tone
dots) and tinted (half-tone dots) samples.
· Apparent Trap : Measure the ink covering properties by measuring the densities of the first ink laid
on the paper, the second ink, and the over-print (both inks super-imposed).
· Print Contrast : Measure the contrast in dim shades by comparing the densities of solid (no
half-tone dots) and tinted (half-tone dots) samples where the tinted sample has a 75% coverage.
· Hue error - Grayness - Saturation : Obtain these parameters by measuring the absolute or
relative (to paper) density of color patches.
The remainder of this section describes how to set up the interface and make measurements. For a
description of each measurement type and for specific equations, click here.
Note : A clipping indicator appears in the bottom left corner of a color patch when the color of the
sample it represents is outside of the RGB space gamut of the monitor.

SETUP
· Select a "Density standard".
The available density standards are :
· ANSI Status A : Should be used for measuring densities of photographic color prints.
· ANSI Status E : Used mostly in Europe to measure printed material. It has a wide-band color
response.
· ANSI Status I : Has a narrow-band or interference-type filter response.
· ANSI Status T : The equivalent of ANSI Status E in North America. The difference with Status E
is how the yellow filter is weighted.
· DIN : DIN 16536.
· DIN NB : DIN 16536 NB.
· ISO Status I (SPI) : ISO version of ANSI Status I.
Important : All density data is erased when you change the density standard. You will be prompted
to cancel or accept the change request.
· Select a "Measurement type"; data is kept independently for each measurement type.
· Select a "Formula" (for Dot Area and Apparent Trap). If required, set the "n Factor" for the
Yule-Nielson formula of the Dot Area measurement. A n factor of 1,70 is shown by default when the
Yule-Nielson formula is first selected; it can then be changed by the user by typing a new value in
the field where it appears. Go to the Density tools description section for more information on the
Dot Area and Apparent Trap formulas.
· If not already done, calibrate the Eye-One by clicking on the "Calibrate" button and following the
on-screen instructions.
WHITE BASE
A "Paper" "White base" is automatically selected and "Absolute" is disabled if "Dot / Tone (Dot Area)"
or "Apparent Trap" is selected. Both options are enabled for "Reflection density", "Print Contrast", and
"Hue error - Grayness - Saturation".
If "Paper" is selected for the "White base", it is strongly suggested to measure the paper first by
clicking on the "Get" button located in the "White base" group.
Important : The same paper data is used for all density measurements types. When "Paper" and
"Absolute" are both available, selecting one or the other will update ALL the measurements sets of
ALL measurement types.
FILTER
An "Auto" "Filter" is automatically selected and "Man" (i.e. Manual) is disabled if "Apparent Trap" or
"Hue error - Grayness - Saturation" is selected. Both options are enabled for "Reflection density", "Dot
/ Tone (Dot Area)", and "Print Contrast".
If available, selecting the "Man" radio button will enable the individual CMYK filters. Selecting any of
these filters will instruct the program to show only the data—in the data table—corresponding to this
filter.

88 BabelColor CT&A
MEASUREMENT CONTROL
Up to five sets of measurements can be done for each density tool. Select the measurement set by
clicking on a radio button in the "Measurement control" group (they are labelled #1, #2, etc.). You
should see the measurement number in the upper-left cell of the data table.
To make a measurement, either click on the "Get x" button under the square patches, where "x"
represents the measured variable (D, Ds, OP, etc.) which changes according to the selected
measurement type, or press the Eye-One button. A yellow indicator is located beside the "Get x"
button that will be selected if you press the Eye-One button :
This indicator automatically changes location when multiple inputs are required for a measurement
set.
Once a measurement is done, its status light is changed to green :
To automatically change/increment the measurement number in the "Measurement control" group,

simply check the "Auto-select" box. Once all inputs for a measurement set are done (i.e. all inputs are
green), the system selects the next measurement set. For example, if "D solid" and "D tint" for "Print
Contrast" are measured for measurement set #3, then #4 is then selected.
The "Show avg." box is enabled when there are at least two complete measurements. To display the
average, check the "Show avg." box. The values will appear in the data table with an Italic font and
the word "Avg." will be displayed in the upper-left cell.
You can clear the selected measurement set or all sets by clicking on either the "Clear meas." or
"Clear all" buttons. The "Clear all" button erases only the data of the current measurement type.
REFERENCE
The "Grab Ref." button is enabled when a measurement is completed and selected. To display the
reference, check the "Show (Ref.)" box. The values will appear between parentheses in the data
table. A green status light will appear next to the "Show (Ref.)" box when a reference is in memory.
Hint : You can grab the average as the reference by first selecting the "Show avg." box and then
clicking the "Grab Ref." button.
OTHER TOOL FUNCTIONS

At all times, you can calibrate the Eye-One by clicking the "Calibrate" button. The measurement mode
for all density tools is "Reflectance", by default, and cannot be changed.
Click on "Save to file..." to save a report of the selected "Measurement type". You will be prompted to
save only the current measurement type or all the data acquired in all Density tools. The report has
tab-delimited data that can be directly imported in a spreadsheet program, and opened in many text
editing applications (it is suggested to use a monospace font, such as Courier, in order to facilitate
formatting).

You can copy numerical data into other applications by making a mouse right-click (or ctrl + click on
a one-button Mac mouse) on any table cell or data field (such as the Apparent Trap and
Hue-Grayness-Saturation results). Shown below is the contextual menu which appears with a
right-click on the third column of the second row (Magenta, D tint); you can copy either the cell
content, the complete row or column of this cell, or the entire table. When copied, the data is
transferred into the clipboard, separated by Tabs. You can then easily paste the values in a
spreadsheet or document table, where they will be distributed in individual cells.
Note : Copy ROW data :When copying a row, the filter label (C, M, Y or K) is also copied.
Note : Copy COLUMN data :When copying a column, the header (D paper, etc.) is also copied. The
data will be pasted in a single line (i.e. ROW).
Note : Copy ALL data :When copying the entire table, the headers are also copied. The data will be
pasted using the same number of rows and columns as in the copied table.

90 BabelColor CT&A
4.2 Metamerism Index tools GUI
INTRODUCTION
The Metamerism Index tools enable you to :
· characterize the color stability of a single color patch using a Color Inconstancy Index (CII);
· evaluate how two colors which are the same under one illuminant will match under another
illuminant using the Special Metamerism Index (SMI);
· evaluate how two colors which have a certain look under one illuminant will look under another
illuminant using a Metamerism Index (MI);
· judge how two samples look under various illuminants (virtual light box), including two measured, or
loaded from file, ambient lights.
The remainder of this section describes how to set up the interface and make measurements. For
additional information on the various indices and the actual equation used to compute the MI, click
here.

SETUP
· Select a "Color difference formula"; data will be updated if it is changed after a measurement is
done.
The available color difference formulas are :
· CIELAB
· CIE94 (i.e. the common formula, CIE94 (1:1))
· CIE94 tex. (i.e. CIE94 for textile, CIE94 (2:1))
· CIE94 (2:2)
· CMC (2:1)
· CMC (1:1)
· CIEDE2000
This selection is used to compute the CII and SMI values. CIE94 (2:2), where kL=2 and kC=2, is
recommended to determine the CII by Berns (Ref. 25, p. 129) as it puts more weight on the hue
(with kH=1) than on the lightness and chroma, which is the intent of the CII measurement.
Note : The MI values are always computed using CIELAB color differences.
· Select an "Observer"; data will be updated if it is changed after a measurement is done.
· Select the reference illuminant for CII computation. The default value is D65.
MEASURED ILLUMINANTS
If desired, click the "Get Ambient-1" or "Get Ambient-2" button to acquire the spectrum of an ambient
light source. You will be prompted to install the ambient diffuser to make the measurement; you may
also be prompted to calibrate the Eye-One for this mode, if not already done.
The illuminance (lux), the Correlated Color Temperature (CCT, in kelvin), the Color Rendering Index
(CRI, see the CIE 13.3 section in the ISO3664+ tools description), and the CCT used for CRI
computation will be shown at the right of the "Get Ambient" button. Once measured, you can save the
spectrum in a file for reference, or for use at a later time.
Hint : If there is a problem during the ambient calibration procedure, for example, if you forget to
place the black cap on the diffuser, then the calibration should be redone. However, if you click on the
"Calibrate" button while in the MI tools, the default procedure is to calibrate in Reflectance, and not in
Ambient mode. To redo a calibration in Ambient mode, go to the Graph tools, select the "Ambient"
mode, and then click on the "Calibrate" button. Once the calibration is completed, you can go back in
the MI tools and measure an ambient source.
Hint : We recommend saving your ambient light source measurements since, apart from the
spectrum, the file contains : the illuminance, the CCT, the CRI with the CRI reference CCT, the
chromaticity coordinates (xyY), and the tristimulus values (XYZ). This file can be opened in any word

92 BabelColor CT&A
processor or spreadsheet application.
Hint : An ambient spectrum saved in the MI tools can be loaded as a measurement in the ISO 3664+
tools (look for the section on how to load an ambient spectrum from a file).
Note : Although the ambient spectrum is saved is a CGATS compatible file format, which can be
opened by most color processing software, it contains a spectrum which is not normalized to 1 or 100,
like a reflectance spectrum. The appearance of the patch and the computed color coordinates will
thus not be correct in such programs.
You can also load a spectrum from a file. The accepted file formats are CGATS and plain text; the
detailed requirements are discussed below. You will find files of many standard Illuminants in the
"Illuminants" folder located within the main BabelColor CT&A application folder. In Windows, this
folder can be opened directly with the "Start menu/BabelColor/Illuminant files" shortcut.
Important : An ambient spectrum can be loaded from a file if the file contains only ONE spectrum.
The file can be formatted in a CGATS compatible format or be plain text. If plain text, the following
requirements should be met.
Requirements for spectrum files in plain text format :

· The first line must contain the wavelength labels/values from 380 to 730 nm, or from 400 to
700 nm, in 10 nm steps.
· The wavelength labels may contain other letters, such as "nm380", "380_nm", or "380NM", but
no spaces.
· The first line may contain other tags such as "ID" or "Name". These tags must not contain
spaces. These tags may be written in uppercase or lowercase. If additional tags are used in the
first line, you must fill the second line with the corresponding information or number, with no
spaces in the tag content.
· The second line must contain the spectral values (and the content of the additional tags if
used). The decimal separator can be a period ( . ) or a comma ( , ).
· The wavelength labels and the spectral values must be separated by a data delimiter. The
delimiters may be "tabs", "commas", "semicolons", or "spaces". The same delimiter must be
used for both lines in a given file.
Such a file can easily be created with a word processor or a spreadsheet application, as shown
below. When saving the file, do not use the often complex native application formats; instead, select a
plain text, tab-delimited, or Comma-Separated-Value (CSV) file format.
Hint : If you are not sure of your file format, simply load it and save it under another name; then
compare the two files to see if data is missing in the saved file.

ILLUMINANT SELECTION
Select the "Illuminants" that will be used for SMI and MI metamerism evaluation, and as the CII
reference.
The available illuminants are (an asterisk indicates that a correlated color temperature is shown) :
· A (Tungsten or Incandescent, 2856 K)
· B (Direct sunlight at noon, 4874 K*, obsolete)
· C (North sky daylight, 6774 K*)
· D50 (Daylight, used for color rendering, 5000 K*)
· D55 (Daylight, used for photography, 5500 K*)
· D60 (Daylight, 6000 K*)
· D65 (New version of North sky daylight, 6504 K*)
· E (Uniform energy illuminant, 5400K*)
· F2 (Cool White Fluorescent (CWF), 4200 K*)
· F7 (Broad-band Daylight Fluorescent, 6500 K*)
· F11 (Narrow-band White Fluorescent, 4000 K*)
· Amb-1 (i.e. Ambient-1)
· Amb-2 (i.e. Ambient-2)
If Ambient-1 or Ambient-2 is selected but not already measured, or loaded from file, when measuring
the Reference or Sample, you will be prompted to acquire the ambient spectrum. Once a Reference
or Sample is measured, the window data will be updated whenever you change an illuminant.
MEASUREMENTS
To make a measurement, click on the "Get Ref." or on the "Get Sample" button. You can also press
the Eye-One button; a yellow indicator is located beside the "Get x" button that will be selected if you
press the Eye-One button :
This indicator automatically changes location when an input is done at one position. To erase a
measurement, first press the Alt key, in Windows, or the Option key on a Mac. Whenever the mouse
cursor is within the tool window, the "Get Ref." and "Get Sample" buttons will change their caption to "
Clear" (if there is a measurement). To clear the sample, click the button with the mouse while keeping
the Alt or Option key pressed :

94 BabelColor CT&A
Here is a first example where the Reference and Sample match quite well under Illuminant D50 :
The displayed patch colors are computed to show how the Reference and Sample would look like
under the illuminants selected in the two popup menus located on the window's left side.
A Color Inconstancy Index (CII) is computed independently for both the Reference and the Sample,
and for each selected illuminant. The CII is computed relative to a user-specified reference illuminant
(D65 by default). The CII will always be zero if the selected patch illuminant is the same as the CII
reference illuminant. In the screenshot above, we see that, for both the Reference and the Sample,
the CII is smaller relative to D50 than it is relative to Amb-2 (Ambient-2), which is an halogen lamp
with a CCT of 2723 K, close to Illuminant "A". This means that we will see a smaller color shift
between D50 and D65, than between Amb-2 and D65. We note that the Reference and Sample
patches look almost identical under D50 but quite different under Amb-2.
The DeltaE* (SMI) color difference is computed between the Reference and the Sample for both
selected illuminants. If the Reference and Sample match, or nearly match, under one illuminant, the
color difference obtained for the illuminant which does not match is called the Special Metamerism
Index (SMI). This is essentially the case for the screenshot above where the DeltaE* for D50 is 0,52, a
very small value, and we could say that the SMI for these two colors is the DeltaE* computed for the
Amb-2 illuminant (DeltaE* = 2,39, i.e. SMI = 2,39).
The Metamerism Index (MI; the index used here is referred to as the "Hunter Metamerism Index") is
computed by combining the L*a*b* values of two samples under two illuminants (i.e. four L*a*b*
values). The MI is computed with CIELAB color-difference data even if another color-difference
formula is selected for CII and SMI computation. Please note that there is no need for a perfect match
under one Illuminant as we have in this example. The MI obtained here (MI = 3,97) is quite high. By

looking at both the DeltaE* (SMI) and CII data, we can say that the metamerism is mostly due to the
Ambient-2 light, where the large color shifts, as expressed by the CII numbers, are not in the same
direction for both patches, as we see in the resulting DeltaE* of 2,39. This is not to say that a high CII
for both the Reference and the Sample always mean a high MI, since the color shift could be in the
same direction for the two colors and could possibly result in a near-zero MI.
Because the CII, SMI, and MI are color differences, the same criteria and thresholds used in
evaluating color differences should apply when assessing these numbers.
Here is another example where we compare two very different colors :
In the screenshot above, we used the same ambient light measured in the first example; however, we
saved the spectrum in a file whose name appears in green text. Also, we selected D65 as the second
illuminant; because the reference illuminant for CII computation is also D65, the CII for the Reference
and Sample are zero for the second illuminant. The difference between the colors is quite large, with a
DeltaE* of 15,42 for Amb-2 and a DeltaE* of 15,73 for D65, and while we can see, and compute, large
color-shifts (i.e. CII) under the ambient light, the overall Metamerism Index is quite small at 0,66. What
happens here is that the color shifts are in the same direction; both patches look somewhat more
greenish under D65, and more reddish under the ambient light. In other words, the patches maintain
their color difference under the two light sources. If these were pieces of clothes, their color
relationship would be the same under the showroom lamp and outside in daylight.
Note : A clipping indicator appears in the bottom left corner of a color patch when the color of the

96 BabelColor CT&A

for all MI tools is "Reflectance", by default, and cannot be changed.
Click on "Save to file..." to save a Metamerism report. The report has tab-delimited data that can be
directly imported in a spreadsheet program, and opened in many text editing applications (it is
suggested to use a monospace font, such as Courier, in order to facilitate formatting).
a one-button Mac mouse) on any data field (L*a*b*, CII, SMI, MI)). Shown below is the contextual
menu which appears with a right-click on the upper-left CII, which quantifies the color inconstancy for
the Reference between "Amb-2" and "D65". When copied, the data is transferred into the clipboard.
Please note that L*a*b* values are separated by Tabs in the clipboard; you can then easily paste the
values in a spreadsheet or document table, where they will be distributed in individual cells.

4.3 RAL DESIGN tool GUI
INTRODUCTION
The RAL tool is a straightforward measurement and conversion tool that presents the measured data
as per the RAL DESIGN HLC convention :
· H : Hue angle (from 0 to 360 degrees)
· L : Lightness (apparent brightness, from 0 to 100)
· C : Chroma (saturation, from 0 to 100)
The RAL DESIGN notation is based on L*C*h* data computed from illuminant D65 and the 10 degree
Standard Observer (CIE1964). HLC data is simply a reordering of the L*C*h* values, with "h*"
becoming "H" and being shifted as the first coordinate. The values are also rounded to the nearest
integer.
SETUP
There is no user setup for this tool. The program will set itself for illuminant D65 and the 10 degree
Observer.
MEASUREMENT
To make a measurement, just click on the "Get RAL" button or press the Eye-One button.
Apart from the measurement in RAL DESIGN notation, the display also shows the L*a*b* and L*C*h*
values.

98 BabelColor CT&A
HINT : Even though all colors can be represented in RAL DESIGN notation, not all colors are
available in "real" inked or painted patches. The standard RAL DESIGN patches are typically offered
in increments of five for each coordinate. For communicating the RAL DESIGN value, we suggest you
give the exact measurement as well as the closest available printed patches.
Note : A clipping indicator appears in the bottom left corner of the color patch when the color of the
a one-button Mac mouse) on a data field. Shown below is the contextual menu which appears with a
right-click on the RAL (HLC) field; selecting the menu will transfer the three coordinates into the
clipboard, separated by Tabs. You can then easily paste the values in a spreadsheet or document
table, where they will be distributed in three columns.

4.4 Graph tools GUI
INTRODUCTION
The Graph tools enable you to :
· acquire, evaluate and compare two spectrums in relative or absolute radiometric units;
· perform basic mathematical operations on the spectrums;
· compare the spectrum of an ambient or flash source with the spectrum of an ideal blackbody or
D-series illuminant;
· obtain the luminance or illuminance of sources (displays, ambient lights, photo-flashes);
· obtain the Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) and Color Rendering Index (CRI) of ambient and
flash sources;
· obtain colorimetric coordinates (L*a*b*, xyY, etc.) of the spectrums for various illuminants and
Standard Observer combinations;
· get the color difference between the two spectrums in many user-selectable formulas;
· export numeric data and spectrum images in bitmap (.bmp) or JPEG (.jpg) format, for Windows, or
PICT (.pct) format, for Mac.

100 BabelColor CT&A
SETUP
· Select a measurement "Mode" in the "Next sample" group.
The available measurement modes are :
· Emission
· Ambient (with the diffuser cap installed on the Eye-One)
· Reflectance
· Flash (with the diffuser cap installed on the Eye-One)
The photometric and radiometric units for the modes that measure light characteristics are :
photometric radiometric units
Mode
units (for spectrums)
Emission cd / m2 mW /nm /m2 /sr
Ambient lux mW /nm /m2
Flash lux-sec mJ /nm /m2
Important : The "Ambient" and "Flash" modes are not available if your Eye-One is an older version
without the diffuser cap accessory. Older instruments can be factory refurbished.
· In the "Color space setup" group, select an "Illuminant" and an "Observer" that will be used to
compute the tristimulus data.
The available illuminants are :
· A (Tungsten or Incandescent, 2856 K)
· B (Direct sunlight at noon, 4874 K*, obsolete)
· C (North sky daylight, 6774 K*)
· D50 (Daylight, used for color rendering, 5000 K*)
· D55 (Daylight, used for photography, 5500 K*)
· D65 (New version of North sky daylight, 6504 K*)
· E (Uniform energy illuminant, 5400K*)
· F2 (Cool White Fluorescent (CWF), 4200 K*)
· F7 (Broad-band Daylight Fluorescent, 6500 K*)
· F11 (Narrow-band White Fluorescent, 4000 K*)
The colorimetric coordinates will be updated if these settings are changed after a measurement is
done.
Important : The "Color space setup" settings have no effect on the spectrums' shapes and the
spectrums' data values.

· Select the user-selectable colorimetric data type, or color space, that will be used with the acquired
data. L*a*b* is always computed in addition to the user-selected color space. Data will be updated if
the color space is changed after a measurement is done.
The available color spaces are :
· L*C*h* (ab) (i.e. L*C*h* from L*a*b*)
· L*u*v*
· L*C*h* (uv) (i.e. L*C*h* from L*u*v*)
· XYZ
· xyY (recommended for ambient and flash measurements)
· Select the color difference formula that will be used with the acquired L*a*b* data; the difference will
be updated if the formula is changed after a measurement is done.
The available color difference formulas are :
· CIELAB
· CIE94 (i.e. the common formula, CIE94 (1:1))
· CIE94 tex. (i.e. CIE94 for textile, CIE94 (2:1))
· CMC (2:1)
· CMC (1:1)
· CIEDE2000
· If not already done, calibrate the selected measurement mode by clicking on the "Calibrate" button
and following the on-screen instructions.
Important : The L* (of L*a*b*) and Y (of XYZ) values of the AMBIENT and FLASH color
coordinates are always 100 since they are considered as sources. As an example, look at the
L*a*b* and xyY coordinates of S2, on the bottom-right of the screenshot at the beginning of this
section. (Note : this is different than what is done in the "L*a*b*/L*u*v* input" mode of the main screen
where L* and Y are maximized relative to their xy (chromaticity coordinates) position in the selected
RGB space, and where L* and Y values of 100 can only be assigned to the chromaticity coordinates
of the illuminant).
Important : The L* and Y values of the EMISSION color coordinates are computed relative to the
display White Level (as measured on the white monitor patch used in the second step of the emission
calibration). Accordingly, the display white is assigned L* and Y values of 100. Nothing prevents you
of using another monitor or another emissive surface to set this reference value; however, be aware
that all subsequent emission measurements will be referenced to this White Level, that is, until a new
emission calibration is performed.
Important : Many CRT displays will change their brightness depending on what is displayed on the
rest of the screen. This is why a single small white square over a black background is used for
emission calibration. As a consequence, in some displays, you may find that, thereafter, white is
measured with an L* value of less than 100 in many situations.

102 BabelColor CT&A
MEASUREMENTS
· Emission, ambient and reflectance modes : Before making any measurement, you should
calibrate the instrument for the selected mode by clicking on the "Calibrate" button and following the
instructions. Please note that the calibration process is not the same for all modes; however,
calibrating for the ambient mode will also do the calibration for the flash mode. If you try to do a
measurement and the calibrations was not done, or is outdated, you will automatically be directed
through the calibration sequence before doing the measurement.
To make a measurement, click on one of the "Get Sample" buttons. You can also press the
Eye-One button; a yellow indicator is located beside the "Get Sample" button that will be selected if
you press the Eye-One button :
This indicator automatically changes location when an input is done at one position. If you want to
change the indicator position to the other sample before taking a measurement, simply click on the
indicator.
To erase a measurement, first press the Alt key, in Windows, or the Option key on a Mac.
Whenever the mouse cursor is within the tool window, the "Get Sample" buttons for which a
sample is already measured will change their caption to "Clear". To clear the sample, click the
button with the mouse while keeping the Alt or Option key pressed :

· Flash mode : Before making any measurement, you should calibrate the instrument by clicking on
the "Calibrate" button and following the instructions. Please note that calibrating for the flash mode
will also do the calibration for the ambient mode. If you try to do a measurement and the calibrations
was not done, or is outdated, you will automatically be directed through the calibration sequence
before doing the measurement.
To make a flash measurement :

1. press and hold the Eye-One button (you should hear a short beep);
2. trigger the flash;
3. release the Eye-One button (you should hear a second short beep).
Because of the above sequence, where it is required to press and hold the Eye-One button, it is not
possible to start a flash measurement from the program window; accordingly, the "Get Sample"
buttons are hidden. The sample to which the next Eye-One key press will be assigned is identified
by the "Input: i1 key" text and by a yellow indicator. This indicator automatically changes location
when an input is done at one position. If you want to change the indicator position to the other
sample before taking a measurement, simply click on the indicator.

104 BabelColor CT&A
INTERFACE FEATURES
When a measurement is made in emission, ambient or flash mode, the photometric quantity, in
cd/m2, lux, or lux-sec respectively, and the Correlated Color Temperature (CCT), in kelvin, is shown
under the scale adjustment groups (labeled S1, S2 and Math). In addition, in ambient or flash mode,
the Color Rendering Index (CRI) is provided (the reference Illuminant used to determine the CRI is
displayed between parentheses); this is shown just below, on the left. You can also see the numerical
coordinates of the spectrums by moving the mouse over the graphs; again, this information is
displayed under the scale adjustment group, as shown below, on the right.
You will notice that, by default, the coordinates for emission, ambient and flash measurements are
absolute values ("Abs."). If desired, you can normalize a graph by selecting the "Nor." radio button in
the scale adjustment groups, as shown below on the left; this action will set the maximum of a
spectrum to one (1). The normalization is for viewing purposes only; internally, the data is still saved
in absolute coordinates. You can also zoom-in and zoom-out a graph by clicking the small arrows in
the scale adjustment zones, as shown below on the right.
To change the graph grids appearance, use your mouse right-click (or ctrl + click on a one-button
Mac mouse) and select an option.
By first hiding all grids then selecting to show a separate line for R=1, you can easily view the
reflectance of a fluorescent paper, as shown in the example below, which is compared with a very
neutral but grayish paper. At 440 nm, corresponding to to mouse cursor position, the reflectance of
this fluorescent paper is 114% (R=1,14) compared to 86% for the more neutral paper.

Note : A clipping indicator appears in the bottom left or right corner of a color patch when the color of
the sample it represents is outside of the RGB space gamut of the monitor.

106 BabelColor CT&A
SPECTRUM MATH OPERATIONS AND FUNCTIONS

Mathematical operations can be performed between two samples; some functions require only one
sample. The operations are enabled according to the measurement modes of the samples. All
operations are performed on absolute values even if the display is normalized. The enabling logic is
the following :
SPECTRUM S2
OPERATIONS Emission Ambient Flash Reflectance
Emission Add, Avg, Sub S2 vs S2 vs Mult
Add, Avg, Sub

Ambient S1 vs S1 vs, S2 vs Mult, S1 vs
S1 vs, S2 vs
S1
Add, Avg, Sub
Flash S1 vs S1 vs, S2 vs Mult, S1 vs
S1 vs, S2 vs
Reflectance Mult Mult, S2 vs Mult, S2 vs Add, Avg, Sub
Here is what the middle section of the dialog looks like when two reflectance samples are measured :
· Multiply : This is always done with a reflectance spectrum and either an ambient, flash, or
emission spectrum.
There are two ways to consider the resulting spectrum :

a- As a source whose spectrum is the light reflected from the color patch.
b- As the reflectance of a color patch under an Illuminant (ambient, flash or emission) under which
you are white adapted.
You should select "b-", and check the "W adapt." box located to the right of the Math spectrum,
when the emission or ambient spectrum is close to "white", and "a-" (which corresponds to "W
adapt." unchecked) in all other cases (the "b-" option has no sense for a deeply colored light
source).
In the screenshot shown at the start of this section, Sample #1 (S1) is a reflectance measurement of
a green color patch whereas Sample #2 (S2) is an ambient measurement of a typical halogen desk
lamp, with a color temperature and a spectrum close to Illuminant A. The illuminance is 700 lux and
the color temperature is 2779 K; it is not surprising to see the corresponding patch as a light-yellow
—when represented relative to a display D65 white point—even though this kind of light is
perceived as "white" when our eyes are adapted to it (after a few seconds).
In the same screenshot, the "Multiply (S1 x S2)" operation is selected and a third graph is shown.
We clearly see the effect of the multiplication. Also shown below the scale adjustment group,
labeled "Math", is an illuminance value of 276 lux; the difference from the original 700 lux value is
from the absorption in the reflectance sample. 276 lux is the effective luminance of the light that
would result from the sample reflection, as if filtered by it (case "a-" above); apart from being
dimmer, the resulting patch is also yellower, a result of the non-uniform spectrum of the original
source with a dominant reddish content.
If you assume that you are "illuminant adapted" to the source and that the sample is basically lit by
white light (case "b-" above), the resulting perceived color is closer to the one of the original sample.
As mentioned, this can be simulated by clicking the "W adapt" box (not shown in the screenshot).

· Add : Adding two reflectance spectrums will simulate an additive RGB process. Please note that
adding reflectance and emission spectrums may result in L* and Y values superior to 100. When
adding ambient spectrums, the resulting coordinates will always be normalized to L* and Y values
of 100.
· Average : The resulting spectrum has the same shape as the one obtained with the "Add" function,
but its brightness is half the one of the "Add" function.
· Subtract : You can select to subtract either spectrum from the other. Negative values, while
displayed, are clipped to zero—for all measurements types—when computing tristimulus data, for
color patch representation, and for data export.
· S1 vs Illum. or S2 vs Illum. : These functions appear whenever you measure a sample in

"Ambient" or "Flash" mode. In the screenshot below, S2 (Sample-2) is the measurement, in flash
mode, of a typical accessory flash that can be attached to a digital cameras; accordingly, the "S2 vs
Illum." radio button is enabled. When selected, the spectrum of the sample is reproduced in the
bottom graph, in black, along with a spectrum, in green, of an "ideal" reference illuminant
corresponding to a rounded value of the measured sample's CCT. The reference illuminant type, a
blackbody or a D-series Illuminant, is based on the CCT value; in addition, nine commonly used
illuminants can also be manually selected (see more information further down) :
In this case, the sample CCT is 5972 K and the automatically selected reference illuminant used for
comparison is a D-series Illuminant at 6000 K (i.e. D60). We see that the flash output has
essentially the same spectral distribution as the reference daylight illuminant for wavelengths above
430 nm.

108 BabelColor CT&A
Important : You will notice that the reference illuminant is ALWAYS generated for the SAME
ILLUMINANCE as the selected sample (291 lux-sec in this example) so that you can better
compare them with an absolute ("Abs.") scale.
You can also manually select other illuminants with the "Ref. Illum." listbox :
The selection comprises a 2856 K blackbody, which is Illuminant A, as well as other blackbodies
corresponding to many SoLux lamps, and four commonly used Daylight series (D-series)
illuminants. Selecting "Auto" will compute the ideal spectrum based on the measured CCT, in kelvin.
A D-series illuminant will be selected for color temperatures over 4000 K, and a blackbody will be
selected for color temperatures below 4000 K. The temperature is assigned in steps of 100 K for
D-series illuminants and 50 K for blackbodies. The spectral data of the reference illuminant is
scaled to match the measured illuminance; it can be exported to a file (see below).

At all times, you can calibrate the Eye-One by clicking the "Calibrate" button. The calibration will be
done for the measurement mode selected in the "Next sample" group. Please read the "Important"
notes for emission calibration in the SETUP section above.
Click on "Save to file..." to save the spectrums of the measured samples and of the mathematical
operations, if selected. The report has tab-delimited data that can be directly imported in a
spreadsheet program as well as many text editing applications (it is suggested to use a monospace
font, such as Courier, in order to facilitate formatting). The file is also CGATS compliant and can be
opened by many color-management software, including BabelColor's PatchTool and
X-Rite/GretagMacbeth MeasureTool.
Note : Although the ambient, emission, and flash spectrums are saved in a CGATS compatible file
format, these spectrums are not normalized to 1 or 100, like a reflectance spectrum. The appearance
of the patch and the computed color coordinates will thus not be correct in programs that can read
these files.
Hint : An ambient spectrum saved in the Graph tools can be loaded in the MI tools as a "Measured
illuminant" using the "Load.." button. Such a spectrum can also be loaded as a measurement in the
ISO 3664+ tools (look for the section on how to load an ambient spectrum from a file). In both cases, it
is important to save only one spectrum in the file, erasing the second spectrum with the method
described in the "INTERFACE FEATURES" section above if required.
Click on "Save image..." to save an image of the display. You will be shown a dialog where you are
asked to select a printing scale :

The 1X scale is equivalent to a screenshot. The 2X scale draws everything twice the size; this is the
same as doubling the resolution for the same image size. The 2X scale is recommended if you want
to use the image in a printed report.
a one-button Mac mouse) on any data field. Shown below is the contextual menu which appears with
a right-click on the L*C*h* (uv) data field of Sample #1 (S1); selecting the menu will transfer the three
coordinates into the clipboard, separated by Tabs. You can then easily paste the values in a
spreadsheet or document table, where they will be distributed in three columns.

110 BabelColor CT&A
4.5 ISO 3664+ tools GUI
INTRODUCTION
The ISO 3664+ tools help in measuring compliance to ISO 3664 ("Viewing conditions - for Graphic
Technology and Photography"), with additional custom goals for increased flexibility in characterizing
your environment. The ISO 3664+ tools are :
· Brightness : Measure your ambient illuminance or display luminance.
· Chromaticity : Measure the Correlated Color Temperature (CCT, in kelvin) of your ambient
illumination or display. Measure the offset from ideal chromaticity coordinates (u' and v' defined in
CIE1976 and measured with the 10 degree CIE1964 Observer).
· Color Rendering Index (CRI) : Based on CIE 13, the CRI is computed using eight pre-defined
color patches whose coordinates are compared with a reference daylight illuminant of prescribed
temperature (D50 in the case of ISO 3664). You have the choice of using either the prescribed
Illuminant, other common illuminants, or have the program automatically select the nearest
blackbody or D-series Illuminant.
· Metamerism Index (MI) : This test assigns a Quality Grade to the measured illumination relative to
a selected "ideal" daylight illuminant. This grade is expressed by a letter from "A" to "E", with "A"
being the best grade. The grade is based on the average color difference between L*a*b* data
obtained with a set of virtual metamers (i.e. theoretical reflection samples) and the measured
ambient light, which is compared to the data obtained with the ideal illuminant (D50 for ISO
3664).This test is not the same as the one used in the MI Tool tab.
Important : Although they are identified with the same name, the Metamerism Index determined
with this test is not the same as the MI determined in the MI Tool tab.

The MI test specifically called for in ISO 3664 is ISO 23603. This is the same test defined in CIE S
012 /E:2004, which is an evolution of the CIE 51 test. The metamers of CIE S 012 are basically
identical to the ones of CIE 51; however, their spectrums have been extended to 380 and 780, from
the 400 to 700 nm range of CIE 51. The grade categories for CIE 51 and CIE S 012 are the same
and are computed in the same manner.
Note : ISO 23603 / CIE S 012 not only describe how to measure a visible index, but an Ultra-Violet
(UV) index as well. In practice, the Eye-One cannot do measurements in the range required for the
UV index, and thus, only the visible index is computed.
· Brightness uniformity : Measurements can be performed for up to nine positions identified by

radio buttons in the "Brightness uniformity" group. When a measurement is done, the relative
brightness at this position is shown above the radio button. The reference brightness is the
measurement done in the center position, if measured; if the center position is not measured, then
the reference brightness is the maximum value measured at any position.
Important : Please note that it is not only the brightness which is measured at each position, but the
chromaticity, the CRI and the MI data as well.
The remainder of this section indicates how to set up the interface and make measurements. For
more information on ISO 3664 and the standards it makes reference to, click here.
SETUP
· Select the "VIEWING CONDITIONS".
The available viewing conditions are :
· (P1) Critical comparison of PRINTS
· (P2) Practical appraisal of PRINTS
· (T1) Direct viewing of TRANSPARENCIES
· Color monitors
The Color Rendering Index (CRI) and Metamerism Index (MI) tests are not required when the "Color
monitors" viewing condition is selected, and these tools are not shown for this selection.
Important : The "P1" and "P2" viewing conditions are not available if your Eye-One is an older
version without ambient measurement capabilities, which requires a calibrated diffuser accessory.
Older instruments can be factory refurbished.
· Select the "Target center".

The selections are :
· 2856 K
· 3500 K
· 4100 K
· 4700 K
· 5000 K
· D50
· D55
· D60
· D65
· D75
· D93
· Goal

112 BabelColor CT&A
Selecting "Goal" will show the tolerance required by ISO 3664, which varies according to the viewing
conditions. You can also select targets corresponding to many SoLux lamps, for ambient viewing
conditions, and popular display color temperatures, for monitors. Data will be updated if the target
center is changed after a measurement is done. Data will be updated if it is changed after a
measurement is done.
· Select the "Ref. Illuminant" for the Color Rendering Index (CRI).
· 2856 K
· 3500 K
· 4100 K
· 4700 K
· 5000 K
· D50
· D55
· D65
· D75
· Auto
D50 is required by ISO 3664. Selecting "Auto" will compute the CRI based on the measured
temperature, in kelvin. A D-series illuminant will be selected for color temperatures over 4000 K, and a
blackbody will be selected for color temperatures below 4000 K. The temperature is assigned in steps
of 100 K for D-series illuminants and 50 K for blackbodies. Data will be updated if the reference
illuminant is changed after a measurement is done.
· Select the "Ref. Illum." for the Metamerism Index (MI) / Quality Grade determined as per CIE S 012.
· D50
· D55
· D65
· D75
D50 is required by ISO 3664. Data will be updated if the reference illuminant is changed after a
measurement is done.
· Select a position in the "Brightness uniformity" group by clicking on one of the nine radio buttons.
on-screen instructions. Please note that the PI and P2 viewing conditions require that the Eye-One
be in "Ambient" mode, with the diffuser adapter mounted, while the T1 and Monitor conditions
require that the Eye-One be in "Emission" mode, without the diffuser.

MEASUREMENTS
To make a measurement, click on the "Test" button or press the Eye-One button.
A test result will be shown as PASS or FAIL. A green colored PASS over a black background
indicates that the test meets the requirements of ISO 3664. A yellow colored PASS over a black
background indicates that the test meets the selected goal but this goal is not the one recommended
by ISO 3664.
: No measurement for this position, or not enough measurements (Brightness uniformity)
: Requirement met as per viewing condition goal
: Non-standard requirement met
: Requirement NOT met
In the screenshot shown in the beginning of this section, all tests have passed for the central position,
except for the chromaticity accuracy. The measured brightness (2009 lux) is almost spot-on the
requirement of the P1 Viewing Condition (for critical comparison of prints), which is 2000 lux. The
green central zone in the chromaticity target represents the maximum acceptable u'v' offset (the
vector obtained by combining the u' and v' offsets). In our example, the target center has been
selected as "Goal", which corresponds to D50 for this viewing condition; the measured offset (rounded
to the nearest third decimal point) is 0,005, just at the edge of the acceptable zone.
The CRI results are presented as an index between 0 and 100, with 100 being the best result. The
index of each sample used in the CRI computation is presented in a data table; these values are
called the "Special indices". The data table can be sorted by clicking on a column heading : "Sample",
"SI", or "P/F" (i.e. "Pass/Fail"). The CRI is the average of these indices. For our example, the goals for
the special indices as well as the one for the CRI are met.
When measuring an unknown source, you should select "Auto" as the reference illuminant for CRI
computation. The closest D-series or blackbody illuminant corresponding to the measured color
temperature, shown in the "Chromaticity" test, will be selected for CRI computation. In the image
below, we see that D60, the D-series illuminant corresponding to 6000 K, was selected to compute
the CRI of the 5980 K light source.

114 BabelColor CT&A
Getting back at the screenshot shown in the beginning of this section, the Quality Grade, the MI
determined as per CIE S 012, is "B", an excellent results which exceeds the minimal requirements of
ISO 3664. You will find that natural light measurements will often give acceptable to excellent results
for this test, which is more severe than the CRI test, whereas it will often fail for artificial lights not
specially designed for daylight simulation.
Hint : All the information presented in this window, as well as the color differences of the five
metamers used to determine the MI Quality Grade, is contained in the report generated by clicking the
"Save to file..." button. You can also print a well-formatted one-page report which contains information
dedicated to compliance reports by clicking the "Print report..." button.
A minimum of two tests are required before a PASS result can be obtained for "Brightness uniformity".
In the screenshot shown in the beginning of this section, only one test was done, and 100% is shown
as the relative brightness for the selected position. Accordingly, the PASS/FAIL result is not shown.
The image below on the left shows the brightness uniformity test with measurements done at seven of
the nine positions; the non-measured positions are shown in yellow. The positions which meet the
requirement of 75%+ relative to the center position (as required for the P1 and P2 Viewing
Conditions) are shown in green, and the one which does not meet it in red; the brightness uniformity
thus fails because of this single position where the brightness is 74% of the center value. The image
below on the right shows another set of measurements where the brightness uniformity is within
requirement, even if we see a slight brightness increase when going from the upper-left to the
lower-right.

All the tests for a given position (Brightness, Chromaticity, CRI, and MI) can be erased by first
selecting the position for which you want to erase the results, and then clicking on the "Clear pos."
button. All the tests for all positions of a given viewing condition can be erased by clicking the "Clear
all" button.
Take all
To rapidly take a series of measurement at all nine positions, click the "Take all" button. The input
position will automatically change after each click of the "Test" button or press of the Eye-One button.
The positioning sequence is :
1. Center
2. Upper-Left
3. Upper-Center
4. Upper-Right
5. Center-Left
6. Center-Right
7. Lower-Left
8. Lower-Center
9. Lower-Right
A small message indicating the selected position will also appear next to the "Brightness uniformity"
group. Move the Eye-One between each measurement so that its position corresponds to the location
shown in the "Brightness uniformity" group. You can always redo one of the measurements manually
thereafter, if need be.
If the "Color monitors" viewing condition is selected, clicking the "Take all" button will open a small
dialog which asks if you want the program to automatically draw white circles at the prescribed screen
positions, on the current monitor. If you want to perform these measurements manually, or on another
display than the one which is used to control the program, we suggest that you use dedicated target
images instead of a simple large white patch that fills the screen. You can find such target images, for
various monitor resolutions, in a folder named "ISO12646_targets" located in the "BabelColor CT&A"
application folder. Open the images using any graphic editing program.

116 BabelColor CT&A
Load an ambient spectrum from a file

This file may come from an ambient measurement made in the MI or the Graph tools tab, or from a
word processor or spreadsheet application. To load a file, first press the Alt key, in Windows, or the
Option key on a Mac. Whenever the mouse cursor is within the tool window, the "Test" buttons will
change its caption to "Load..."; just click the button with the mouse while keeping the Alt or Option
key pressed :
You can load a spectrum in any of the nine positions shown in the Brightness uniformity group, and
even load nine files in a row by first clicking the "Take all" button and then clicking the "Load..." button
nine times.
Note : This capability is available only for the P1 (Prints: CRITICAL comparison) and P2 (Prints:
PRACTICAL appraisal) viewing conditions.
Important : An ambient spectrum can be loaded from a file if the file contains only ONE spectrum.
The file can be formatted in a CGATS compatible format or be plain text. If plain text, the following
requirements should be met.
Requirements for spectrum files in plain text format :

· The first line must contain the wavelength labels/values from 380 to 730 nm, or from 400 to 700
nm, in 10 nm steps.
· The wavelength labels may contain other letters, such as "nm380", "380_nm", or "380NM", but no
spaces.
· The first line may contain other tags such as "ID" or "Name". These tags must not contain spaces.
These tags may be written in uppercase or lowercase. If additional tags are used in the first line,
you must fill the second line with the corresponding information or number, with no spaces in the
tag content.
· The second line must contain the spectral values (and the content of the additional tags if used).
The decimal separator can be a period ( . ) or a comma ( , ).
· The wavelength labels and the spectral values must be separated by a data delimiter. The
delimiters may be "tabs", "commas", "semicolons", or "spaces". The same delimiter must be used
for both lines in a given file.
Such a file can easily be created with a word processor or a spreadsheet application, as shown
below. When saving the file, do not use the often complex native application formats; instead, select a
plain text, tab-delimited, or Comma-Separated-Value (CSV) file format.

Hint : If you are not sure of your file format, simply load it and save it under another name; then
compare the two files to see if data is missing in the saved file.
COMPLIANCE REPORTS
Click on "Print report..." to print a well-formatted one-page report which contains information
dedicated to compliance reports. Such a report is available for all viewing conditions. While these
reports do not contain all the data provided in the document obtained with the "Save file..." button, the
data is color-coded and formatted to rapidly assess the main evaluation parameters. Reduced size
screenshots of the "P1" and "Color monitors" viewing conditions reports are shown below :

118 BabelColor CT&A

can be "Ambient" or "Emission" depending on the selected viewing condition.
Click on "Save to file..." to save an ISO 3664 report. The report has tab-delimited data that can be
directly imported in a spreadsheet program, and opened in many text editing applications (it is
suggested to use a monospace font, such as Courier, in order to facilitate formatting).

MEASUREMENTS ON LCD DISPLAYS

While making emission measurements with an Eye-One Pro on an LCD display, it was noticed that
different Luminance and Color Temperature measurements were obtained, depending on the
spectrometer position on the display. Luminance variations by as much as 10% were measured for
the same display area when rotating the spectrometer by 90 degrees. This problem affects Eye-One
Pro units with manufacturing revisions A, B, and C (shown as REV A, REV B, REV C on the
instruments). According to our own measurements on a REV D unit, this problem has essentially
disappeared; this has been confirmed by other owners of REV D Eye-One Pros.
The problem with earlier units is related to the polarization of the light emitted from the display. In an
LCD display, the intensity of each pixel is controlled by rotating the light's polarization state between
crossed polarizers, and the light coming out is linearly polarized (often at a 45 degrees angle). To
check this, look at your display using a photographic polarizing filter (or polarizing sunglasses), and
rotate it slowly; you should see maximum and minimum transmission for angular positions separated
by 90 degrees. The display light is not seen differently by the human eye whether it is polarized or not,
since we only perceive the light intensity; however, polarization can affect an instrument reading.
In order to obtain reproducible and valid measurements, we recommend making all measurements
with the instrument placed at the same angle that was used for calibration. If calibration is done with
the instrument suspended in its cradle, as shown in the following illustrations, all subsequent
measurements should be done with the Eye-One placed vertically. It is acceptable to make
measurements with the instrument turned 180 degrees from its calibration position, so that it is still
vertical, as shown in the illustration on the left. Accordingly, in such a case, measurements should not
be done with the instrument positioned horizontally, or at an angle, as shown in the illustration on the
right.
Note : "Older" CRT displays do not emit polarized light and are thus not susceptible to errors due to
instrument orientation.
Note : Colorimeters, such as the Eye-One Display, are usually not affected by this effect.

120 BabelColor CT&A
4.6 Whiteness tools GUI
INTRODUCTION
The Whiteness tools can be used to measure :
· Whiteness and Tint : Measure a paper whiteness and tint according to three different formulas.
· Brightness : Measure a paper brightness according to TAPPI T452 / ASTM D985.
· Fluorescence : Measure a paper fluorescence according to TAPPI T452 / ASTM D985.
· Opacity : Measure a paper opacity according to CGATS.5 / ISO 2471.
· White backing compliance : Check the compliance of a white backing used to measure color
patches as per ISO 13655 (Ref. 42).
· Black backing compliance : Check the compliance of a black backing used to measure color
patches as per ISO 5-4 (Ref. 43).
· Derive a UV filter spectrum : Derive the spectral characteristics of an unknown UV filter to be
used for fluorescence measurements.
Important : Fluorescence measurements require a thin, transparent, UV filter, which is not provided,
and an Eye-One which is NOT UV-Cut. The other measurements require compliant white or black
backings, which are also not provided; however, you can easily check white and black backings
compliance with the provided tools.
The remainder of this section describes how to set up the interface and make measurements. For a
description of the standards and the measurement conditions, click here.

SETUP
· Select the "Whiteness" formula.
The available formulas are :
· CIE-GANZ 82 (Ref. 35) : The standard CIE formula. Based on XYZ measurements (D65, 2
degree Observer). This formula is also described in the ASTM E313 standard (Ref. 36), which
also provides formulas for a few combinations of formulas and Observers.
· CIE-Uchida (Ref. 37) : This formula extends CIE-GANZ 82 by supporting a wider range of tints
and purity over which whiteness can be evaluated. Based on XYZ measurements (D65, 2
degree Observer).
· CIELAB-HE 2007 (Ref. 38) : Based on CIELAB (D65, 10 degree Observer). Works over a wider
range of tints and purity. It is said to be more uniform and to better match visual ranking.
· The following accessories are required to perform the specific measurements :

· White backing : Required to measure brightness, fluorescence, and opacity
· Back backing : Required to measure opacity
· UV filter : Required to measure the brightness w/filter (i.e. with a UV filter), and fluorescence
MEASUREMENTS
Before making any measurement, you should calibrate the instrument by clicking on the "Calibrate"
button and following the instructions. If you try to do a measurement and the calibrations was not
done, or is outdated, you will automatically be directed through the calibration sequence before doing
the measurement.
A typical measurement sequence goes as follow :

· Paper on white backing : Place the paper for which you want to determine the characteristics on
the white backing and press on the "Paper on Wh" button.
· Paper with filter on white backing : With the paper still on the white backing, place the UV filter
between the paper and the Eye-One and press on the "Paper w/filter" button.
· Paper on black backing : Remove the UV filter between the Eye-One and the paper. Place the
paper on the black backing and press on the "Paper on Bk" button.
You can also do the above sequence simply by pressing the Eye-One button three times in a row. A
yellow indicator is located beside the window button that will be selected if you press the Eye-One
button. This indicator automatically changes location when an input is done at one position. In the
screenshot below, the first measurement ("Paper on Wh") is completed and the yellow button is
against the "Paper w/filter" button.

122 BabelColor CT&A
If you want to change the indicator position to the other sample before taking a measurement, simply
click on the indicator. As shown below, the indicator is beside the "Paper on Wh" button; clicking on
the indicator will make it appear beside the "Paper on Bk" button, for the last measurement of the
measuring sequence.
To erase a measurement, first press the Alt key, in Windows, or the Option key on a Mac. Whenever
the mouse cursor is within the tool window, the "Paper on Wh", "Paper w/filter", and "Paper on Wh"
buttons will change their caption to "Clear" (if there is a measurement). To clear the sample, click the
button with the mouse while keeping the Alt or Option key pressed :
Here are measurements obtained with a common bright white paper designed for ink-jet printers :

This is a paper whose whiteness and brightness comes from fluorescence due to paper additives
called Optical Whitening Agents (OWA), Fluorescent Whitening Agents (FWA), or Optical Brightening
Agents (OBA). These additives convert the invisible ultra-violet wavelength of the light source to blue
light, which makes the paper look whiter compared to the generally yellowish tint of standard paper
fibers. We can see the reflectance going up to 1,1 (or 110%) at 440 nm for the measurement on the
white backing (red curve), while the same paper measured with the UV filter (which cuts the UV)
shows a maximum reflectance of 93% at the same wavelength (blue curve). The red and blue curves
essentially are the same for wavelengths over 520 nm. Precise numerical data can be obtained by
moving the mouse over the graph; the wavelength at the location of the mouse cursor and the
corresponding spectral reflectance for all selected spectrums appears in the "Show" group :
The fluorescence, which is the brightness difference between the measurement without the UV filter
(=100,9) and the measurement with the UV filter (=91,0), on the white backing, is almost 10 (= 100,9 -
91,0).
The opacity, which is the ratio of Y (of XYZ) measured on the black backing divided by Y on the white
backing, is 93,9%. When we compare the spectrum measured on the white backing (in red), to the
spectrum measured on the black backing (in black), in the second above screenshot, we see an
almost constant gap for wavelengths over 430 nm.
Hint : Because a measurement made with the non-UV-cut Eye-One plus a separate UV-cut filter is
equivalent to making measurements with an Eye-One fitted with a permanent UV-cut filter, you can
use the Whiteness tools to rapidly make measurements with and without UV-cut. Such measurements
can also be done on colored patches, and are thus not limited to white paper, although you should
only look at the L*a*b* values in this case, and disregard the Whiteness, Brightness, etc. values. For
measurements without a UV-cut filter, you have to use the "Paper on Wh" button, and for UV-cut
measurements you need to place the UV filter between the Eye-One and the color patch, and press
the "Paper w/filter" button.

124 BabelColor CT&A
Checking white and black backings compliance

You can check the compliance of your white and black backings by placing the Eye-One on the
backing and clicking on the "Check Wh back." or "Check Bk back." button. For the white backing, the
Chroma (the C* of L*C*h*, D50, 2 degree Observer) shall not be more than 3,00, and the reflectance
shall be equal or higher than the requirements at eight (8) specific wavelengths; however, the
reflectance cannot be too high and shall not exceed an L* value of 97. For the black backing, the
optical density shall be 1,50 ± 0,20 and the density range shall be less than 5% of the average
density.
A message will appear beside the button after a measurement :
The message contains a short assessment of the measurement; the text is red when the backing is
not compliant, and black when compliant. You can see the backings' spectrum by selecting the
corresponding check box in the "Show" group. You can also export the backings' spectrums and get
the measured reflectance vs requirements values at the eight control wavelengths for the white
backing by clicking on the "Save to file" button.
White backing fluorescence check (visual) : In addition to the Chroma and reflectance
requirements, the white backing shall not be fluorescent. First measure the backing by placing the
Eye-One directly on the backing and click on the "Paper on Wh" button. Look for a bump in the
spectrum in the blue region between 420 nm and 460 nm. In particular, if the spectral reflectance
exceeds 1,0 (100%) at one wavelength, then you know for sure this backing is fluorescent.
White backing fluorescence check (measured) : This procedure assumes that the filter
characteristics were obtained with measurements on a non-fluorescent backing. To measure a
backing fluorescence, take the "Paper on Wh" and "Paper w/filter" measurements directly on the
backing, without paper. In other words, first measure the backing by placing the Eye-One on the
backing and pressing the "Paper on Wh" button, then place the filter between the Eye-One and the
backing and press the "Paper w/filter" button. A fluorescent backing will result in a positive brightness
difference, i.e fluorescence, in a similar manner as fluorescence in paper.
How to acquire the transmission spectrum of a UV filter

For proper operation, the program must know the transmission characteristics of the UV filter used for
the measurement done when clicking on the "Paper w/filter" button; this is why default values are
required. The filters we recommend are :
Default UV filter : GamColor 1510
„ http://www.gamcolor.com
Equivalent UV filter : Rosco 3114
„ http://www.rosco.com
To our knowledge, a thin TAPPI T452 UV filter suitable for use under an Eye-One cannot be found
off-the-shelf. The filters we recommend are equivalent to those recommended in the ISO 13655
standard (Ref. 42) for UV-cut and fluorescence measurements (Wratten 2B and the FujiFilm SC-41).
All these filters have a sharper cut-off slope than the filters required by the TAPPI T452 standard, and
their 50% transmission point is at lower wavelengths, i.e. more towards the violet. However their
sharp cut-off effectively blocks the UV as efficiently. You will find files with the transmission
characteristics of these filters in the "UV-filters" folder located within the main BabelColor CT&A

application folder. In Windows, this folder can be opened directly with the "Start menu/
BabelColor/UV-filters files" shortcut.
Note : The default UV filter may change in future program versions. However, this is not an issue
since you can acquire the filter data with the provided tools.
Important : Even if you have a sheet of one of the filters for which we provide a transmission
characteristics file, you should regenerate the UV filter data with your own filter since manufacturing
tolerances could change its characteristics.
Obtaining a filter transmission is a three steps procedure, with the first two requiring an input from the
user. Firstly, you measure the reflectance of a reference substrate. Secondly, you measure the filter
reflectance on this substrate. Thirdly, the filter transmission is derived, by the program, from the two
measurements. Two important requirements of the reference substrate are that it shall be opaque,
and that it shall NOT be fluorescent (see the Checking white and black backings compliance
sub-section above for more information). The substrate does not need to be perfectly white, nor does
it need to be highly reflective; a light gray substrate could do. We recommend using a compliant white
backing as the reference since it has all the required characteristics. Here is the short version of the
procedure :
· Measure the reference substrate, i.e. the white backing, by clicking the "Check Wh back."
button.
· Place the filter between the Eye-One and the reference substrate and click on the "Get new UV
filter" button. If successful, the new UV filter transmission data will be saved internally and will
be used as the reference thereafter.
Note : There is no need to save filter data to an external file since it is kept internally by the program.
However, you may want to save it separately for reference or comparison purposes. You can change
the filter name by clicking in the text box below the "Load" and "Save" buttons.
Hint : Do not hesitate to redo the procedure if you are not satisfied. If the procedure fails, you can
always reload the default filter from a file provided with the program; this file is located in the
"UV-filters" folder located within the main BabelColor CT&A application folder. In Windows, this folder
can be opened directly with the "Start menu/BabelColor/UV-filters files" shortcut.
Important : There are uncertainties in all measurements. Since the filter transmission is derived from
two measurements, and since the transmission characteristics are applied to a third measurement,
you may obtain, at certain wavelengths, a spectral reflectance of the measured paper with filter
("Paper w/filter") which is higher than the reflectance of the paper measured with no filter. The
increase is typically between zero and two percent, and does not affect the measured parameters by
a significant amount.
Procedure to check if a filter was properly acquired : This procedure assumes that the filter
characteristics were obtained with measurements on a non-fluorescent backing; it also assumes that
you will use a non-fluorescent backing for the check. To make this check, take "Paper on Wh" and
"Paper w/filter" measurements directly on the backing, without paper. In other words, measure the
backing by placing the Eye-One on the backing and pressing the "Paper on Wh" button, then place
the filter between the Eye-One and the backing and press the "Paper w/filter" button. You should
obtain two identical spectrums, the same L*a*b* coordinates, the same brightness without the filter
and with the filter, and zero fluorescence; this happens because the filter transmission is
compensated when using the "Paper w/filter" button (and because the backing is not fluorescent!). In
practice, because there are uncertainties in the measurements, and because the filter characteristics
were determined with other measurements which were also imperfect, the measured L*a*b* and
brightness values will not be exactly equal, and the fluorescence will not be zero. Still, a fluorescence
lower than ± 0,5 is expected, i.e. between + 0,5 and -0,5.

126 BabelColor CT&A
INTERFACE FEATURES
To change the graph grids appearance, use your mouse right-click (or ctrl + click on a one-button
Mac mouse) and select an option.

for all Whiteness tools is "Reflectance", by default, and cannot be changed.
Click on "Save to file..." to save a Whiteness report. The report has tab-delimited data that can be
directly imported in a spreadsheet program as well as many text editing applications (it is suggested
to use a monospace font, such as Courier, in order to facilitate formatting). The file is also CGATS
compliant and can be opened by many color-management software, including BabelColor's PatchTool
and X-Rite/GretagMacbeth MeasureTool.
Click on "Save image..." to save an image of the display. You will be shown a dialog where you are
asked to select a printing scale :
The 1X scale is equivalent to a screenshot. The 2X scale draws everything twice the size; this is the
same as doubling the resolution for the same image size. The 2X scale is recommended if you want
to use the image in a printed report.

help manual
Section
V
128 BabelColor CT&A
5 Menus
Windows :
· File
à Options
· Edit
· Peripheral
· Mode
· Tools
· Data
· Help
Mac OS X :
· Apple menu
· BabelColor CT&A menu
à Preferences
· File
· Edit
· Peripheral
· Mode
· Tools
· Data
· Help

Menus 129
5.1 Apple menu

Mac OS X
There is no menu specific to the BabelColor CT&A application within the Apple menu of Mac OS X.

130 BabelColor CT&A
5.2 BabelColor CT&A menu
· About BabelColor CT&A... : Opens a dialog which contains the version number of the program,
contact information, and a Copyright notice. There is no keyboard shortcut associated with this
selection.
Clicking on the Web link will launch your default Web browser and open the BabelColor home page.
Clicking on the e-mail address will open your default e-mail application.
· Preferences... : Opens the BabelColor CT&A Preferences dialog. An alternate means of opening
this dialog is to press the Command (z) + , (z and the comma symbol) keys. Click here for
detailed information on this dialog.
· Hide BabelColor CT&A : Hides all opened program windows and the program's menu. There is no
keyboard shortcut associated with this selection. To unhide, click on the BabelColor icon in the dock
or select "Show All" in the application menu (Ex.: Finder/Show All).
· Quit BabelColor CT&A : Exits the program. Alternate means of terminating the program are to
press the Command (z) + Q keys or click on the Close-Window box in the upper-left corner of the
main screen :

Menus 131
5.3 Options / Preferences
This dialog title is "Options" in Windows, shown on the top of this page, and "BabelColor CT&A
Preferences" on the Mac OS X platform, shown just above. This dialog has three tabs : "Display", "
Math", and "Misc.". Each tab has a "Default" button that can be used to reset factory settings for the
tab. Also, you can click on the "Default-All" button, located below the tab zone, to reset the content of
all tabs in one click.
These options are saved when you leave the dialog, and are loaded at the program start.

132 BabelColor CT&A
· DISPLAY TAB (see the screenshot at the start of this section)

Click on a checkbox or its attached text description to flip the checkbox status. The default options
are :
o Dim the chromaticity diagram background
Unselected by default. When selected, the chromaticity diagram background color is changed to
light gray.
This configuration facilitates the comparison of similar colors by minimizing the interference
caused by the large colored surface of the diagram.
o Hide the extra patch displays on the Main screen

Unselected by default. When selected, the additional patch layouts, normally seen when the
screen size is enlarged, are not shown.

Menus 133
You can dim the chromaticity diagram to minimize the screen clutter even more :
In addition, the interference caused by other opened windows on the desktop can be removed by
maximizing the main program window so that it fills the screen :
in Windows,
in Mac OS X.
þ Decks L*C*h* pad view : Draw borders around patches

Selected by default. Draws a thin black outline around each patch of the L*C*h* pad (Deck mode
).
o Decks List view : Draw borders around patches

Unselected by default. Draws a thin black outline around each patch of the List view (Deck
mode).

134 BabelColor CT&A
Display profiles
Display space recommendations :
· To see the patches as they would appear in a color-managed application (such as BabelColor
CT&A, PatchTool and Photoshop), select the default destination profile if the program is
viewed on your main display, or, if viewed on a secondary display, select this other display's
profile by browsing or drag and dropping.
· To see the patches as they would appear in a non-color-managed application, select sRGB
(CT&A) on a Windows PC and for Mac OS X 10.6+, and Generic RGB(CT&A) for a Mac OS X
computer with OS versions prior to 10.6.
BabelColor CT&A uses XYZ as its source data internally; as a consequence, a source profile
does not make sense here since the data is essentially already converted to the Profile
Connection Space (PCS, L*a*b* or XYZ, D50) of all ICC profiles. This is why the source profile is
labeled as L*a*b* D50 (PCS), and cannot be changed.
BabelColor CT&A can use either built-in RGB profiles, or any compatible ICC profile you select.
The built-in RGB profiles correspond to the principal RGB spaces used for displays nowadays :
Adobe RGB, Apple RGB, Generic RGB, and sRGB. These profiles are identical to the ICC
profiles of the same spaces in terms of the output values obtained for a given input, but they only
support the Relative Colorimetric rendering intent, and no Black Point Compensation (BPC). The
default display profile is identified on startup and shown in the Destination profile menu. You can
add your profile in the list, either by browsing or by dragging and dropping the profile file on the
menu. This is useful when you are using the program on a secondary display.
You should select a Relative Colorimetric or Perceptual rendering intent in most cases. You
should select Absolute Colorimetric only if your display is calibrated to a D50 white point.
Note : In most RGB ICC profiles for standard display spaces, the BPC option has no effect.

Menus 135
Important : BabelColor CT&A will NOT load the graphics card or monitor LUTs corresponding to
a selected profile. Make sure the LUTs corresponding to the selected profile are loaded and that
the display settings (R, G, and B channels and the display brightness) are appropriate for this
profile. In particular, for Windows computers, the LUTs are NOT updated when the display profile
is changed using the display properties dialog. A dedicated LUT loading application, or a reboot,
is required.
Important : The display profile has NO EFFECT on the accuracy of the computations; it simply
affects the appearance of the color patches.
For more information on how color data is processed in BabelColor CT&A, please consult
Appendix B (PatchTool Color Management) of the PatchTool Help manual; the approach to color
management is the same for BabelColor CT&A and PatchTool. The PatchTool Help manual is
available online :
„ http://www.babelcolor.com/download/PatchTool_Help.pdf .

136 BabelColor CT&A
· MATH TAB
o Always use a single parameter gamma (simple gamma)

Unselected by default. A definition of gamma can be found here. To view the gamma parameters
for a given space, use the "Data/Table data/Space data..." menu command.
o 'Compare mode' DeltaE: LEFT: Reference; RIGHT: Sample

Unselected by default. When not selected, and when in Compare mode, both sides are
considered to have the same importance in determining DE using the CIE94 and CMC(l:c)
formulas. When selected, and when in Compare mode, the program always considers the LEFT
side as a Reference and the RIGHT side as a Sample, as if doing a Quality Control (QC) check.
This checkbox has an effect on the equations used in the CIE94 and CMC(l:c) DE formulas, and
thus on the DE value shown in the DeltaE* displayand on the selection of the L*C*h* pad
patches.
Note : This checkbox has no effect in Convert mode where the side being converted FROM is
always the Reference, and the side being converted TO, the Sample.
L*C*h* pad "sensitivity" and "hue search extent"

· Sensitivity : Because the searching algorithm used for the L*C*h* pad looks for the closest
chip which minimizes the other two parameters, for example the lightness and the hue when
searching for the chroma (saturation), it may find a chip which is almost the same as the one
represented in the center patch. This may happen, for example, if the deck contains chips of
the same hue but with different surface finishes (i.e. mat, glossy, etc.). To filter out these chips,
we impose a threshold, or sensitivity, on the search algorithm. The default sensitivity value is
0,2 units of L*, C*, or h*; it can be set between 0 and 10 units with 0,1 units steps.
· Hue search extent : For chips located very near the illuminant, it does happen that the best
candidates for +hue and -hue—which are chips which minimize the lightness and chroma
differences with the center patch—have a large angular difference with the center patch. To
prevent this situation, the hue search extent is limited to an angle which can be set by the
user. The default angular extent is 22 degrees; it can be set between 5 and 60 degrees with 1
degree steps.

Menus 137
Important : To prevent odd program behavior, a message will appear if you set the sensitivity
setting too close, or higher, than the hue search extent value, and when you set the hue search
extent too close, or lower, than the sensitivity. The program will then assign the nearest valid
number to the parameter being set.
· MISC. TAB
þ Print data with the graphic in "File/Print Graphic..."

Selected by default. Prints the current screen data and mode settings beside the chromaticity
diagram when the "File/Print Graphic..." menu command is selected. Here are reduced views of
the printed graphic with and without data on a 8 1/2 x 11 inches sheet :

138 BabelColor CT&A
o "Eye-One Display" monitor type: LCD

o "Eye-One Display" monitor type: LCD
· Eye-One Pro : Unselected and cannot be changed (checkbox is disabled, i.e. dimmed). The
Eye-One Pro does not need separate calibration settings for emission measurements on LCD
or CRT monitors (...even though different reference files are used to generate CRT and LCD
display profiles in "Eye-One Match").
· Eye-One Display 1 or Display 2 : Unselected by default. To properly calibrate the Eye-One
Display, you must specify if your monitor is a CRT or a LCD. Check the box If you are using a
LCD; leave it unchecked if you are using a CRT.

Menus 139
5.4 File menu

Click on a menu image to see detailed help.
Windows
Mac OS X

140 BabelColor CT&A
5.4.1 Windows File menu
Apart from using the mouse, this menu also opens by typing Alt + F (Alt and the letter "f"); you can
select a menu item by using the Up and Down Arrows, then Enter, or typing the underlined letter.
· Save Data... : Opens a standard dialog to write, or select, the name of the file to save. The data
and the Mode Settings of the current screen are saved in plain ASCII text (*.txt). The *.txt extension
is added automatically. Saving in an existing file will overwrite it. An alternate means of opening this
dialog is to press the Control + S keys.
Hint : You can open a saved report in Microsoft Excel as well as other spreadsheet programs. In
Excel, first select to open all files, then select the report file (its default name is BabelData.txt), then
use the input Wizard. Select the "Delimited" and "Space separation" options. Some of the file
content will be awkwardly formatted but, most importantly, the coordinates data and the data
columns titles should be aligned. You can then copy and paste the data to another spreadsheet.
· Options... : Opens the Options dialog. An alternate means of opening this dialog is to press the
Control + O keys. Click here for detailed information on this dialog.
· Page Setup... : Opens the page setup dialog used to select the paper size, its orientation, and the
print margins. Some dialogs may also enable you to change the printer. The page setup dialog will
be called when printing for the first time after a program start.
· Print Graphic... : Opens a standard dialog to select a printer, if more than one is available, and
prints the chromaticity diagram. If enabled in the Options dialog "Misc." tab, all the corresponding
data and mode settings will be printed beside the diagram. The print size is adjusted to fill the
default printable width. An alternate means of opening this dialog is to press the Control + P keys.
Please note that the page setup dialog ("File/Page Setup...") will be called before printing for the
first time after a program start.
· Exit : Exits the program. Alternate means of terminating the program are to press the Alt + F4 keys,
press the Control + Q keys, or click on the Close-Window box in the upper-right corner of the main
screen :
Hint : You need to press Alt first in order to see the underlined letters used as a commands.

Menus 141
5.4.2 Mac OS X File menu
Once the "File" menu is clicked with the mouse, you can also select a menu item by using the Up and
Down Arrows, then return.
· Save Report... : Opens a standard dialog to write, or select, the name of the file to save. The data
and the Mode Settings of the current screen are saved, in plain ASCII text format, in a file that can
be opened with any text editor, such as TextEdit. The *.txt extension is added automatically. Saving
in an existing file will overwrite it. An alternate means of opening this dialog is to press the
Command (z) + S keys.
Hint : You can open a saved report in Microsoft Excel. In Excel, first select to open all files, then
select the report file (its default name is BabelData.txt), then use the input Wizard. Select the
"Delimited" and "Space separation" options. Some of the file content will be awkwardly formatted
but, most importantly, the coordinates data and the data columns titles should be aligned. You can
then copy and paste the data to another spreadsheet.
· Page Setup... : Opens the page setup dialog used to select the paper size, its orientation, and the
print margins. Some dialogs may also enable you to change the printer. The page setup dialog will
be called when printing for the first time after a program start.
· Print Graphic... : Opens a standard dialog to select a printer, if more than one is available, and
print the chromaticity diagram. If enabled in the Options dialog "Misc." tab, all the corresponding
data and mode settings will be printed beside the diagram. The print size is adjusted to fill the
default printable width. An alternate means of opening this dialog is to press the Command (z) + P
keys.

142 BabelColor CT&A
5.5 Edit menu
This menu is nearly identical on both platforms; only the keyboard shortcuts prefix differs, being
Control + Key on Windows, and Command (z) + Key on the Mac.
These commands can be used when entering values in the input boxes or when editing text in the
colored text layout.
Note : The "Undo" command is not used in the program.

Menus 143
5.6 Peripheral menu

Eye-One connected :
Eye-One NOT connected or NOT detected :
This menu is nearly identical on Mac OS X and Windows platforms; the only difference is the absence
of navigating shortcuts (underlined letters) on the Mac. The menu shown above is from a computer
running under Windows 7.
On Windows, apart from using the mouse, this menu also opens by typing Alt + P; you can select a
sub-menu or a menu item by using the Up, Down, Left and Right Arrows, then Enter, or typing the
underlined letter.
On a Mac, once the "Mode" menu is clicked with the mouse, you can also select a sub-menu or a
menu item by using the Up, Down, Left and Right Arrows, then return.

144 BabelColor CT&A
· Instrument info... : Opens the "Instrument info" dialog which displays various information on the
connected instrument. An alternate means of opening this dialog is to press the Control + I keys, in
Windows, or Command (z) + I on a Mac. This is the only command available if the Eye-One is not
connected when the program starts or if it was disconnected during a session; in such a case, by
calling this dialog, the program will try to reconnect to the instrument.
· Measurement mode : Using this menu, select the measurement mode in which you want to set the
Eye-One. The available modes vary according to the Eye-One model :
In addition to this menu, you can also open a pop-up menu by right-clicking your mouse, with a
three button mouse on either Mac OS X or Windows, or ctrl + click on single-button Mac mouse, in
most of the gray areas of the main screen :
If the instrument is not connected or detected, the "Measurement mode" sub-menu items are
disabled, and the mouse popup menu will not be shown.

Menus 145
When in ambient or emission mode, a measurement will also provide the Illuminance (in lux) or
Luminance (in cd/m2), plus the Correlated Color Temperature (CCT), in kelvin. Please note that the
CCT will be computed only if the coordinates are within the central "Illuminant" zone of the
chromaticity diagram.
Note : The "Ambient" mode is an "Emission" mode which requires that an accessory diffuser be
installed on the Eye-One Pro.
Important : The "Ambient" mode is not available if your Eye-One is an older version without this
capability, which requires a calibrated diffuser accessory. Older instruments can be factory
refurbished.
· Calibrate : When selected, this menu command launches a calibration procedure which varies
according to the current measurement mode; please follow the instructions shown on your monitor.
The "Calibrate" command is also available in the mouse popup menu; a screenshot of this menu is
shown in the Measurement mode menu section just above. This menu item is disabled if the
instrument is not connected or detected, and the mouse popup menu will not be shown.
We suggest selecting and calibrating all the modes you intend to work with at the start of a working
session. In any case, you will be instructed to calibrate your instrument if required.
For the Eye-One Display 1 and 2 only : To properly calibrate the Eye-One Display, you must
specify, before calibration, if your monitor is a CRT or a LCD. If you are using a LCD, select the
þ "Eye-One Display" monitor type: LCD
checkbox in the "Misc." tab of the Options / Preferences dialog; leave it unchecked if you are using
a CRT. Whenever this setting is changed, you should re-calibrate the Eye-One.
Important : In emission mode, the calibration is done in two steps. In the first step, the Eye-One is
placed on its base. In the second step, the user is prompted to measure a white patch on the
monitor; this will set the White Level where the Y of XYZ and the L* of L*a*b* are equal to 100 for
the illuminant. Nothing prevents you of using another monitor or another emissive surface to set this
reference value; however, be aware that all subsequent emission measurement will be referenced
to this white point, that is, until a new Emission calibration is performed.
Important : You may ask why a White Level calibration is required in this program and not in
X-Rite/GretagMacbeth MeasureTool? In effect, MeasureTool also uses a White Level reference
value, very likely coming from a screen profile saved on your computer. The only difference is that,
with this program, you can set the reference to other displays.
Important : Some displays will change their brightness depending on what is displayed on the rest
of the screen. This is why a single small white square over a black background is used for emission
calibration. As a consequence, in those displays, you may find that, thereafter, white is measured
with an L* value of less than 100 in many situations.

146 BabelColor CT&A
· Measure LEFT :
· Measure-and-GO! LEFT :
· Measure RIGHT :
· Measure-and-GO! RIGHT :
These menu items are enabled when an RGB space is in "L*a*b*/L*u*v* input" mode. Please note
that these items will be disabled if the instrument is not connected or detected.
The screenshot above can be seen when only the LEFT side (Space #1) is set in "L*a*b*/L*u*v*
input" mode. In addition to this menu, you can also open a pop-up menu by right-clicking your
mouse, with a three button mouse on either Mac OS X or Windows, or ctrl + click on single-button
Mac mouse, in most of the gray areas of the main screen :
The difference between the "Measure" and "Measure-and-GO!" selections is that the former will
not press the button once the data is entered in the L*a*b*/L*u*v* data input fields. This is
useful to check if the input data is clipped—outside of the selected RGB space—before pressing
the GO! button.
In Windows, an alternate means of launching a "Measure-and-GO!" measurement is to press the

Control + L keys for a measurement on the LEFT side, or the Control + R keys for a measurement
on the RIGHT side. On a Mac, use the Command (z) + L and Command (z) + R keys.
Yet another method of entering data when in "L*a*b*/L*u*v* input" mode is to simply press the

Menus 147
Eye-One button. The program will alternate between LEFT and RIGHT inputs if both sides can
accept an input. The input cursor will move to the first input field (i.e. the L* of L*a*b* or L*u*v*) of
the side where the input just occured.

148 BabelColor CT&A
5.7 Mode menu
This menu is nearly identical on all platforms; the only difference is the absence of navigating
shortcuts (underlined letters) on the Mac. The menu shown above is from a Windows XP computer.
On Windows, apart from using the mouse, this menu also opens by typing Alt + M; you can select a
underlined letter.
On a Mac, once the "Mode" menu is clicked with the mouse, you can also select a sub-menu or a
· Compare : Sets the program in Compare mode if it was in Convert mode (either Left to Right or
Right to Left). It has no effect if the program is already in Compare mode.
· Convert / Left to Right : Sets the program in Convert mode Left to Right (Space #1 to Space #2).
It has no effect if the program is already in Convert mode Left to Right.
· Convert / Right to Left : Sets the program in Convert mode Right to Left (Space #2 to Space #1).
It has no effect if the program is already in Convert mode Right to Left.
For more information, go to the program Mode Settings section.

Menus 149
5.8 Tools menu
This menu is nearly identical on Mac OS X and Windows platforms; the only difference is the absence
of navigating shortcuts (underlined letters) on the Mac. The menu shown above is from a Mac OS X
computer.
On Windows, apart from using the mouse, this menu also opens by typing Alt + T; you can select a
sub-menu or a menu item by using the Up and Down Arrows, then Enter, or typing the underlined
letter.
On a Mac, once the "Tools" menu is clicked with the mouse, you can also select a menu item by using
the Up and Down Arrows, then return.
· Define custom RGB... : Opens the Custom RGB space dialog where you can edit the Illuminant,
primaries and gamma parameters of a custom RGB space; this space can then be selected, in
Space mode, with the Space selection list. The illuminant of the custom space also defines the
Custom illuminant of the Deck mode Illuminant selection list.
· Spectral tools... : Opens the Spectral tools dialog. This menu will be enabled if you have an
Eye-One spectrometer (Eye-One Pro). The Eye-One Display and Display 2 are colorimeters which
only provide tristimulus data (color coordinates) but not spectral data; they cannot be used with
these tools. This menu item is disabled if the instrument is not connected or detected.

150 BabelColor CT&A
5.9 Data menu

Table data sub-menu :
Graphic data sub-menu :
These menus are nearly identical on all platforms; the only difference is the absence of navigating
shortcuts (underlined letters) on the Mac. The menus shown above are from a Window 7 computer.
On Windows, apart from using the mouse, this menu also opens by typing Alt + D; you can select a
underlined character.
On a Mac, once the "Data" menu is clicked with the mouse, you can also select a sub-menu or a
TABLE DATA
The data presented in the tables is used internally by the program to perform its color conversion
routines.
· Table data / Bradford matrices... : Opens the Bradford matrices dialog that displays the Bradford
matrix that corresponds to user selectable source and destination illuminants.
· Table data / Illuminant data... : Opens the illuminant data dialog that displays the xyz and XYZ
coordinates of a user selectable illuminant.
· Table data / RGB to XYZ matrices... : Opens the RGB to XYZ matrices dialog that displays the
"RGB to XYZ" and "XYZ to RGB" matrices of a user selectable space.

Menus 151
· Table data / Space data... : Opens the Space data dialog that displays the illuminant, the
primaries, and the gamma parameters of a user selectable space.
GRAPHIC DATA
When selected, the graphic data is shown on the "xy" chromaticity diagram and the diagram legend is
updated. Only one data set can be seen at one time.
· Graphic data / ColorChecker (C) :

Graphic data / ColorChecker (D50) :
Graphic data / ColorChecker (D65) :
Displays the xy coordinates of the X-Rite/GretagMacbeth Colorchecker chart produced by the
Munsell Color Lab. The chart has 24 color patches. Six of the patches are neutral gray, with
identical coordinates corresponding to the illuminant. Thus, 19 data points are shown, 18 for the
color patches and one for the illuminant. You can select to view the coordinates as seen with three
different illuminants : "C", "D50" or "D65".
· Graphic data / Planckian locus : Displays the chromaticity coordinates locus of blackbodies with
temperatures between 1 000 K and 25 000 K.
· Graphic data / SWOP coated : Displays the gamut of the SWOP coated process (SWOP :
Specifications for Web Offset Publications), a widely used four colors printing and proofing process
based on CMYK ink primaries. The process is defined for a D50 illuminant viewing environment.
· Graphic data / No data : Removes any graphic data from the chromaticity diagram, if present.
Note : Any graphic data selected with these menus will also be visible in the chromaticity diagram of
the Custom RGB space dialog.

152 BabelColor CT&A
5.9.1 Bradford data
This dialog displays the 3 x 3 (Rows x Columns) Bradford matrix that corresponds to a user selectable
source illuminant (From), and a user selectable destination illuminant (To). Source data is XsYsZs and
destination data is XdYdZd; both are column vectors.
By default, in Compare mode, the source is the illuminant of the LEFT side (Space #1 or Deck #1),
and the destination is the illuminant of the RIGHT side (Space #2 or Deck #2).
By default, in Convert mode, the source is the illuminant of the Space or Deck being converted
"FROM", and the destination is the illuminant of the Space or Deck being converted "TO".
This dialog is called with the "Data/Table data/Bradford matrices..." menu command.

Menus 153
5.9.2 Illuminant data
This dialog displays the xyz and XYZ coordinates of a user selectable illuminant.
The "Y" coordinate is, by definition, equal to 100.
By default, the dialog selects the illuminant of the LEFT side (Space #1 or Deck #1).
This dialog is called with the "Data/Table data/Illuminant data..." menu command.
5.9.3 RGB to XYZ data
This dialog displays either the 3 x 3 (Rows x Columns) RGB to XYZ matrix, ot its inverse, the XYZ to
RGB matrix, of a user selectable space. Input and output data are assumed to be column vectors.
Selecting "RGB to XYZ" or "XYZ to RGB" is done by clicking the corresponding radio button.
By default, the dialog presents the RGB to XYZ matrix of Space #1 if the LEFT side is in Space mode,
or when both sides are in Deck mode.

154 BabelColor CT&A
By default, the dialog will present the RGB to XYZ matrix of Space #2 if the LEFT side is in Deck
mode AND the RIGHT side is in Space mode.
This dialog is called with the "Data/Table data/RGB to XYZ matrices..." menu command.
5.9.4 Space data
This dialog displays the illuminant, the primaries, and the gamma parameters of a user selectable
space.
The primaries coordinates are presented in the xyz form. Only "x" and "y" are shown since, by
definition, z = 1 - x - y.
The "Detailed gamma" parameters are filled with zeros when the space is not defined with a detailed
gamma function. For spaces defined with a detailed gamma function, we also provide a "simple
gamma", a single parameter, which is normally used by most graphic editing programs.
The "simple gamma" is presented in two equivalent forms, with the second form showing the inverse
value of the first one. However, the second form may look more familiar as it is the number used to
characterize gamma in many programs. In any case, both forms are compatible with the equations
contained in this Help document.
By default, the dialog presents data for Space #1 if the LEFT side is in Space mode, or when both
sides are in Deck mode.
By default, the dialog will present data for Space #2 if the LEFT side is in Deck mode AND the RIGHT
side is in Space mode.
This dialog is called with the "Data/Table data/Space data..." menu command.

Menus 155
5.9.5 ColorChecker chart
Important : The above image is a simulation of the X-Rite/GretagMacbeth ColorChecker chart

produced by the Munsell Color Lab. The colors are not calibrated and the image should not be used
as a reference.
The ColorChecker card is ubiquitous in the photographic and video fields. Its main application is for
obtaining a rapid assessment of an imaging devices' color rendering accuracy, although it can be
used for calibration purposes. The ColorChecker consists of a series of six gray patches, plus typical
additive (Red-Green-Blue) and subtractive (Cyan-Magenta-Yellow) primaries, plus other "natural"
colors such as light and dark skin, sky-blue, foliage, etc. The color pigments were selected for
optimum color constancy when comparing pictures of the chart with pictures of the natural colors... as
reproduced on color film! Optimizing the human visual match was thus not the first priority; still, it was
shown, by the chart designers, that the degree of metamerism was also very small when directly
comparing the chart to the natural colors. Expressed otherwise, the perceived colors of the
ColorChecker vary in the same way as the natural colors they represent when the light source
changes, either when imaged on film or compared directly. Please consult Ref. 6 for a detailed
description of the chart by the persons who designed it
Note : The technical term for a change in a single perceived color with various illuminants is Color
Inconstancy, which is related to, but not the same as, metamerism, the term used when two colors
matching under one illuminant do not match under another illuminant.
The coordinates of the patches under the "C", "D50" and "D65" illuminants are shown in the table
below; in relation with the image above, the patch numbers start in the upper left corner and increase
from left to right, and from top to bottom. The table values were derived from the measured spectral
data of twenty (20) ColorChecker or Mini ColorChecker charts. The spectrums were first averaged,
then converted to XYZ using the procedure and the weights of ASTM E308 (Ref. 16), and finally
converted to xyY. You will find much more information and data on the ColorChecker, including
"synthetic" images of the chart in numerous color spaces, on the ColorChecker page of the
BabelColor Web site.

156 BabelColor CT&A
C D50 D65
# description x y Y x y Y x y Y
1 dark skin 0,397 0,350 10,1 0,434 0,379 10,3 0,399 0,360 10,0
2 light skin 0,381 0,346 34,8 0,419 0,375 35,4 0,383 0,356 34,7
3 blue sky 0,246 0,251 18,8 0,276 0,300 18,5 0,248 0,265 18,9
4 foliage 0,342 0,419 13,2 0,369 0,450 13,3 0,342 0,431 13,3
5 blue flower 0,266 0,241 23,5 0,302 0,287 23,3 0,269 0,254 23,5
6 bluish green 0,260 0,344 42,4 0,286 0,391 41,8 0,261 0,360 42,7
7 orange 0,508 0,402 29,9 0,529 0,408 31,1 0,508 0,406 29,6
8 purplish blue 0,209 0,173 11,8 0,234 0,216 11,4 0,211 0,184 11,8
9 moderate red 0,457 0,305 19,0 0,500 0,329 19,9 0,461 0,312 18,8
10 purple 0,287 0,209 6,37 0,332 0,254 6,39 0,291 0,220 6,32
11 yellow green 0,380 0,487 44,0 0,399 0,500 44,4 0,377 0,496 44,3
12 orange yellow 0,476 0,437 42,4 0,496 0,443 43,6 0,476 0,442 42,1
13 blue 0,187 0,134 6,07 0,204 0,168 5,70 0,188 0,142 6,02
14 green 0,307 0,477 23,1 0,326 0,504 23,0 0,305 0,490 23,3
15 red 0,540 0,315 11,8 0,573 0,328 12,6 0,542 0,321 11,6
16 yellow 0,452 0,470 59,4 0,469 0,473 60,7 0,449 0,476 59,3
17 magenta 0,363 0,231 19,4 0,418 0,270 20,0 0,369 0,241 19,2
18 cyan 0,197 0,254 19,6 0,215 0,303 18,9 0,198 0,269 19,8
19 white (0.05 D) 0,313 0,321 90,9 0,349 0,362 90,9 0,316 0,334 90,9
20 neutral (0.23 D) 0,310 0,317 58,5 0,345 0,359 58,5 0,312 0,330 58,5
21 neutral (0.44 D) 0,309 0,316 35,7 0,345 0,359 35,7 0,312 0,329 35,7
22 neutral (0.70 D) 0,308 0,316 19,1 0,343 0,359 19,1 0,311 0,329 19,1
23 neutral (1.05 D) 0,307 0,315 8,87 0,342 0,358 8,87 0,310 0,328 8,87
24 black (1.5 D) 0,308 0,313 3,17 0,344 0,356 3,17 0,311 0,326 3,17
The locations of the ColorChecker chart patches for these three illuminants can be viewed on the
chromaticity diagram by selecting one of the three "Data/Graphic data/ColorChecker ( )" menu
commands.
Note : The numbers between parentheses in the neutral patches descriptions are optical densities.
A procedure to simulate a ColorChecker color patch is given in the Tutorials section.

Menus 157
5.10 Help menu

Windows
Apart from using the mouse, this menu also opens by typing Alt + H; you can select a menu item by
using the Up and Down Arrows, then Enter, or typing the underlined letter.
· BabelColor CT&A Help... : Opens the "BabelColor_CT&A_Help.chm" help program, a stand-alone

program which can be launched independently of the main application. An alternate means of
opening the help program is to press the Control + H keys.
This program offers all the advantages of the HTML Help format :
· Hyperlinks
· Keyword index
· Full text search
· Topics can be printed
· About BabelColor CT&A... : Opens a dialog which contains the version number, contact
information, and a Copyright notice. There is no keyboard shortcut associated with this selection.
Clicking on the Web link will launch your default Web browser and open the BabelColor home page.
Clicking on the e-mail address will open your default e-mail application.

158 BabelColor CT&A
Mac OS X
· BabelColor CT&A Help... : Opens the "BabelColor_CT&A_Help.pdf" document, a file which can be
launched independently of the main application if a PDF reader is already installed on the
computer. An alternate means of opening the help file is to press the Command (z) + H keys.
This document offers all the advantages of the PDF format :

· Bookmarks for fast navigation
· Hyperlinks
· Full text search
· Topics can be printed
Important : When using a Mac with OS X, the Help file will very likely open under the "Preview"
application. "Preview" is installed with OS X and can be used to view PDF files as well as other file
types. However, some of the features of the PDF standard, such as hyperlinks, were not supported by
early versions of "Preview".
We strongly suggest to install the free "Adobe Reader" (formerly named "Acrobat Reader") application
available at the following Web site :
„ http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readermain.html
As a minimum, Version 5 of "Acrobat Reader" is required. Also, "Adobe Reader" can be selected as
the default application to view PDF files. You are shown a dialog with this option when you start
"Adobe Reader" for the first time, but you may have selected to not see this dialog afterwards (consult
the Adobe Reader Help for more information).

help manual
Section
VI
160 BabelColor CT&A
6 Mode Settings
BabelColor CT&A has numerous operational modes. These modes are related to operations between
the selected RGB spaces and decks, to inputs and outputs, and to gamma precision. They are :
· Space / Deck select : Each side of the BabelColor CT&A main screen can be set to show either a
RGB space (a Space) or a catalogue containing color chips (a Color Deck, or Deck).
· Compare mode : The colors on each side, Space or Deck, are compared to one another. No
conversion is performed. Color-difference data is shown.
· Convert mode : The color from one side, Space or Deck, is converted to the other side, Space or
Deck. If converting to a Space, the reference color is converted to the exact equivalent color on the
other side, unless there is clipping, in which case, the closest value is computed. If converting to a
Deck, the system finds the color chip that most closely matches the reference color.
Color-difference data is shown.
· Input modes : In Compare mode, a Space input can be either R'G'B' data, L*a*b* or L*u*v* data,
direct "xy" mouse input. In Compare mode, Deck input is performed by selecting a chip in the color
strip or by clicking in the L*C*h* pad or List view patches. When converting "TO" a Space or a
Deck, its input only comes from the other side, Space or Deck.
· Gamma modes : Gamma is at the core of the conversion between linear RGB and the non-linear
R'G'B' used in all graphic applications. A single parameter version, the "simple gamma," is often
used even if the space has been defined in a Standard which uses a more precise multiple
parameters version, herein called "detailed gamma."
Click the mode title for more information.

Mode Settings 161
6.1 Space / Deck select

When the program starts, both sides show a RGB space, Space #1 on the LEFT, and Space #2 on
the RIGHT. Either side can then be changed to display a color catalogue, also called a Color Deck
(Deck #1 on the LEFT, and Deck #2 on the RIGHT).
To change a side into Deck mode, click on the label identified "Space #1" or "Space #2" and slide the
cursor to the Deck selection :
To change a side back into Space mode, click on the label identified "Deck #1" or "Deck #2" and slide
the cursor to the Space selection :
For more information on the interface of each mode, look in the Space interface and Deck interface
sections.

162 BabelColor CT&A
6.2 Compare mode

SCREEN APPEARANCE
Set by default on start-up, the Compare mode enables independent input for each side, Space or
Deck. The "Compare ZONE" identified in the above illustration comprises the chromaticity diagram
where the "xy" coordinates of each side are shown, color patches of each side converted to the
user-selected display space, and color difference data between the two sides.
R'G'B' input, shown above in Space #1, on the LEFT side, is the default input mode for RGB spaces.
L*a*b* / L*u*v* input can also be selected for any RGB space while in Compare mode.
While in Compare mode, two deck navigating modes are available, one using the L*C*h* pad, shown
on top of the following illustration, and the other using the List view :
The List view is not available when a deck is being converted "TO".

Mode Settings 163
MODE CONTROL
The Compare mode is readily identified by the following three buttons located on top of the
chromaticity diagram :
The buttons have the following appearance if the "Dim the chromaticity..." option is enabled :
To get back to the Compare mode when in either of the Convert modes, simply click on the central
Convert mode button :
when in Convert Left-to-Right,
when in Convert Right-to-Left,

OR
select the "Mode/Compare" menu command.

164 BabelColor CT&A
6.3 Convert modes

SCREEN APPEARANCE
There are two Convert modes, the Convert Left-to-Right mode (from Space #1 or Deck #1 to Space
#2 or Deck #2) :
identified with the following three buttons on top of the chromaticity diagram :
and the Convert Right-to-Left mode (from Space #2 or Deck #2 to Space #1 or Deck #1) :
identified with the following three buttons :
You will notice in the just-above illustration (Convert Right-to-Left) that all local inputs of the RGB
space on the LEFT, including the sliders and the "xy" mouse input, are disabled, and that the R'G'B'
displays' backgrounds are yellow.
When converting to a RGB space, the converted coordinates are high precision, non-integer,
fractional numbers which are rounded only for R'G'B' display purposes. This is why the
color-difference, DeltaE*, when there is no clipping, is exactly zero. When going back to Compare
mode, this RGB space is injected rounded integer values as R'G'B' inputs, and a recalc is performed.
As a result, a small color difference value may appear in the DeltaE* display. For more information on
integers and rounding, go to the data integrity section.

Mode Settings 165
Important : As part of the conversion process, the software determines, using the Bradford matrix,
the coordinates that would be obtained if the color was measured using the illuminant of the
destination space or deck. When converting to a RGB space, colors which fall outside the new space
gamut are clipped to the nearest in-gamut color. This is the method used when converting color
profiles with "Relative Colorimetric" intent in Photoshop and other graphic editing programs that use
this terminology. When converting to a deck, the system finds the best match based on the current
DeltaE* formula, as selected in the DeltaE* display. Accordingly, changing the DeltaE* formula may
result in a different match. Please note that the match is always performed using the deck illuminant
even if the D50 version of a DeltaE* formula is selected.
MODE CONTROL
When in Compare mode, you can go in Convert mode by clicking the central Compare mode button :
OR
by selecting either the "Mode/Convert/Left to Right" or "Mode/Convert/Right to Left" menu commands.
By default, clicking the Compare mode button will select the Convert Left-to-Right mode and the
button label will change to "Convert mode". Also, the button color as well as the color of the arrows on
each side will become yellow, as shown in the illustration just below.
To alternate between the Left-to-Right and Right-to-Left modes, simply click on one of the arrows :
OR
OR
use the Mode/Convert menu commands.
Note : There is NO action when clicking on the arrows while in Compare mode.

166 BabelColor CT&A
6.4 Input modes

RGB SPACE INPUT MODES
There are four available input modes for each Space :
· R'G'B' input
R'G'B' input is the default input mode when starting the program. R'G'B' data can be entered with
the sliders, or directly in the data display boxes. This mode can be used simultaneously with the
"xy" mouse input mode.
R'G'B' input is disabled when the L*a*b* / L*u*v* input mode is active OR when input is From the
other side (see below), in Convert mode. To go back to R'G'B' input if the space is in L*a*b* /
L*u*v* input mode, uncheck the L*a*b* / L*u*v* input checkbox. To go back to R'G'B' input if input
is From the other side, change from Convert to Compare mode.
R'G'B' data is converted in xyY, XYZ, L*a*b*, L*u*v*, L*a*b* (D50), L*u*v* (D50), L*C*h*, Hex,
HSB, and Munsell HVC (click here for more info), and can also be used as input for the other side,
in Convert mode.

Mode Settings 167
· "xy" mouse input

Data can be entered by clicking directly in the chromaticity diagram window. As a guide, a small
window will open in the chromaticity diagram, showing the coordinates over which the mouse is
located :
You may not be able to select any coordinates with a precision of 0,001; however, you can always
tweak the input with the R'G'B' and Y sliders afterwards. We suggest you select the xyY data
display to see the input coordinates in the selected space :
Selecting to which space the mouse click will input the data is done by selecting the proper radio
button in the "xy" mouse input display :
A mouse click (a left-click on a multi-buttons mouse) will direct the input to the space selected in
the mouse input control window. A mouse right-click (or ctrl + click on a one-button Mac mouse)
will direct the input to the other space. This mode can be used simultaneously with the R'G'B'
input mode.
Note : The mouse input controls must be enabled to enter data via this method.
When clicking outside of a space perimeter, the triangle defined by the space primaries, the
software finds the closest valid color on the perimeter. By default, the program sets the Y

168 BabelColor CT&A
coordinate (of XYZ) at the highest permissible value for the selected "xy" data set (i.e. it sets the
maximum value of the R'G'B' triad to 255). xyY data is then converted in R'G'B', XYZ, L*a*b*,
L*u*v*, L*a*b* (D50), L*u*v* (D50), Hex, HSB, and Munsell HVC, and can also be used as input for
the other side.
Mouse input is disabled when in L*a*b* / L*u*v* input mode, when the space is being converted
"TO", or when the side is in Deck mode. The various displays are shown in the Mouse input
interface section.

Mode Settings 169
· L*a*b* / L*u*v* input
Selecting this mode is done by clicking the L*a*b* / L*u*v* input checkbox. This action will disable
the R'G'B' input and "xy" mouse input modes. The L*a*b* / L*u*v* input mode is disabled
automatically when the input is From the other side (see below).
L*a*b* or L*u*v* data is entered directly in the data display boxes with the light green background.
Input can be either L*a*b*, L*u*v*, L*a*b* (D50), or L*u*v* (D50); it is selected by a combination of
the L*a*b*/ L*u*v* display and the L*a*b* / L*u*v* in D50 checkbox. Additional information on how
input is processed can be found in the L*a*b* / L*u*v* input interface section.
The data is converted in R'G'B', xyY, XYZ, and all the other representations, apart from the input.
The data can also be used as input for the other side, in Convert mode.
Eye-One input
If you have an Eye-One colorimeter (Display or Display 2 models) or spectrometer (Eye-One Pro
model), you can input L*a*b* or L*u*v* data using either the "Peripheral" menu, a pop-up menu (
right-click, on a three buttons mouse, or ctrl + click on a single-button Mac mouse), or simply by
pressing the Eye-One button (Pro model).
The L* (of L*a*b*) and Y (of XYZ) values of the Ambient color coordinates are always maximized
relative to their xy (chromaticity coordinates) position in the selected RGB space. L* and Y values
of 100 can only be assigned to the chromaticity coordinates of the illuminant. (Note : this is
different than what is done in the "Graph tools" where L* and Y are 100 for all ambient
measurements).
The L* and Y values of the Emission color coordinates are computed relative to the display
White Level (as measured on the white monitor patch used in the second step of the emission
calibration). Accordingly, the display white is assigned L* and Y values of 100. Nothing prevents
you of using another monitor or another emissive surface to set this reference value; however, be
aware that all subsequent emission measurements will be referenced to this white point, that is,
until a new emission calibration is performed.
Here is a table which describes the difference between the main screen and the Graph tools
relative to Emission and Ambient measurements :
Important : Only x and y are absolute coordinates
Mode Main screen Graph tools

· Y and L* are relative to the · Y and L* are relative to the
calibration white Luminance calibration white Luminance
Emission
· The calibration Luminance is · The calibration Luminance is
normalized to 100 normalized to 100
Ambient · Y is maximized for the xy values · Y and L* are always equal to 100

170 BabelColor CT&A
Important : Many displays (usually CRTs) will change their brightness depending on what is
displayed on the rest of the screen. This is why a single small white square over a black
background is used for emission calibration. As a consequence, in some displays, you may find
that, thereafter, white is measured with an L* value of less than 100 in many situations.
· From the other space, via conversion
Space coordinates can also be generated automatically by converting data from the other side,
either a Space or a Deck. Select this mode with the Convert modes settings. When a space is
being converted "TO", all sliders and data displays, as well as its "xy" mouse input, are disabled.

Mode Settings 171
DECK INPUT MODES

There are four available input modes for each Deck :
· Color strip
The color strip shows a snapshot of all the "chips" in a color catalogue (Color Deck) as if you
looked at the edge of a fan deck. When in Compare mode, the color strip can be used to select a
chip by clicking either in the color strip itself or on the arrows at both ends of the strip. See the
Color Strip interface section for more information.
· L*C*h* pad
The L*C*h* pad is one of the two deck navigating modes available in Compare mode (the other is
List view). It is selected by clicking the corresponding radio button located below the color patches.
The center square patch is the selected patch. The patches surrounding the center patch show the
nearest patches in the deck(s) corresponding to the following criteria :
· +sat and -sat : These labels respectively identify the patches which display more and less
saturated colors than the center patch while being the closest to the center patch in terms of
luminosity and hue.
· +lum and -lum : These labels respectively identify the patches which are more and less
luminous than the center patch while being the closest to the center patch in terms of color
saturation and hue.
· +hue and -hue : These labels respectively identify the patches which have a hue angle which
is bigger and smaller than the center patch hue angle while being the closest to the center
patch in terms of saturation and luminosity.
Clicking on any patch besides the center one will bring that patch to the center and all other
patches will be recomputed. You can thus navigate within the deck using the three L*, C* and h*
dimensions. See the L*C*h* pad interface section for more information.

172 BabelColor CT&A
· List view
The List view is one of the two deck navigating modes available in Compare mode (the other is the
L*C*h* pad). It is selected by clicking the corresponding radio button located below the color
patches.
The largest rectangular patch in the middle of the patches is the selected patch. The patches
surrounding the center patch show the nearest chips in the order they are catalogued.
Clicking on any patch besides the center one will bring that patch to the center, and the other
patches will shift accordingly. See the List view section for more information.
· From the other space, via conversion

Deck coordinates can also be selected automatically by converting data from the other side, either
a Space or a Deck. Select this mode with the Convert modes settings. When a deck is being
converted "TO", all the other inputs are disabled.

Mode Settings 173
6.5 Gamma modes

There are two gamma modes, they are applied simultaneously to all selected RGB spaces :
· simple gamma (single parameter)
· detailed gamma (multiple parameters : offset, gamma, transition, slope)
Not all spaces are defined with detailed gamma parameters, but all spaces have a simple gamma
value assigned. The simple gamma is generally used by all graphic editing programs while the
detailed gamma provides more accurate colorimetric transforms.
By default, the software uses a detailed gamma, but it can be set to use a simple gamma via the
Options/Preferences dialog.
To view the gamma parameters for a given space, use the "Data/Table data/Space data..." menu
command.

help manual
Section
VII
176 BabelColor CT&A
7 Technical data
This section covers background technical information on BabelColor CT&A's inner works as well as
simple descriptions of the RGB spaces and color catalogues it supports.
Although the "Definitions and theory" section is not required reading in order to be able to use the
program, it contains a lot of information about RGB spaces and the mathematics of colorimetry. For
more information on colorimetry, the reader can consult our "References".
Technical data - Table of Contents

· Data flow
· Data integrity
· Definitions and theory
· RGB spaces description
· Decks description
· Spectral tools
· References
7.1 Data flow

The following diagram is one example of data flow within the software. It shows the conversions and
processes within a single RGB space, Space #1 with NTSC selected (illuminant C), in R'G'B' input
mode.
Click on any rectangular box for more information on the specific step. From the input, in green,
multiple conversions are performed to obtain the various displayed outputs, in light blue; the results of
the steps with a white background are not displayed but used internally. If in Convert mode, the input
for the other side, which can be either a Space or a Deck, is XYZ data; it is shown in yellow.
You will notice the "XYZ to XYZ" conversion step from illuminant C to illuminant C ("C to C", in a box
with a white background) before the "XYZ to Munsell" conversion. In this particular example, this is a
one-to-one conversion (i.e. there is no chromatic adaptation performed and this step could have been
eliminated). However, if the XYZ data had been determined based on another illuminant, a chromatic
adaptation transform would have been required at that point since Munsell HVC data is referenced on
illuminant C.
The three boxes at the bottom of the illustration show the steps required to compute the color for the
color patches display in the user-selected display space (see the "Display" tab of the Options /
Preferences section for more info).

Technical data 177

178 BabelColor CT&A
7.2 Data integrity

Color data within the program is of two types : integer and real. R'G'B', Hex #, and HSB data are, by
definition, integer based, while all other representations, xyY, XYZ, L*a*b*, L*u*v*, and L*C*h* can
have fractional values.
Integer input is in effect when using either the R', G' or B' sliders, or their corresponding data displays
boxes. However, fractional input values for R'G'B' will happen when using the "Y" slider or "xy" mouse
input; this is in order to provide accurate and consistent results with these input controls. In such
cases, whenever there is one of the following changes :
· a mode change (Compare to Convert, Convert to Compare, a direction change in Convert),
· an input mode change ( L*a*b* / L*u*v* input to R'G'B' input),
· a different RGB space is selected,
all R'G'B' inputs will be rounded if this is the input mode after the change. If the input mode before and
after the change is L*a*b* or L*u*v*, there is no rounding in the input variables.
When converting a color into a RGB space, the converted coordinates are high precision,
non-integer, fractional numbers. The R'G'B', thus also Hex #, and HSB values are rounded to the
nearest integer for display purposes but the other representations display their high precision
fractional values. This is why the color-difference, DeltaE*, when there is no clipping, is exactly zero.
When going back to Compare mode, a small color difference value may appear in the DeltaE* display.
What has happened is that the space, which was converted "TO", is now independent and in R'G'B'
input mode. To be consistent with the integer logic of R'G'B', the software replaces the fractional
R'G'B' values, which were previously rounded for display only, by their nearest integers, and
re-computes all other representation values.
This process logic was defined to maintain accuracy for users interested in color conversions not
related to RGB spaces, while not affecting the integer conversion accuracy for users interested in
RGB spaces computations.

Technical data 179
7.3 Definitions and theory

The theory, definitions and equations presented in this section support and document the features of
BabelColor CT&A. Most standard equations for colorimetric transforms can be found. In particular,
there is the complete set of equations required to compute the most recent, and complex, color
difference formulas (i.e. CMC and CIEDE2000).
Definitions and theory - Table of Contents

· xyY and XYZ
· Illuminants
· Bradford matrix
· XYZ to RGB (and RGB to XYZ)
· RGB to R'G'B', and gamma (and R'G'B' to RGB)
· R'G'B' to Hex #
· R'G'B' to HSB
· XYZ to L*a*b* (and L*a*b* to XYZ)
· XYZ to L*u*v* (UCS) (and L*u*v* to XYZ)
· L*a*b* or L*u*v* to L*C*h*
· XYZ to Munsell
· L* (L-star)
· DeltaE*
For further reading, we recommend these two excellent books :

· The reproduction of Colour, by R.W.G. Hunt (Ref. 5)
· Billmeyer and Saltzman's "Principles of Color Technology, by Roy S. Berns (Ref. 25)

180 BabelColor CT&A
7.3.1 xyY and XYZ

In 1931, the Commission Internationale de l'Éclairage (CIE) established standards for color
representation based on the physiological perception of light. They are built on a set of three
color-matching functions whose individual values are called tristimulus values. These functions,
collectively called the Standard Observer; are related to the red, green and blue cones in the eye (
Ref. 14), and are the basis of essentially all modern color models; they are shown in the following
figure :
The CIE1931 representation was determined from color patches covering a two degrees Field Of
View (FOV). This FOV is well within the angle subtended by the eye's fovea, the region of the retina
near the eye's optical axis where the density of cones is the highest. Cone density falls rapidly to less
than ten times the peak value at plus or minus five degrees from the fovea center (Ref. 15) and, in
practice, color patches subtending FOVs between one and four degrees can be treated using the
CIE1931 data. For larger patches it was found that the eye has a somewhat different response. This
resulted in a new set of measurements, called the CIE1964 data set, which was done for patches
subtending a FOV of ten degrees. Data corresponding to the CIE1964 data set is often presented as
(X10, Y10, Z10) or (x10, y10, Y10) to distinguish it from the 1931 system.

Technical data 181
Since most images are made of combinations of small color patches subtending small angles, the
CIE1931 system remains a valid choice for many practical applications. In particular, it is the one used
to define all RGB spaces. There is also no need to convert (even when spectral data is available!) all
historical CIE1931 since, in most instances, the users just want to match a specification, and as long
as that specification can be measured, there is no reason to change it! On the other hand, it can be
seen that the 10 degree Observer is specified more often in recent standards, such as RAL DESIGN
and ISO 3664.
FROM TRISTIMULUS TO XYZ

Color is not an intrinsic property of an object. It is the perception of the energy emitted or reflected
from the object, once processed by the human visual system and the brain, which makes us assign
colors to this energy. This psychophysical process is described by the color-matching functions
shown above. The mathematical derivation of color coordinates from these functions first requires
measuring the spectrum of the source. This spectrum is usually expressed in terms of a Spectral
Power Density (SPD), in Watt/nm, and it can be determined by separating the visible spectrum in a
number of wavelength bands, with 10 nm per band for example, and by measuring the power, in Watt,
within each band.
For reflected light, the reflectance is measured for each wavelength band and a ratio is computed
relative to a perfect white diffuser. For transmitted light, a ratio is computed relative to a perfect
transmitter. In the case of self-luminous sources, a radiance factor, the ratio between actual output
and maximum output, may be determined.
Then, for each wavelength band, the reflectance, transmittance, or radiance factor is multiplied by the
source SPD and by the spectral tristimulus value of each color-matching function. Results are then
added separately for each function. In other words, the reflected or transmitted spectrum is weighted
by the color-matching functions and integrated to provide a single value, a scalar, also called the
tristimulus value, for each function.
The scalar obtained with the red color-matching function is named X. Similarly, the scalars obtained
with the green and blue functions are Y and Z.
The green color-matching function has an interesting characteristic. It was defined in such a way that
it matches the overall Luminance response of the human eye (X and Z have no such easily attributed
correspondence to a real phenomenon). All values represented by Y are therefore, by design,
photometric quantities (lux, cd/m2, etc.). Also, by definition, the color coordinates of the illuminant, the
brightest color, are, when normalized, the ones for which Y equals 100 (i.e. maximum Y is 100 even if
X or Z can be higher).
An excellent source of data, presented in tabular forms, on the SPD of all standard illuminants, such
as C, D50, D65, F6 etc., and for the color-matching functions, is ASTM Standard E308-99 (Ref. 16)
which describes a complete procedures to calculate XYZ with custom illuminants as well as a
simplified procedure that can be used with standard sources.

182 BabelColor CT&A
FROM XYZ TO xyY

Another way of presenting the tristimulus data is to determine the proportion of each value relative to
the sum of all three. These ratios are defined as :
with, as a complement, the relation
In the xyz representation, because of the redundancy of the fourth equation above, only two
coordinates are required, usually x and y, to convey the chromatic content of a sample. The
representation of color is thus simplified from 3 dimensions to 2 dimensions. However, the absolute
luminance information of Y is lost in the process. For these reasons, it is a common practice to
present color data as xyY.
When the pure monochromatic colors of the spectrum are plotted in the "xy" plane, they form a line,
the spectral locus, which has the shape of a horseshoe, officially named the CIE1931 chromaticity
diagram (labels identify the positions of many specific wavelengths) :

Technical data 183
The straight line at the base of the horseshoe represents the mixture of red and blue light, two colors
at the opposite of the spectrum. All other "impure", or non-monochromatic, or less saturated colors fall
within the horseshoe. Only the colors inscribed within the horseshoe are possible. The colors outside
the horseshoe are "imaginary" and result from the mathematical treatment behind the color-matching
functions. The horse shoe is inscribed in a larger triangle, defined by the (x,y) = (0,0), (1,0), and (0,1)
coordinates, which is called the Maxwell triangle, from the name of the Scottish physicist, James Clerk
Maxwell (1831-1879), who used a similar triangle to understand color, and which is considered the
inventor of the trichromatic photographic process.
The more one goes away from the edges of the horseshoe, the more the color is de-saturated. The
ideal white, also called the equal energy illuminant since all three reference functions are equal, has x,
y and z equal to 0,33333… and is located somewhere in the center of the horseshoe. It is interesting
to note that the ideal black is located at the same spot. This seemingly contradictory result is simply
because the diagram does not represent intensity, thus its name chromaticity diagram, and the
importance of the Y information in comparing measured color data.
A very useful feature of this diagram is that it can be used to determine the color resulting from the
mix of two known emissive colors. The chromaticity of a color resulting from the mixture of two colored
lights will simply be located on the straight line between the two. This is one of the characteristics of
additive color mixture, also called Grassmann's laws. Adjusting the ratio between the two lights will
make the resulting color move along the line. An interesting consequence is that mixing two colors
located at such positions on the chromaticity diagram that a line between them goes through the white
point region will result in "white" being perceived for certain ratios. This last example is just to
contradict the often-heard statement that you need at least three colors to generate white, and is a
direct consequence of the overlapping bandwidths of the cones.
Similarly to the color mix obtained with two sources, we can extend the concept to three sources. To
be called primaries these sources have to be selected in such a way that it is not feasible to simulate
one of them by mixing the two others. From this requirement we see that three sources will enclose a
triangular shape. Mixing the primaries in various proportions will generate all the colors within the
triangle, also called the color gamut. This property of the diagram makes it easy to understand how
color TV and computer monitors use only three different phosphors to simulate a multitude of colors.
The primaries of the sRGB space can be seen, in two dimensions, in the above chromaticity diagram;
the following image shows the same space in three dimensions, when we add the Y coordinate (i.e.
xyY) :

184 BabelColor CT&A
We see that the triangle defined by the primaries is fully used for low luminance colors only. As the
luminance is increased, the color range becomes smaller.
Note : One of this program features is that when you select a color by clicking on its chromaticity
diagram (see "xy" mouse input in the Input modes section), the selected color will always be the
highest—i.e. brightest—possible color in the xyY representation.
One of the challenges in color display design is to select the best primaries to generate the maximum
number of colors. Since it is impossible to generate all colors with three primaries, you could use four,
five, or more, different basic colors to define a multi-facet polygon that would encompass most of the
horseshoe shape. This is difficult in practice for a CRT display, firstly because of the limited availability
of high-brightness long-life monochromatic phosphors, quite a challenge in itself, and secondly
because of the complexity of controlling sources which are redundant for much of the gamut (many
colors can be created by more than one mix of primaries). In short, the technology required to achieve
these goals is presently not cost-effective for a consumer level product. For example, the phosphors
of the first color TVs were selected in most part for the two following reasons : they were available,
and three phosphors are enough to get a very good job done.

Technical data 185
7.3.2 Illuminants
Illuminants cannot be dissociated from the XYZ data they helped generate. When providing
colorimetric data, information on the illuminant used for the measurements always has to be given in
order to understand and further process the data. Various standard illuminants have been devised to
satisfy the evolving needs. The following table shows the coordinates of the principal standard
illuminants in the CIE system :
Chromaticity data for the A, C, D50, D65, E and the Custom illuminant can be found with the "
File/Table data/lluminant data…" menu command. Bradford matrices for converting XYZ data
between these illuminants can be found with the "File/Table data/Bradford matrices…" menu
command.
It is common to associate a temperature with an illuminant. This temperature is related to the

emission of a blackbody. A blackbody is by definition a material that has perfect emissivity and
absorptivity at all wavelengths; it will therefore not reflect or scatter light. The light emitted from the
blackbody has a spectral content with a dominant color that shifts from red to blue with increasing
material temperature. Temperature is expressed in the kelvin scale, with zero kelvin defined as the
absolute zero (-273 Celsius). The perceived color of a blackbody, its chromaticity coordinates, can
easily be determined using the "Custom illuminant" dialog; which can be accessed from within the "
Custom RGB space dialog".
Few illuminants are perfect blackbodies. However, when a source matches the chromaticity of a
blackbody, we refer to the source temperature as the color temperature. If the chromaticity does not
match, the blackbody temperature that most closely matches the spectral properties of the illuminant
is given; this temperature is called the Correlated Color Temperature (CCT). These temperatures are
identified with an asterisk in the table above, as well as in the program's illuminant table data.
The illuminant referred as D65, with a correlated temperature of 6504 K, emits light with a spectrum
close to mid-day daylight illumination and can be considered a good "general use" white. D65 is part
of the standard CIE D-series illuminants which cover the 4000 K to 10000 K plus range where the
number following the "D" is an abbreviation of the correlated temperature—all D-series illuminant
have chromaticities slightly different than same temperature blackbodies.
D50, with a correlated 5000 K temperature, has a spectrum with a strong orange content, typical of
tungsten lights. D50 is the reference illuminant for the print industry and the only illuminant used to
compute L*a*b* data in Adobe Photoshop. D50 is also, presently, the only illuminant in the Profile
Connection Space (PCS), a color space used as the link between devices, in the International Color
Consortium (ICC) profile definition (Ref. 17).

186 BabelColor CT&A
The chromaticities of the D-series illuminants can be obtained with the following equations :
for 4000 K £ T £ 7000 K,
for 7000 K < T £ 25000 K, and
.
Like for the blackbodies, the chromaticity coordinates of the D-series illuminants can be obtained with
the Custom illuminant dialog.

Technical data 187
7.3.3 Bradford matrix definition

When converting color coordinates from one RGB space to another, it is often required to transform
colors referenced to one illuminant into colors referenced to another illuminant. All modern color
appearance models competing for international acceptance incorporate such a chromatic adaptation
transform (see Ref. 7). One contender that has withstood critical revue is called the Bradford, or BFD
for short, chromatic adaptation transform, from the name of the city, in England, where the
researchers who developed it came from.
A simplified matrix representation of the Bradford transform was found to give excellent results during
the work performed in the development of the sRGB standard (Ref. 8). In its simplified version, the
only data required to generate the Bradford matrix are the XYZ coordinates of the source and
destination whites. The source white is the illuminant used to measure the original data, and the
destination white is the illuminant to which the data has to be translated. The matrices in this program
are generated using the above method; they can be viewed by using the "Data/Table data/Bradford
matrices..." menu command.
The Bradford conversion matrix is used in the following way :
where XYZsource is the data derived from the original illuminant, and XYZdestination is the data
transformed in the destination space illuminant.
Although it is clear that more accurate XYZ values are obtained when using spectral data combined
with the color-matching functions (see the Important note below), the spectral data is often not
available. The chromatic adaptation transform is then the only choice. The average error obtained in
Ref. 8 when converting Pantone color chips from D50 to D65 using the Bradford transform was 1,4 D
E*ab with a standard deviation of 0,9. A similar conversion study from D65 to D50, done by the
BabelColor Company with the 611 FED-STD-595 chips (of Rev-B), resulted in a 0,71 DE*ab average
error with a 0,65 standard deviation. Not surprisingly, the fluorescent samples show larger errors.
Important : The chromatic adaptation transform does not take into account any potential Color
Inconstancy effect, which is a change in a the perceived color with various illuminants; the conversion
errors for samples subject to this effect may be higher than what is normally expected.

188 BabelColor CT&A
7.3.4 XYZ to RGB

XYZ to RGB conversions require a 3 x 3 matrix that, in essence, maps a space defined by three
primaries, expressed in XYZ coordinates, into a space defined by relative ratios of Red, Green and B
lue. The matrix is derived using a recommended practice from the Society of Motion Picture and
Television Engineers (Ref. 18). The matrices used by the program can be viewed by using the "
Data/Table data/RGB to XYZ matrices..." menu command.
FROM XYZ to RGB
After this operation, the RGB coordinates of the illuminant are (100, 100, 100) when normalized XYZ
data with Y equal to 100 is used. Results over 100 or below zero are clipped at 100 and zero
respectively.
FROM RGB TO XYZ
By the combined use of the RGB to XYZ and XYZ to RGB matrices, we can transform RGB data
from one RGB space to another. If the illuminant is not the same for both spaces, we apply a Bradford
matrix transform in mid process. The RGB space-to-space conversion procedure is represented by
the equation :
The computation sequence is performed from right to left. If the illuminant is the same, the Bradford
matrix is simply omitted. It is important to mention that converting from one space to another is often
done in conjunction with an additional step, called gamut mapping, which is not represented in the
preceding equation. Gamut mapping algorithms attempt to minimize the effects of clipping by
distorting the values of either or both the clipped and non-clipped colors. Variants of the process, still
a subject of active research (Ref. 19), have been devised for different requirements such as
maintaining saturated colors in business graphics or achieving a balanced "realistic" look in pictures,
even if none of the resulting colors are accurate.
Important : When converting colors to other spaces, the software adapts the new coordinates to the
destination space illuminant by using the Bradford matrix. Colors which fall outside the new space are
clipped to the nearest color. This is the method used when converting color profiles with "Relative
Colorimetric" intent in Photoshop and other graphic editing programs that use this terminology.
Important : Many RGB to RGB conversion matrices found in the literature are simply the RGB to
XYZ and XYZ to RGB matrices shown above, combined into one, as per ASTM RP 177-93 (also Ref.
18), with no Bradford matrix or gamut mapping.

Technical data 189
7.3.5 RGB to R'G'B', and gamma

We cannot talk about RGB and R'G'B' without first presenting gamma. The equations for RGB to
R'G'B' and R'G'B' to RGB conversions are presented further down.
GAMMA
The eye is more sensitive to variations of luminance in low luminance levels than similar variations in
high luminance levels. Compared to RGB, which is scaled linearly in luminance, R'G'B' values are
scaled according to this non-linear perception of the eye, and more data triads are assigned to the
lower luminance levels. As a result, the R'G'B' scale is close to a perceptively linear scale where
doubling the values of a triad will result in a color whose brightness appears doubled.
The conversion equations shown here describe how two "flavors" of gamma are used to encode data
from RGB to R'G'B' and vice-versa. This is just one aspect of gamma, the software-encoding
gamma, amongst the other gamma parameters that define a complete vision chain.
The vision chain consists of :

· A file gamma that combines the camera gamma and the software-encoding gamma (gfile = g
camera * gencoding). In most photographic images, the camera gamma is already combined with the
software-encoding gamma. However, this is less and less the case as many images from
cameras and scanners now come with an embedded ICC profile. When the image is processed
in a graphic editing program, the output file has a single gamma usually corresponding to the
RGB space in which the file will be displayed.
When the image is created on a computer, the file gamma is simply the software-encoding
gamma. In most image archives, the software-encoding gamma is the only one remaining.
The gamma used and displayed in this software, either simple or detailed, is the
software-encoding gamma.
· A decoding gamma, which is defined as the gamma of any transformation performed by the
software reading the image file. For example, this is the gamma used for display calibration by
the operating system or an application which supports color management.
· A display gamma, which combines the look-up table (LUT) gamma and the CRT gamma : (g
display = gLUT / gCRT). In most PCs there is no LUT correction and this gamma is equal to one. The
CRT gamma is often equal to 0.40 (=1/2.5). Please note that different values of LUT gamma and
CRT gamma are used for the Apple, ColorMatch and SGI displays.
· The overall gamma that combines all the preceding gammas.
· The human eye gamma.
For more information on the elements of a vision chain, see Ref. 9, Ref. 10, and Ref. 11.
For a detailed presentation on colorimetry and how images are perceived, see Ref. 5.
Important : All computer programs which display R'G'B' data, in color pickers for example, present
R'G'B' data as R, G or B, or RGB, without the prime symbol after the letter. These programs never
display linear RGB values as obtained in converting from XYZ to RGB. Still, this is an "industry
standard" representation, and this is how this program user interface is done. However, in all program
documentation, the correct R', G', and B', or R'G'B' form is used to minimize any confusion in the
transformation equations.
Important : You should always verify how gamma is defined before making comparisons with other
sources of information, and you should get used to the fact that any author's gamma value could be
the reciprocal (= 1/x) of another author's definition.

190 BabelColor CT&A
FROM RGB TO R'G'B'

Going from RGB to R'G'B' can be done using either a single parameter ("simple") gamma, or a
multiple parameters ("detailed") function.
The detailed gamma function is (for simplicity, only R' is shown; G' and B' are similar; R, G, and B are
normalized between zero and one prior to this operation) :
for 1 ³ R ³ transition, and
for transition > R ³ 0 .
The function is defined by two segments : a linear segment at low light levels, below the defined
transition level, which makes the transform less susceptible to noise around zero luminance, and a
power segment with a g (gamma) exponent. The effect of that exponent is to compress the luminance
signal by assigning a larger signal range to dim colors, where the eye is most sensitive, and a small
signal range to bright colors.
The offset is related to what is generally identified in TVs and monitors as the black level, intensity or
brightness control knob. The combination of (1 + offset) is related to the picture, gain or contrast knob.
It may sound surprising to associate brightness to a DC level and contrast to a term which controls the
maximum luminance level, but these terms were defined in relation to what is perceived, not the
mathematical expression. In effect, the eye perceives as a brightness increase a change in the black
level more than it does of a change in the gain.
The four parameters - offset, gamma, transition, and slope - collectively define the "detailed gamma."
The two above equations can be approximated by a simpler function of the form :
for 0 £ R £ 1 .
Here, a single parameter, the g (gamma) exponent, with a value different than the gamma of the
detailed function, defines what we call the "simple encoding gamma," or "simple gamma" for short.
Not all spaces are defined with detailed gamma parameters, but all spaces have a simple gamma
value assigned. The simple gamma is generally used by all graphic editing programs while the
detailed gamma provides more accurate colorimetric transforms.
You can define and compare both simple and detailed gamma functions using the Custom RGB
space window accessible through the "Tools/Define custom RGB.." menu command.
Note : An average difference of 1.3 DeltaE*ab, with a 0.9 DeltaE*ab standard deviation, was
measured when using a simple gamma instead of a detailed one in random sRGB to L*a*b*
conversions.

Technical data 191
FROM R'G'B' TO RGB

Going from R'G'B' to RGB can also be done using either a single parameter gamma ("simple
gamma"), or a multiple parameters function ("detailed gamma").
The detailed gamma equations are (R', G', and B' are normalized between zero and one prior to this
operation) :
for 1 ³ R' ³ (transition x slope), and
for (transition x slope) > R' ³ 0 .
Again, the two above equations can be approximated by a simpler function of the form :
for 0 £ R' £ 1 .

192 BabelColor CT&A
7.3.6 R'G'B' to Hex #

R'G'B' to Hexadecimal (hex for short) "conversion" is often use in Web development environments.
The conversion is not from one color space to another but simply a change in the numerical base of
the R', G' and B' numbers. Instead of being written in standard decimal way (base 10), a base 16
(hexadecimal) is used. Here is the decimal to hexadecimal conversion table :
For example, the R'G'B' =(255, 0, 16) triad is written as #FF0010, where "FF" is the hexadecimal
equivalent of 255 (= (15 x 16) + 15), "00" is zero, and "10" hexadecimal is 16. The numbers are
presented side by side, with no separating spaces, in the traditional R'G'B' sequence : #redgreenblue
. By convention, a number (#) sign precedes the hexadecimal color.
This representation has the advantage that a single, fixed size, string of six characters can represent
all colors.
To view this representation, select Hex # in the Hex # / HSB / xyY / XYZ display.

Technical data 193
7.3.7 R'G'B' to HSB

The HSB (Hue-Saturation-Brightness) color representation is used mainly in graphic design software.
It is presented as a more intuitive color selection means than R'G'B'. Instead of selecting a color by
adding primaries, a method which takes a long time to "visualize", HSB defines a color by its pure
base color (its Hue), how pure or diluted it is (its Saturation), and its Brightness.
Hue is a value between zero and 360, in reference with the degrees of a circle where zero degrees is
"pure" red, 120 degrees is "pure" green, and 240 degrees is "pure" blue. By "pure", we mean the
maximum purity that can be obtained with an R'G'B' triad (Ex. : maximum red is R'G'B' =(255, 0, 0)). A
simplified representation of the color variation with the angle is shown below (Note : the actual 3D
shape of the HSB space is a six-sided cone, a hexcone) :
The intent of HSB is good, but it has drawbacks. Firstly, its use is not standardized; there are many
variants, such as HSL (Hue-Saturation-Lightness), or HSV (Hue-Saturation-Value). The equations to
derive these representations are similar, but not identical, and you will find various scales for each
parameter.
Secondly, the conversion equations are not continuous, which does not make them mathematically, or
computer, "friendly" (and fast!).
More importantly, because of the way it is derived, the HSB representation is NOT a colorimetrically
accurate representation of color. The brightness parameter ("B") has no relation with the actual
luminance (Y), or the relative brightness (i.e. lightness, L*), of the color. In HSB, any hue can have a
maximum "B" value of 100. As it is illustrated in the xyY and XYZ section, the maximum luminance of
an RGB space is a very non-uniform function, where the maximum luminance is only achieved for
pure white.
A more "scientifically correct" alternative is to use the chroma (C*ab) and hue angle (hab) of the L*a*b*
representation, or their equivalent in the L*u*v* representation, but they are not as intuitive. Another
more perceptually correct way of selecting colors is to use the Munsell Color System, which
characterizes the spectrum in uniformly perceived Hue, Value (an indicator of lightness), and Chroma
(a counterpart of saturation) steps. Still another "scientifically correct" way of picking colors is to use
the color picker capabilities of this program, as it is shown in Tutorial 4.
Nonetheless, when used for picking colors, HSB is a good alternative to R'G'B'.

194 BabelColor CT&A
FROM R'G'B' to HSB

The R'G'B' to HSB conversion equations used in BabelColor CT&A are the same as the ones
employed in Photoshop. Hue has a value between zero and 359; saturation and brightness are values
between zero and 100.
Here are the steps used to derive the HSB values :
· Normalize the data :

Normalize R', G' and B' between zero and one :
Determine the maximum (MAX) and minimum (MIN) value of the rgb triad (both are values between
zero and one) :
· Calculate the Brightness ("B") :
· Calculate the Saturation ("S") :
· Calculate the Hue ("H") :
If r is the MAX value :
If g is the MAX value :
If b is the MAX value :
Finally, if H is negative :

Technical data 195
7.3.8 XYZ to L*a*b*

As good as it may be, the CIE1931 chromaticity diagram is not without faults. Soon after it was
issued, it was found that it does not represent color gradations in a uniform manner. David L.
MacAdam showed (Ref.12) in the early forties that the minimum distance between two discernible
colors is smaller in the lower left portion of the horseshoe, and progressively bigger toward the top. It
is also non-uniform; for any given point, tracing the coordinates of the minimally discernible colors
around the point forms an ellipse, called a MacAdam ellipse.
Attempts to transform the original diagram into a more uniform representation have resulted, after
much work and discussions, in a relatively recent industry wide "agreement" on two standards, the
L*a*b* representation, called either CIE1976 (L*a*b*) or CIELAB, and the L*u*v* space, called either
CIE1976 (L*u*v*) or CIELUV. Since both spaces have their proponents and preferred applications, it
is up to the users to select the most appropriate model, at least until a better "universal" one is defined
and accepted.
Note : The L* of L*a*b* and L*u*v* are identical.
XYZ to L*a*b*
L*a*b* is derived from XYZ data with the following equations :
L* = 116 f y - 16 a* = 500 (f x - f y ) b* = 200 (f y - f z )
where
fx = 3 x x>e
k x + 16
fx = x£e
116
fy = 3 y y >e
k y + 16
fy = y £e
116
fz = 3 z z >e
k z + 16
fz = z £e
116
with either
e = 0.008856 and k = 903.3
which are the values now in use by the CIE, or
e = 216 and k = 24389

24389 27
which are values which provide a better continuity in the f functions around the "e" threshold, and
X Y Z
x= y= z=
Xn Yn Zn
where Xn, Yn, Zn, are the values of X, Y, Z for a specified reference white—i.e. illuminant.

196 BabelColor CT&A
Better uniformity is thus obtained with L*a*b* by normalizing the color coordinates with the illuminant
coordinates, and by applying a 1/3 exponent to the ratios, which corresponds to the non-linear
perception—i.e. dynamic range compression—of the eye subjected to increased luminance.
The exact name for L* is lightness, to indicate it is the relative brightness of a color patch when
compared to the brightness of a perfect "white" diffuser in the same illuminating conditions (or when
compared to a "white" patch, with R'G'B' =(255, 255, 255), if the patch is seen on a CRT). In effect,
the actual brightness can vary for a given lightness.
Increases in a* values represent increases mainly in redness, while decreases in a* values represent
increases mainly in greenness. Increases in b* values represent increases mainly in yellowness while
decreases in b* values represent increases mainly in blueness.
Note : In practice, selecting the "in use by the CIE" or "better continuity" e and k values will result in
essentially no difference relatively to the precision of 8 bit RGB data.
L*a*b* to XYZ
The XYZ coordinates are derived from L*a*b* data with the following equations, starting with y and fy :
X = xX n Y = yY n Z = zZn
where
x = f x3 f x3 > e
x = (116 f x - 16 )/ k f x3 £ e
3
y = ((L * +16 )/ 116 ) L* > ke
y = L*/k L* £ ke
z = f z3 f z3 > e
z = (116 f z - 16 )/ k f z3 £ e
and
a*
fx = + fy
500
L * +16
fy = y >e
116
k y + 16
fy = y £e
116
b*
fz = f y -
200
where Xn, Yn, and Zn are the illuminant coordinates, and e and k are defined as for XYZ to L*a*b*.

Technical data 197
7.3.9 XYZ to L*u*v* (UCS)

As good as it may be, the CIE1931 chromaticity diagram is not without faults. Soon after it was
issued, it was found that it does not represent color in a uniform manner. David L. MacAdam showed (
Ref.12) in the early 1940s that the minimum distance between two discernible colors is smaller in the
lower left portion of the horseshoe, and progressively bigger toward the top. It is also non-uniform; for
any given point, tracing the coordinates of the minimally discernible colors around the point forms an
ellipse, called a MacAdam ellipse.
Attempts to transform the original diagram into a more uniform representation have resulted, after
much work and discussions, in a relatively recent industry wide "agreement" on two standards, the
L*a*b* representation, called either CIE1976 (L*a*b*) or CIELAB, and the L*u*v* space, called either
CIE1976 (L*u*v*) or CIELUV. Since both spaces have their proponents and preferred applications, it
is up to the users to select the most appropriate model, at least until a better "universal" one is defined
and accepted.
Note : The L* of L*a*b* and L*u*v* are identical.
XYZ to L*u*v*
L*u*v* is derived from XYZ data with the following equations. We start by computing u'n and v'n once
(for a given illuminant) :
where Xn, Yn, and Zn are the illuminant coordinates. An equivalent set of equations using x and y is :
Then, for each data set, we calculate the intermediate variables u' and v' :
The equivalent set of equations from x and y is :
The u' and v' coordinates are a projective transformation of the xy coordinates plane, and define a
more uniform chromaticity diagram called the Uniform Chromaticity Scale (UCS, CIE1976), which is
often used as a replacement to the CIE1931 xy chromaticity diagram. Straight lines in the xy
chromaticity diagram remain straight in the u'v' diagram.
u'v' chromaticity tolerances are specified in many Standards and Publications, such as ISO 12646,
ISO 3664, CIE 51 and CIE S 012 (click here for more information on these standards). The L*a*b*
space does not have such chromaticity units.
Finally, we calculate L*u*v*, starting with L* :
L* = 116 3 y - 16 y >e
L* = k y y £e

198 BabelColor CT&A
where
Y
y=
Yn
with either
e = 0.008856 and k = 903.3
which are the values now in use by the CIE, or
e = 216 and k = 24389

24389 27
which are values which provide a better continuity for the L* functions around the "e" threshold, and
The exact name for L* is lightness, to indicate it is the relative brightness of a color patch when
compared to the brightness of a perfect "white" diffuser in the same illuminating conditions (or when
compared to a "white" patch, with R'G'B' =(255, 255, 255), if the patch is seen on a CRT). In effect,
the actual brightness can vary for a given lightness. The difference between u'v' and u*v* is that, as
the equations show, the later form takes into account the variation in perception due to lightness.
L*u*v* to XYZ
The XYZ coordinates are derived from L*u*v* data with the following equations. We start by
computing u'n and v'n once (for a given illuminant) :
where Xn, Yn, and Zn are the illuminant coordinates.
Then, for each data set, we calculate the intermediate variables u' and v' :
Finally, we calculate XYZ, starting with Y :

3
Y = Y n ((L * +16 )/ 116 ) L* > ke
Y = Y n (L * k ) L* £ ke
where e and k are defined as for the XYZ to L*u*v* equations, and

Technical data 199
7.3.10 L*a*b* or L*u*v* to L*C*h*

Because of the difficulty in navigating intuitively in the L*a*b* space using a* and b*, derived
correlates of chroma (C*), called CIE1976 chroma, and hue (h*), called CIE1976 hue angle, were
defined :
The C* and h* variables are shown in relation with L*, a* and b* in the following diagram :
Equivalent equations and a similar diagram for L*u*v* can be derived :
It is important to note that the 3D shapes of the L*a*b* and L*C*h* spaces, as well as the position of
the data within them, and the value of L*, are identical; it is simply that the data is represented using
cylindrical coordinates instead of three orthogonal axes.
Chroma can be considered an approximate counterpart of perceived color saturation. The higher the
chroma, the more monochromatic the color tends to be; the lower the chroma, the closer to neutral
gray the color tends to be. A hue angle of zero degree, equivalent to 360 degrees, is red-purple, using
the Munsell description lingo, or magenta-red, if you prefer using descriptions which are closer to the
ones used in color printing. Increasing the hue angle will make you go through red, orange, yellow,
green, cyan, blue, and then back to red-purple (magenta-red). This is very similar to what is seen
when increasing the hue, going counter-clockwise, in the HSB space and the Munsell Color System,
although you will notice that these representations are not similar in terms of the relative importance
they allocate to each major hue.

200 BabelColor CT&A
With these alternate parameters, two color samples can be compared in terms of lightness (DL*),
chroma (DC*ab), and hue angle (Dh*ab) differences :
The corresponding equations for L*u*v* are (DL* is the same) :
These differences are shown in the DeltaE* interface window. See the CIELAB & CIELUV section for
more information on the difference between DH*ab and Dh*ab.
Note : The three variables, L*, C*, and h* define a space which has the same representation goal as
the HSB space, but is more colorimetrically correct.
7.3.11 XYZ to Munsell

Converting data between XYZ—or from any other CIE compliant color data representations—and the
Munsell Color System cannot be done entirely using equations. The fact that this system is still not
mathematically formalized many decades, in fact more than a century, after its introduction, simply
emphasizes the magnitude of the task, and is another illustration of the complexity of the human
visual perception process.
One of the few methods left to convert data between the two color systems is interpolation.
Traditionally done manually by using tables and graphics, such as the ones contained in the ASTM
D1535 standard (see Ref. 23), it is now performed by computers. This task is facilitated by the
inherent structure of the Munsell Book of Color which presents samples with uniform Munsell Hue,
Munsell Value, and Munsell Chroma (HVC) steps between them. By measuring the XYZ
characteristics of all these samples, we obtain two matching three-dimensional tables, one with XYZ
numbers and the other with HVC numbers, from which we can interpolate the HVC coordinates of any
XYZ sample, or the reverse. A simplified illustration of interpolation is shown below :
The goal is to find the unknown Munsell coordinates (HVC ?) corresponding to the measured XYZ
sample. In this simplified case, two nearest neighbors of the sample, XYZ-1 and XYZ-2, are found
from a search within the known XYZ database. The corresponding, and also known, Munsell
coordinates in the HVC table are labeled HVC-1 and HVC-2. The relative position of the XYZ sample
between XYZ-1 and XYZ-2 is then used to deduce the HVC coordinates of the sample. In practice,
this process is performed in three dimensions and the search routine looks for multiple neighbors
located around the sample.

Technical data 201
Alternately, the following equations can be used to determine Munsell Value from the CIE Y
coordinate (from Ref. 23) :
For Y <= 0,9 :
Munsell Value = 0,87445 * Y 0,9967 .
For Y > 0,9 :

Munsell Value = (2,49268 * Y 1/3) - 1,5614
- { 0,985 / [ (0,1073 * Y - 3,084) 2 + 7,54 ] }
+ ( 0,0133 / Y 2,3 )
+ [ 0,0084 * sin(4,1 * Y 1/3 + 1) ]

+ { (0,0221 / Y ) * sin[0,39 * (Y - 2) ] }
- { [0,0037 / (0,44 * Y )] * sin[1,28 * (Y - 0,53)] } .
Although it is quite an elaborate data fitting formula, implementing it in a conversion program is

straightforward. Alas, there are no similar equations for the other two parameters, hue and chroma,
and interpolation is the only solution.
Two particular problems arise from the interpolation method. The first one is that it is difficult to
recognize true neutral samples (ex : "N 2,3/") and most converters show a "nearest best candidate",
which can be of any hue; this condition is monitored and displayed correctly in BabelColor CT&A. The
second one is that the reference samples, the ones used for interpolation, for a color located near the
illuminant, can be located all around the illuminant. In such a case, the interpolation routine must
contain additional code to prevent large hue shifts; this is also considered in this program.
Even though the Munsell Book of Color, the original presentation method of the Munsell Color
System, contains samples which cover a large part of the visible gamut, it is not exhaustive since it is
impossible to reproduce on printed or painted chips all the colors humans can perceive. This is the
case for high chroma colors, like the ones generated by lasers. Also, it does not make commercial
sense to provide many samples with very dark colors, with low values and chromas, since they are
seldom used. Nonetheless, these colors were also characterized using the Munsell notation by
extrapolating from available data. This extrapolation was even extended outside the visible gamut to
facilitate the mapping between CIE based data, which covers the entire visible gamut by definition,
and the Munsell representation. Thus, it is possible to convert back on forth between the notations of
the CIE system and the Munsell system.
According to ASTM D1535 (again from Ref. 23), the estimated precision with which a color can be
characterized visually is 0,5 hue step, 0,1 value step and 0,4 chroma step.
Important : The data tables built for the Munsell Color System were derived using Illuminant "C".
Since the chromatic adaptation transforms (Bradford matrix) do not take into account any potential
Color Inconstancy effect, the conversion errors for samples subject to this effect may be higher than
what is normally expected for these transforms (click here for typical values).
Note : They were other attempts at devising a formal uniform color system. The best known is the
Optical Society of America (OSA) Uniform Color Scales (UCS) project which development spanned
on over three decades. UCS development was ultimately "officially" abandoned; one of the reason
being that it was still not perfectly uniform, but it could well resurface as it provides an original view
into color space and a different approach in building color palettes (see Ref. 24).

202 BabelColor CT&A
7.3.12 L* (L-star)
L*, pronounced L-star, is a gamma function based on the CIELAB L* (lightness). It is proposed as the
Tone Response Curve (TRC) for the eciRGB_v2 space. L* is derived from the CIE Y (of XYZ) with the
following equation (the complete XYZ to L*a*b* equations are shown in this section) :
L* = 116 f y - 16
fy = 3 y y >e
k y + 16
fy = y £e
116
with
e = 0.008856 and k = 903.3
and
Y
y=
Yn
.
By incorporating the fy terms and the constants in L*, we can simplify the above equations to :
Since y is the normalized luminance (=Y/Yn), and varies between zero and one. We can easily
associate y to linear RGB (i.e. before gamma correction), and assume that R,G, and B are also
normalized between zero and one (y = R/255). We can thus associate R'G'B' values to L*. Because
the maximum value of the L* function is 100, we need to multiply the equation by 2,55 in order to
obtain the proper R'G'B' maximums. The re-written equations are :
Now, let's look at the equation we use for the detailed gamma function (for simplicity, only R' is
shown; G' and B' are similar; R, G, and B are normalized between zero and one prior to this
operation) :
for 1 ³ R ³ transition, and
for transition > R ³ 0 .
By comparing the equations of L* and R', we can see that they have the same structure or, in other
words, that they are the same equation. We can deduce that the L* offset is 16, that its gamma
exponent (g) is 1/3, and that the slope is 903,3.

Technical data 203
Finally, if we adjust the normalizing factor in the L* equations (=2,55) to the ones used in BabelColor
CT&A (=255), we get these equivalent equations :
where the detailed gamma is defined by :

offset = 0,16
gamma = 1/3 = 0,333333
transition = 0.008856
slope = 9,033
To derive a simple encoding gamma for L-star, we have traced the detailed gamma (R'G'B' vs RGB)
and fitted a curve with a single exponent equation; for comparison purposes, we have also traced the
response of a simple 2,2 gamma :
The best fit was obtained for a single exponent (g) of 2,4346. We see that a simple gamma of 2,4346
provides a better fit to L* than a generic 2,2 gamma. You will find these values in the Space data
dialog. Here is a similar graph that you can obtain with the "Gamma" tab of the Custom RGB space
dialog :

204 BabelColor CT&A
We see the same three curves, except that here the linear RGB input is normalized between zero and
one. The solid gray curve represents the simple gamma of the "Space template", which was selected
as Adobe (1998), and thus represents a simple gamma of 2,2 (and no detailed gamma for this
template is available). You will notice that the selected gamma set in the gamma menu is "L* (L-star)",
which means that you can easily associate the L* tone response curve to any custom RGB space.
Note : When we write that a simple gamma of 2,4346 provides a better fit to L* than a generic 2,2
gamma, this does not automatically mean that it is better. It all depends of the end-use for the RGB
space which uses L*, and where this detailed gamma fits in the vision chain.

Technical data 205
7.3.13 DeltaE*
Color-differences can be expressed mathematically for any space but they make practical sense only
for the more uniform spaces where the resulting numbers can be better associated to what the eye
perceives.
BabelColor CT&A computes these differences according to many standards and variants. Although all
are computed, only one is displayed at a time (see DeltaE* interface). However, all are shown when
saving or printing data.
Click on the topic to see the definition and equations of each of the following color-differences :
· CIELAB, DE*ab in abridged form
· CIELUV, DE*uv in abridged form
· CIE94, DE*94 in abridged form
· CMC(l:c), DECMC(l:c) in abridged form
· CIEDE2000, DE00 in abridged form
There is no "best one" although some are better suited to specific applications. The Commission
Internationale de l'Éclairage (CIE) recommends CIELAB for large color differences (DE*ab larger than
5). Up until recently, CIE94 was often the preferred choice for small color differences but CIEDE2000
may displace it if usage confirms the preliminary—positive—findings of early CIEDE2000 users. CMC
will most frequently be used, especially in the United Kingdom, in the context of the ink and textile
industries where the (2:1) variant is found to be well adapted.
DISCUSSION
An accepted "reference" is that a DE=1 corresponds to colors which are barely differentiable by 50%
of a group of observers; the other 50% would see no difference. This threshold is valid for all the
color-difference formulas described herein, even though an exact difference of one will not be
obtained by all for the same conditions. As well, when comparing very different colors, the
color-differences obtained with the various formulas can also be very different, an indication that the
formulas are still not perfectly matched to how the human visual system perceives color.
To place this error in perspective, we should take into consideration the conditions in which the colors
will be seen. One of these conditions is the observation time. According to a review article by Has &
al. (Ref. 1), an inexperienced user will take approximately 5 seconds, when comparing images, to
notice a DE*ab difference of 15 from an original. The time goes up to 10 seconds for a DE*ab of 10, and
15 seconds for a DE*ab of 5. Another study (Ref. 2) has shown that errors of less than 2.5 DE*ab are
not visible on real world images shown on a CRT. In essence, the threshold value of DE = 1 should be
perceived only by prolonged comparative viewing in a controlled environment.
On the hardware side, it has been shown (Ref. 3) that CRTs require a warm-up time varying between
15 minutes and three hours, depending on models, before achieving a long term stability of 0.15 DE*ab
on average. On a given CRT subjected to a large luminance variation, an initial DE*ab of 1.0 was seen
to exponentially decrease to about 0.1 DE*ab in 60 seconds. As for printed material, errors between 2
and 4 DE*ab are mentioned by Has & al. (Ref. 1) for the offset and rotogravure processes.

206 BabelColor CT&A
7.3.13.1 CIELAB & CIELUV
CIELAB (DE*ab)
For the L*a*b* space the color-difference equation (i.e. the "CIELAB color-difference equation",
DeltaE*ab or DE*ab in abridged form) is :
,
where
k=1 for samples compared in close proximity (k=0,5 or less for samples compared further away from
each other, where the eye is less sensitive to lightness differences). A value of k=1 is used in this
software.
An alternate color-difference equation for this space can be expressed in relation to the cylindrical
coordinates of lightness, chroma and hue (see the XYZ to L*a*b* section) :
where
The relation between these variables can be seen in the following diagram :

Technical data 207
You will note that the hue difference (DH*ab) is not the hue angle difference Dh*ab (= h*ab2 - h*ab1), but is
given by what is left after the lightness and chroma differences are removed (see the L*a*b* to L*C*h*
section for more information on Dh*ab).
Even though this equation is a workhouse of the plastic, paint and textile industries, its statistical
threshold is a cause of concern, and of possible litigation, in many industrial applications where expert
observers' judgments are confronted. For this reason, better color-difference equations are being
sought.
CIELUV (DE*uv)
Similarly, a color-difference equation is defined for the L*u*v* space (i.e. the "CIELUV color-difference
equation", DeltaE*uv or DE*uv in abridged form) :
where
As with CIELAV, an alternate color-difference equation can be used :
where
The main application fields for CIELUV have historically been the television and video display
industries.
7.3.13.2 CIE94
In 1994, the Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) proposed a new color-difference formula
called CIE94 (DE*94 in abridged form; Ref. 21). A simplified version of CMC(l:c), the equation is :
where DL*, DC*ab, and DH*ab are defined as in CIELAB :

208 BabelColor CT&A
As in CMC(l:c), additional correction factors have been defined :
.
where C*ab ref is determined according to which of the two color patches is considered the Reference
(or Standard), and which one is considered the Sample (or Trial), a terminology borrowed from the
Quality Control (QC) field. The case where none of the patches is a Reference is also treated. This
concept of assigning more importance to one patch, which was not included in the CIELAB and
CIELUV formulas, can result in quite different results depending on the selected configuration. The
value assigned to C*ab ref is :
if patch #1 is the Reference (and patch #2 is the Sample), or
if patch #2 is the Reference (and patch #1 is the Sample), or
if neither patches can be assigned as a Reference.
In this software, in Convert mode, the Reference is always the side (LEFT or RIGHT) being converted
FROM; the Sample is then the side being converted TO.
In Compare mode, there are two possibilities depending on the state of the
option, located in the "Math" tab of the Options / Preferences dialog. If the option is not selected, the
color difference will be computed with C*ab ref determined from the "no patch is a Reference" equation
above. If the option is selected, the Reference will ALWAYS be the LEFT side and the Sample the
RIGHT side. This option should be selected for Quality Control type work. It should be left unselected
when comparing two colors where none of the color has more importance than the other.
In most applications, kL=kC=kH=1. The textile industry often uses a variant where kL=2. Setting kL to 2
lowers the contribution of lightness in the color-difference; in effect, for textiles, lightness differences
can be twice the ones of paint samples, where kL=1 would be used, for the same computed error. In
some specialized applications, such as when measuring a Color Inconstancy Index (CII), it is
appropriate to emphasize the contribution of the hue relative to the lightness and chroma; in this
case, kL and kC can both be set to 2.
It is generally assumed that when no other indication is given, the kL, kC, and kH factors of the CIE94
formula are all equal to 1 (i.e. CIE94(kL:kC) shown as CIE94(1:1) is CIE94; please note that kH is
usually not shown as it is almost always used with a value of 1). The DE*94-textile version, with its kL
factor equal to 2, can also be expressed as CIE94(2:1).
In this software, the kL=2 version is identified by CIE94-textile when it is computed relative to the
space defined illuminant, and CIE94-tex D50 when it is computed relative to the D50 illuminant.
CIE94 provides better data consistency and is considered by many a replacement for CIELAB for
general purpose color-difference assessment.
Important : As per its definition, the CIE94 color-difference will be different depending on which of the
two color samples is defined as the reference, or if none of the samples can be considered a
reference. The software will automatically adjust the formula according to the definition; as a result,
variations in the displayed value may be seen when going from Compare mode to Convert mode, or
vice-versa, or changing the direction of the conversion.

Technical data 209
7.3.13.3 CMC(l:c)
The CMC(l:c) color difference formula (DECMC(l:c) in abridged form) was developed by the Colour
Measurement Committee (CMC) of the Society of Dyers and Colourists (SDC). It has a wide
acceptance, especially in the textile coloration industry and is now a British (BS6923 : 1988) and ISO
(ISO 105-J03) standard, as well as an approved test method for the American Association of Textile
Chemists and Colorists (AATCC). See Ref. 22 for more information. The formula is :
where DL*, DC*ab, and DH*ab are defined as in CIELAB :
Additional correction factors have been defined :
if L*ref ³ 16
or
SL=0,511 if L*ref < 16.
where T and F are further defined by :
if 164 £ hab ref £ 345 , or
if hab ref < 164 or hab ref > 345 ,
and hab is the L*a*b* hue angle :
In all of the above, in Convert mode, the reference values (L*ref, C*ab ref, hab ref) are always the ones of

210 BabelColor CT&A
the side (LEFT or RIGHT) being converted FROM; this side is considered the Reference, and the side
being converted TO, the Sample.
In Compare mode, there are two possibilities depending on the state of the
option, located in the "Math" tab of the Options / Preferences dialog. When not selected, it is assumed
that neither side can be assigned as a Reference (i.e. none of the color has more importance than the
other), and the following equations are used to determine L*ref, C*ab ref, and hab ref :
.
If the option is selected, the Reference will ALWAYS be the LEFT side and the Sample the RIGHT
side. This option should be selected for Quality Control type work.
Finally, the two control parameters, l and c, are selected depending on the application. For
perceptibility measurements, when seeking minimal perception differences, l and c should equal one.
For acceptability measurements, where pass or fail judgment is required, as in the ink and textile
industries, l should be set to 2.
Both versions, identified as CMC(1:1) and CMC(2:1), as well as versions computed relative to the D50
illuminant, can be selected in this software.
Important : As per its definition, the CMC(l:c) color-difference will be different depending on which of
the two color samples is defined as the reference, or if none of the samples can be considered a
reference. The software will automatically adjust the formula according to the definition; as a result,
variations in the displayed value may be seen when going from Compare mode to Convert mode, or
vice-versa, or changing the direction of the conversion.
7.3.13.4 CIEDE2000
The most recent color difference formula recommended by the Commission Internationale de
l'Éclairage (CIE), CIEDE2000 (DE2000 or DE00 in abridged form), is poised to become the next "best"
standard. Like CIE94 and CMC(l:c), it includes weighting functions for lightness, chroma and hue.
However, it introduces an extra term which combines chroma and hue with the goal of improving the
performance for blue colors (for hue angles around 275 degrees). It also associates a scaling factor
to a* for low chroma colors, to improve the formula performance near the illuminant.
The formula, based on L*a*b* data, is :
where DL* is defined as in CIELAB :
where the subscripts R and S correspond to the Reference and Sample respectively.
In the following equations, you will notice that the weighting functions (i.e. SL, SC, and SH) as well as
the scaling functions (i.e. G, T, Dq, RC and RT) are based on the arithmetical mean of many of the
Reference and Sample characteristics, such as L*, C*ab, C' and h'. This explains why the color

Technical data 211
difference value is the same when the Reference and Sample are swapped.
DC' is obtained from :
where G is determined from (be careful not to confuse the C* (C-star) and C' (C-prime) variables) :
DH' is obtained from :
if Dh' £ 180.
In order for DH' to be of the proper sign—you may recall that it is always positive in older formulas—
you should subtract 360 from Dh', in the DH' formula, if it is larger than 180 degrees :
if Dh' > 180.
The SL weighting function is obtained from :
The SC weighting function is obtained from :

212 BabelColor CT&A
The SH weighting function is obtained from :
if abs(h'S - h'R) £ 180, and
if abs(h'S - h'R) > 180;
Finally, the rotation term RT is obtained from :
if h'mean ³ 0, and
if h'mean < 0;
The three control parameters, kL, kC and kH, are, simply enough, equal to one.
In all of the above, in Convert mode, the reference values are always the ones of the side (LEFT or
RIGHT) being converted FROM; this side is considered the Reference, and the side being converted
TO, the Sample.
In Compare mode, the computed value will remain the same for both states of the
option, located in the "Math" tab of the Options / Preferences dialog. This option is dedicated to the
CIE94 and CMC(l:c) formulas.
Important : The values shown in the DC*, DH* and Dh* boxes of the DeltaE* display are, for this
formula only, the revised parameters (i.e. DC', DH' and Dh', unweighted).

Technical data 213
7.4 RGB spaces description

Select the space for which you want a description :
· Adobe (1998)
· Apple RGB
· BestRGB
· Beta RGB
· Bruce RGB
· CIE RGB
· ColorMatch
· DonRGB4
· eciRGB_v2
· Ekta Space PS5
· Generic RGB
· HDTV (HD-CIF)
· NTSC
· PAL / SECAM
· ProPhoto
· SGI
· SMPTE-240M
· SMPTE-C
· sRGB
· Wide Gamut
You can also define a custom RGB space.

214 BabelColor CT&A
7.4.1 Adobe (1998)

Formerly known as SMPTE-240M for Photoshop user, this space has been renamed once the final
SMPTE-240M standard committee settled for a smaller gamut. Adobe RGB is very close to the
original NTSC space and represents a good compromise between gamut size and the number of
colors available in an 8 bit per primary system. However, if available, 16 bit per primary should be
preferred. While a relatively large number of colors cannot be printed using the SWOP process,
particularly in the green portion of the gamut, newer printing processes, such as Pantone
Hexachrome, take advantage of this space.
It is now possible to find wide gamut displays which can show all the colors of this space.
A simple software-encoding gamma of 0,455 (=1/2,2 if you define gamma using the reciprocal value)
is used in BabelColor CT&A. There is no detailed gamma.
The numerical data pertaining to this space can be viewed using the Table data menu command.
7.4.2 Apple RGB

A very common RGB space on the desktop that is similar in gamut size to the ColorMatch, Generic
RGB, and sRGB spaces. The Apple RGB space has a software-encoding gamma of 0,556 (=1/1,8),
which is compensated by a look-up table (LUT) gamma of 0,69 (=1/1,45). The LUT compensation is
done at the Macintosh display hardware level. By comparison, sRGB has a "simple"
software-encoding gamma of 0,455 (=1/2,2) and a LUT gamma of one. This explains why files
created on a Macintosh will appear darker on a PC if no compensation is done.
In its older OS versions, a Mac user could set the display gamma in a control panel. This display
gamma combined the LUT gamma and the CRT gamma; when a value of 1,8 was entered, the LUT
was filled with numbers corresponding to a exponential function (i.e. curve) with a gamma (i.e.
exponent) of 1,8/2,6=0,69 (=1/1,45).
The Apple RGB space was put aside in favor of Generic RGB as the default space when Mac OS X
was launched. According to Apple literature (Technical Q&A QA1430) issued at the time :
“Mac OS X will assume a Generic RGB color space for legacy untagged images that may have
been created with an assumed Apple RGB color space.”
This also applied to untagged RGB data sent to the display by non-ICC aware applications. In other
words, this meant that “Generic RGB” was assumed to be the source profile for untagged data by
ColorSync, which is Apple's color management technology at the operating system level, which then
converted it to whatever display profile was selected.
However, starting with Mac OS X 10.4, Apple changed the default space again, this time selecting
sRGB as its default space for untagged images, indirectly acknowledging the use of sRGB as the
common space for all platforms. When this last change was done, Apple added that the default space
could be expected to change again in the future.
A simple software-encoding gamma of 0,556 (=1/1,8) is used in BabelColor CT&A for Apple RGB.
This gamma is the same as the one defined for ColorMatch, Generic RGB, eciRGB 1.0, and ProPhoto
. There is no detailed gamma.

Technical data 215
Here is a message posted in the Apple ColorSync forum which gives an insider's point of view on the
origin of the Apple RGB space :
From: Robin Myers <[email protected]>

To: [email protected]
SendDate: Fri, 6 May 2005 14:53:08 -0700
Subject: Re: Setting default RGB in OS X 10.4?
(comments from previous forum participants removed; the remainder is unedited)
OK, I guess it is time to explain a little about Apple RGB here. The original Apple RGB values were
created from my measurements of about 10 Apple 13" monitors around 1989. The averages,
excluding totally wacky monitors like one that had a 17000 K whitepoint, were used in the first
ColorSync for the default RGB profile. These values correlated well with values eventually supplied
by the Monitor group of the Peripherals Division (for those that did not know this, in the Paleolithic
Age Apple made printers, scanners, and monitors). I believe the final version profile was made with
the Monitor Group values. The white point for the monitors was 9300 K, not the 6500 K or 5000 K
common today. At the time, 9300 K was the only way the monitors could be obtained from the
vendor.
This was in the pre-sRGB days, so Apple RGB was used as a generic RGB profile. It made sense
at the time since much of the color content was artificially generated in FreeHand or Illustrator, thus
it was created in Apple RGB. Adobe eventually put Apple RGB into Photoshop as a working space
and it thus it has been passed on to today's users.
Now that it is the Modern Age, it would be a good idea to drop Apple RGB from system. It outlived
its usefulness. Comparing it to sRGB or any of the current LCD or CRT monitors is like comparing
a Conestoga wagon to a current automobile.
Robin Myers
7.4.3 BestRGB
One of two RGB spaces defined by Don Hutcheson ( http://www.hutchcolor.com ) and dedicated to
film based photography, the other being DonRGB4. This one is optimized for Fujichrome Velvia film
while DonRGB4 is optimized for Ektachrome.
As per Don's Web site :

"BestRGB is identical to DonRGB4 except for a modified red coordinate which helps encompass
the supersaturated range of reds and magentas found in Fujichrome Velvia. This newly developed
color space is the best I can suggest if you want maximum gamut without exceeding the legal CIE
xyY diagram."
A simple software-encoding gamma of 0,455 (=1/2,2) is used in BabelColor CT&A. There is no

detailed gamma.

216 BabelColor CT&A
7.4.4 Beta RGB

This space was defined by Bruce Lindbloom which maintains a well known, well designed, and very
complete Web site on colorimetry ( http://www.brucelindbloom.com ).
Beta RGB was devised after a careful study and comparative analysis of many RGB spaces. Beta
RGB is designed to :
· have a gamut which enclose various color sets of "possibly important colors" (in the words of the
space's author), such as different film types, color charts and printing gamuts;
· have a gamut which is as small as possible, taking the first criteria into account, in order to
minimize quantization errors;
· maximize the percentage of the visible spectrum that it encompasses;
· maximize the encoding efficiency, i.e. the percentage of valid RGB triads, representing real
colors.
The following table presents the percentage of the visible gamut encompassed by each space, the
L*a*b* gamut Efficiency as well as the Encoding Efficiency for most of the RGB spaces supported
by BabelColor CT&A (This data was derived by Bruce Lindbloom and is used by permission) :
L*a*b* gamut Encoding
RGB space
Efficiency (%) Efficiency (%)
Adobe (1998) 50,6 100
Apple RGB 33,5 100
BestRGB 77,6 96.5
Beta RGB 69,3 99.0
Bruce RGB 41,5 100
CIE RGB 64,3 96,1
ColorMatch 35,2 100
DonRGB4 72,1 98,8
eciRGB 55,3 99,7
Ekta Space PS5 65,7 99,5
NTSC 54,2 99,9
PAL / SECAM 35,7 100
ProPhoto 91,2 87,3
SMPTE-C 31,9 100
sRGB 35,0 100
Wide Gamut 77,6 91,9
Beta RGB encompasses 69% of the colors visible by humans; this is to be compared to 34% for
Apple RGB, 51% for Adobe (1998), and 91% for ProPhoto. In comparison, the encoding efficiency for
Beta RGB is 99%, compared to 100% for Apple RGB and Adobe (1998), and 87% for ProPhoto.
We see that for smaller spaces, all RGB values are valid (100% encoding efficiency), which is
expected, but that larger spaces are less efficient. While it is easy to see why ProPhoto has invalid
triads, because two of its primaries are outside of the visible spectrum, others, like BestRGB and
Wide Gamut, do suffer of the same problem (to a lesser extent than ProPhoto however). Beta RGB
thus offers a very nice compromise.

detailed gamma.

Technical data 217
7.4.5 Bruce RGB

Created in 1998 by Bruce Fraser, "...a self-confessed color geek" and co-author of the Real World
Photoshop series and other books on Color Management (Peachpit Press).
Here is a presentation of Bruce RGB extracted from one of Bruce's numerous articles (Ref. 13) :
"BruceRGB is essentially a compromise between two spaces shipped with Photoshop 5.x --
ColorMatch RGB and Adobe RGB (1998). ColorMatch RGB is a high-quality monitor space, but it
is a monitor space nonetheless, designed to accommodate the color range and spectrum of
light-emitting RGB devices. Adobe RGB (1998) is a considerably larger space that grew out of
wishful thinking for a future generation of video monitors.
"ColorMatch RGB and Adobe RGB (1998) are in common use in output-centric workflows, but
neither was designed with the idea of color-accurate output as the paramount concern. As a result,
both spaces suffer from something of a mismatch with typical hard copy output, whether from a
CMYK press or a photo-realistic inkjet printer. Both spaces clip (drop out) the saturated yellows
and oranges achievable in sheet-fed printing and on photo printers : You'd have to resort to a very
large space such as Adobe's Wide Gamut RGB or Kodak's ProPhoto RGB to encompass those.
But ColorMatch RGB also clips cyan, as well as the blues and greens that lie adjacent to it, quite
significantly. Adobe RGB doesn't clip printable cyan, but it contains a fairly large number of colors
that few if any output devices can reproduce, so it wastes a good number of those precious 256
data points in each channel.
"BruceRGB, in contrast, was designed with output in mind from the start. It clips fully saturated
yellows by about the same amount as Adobe RGB, and quite a bit less than ColorMatch RGB. It
may clip cyan slighly with very high-quality sheet-fed printing, but not by more than a few percent --
much less than ColorMatch RGB. Equally important, it wastes far fewer bits on unrealizable colors
than Adobe RGB."

detailed gamma.
7.4.6 CIE RGB

A relatively large gamut space specified by the monochromatic primaries at 435,8, 546,1, and 700 nm
that were used in the experiments at the origin of the color-matching functions. The gamma values
shown for this space are "generic"; for instance, a software-encoding gamma of 2,2 (=1/0,455) is
assigned by default to this space by Adobe Photoshop.

detailed gamma.

218 BabelColor CT&A
7.4.7 ColorMatch
This D50 space was originally devised by Radius to be used in conjunction with its PressView line of
calibrated displays dedicated to professional use. Often favored over other desktop spaces by critics,
the gamut of this space is not significantly larger than the Apple RGB or sRGB. For example,
compared with sRGB, it has a slightly larger gamut in the blue-green region but a smaller one in the
red-blue region.
The main advantages for its users are a reproducible and well-characterized environment. A
calibrated PressView system takes into account, independently for each RGB channel, the CRT gain,
offset and brightness combined with the display look-up table (LUT), which it uses for calibration
purposes. The resulting display gamma is a "perfect" 1,8 value (=1/0,556) on a 0,33 cd/m2 black
pedestal and a white point luminance of 85 cd/m2.
The primaries used in BabelColor CT&A, and shown in the Space data table, are different than the
ones used in Photoshop. The ones used herein were confirmed by miro displays, which purchased
the Radius brands and technologies from Radius, now renamed Digital Origin (Note : present
company status unknown).
A simple software-encoding gamma of 0,556 (=1/1,8) is used in BabelColor CT&A. This gamma is the
same as the one defined for Apple RGB, Generic RGB, and ProPhoto. There is no detailed gamma.
7.4.8 DonRGB4
One of two RGB spaces defined by Don Hutcheson ( http://www.hutchcolor.com ) and dedicated to
film based photography, the other being BestRGB. This one is optimized for Ektachrome film while
BestRGB is optimized for Fujichrome Velvia.
As per Don's Web site :

"An excellent wide-gamut working space featuring industry-standard D50 white point and 2,2
gamma. Captures the Ektachrome color gamut with virtually no clipping. Known as "DonRGB4"
because I tested three slightly different coordinate sets before settling on this one. Used
successfully for several years by a number of high-quality photographers and prepress houses."

detailed gamma.
You should also consider the Ekta Space PS5, another space dedicated to the Ektachrome film.

Technical data 219
7.4.9 eciRGB_v2
The European Color Initiative (ECI), founded in June 1996, is a group of experts which is dedicated to
advancing media-neutral color data-processing in digital publishing systems. In particular, they want
to standardize data-exchange formats between contractors and clients in the publishing process, and
to promote the definition and proper usage of ICC color profiles in this industry. Membership is
opened to individuals, not companies, and must be approved by the ECI council (four persons elected
by the membership).
The development and release, in 1999, of eciRGB 1.0 is one of the result of this initiative.
eciRGB 1.0
According to the ECI Web site :
„ http://www.eci.org/doku.php?id=en:colourstandards:workingcolorspaces
"... ECI wanted to see one (ICC profile) that :
· has a gamut that covers all colors that can be printed on today's printing presses—whether
sheet fed or web offset, gravure or newsprint—but not much beyond (in order to not to waste
precision for bits that never really get used);
· produces a neutral gray whenever the values for Red, Green and Blue are equal;
· offers equidistance, i.e. equal difference between two color values in eciRGB mirrors an
perceived equal difference when these colors are seen by the human eye;
· is based on a Gamma of 1,8 and a light source of 5000K."
eciRGB 1.0 used to be the version programmed into BabelColor CT&A. Starting with BabelColor
CT&A version 3, we now use the definition of eciRGB_v2.
If required, you can easily define a custom space matched to the definition of eciRGb 1.0. In the
Custom RGB space dialog, first select "eciRGB_v2" in the "Custom" space menu, then change the
space gamma by selecting "default 1.80" in the gamma menu. This gamma is the same as the one
defined for Apple RGB, ColorMatch, Generic RGB, and ProPhoto. There is no detailed gamma for
eciRGB 1.0.
eciRGB_v2
Defined as a technical revision of eciRGB 1.0, eciRGB_v2 has one major change :
· the gamma of 1,8 is replaced by the L* (pronounced L-star) characterization method, which is
the L* of CIELAB.
As we show in the L* (L-star) section, the L* Tone Response Curve is in fact a detailed gamma as
defined in the RGB to R'G'B', and gamma section, where the detailed gamma is defined by :
offset = 0,16
gamma = 1/3 = 0,333333
transition = 0.008856
slope = 9,033
and which can also be approximated by a simple software-encoding gamma of 0,410741 (=1/2,43462
if you define gamma using the reciprocal value).
The primaries and Illuminant are the same as in the first version. Work is under way to incorporate
this space in the ISO 22028 standard. Again, according to the ECI Web site :
· "In general, ECI now recommends to always use the eciRGB_v2 profile for new projects or when
creating new data. This is especially true when converting from RAW data or from 16 bit image
data.

220 BabelColor CT&A
· For existing projects and files which are not using eciRGB_v2 it is not recommended to convert
them to eciRGB_v2 in order to avoid unnecessary conversion or – even more dangerous –
assigning the wrong profile to the data. Especially 8 bit data using eciRGB 1.0 should be kept in
eciRGB 1.0 (preferably with the eciRGB 1.0 profile embedded) as any colour space conversion
will lead to at least some loss of quality.
· If you still have the need to bring your old data into the new colour space you have to perform an
ICC profile conversion to the new eciRGB_v2 profile. Do not just “assign” eciRGB_V2 as the
source profile, as it will lead to color and luminance shifts."
Starting with BabelColor CT&A version 3, eciRGB_v2 replaces eciRGB 1.0 in the RGB space
selection menu. The numerical data pertaining to this space can be viewed using the Table data
menu command. Interestingly, the primaries of both versions of eciRGB are those of NTSC.
For conversion of multiple color values in list form, you can use one of the Gamut tools in
BabelColor's PatchTool, which enable you to select any standard ICC profile. You can see a Gamut
tools screenshot here :
„ http://www.babelcolor.com/main_level/screen_shots/PatchTool_Gamut_Convert.htm .
7.4.10 Ekta Space PS5

This space was defined by Joseph Holmes ( http://www.josephholmes.com ), a landscape
photographer, to best match the gamut of Ektachrome transparency film (and all E6 type films).
According to Mr. Holmes, it also works well when scanning and archiving color negatives.
As per Mr. Holmes' "readme" file that accompanies the profile (18 pages of recommended reading)
which can be downloaded from his Web site :
""Ekta Space PS 5, J. Holmes" is sometimes referred to as "Joe RGB" or simply "Ekta Space". Like
the profile from which it was derived, it is a special RGB color space profile which I designed for
high quality storage of image data from scans of transparencies such that little or no clamping of
out-of-gamut data would typically occur when the colors are converted from a scanner profile for
transparencies into this profile, even when highly saturated colors are present in the film."
Like all the wider gamut spaces, scanning should be done at 16 bits per channel (48 bits for RGB)
whenever possible. Conversion to 8 bits per channel (24 bits for RGB) should only be done at the final
stage.

detailed gamma.
You should also consider the DonRGB4 space, another space dedicated to the Ektachrome film.

Technical data 221
7.4.11 Generic RGB

This space gamut is very close to the ones of Apple RGB, ColorMatch, and sRGB. According to Apple
literature (Technical Q&A QA1430) issued at the time Mac OS X was launched :
“Mac OS X will assume a Generic RGB color space for legacy untagged images that may have
been created with an assumed Apple RGB color space.”
This also applied to untagged RGB data sent to the display by non-ICC aware applications. In other
words, this meant that “Generic RGB” was assumed to be the source profile for untagged data by
ColorSync, which is Apple's color management technology at the operating system level, which then
converted it to whatever display profile was selected.
However, starting with Mac OS X 10.4, Apple changed the default space again, this time selecting
sRGB as its default space for untagged images, indirectly acknowledging the use of sRGB as the
common space for all platforms. When this last change was done, Apple added that the default space
could be expected to change again in the future.
Generic RGB, contrary to what its name suggests, is well defined by Apple. It has a gamma of 1,8 and
is based on the D65 Illuminant, like Apple RGB, but the chromaticities of its primaries are very close
to the ones of ColorMatch (Note: ColorMatch is D50 based). With the same gamma and almost
identical primaries, you could think of Generic RGB as a D65 ColorMatch. In any case, the Generic
RGB space primaries are, except for the green, quite close to the original Apple RGB values, and the
only “valid” reason for the change is a mention by Apple that “Apple RGB” is in fact proprietary to
Adobe, and thus does not belong to Apple!
same as the one defined for Apple RGB, ColorMatch, eciRGB 1.0, and ProPhoto. There is no detailed
gamma.
7.4.12 HDTV (HD-CIF)

Identical to sRGB in terms of gamut, these two spaces differ only in their definition of the viewing
conditions, which are simply assumed in ITU-R BT.709-3, a High-Definition-TV (HDTV) standard, and
precisely defined in IEC 61966-2-1, the sRGB standard.
With chromaticities not very far from SMPTE-C (and SMPTE-240M), HDTV and sRGB strive to
represent the evolution of our standard TV and its convergence with the PC world, while maintaining
compatibility with the large quantity of recorded media.
A simple software-encoding gamma of 0,513 (=1/1,95) is used in BabelColor CT&A. The detailed
gamma is the one defined in ITU-R BT.709-3. The same gamma is defined for NTSC, PAL / SECAM
and SMPTE-C.

222 BabelColor CT&A
7.4.13 NTSC
The color space of the first North-American TV sets. It is now an obsolete space that has been
replaced by one defined with more efficient – brighter – phosphors, SMPTE-C, albeit at the expense
of the gamut size. In a strange turn of events, the eciRGB 1.0 and eciRGB_v2 spaces have the same
primaries as the NTSC space, while the primaries of the Adobe RGB space are very close, a sign of
the significant recent progress in the printing industry which can print larger gamuts than a few years
ago.
gamma is the same as the one defined for HDTV (HD-CIF), PAL / SECAM and SMPTE-C.
7.4.14 PAL / SECAM

The current 50 Hz television standard. Very similar in gamut size to the current North-American
standard (SMPTE-C), and to Apple RGB, SGI RGB and sRGB.
gamma is the same as the one defined for HDTV (HD-CIF), NTSC and SMPTE-C.
7.4.15 ProPhoto
A very large gamut designed by Kodak which is getting attention from digital camera users as an
archiving and working space for RAW—unprocessed camera—data.
Formerly called ROMM RGB while being developed, it was renamed to ProPhoto to make it more
noticeable to its intended users.
While it covers most of the visible spectrum, it also extends outside of it. As a result, about 13% of the
RGB triads represent non-existent colors. Working at 16 bits per channel (48 bits for RGB) is a
minimum with this space, and there is some concerns that even this bit depth is not enough. Some
users are also puzzled by the decision to use a 1,8 gamma when the industry is slowly moving
towards a standard 2,2 value. In any case, when used with caution for images that DO contain colors
outside of the range of medium size working spaces, like Adobe RGB, it can provide improved color
rendering when used in conjunction with modern wide gamut inkjet printers.
same as the one defined for Apple RGB, ColorMatch, eciRGB 1.0, and Generic RGB. There is no
detailed gamma.

Technical data 223
7.4.16 SGI
The chromaticities of a Sony Trinitron CRT are used in BabelColor CT&A, but other displays by
Hitachi and Mitsubishi, with different chromaticities, are also found in the SGI product line. The
relatively low CRT gamma of 0,35 (=1/2,86), quoted by the tube's manufacturer, is common for Sony's
GDM series of displays from which the SGI-Sony displays are derived.
When a gamma number is entered by the user in an SGI system, the look-up table (LUT) is filled with
values corresponding to a gLUT = 1/gamma_number. A typical LUT gamma is 0,588 (=1/1,7)

detailed gamma.
7.4.17 SMPTE-240M
SMPTE-240M is a standard for 1125-Line High-Definition analog video. Its primaries are the same as
for SMPTE-C.
However, the software-encoding gamma of SMPTE-240M is slightly different than the one defined for
SMPTE-C. Even so, a simple generic gamma of 2,2 (=1/0,455) is often used in computer software for
both spaces. The simple software-encoding gamma values used in this program for these spaces
were obtained by doing a best fit on the detailed gamma functions; they are different for SMPTE-C
and SMPTE-240M, and more precise than the generic value.
gamma is the one defined in SMPTE 240M-1995.
7.4.18 SMPTE-C
SMPTE-C defines the primaries for the current North American and Japanese composite analog video
standard, SMPTE 170M-1999. You should note that, for compatibility with existing studio equipment,
the primaries of NTSC are also accepted in SMPTE 170M-1999.
Even if the software-encoding gamma of SMPTE-C is slightly different than the one defined for
SMPTE-240M, a simple generic gamma of 2,2 (=1/0,455) is often used in computer software for both
spaces. The simple gamma values used in this program for these spaces were obtained by doing a
best fit on the detailed gamma functions; they are different for SMPTE-C and SMPTE-240M, and
more precise than the generic value.
gamma is the one defined in SMPTE 170M-1999. The same gamma is defined for HDTV (HD-CIF),
NTSC, and PAL / SECAM.

224 BabelColor CT&A
7.4.19 sRGB
Identical to HDTV (HD-CIF) in terms of gamut, these two spaces differ only in their definition of the
viewing conditions, which are simply assumed in ITU-R BT.709-3, a High-Definition-TV (HDTV)
standard, and precisely defined in IEC 61966-2-1, the sRGB standard.
With chromaticities not very far from SMPTE-C (and SMPTE-240M), HDTV and sRGB strive to
represent the evolution of our standard TV and its convergence with the PC world, while maintaining
compatibility with the large quantity of recorded media.
Advertised as a general-purpose space for consumer use, sRGB is proposed for applications where
embedding the space profile (ex : ICC profile) may not be convenient for file size or compatibility
purposes. By having all elements in a system sRGB compliant, no time is lost in conversions. The
World Wide Web is obviously a target of choice for this space but it should not be discounted for other
"scanner-to-printer" applications. An extended gamut color encoding standard has been proposed for
sRGB; it supports multiple levels of precision while being compatible with the base standard.
sRGB is the default space for both Windows and Mac (starting with version 10.4 of Mac OS X). All
untagged RGB data sent to the display by non-ICC aware applications is thus assumed to be sRGB.
In other words, this means that sRGB is assumed to be the source profile for untagged data by the
operating system color-management system, which then converts it through whatever display profile
is selected.
gamma is the one defined in IEC 61966-2-1.
7.4.20 Wide Gamut

As its name says, this is an extremely wide gamut. It is based on monochromatic primaries at 700,
525, and 450 nm. Although possible to generate these wavelengths with lasers, the red primary is in a
region where the response of the eye is quite low. Since a 700 nm red requires significantly more
power to match the brightness of the other two wavelengths, and since cost is proportional to power, it
is more cost-effective to use a shorter red wavelength. Accordingly, a display with 610, 530, and 450
nm primaries has been proposed for optimum luminous efficiency (Ref. 20).

detailed gamma.

Technical data 225
7.5 Decks description

Select the space for which you want a description :
· British Standard 5252F
· FED-STD-595
· Munsell Color System
· RAL CLASSIC
IMPORTANT WARNING
Even if catalogues of color chips and swatches can be measured and presented in electronic form,
the ultimate reference traditionally remains a physical sample. There are many reasons why this is
often true :
· A physical sample properly represents the effect of the stock (the paper on which the chip is painted
or printed).as well as the chip's surface finish, that can go from matte to glossy, with all steps in
between. While it is feasible to take into account the stock color in an electronic representation, all
surface effects are impossible to display.
· It is impossible to reproduce all the "printable" or "paintable" colors on a standard computer monitor,
not to mention fluorescent colors and metallic finishes.
On the other hand, physical samples do have some drawbacks :

· The accuracy of physical samples is strongly dependant on the effective quality control exercised
during manufacturing. Reproducibility comes at a cost, with some suppliers offering multiple
versions of their catalogues with different prices depending on the overall color accuracy. In
comparison, an electronic reference is as accurate as the instrument used for comparison, which
can easily be more accurate than high volume manufacturing accuracy.
· Physical samples see their characteristics change with time. They can fade, shift hue (their stock
can get yellower), and the surface finish gets damaged. In comparison, an electronic reference
obviously does not change with time.
The goal of this tool is to facilitate the task of comparing, matching and converting colors to and from
color catalogues and RGB spaces, even colors that cannot be reproduced on a computer display.
Once a color chip is identified, we recommend that the user gets a physical sample to confirm that the
color and finish match the rendering intent.

226 BabelColor CT&A
7.5.1 British Standard 5252F

The British Standard 5252F color matching fan (BS 5252F for short) is a supplement of the BS 5252
framework standard :
BS 5252:1976 Framework for colour co-ordination for building purposes
BS 5252F:1976 Colour matching fan
The color matching fan is to be used for matching the colors in the BS 5252 standard which are
referred to in derived color standards. Please note that a color is only a British Standard color when it
appears in a standard derived from BS 5252 for a particular product or function; in other words, a
derived standard may not refer to all 237 colors of BS 5252.
The color standards derived from BS 5252 are :

· BS 4800:1989 Schedule of paint colours for building purposes
· BS 4900:1976 Specification for vitreous enamel colours for building purposes
· BS 4901:1976 Specification for plastics colours for building purposes
· BS 4902:1976 Specification for sheet and tile flooring colours for building purposes
· BS 4903:1979 Specification for external colours for farm buildings
· BS 4904:1978 Specification for external cladding colours for building purposes
· BS 6770.1988 Guide for exterior colours for park homes (mobile homes), holiday caravans and
transportable accommodation units
A BS 5252F patch code has three parts. For example, a bright yellow patch can be found with the
following code :
10 E 55
where the number "10" describes the color in terms of its hue, the letter "E" identifies its grayness
group, and "55" describes its weight.
The hues are numbered from "02" to "24", corresponding to a hue circle going from red, to orange, to
yellow, to green, to blue, and purple. Neutral shades are identified with a "00" hue number. The
grayness groups go from "A", high grayness (i.e. colors with low saturation), to "E", very low grayness
(i.e. saturated colors). The weights go from "01" to "58", with the weight numbers steadily increasing
from one grayness group to the other, with the lower weights located in group "A", and the higher
weights in group "E". Also note that patches with a given weight number will be found only within a
single grayness group.
In the BS 5252F fan deck, the patches are sorted first in terms of grayness, then weight, and finally
hue. In this software, the patches are sorted first in terms of hue, then grayness, and finally weight.
PURCHASING BRITISH STANDARDS

British Standards can be purchased directly from British Standards Online (BSI) :
„ http://www.bsigroup.com/

Technical data 227
7.5.2 FED-STD-595
The FEDERAL STANDARD No. 595 (FED-STD-595 for short), is of mandatory use to all Federal
agencies of the United States of America (USA). In its revision "B" level, it comprises 611 colors which
can be purchased as individual color chips, sets of color chips or in a fan deck. Revision "C" of the
standard was issued in 2009, which now comprises 650 colors. Revision "C" distribution is hampered
by production issues which affect 40 colors; these issues are expected to be resolved in mid-2010.
While not exhaustive, it has found many uses outside of its "mandatory" field. For example, many
hobbyist around the world use the standard to exchange color information in order to accurately
reproduce scaled models.
Chips are identified using a 5 digits numbering system ("12345"). The first digit describes the surface
finish :
Please note that not all colors are presented with the three finishes; many have only one.
The second digit indicates an arbitrarily selected color classification grouping :
The "misc" group comprises whites, blacks, and others.
Warning : Group No. 8, "fluorescent", is included in the deck but the user should be aware that these
colors cannot be displayed on a computer with the same accuracy as the other non-florescent chips.
The "fluorescent" group comprises only six chips.
The last three digits ("__345") are assigned in an approximate order of increasing luminance. The
numbers are not closely packed sequential numbers; large "holes" between chips are frequent.
In the FED-STD-595 loose sheet Color Book, chips are first separated by color group; then they are
presented by increasing luminance (last 3 digits). Each page is separated in three columns, one per
finish, and the chips of a given color appear side by side. For example, in the green color group, you
will find the 14516, 24516, and 34516 chips on the same row. You will also find additional chips in
change notices that are delivered on separate sheets.
The overall grouping of the chips, and the separate location for the change notices make this standard
hard to navigate in printed form. For example, you will find chips of all hues in the gray section. You
should find that navigation is easier with the L*C*h* pad mode.

228 BabelColor CT&A
Important : As per the FED-STD-595, if this standard is called as part of a USA government
procurement, it is mandatory to match a color by visual comparison with a physical chip, Therefore,
you should purchase the selected chip for final approval.
PURCHASING FED-STD-595 CHIPS

Chips can be purchased from company specialized in selling Standards or directly from the General
Services Administration (GSA) :
General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Federal Specifications Program
Suite # 8214
490 East L'Enfant Plaza, SW
Washington, DC 20407
Tel. : +1-202-619-8925
Fax : +1-202-619-8985

Technical data 229
7.5.3 Munsell Color System

Originally developed in the early 20th century by the American artist Albert H. Munsell (1858-1918),
this is the first widely accepted color order system. It proposes collections of painted samples in either
matte or glossy finish, which form the Munsell Book of Color. In this system, colors are identified
with three parameters : Munsell Hue, Munsell Chroma and Munsell Value, or Munsell HVC for short.
The Munsell Hue is separated in 10 hue ranges (please refer to the illustration below). For each hue
range, there is a major hue located at the range center. The major hues are Red, Yellow, Green, Blue
and Purple, as well as the five hues located between them and named by combining the names of the
hues on each side. For example, the hue located between Yellow and Red is called Yellow-Red,
instead or Orange; this naming convention minimizes the number of color names one has to deal with.
Each hue range is further divided in 10 sub-zones defined by 11 radii labeled from zero to 10. The
major hues are labeled 5R, 5YR, 5Y, 5GY, 5G, 5BG, 5B, 5PB, 5P, 5RP. The color circle is, in effect,
separated in 100 hue segments where each hue separation is perceptually uniform. A zero to 100
number can be used to describe the Munsell Hue but it is seldom seen (the zero is at 10RP, the
numbers increase when going counter-clockwise, up to 100, also at 10RP).
The radius labeled "10" in one zone corresponds to the "0" radius of the next zone (the 10Y hue is the
same as 0GY); in practice, the 10Y notation is the preferred one.
The Munsell Book of Color has samples with hues located at every 2,5 hue steps. For example :
10RP / 2,5R / 5R / 7,5R and 10R for the red hue range.
The Munsell Chroma, like the C* of the L*C*h* representation, can be considered an approximate
counterpart of perceived color saturation, while the Munsell Value is associated to the lightness (L*) of
the color. The perceived chroma and value increase uniformly with each unity step. For example, the
perceived difference between a Chroma 1 and a Chroma 2 sample is the same as the one perceived
between Chroma 4 and Chroma 5 samples; similarly, the perceived difference between a Chroma 1
and a Chroma 3 sample is the same as the one perceived between Chroma 4 and Chroma 6
samples.
The following illustration presents samples at specific value and chroma intervals for the 5R hue. Only

230 BabelColor CT&A
samples that fall within the sRGB gamut are shown; this explains why the maximum chroma is
different across the value range. Please note that not all intervals represent unitary steps.
A color described by the Munsell Color System is presented in the form :

Hue Value/Chroma .
For example, the most saturated sample in the above illustration is "5R 5/18". Neutral colors are
presented in the form "N 5/" with "N" written for the neutral hue, and no number for chroma since
there is zero chroma. Fractional values are possible for each parameter, and "5,2R 4,8/17,5" is a valid
Munsell notation. According to ASTM D1535 (see Ref. 23), the estimated precision with which a color
can be characterized visually is 0,5 hue step, 0,1 value step and 0,4 chroma step.
In BabelColor CT&A, the Munsell Color System is presented in two forms. The first form is a color
catalogue, or color deck, that presents samples in fixed, uniformly distributed, steps similar to the
Munsell Book of Color. The second form is as a selectable data representation (Munsell HVC),
available in both the RGB Space and the Deck modes, where a sample color XYZ data is converted
to fractional—higher precision—Munsell notation (see the XYZ to Munsell section for more information
on the conversion process).
First devised as a color description teaching aid, the Munsell Color System was quantitatively
formalised in the 1940s. The analysis led to small adjustments in the samples color in order to
improve the spacing uniformity between them. This "renotated" system is the one we now use. The
Munsell Color System is an international reference, defined in ASTM D1535 and other standards, that
is used in many fields of work, from archaeology, when describing the colors of artifacts, to medical
studies, when comparing the color of skin affections, to hobby activities such as accurately depicting
the colors of scaled vintage airplanes.
A great tool to learn and practice the Munsell system is The New Munsell Student Color Set, which
combines a color-primer book with color chips and a three-ring binder to store the chips; this tool is
produced by Jim Long and Joy Turner Like (see Ref. 34).
Additional information and data on the Munsell Color System can be found on the Munsell Color
Science Laboratory (MCSL) Web site : http://www.cis.rit.edu/mcsl/ . This laboratory is part of the
Rochester Institute of Technology. Please note that MCSL is not the same entity as the Munsell Color
Services Division of GretagMacbeth, which is itself now part of X-Rite.

Technical data 231
PURCHASING MUNSELL CHIPS

Munsell chips can be purchased directly from X-Rite or from one of their international sales partner :
„ http://www.xrite.com
„ http://www.xrite.com/top_buy.aspx

232 BabelColor CT&A
7.5.4 RAL CLASSIC

First published in 1927, the RAL color standard was designed to serve the German industry, and it
has since been used in many other countries, particularly in Europe.
Note : RAL stands for Reichsausschuss für Lieferbedingungen, which translates as Committee of the
German Reich for Terms and Conditions of Sale; it was founded in Berlin in 1925.
Through time, colors were added to the original set of 40 colors, and a few were removed. This color
set is now known as RAL CLASSIC, which comprises 210 colors. This is still a very limited set, pastel
colors being obviously absent, and a more modern and complete color system, called RAL DESIGN,
has been defined to replace it. However, RAL DESIGN has far from displaced RAL CLASSIC, which
is well entrenched in many companies' specifications.
RAL CLASSIC chips are described by a four digits number ("1234"), where the first one describes a
broad color group, and the the last three have no particular signification. The color groups are :
Important : While RAL CLASSIC chips are available in both semi-gloss and glossy finishes, the
colors found in the program deck are representative of the semi-gloss finish.
Warning : RAL 9006 and 9007 were defined in relation to the appearance of corrosion protection
coatings. The RAL 9006 coating is essentially made of aluminum particles, while RAL 9007 is made of
layers of iron oxide and aluminum powder. According to RAL, these patches cannot be reproduced
with high precision from one edition to the other. In addition, using them for decorative purposes
requires an additional transparent layer, which can also affect the perceived color. For these reasons,
these two colors are recommended only for corrosion protection applications.
PURCHASING RAL CLASSIC CHIPS

RAL CLASSIC chips can be purchased directly from the RAL Deutsches Institut für Gütesicherung
und Kennzeichnung e.V. :
„ https://www.ral-farben.de/ral-online-shop.html
„ http://www.ral.de (Main Web page of RAL site)
or from one of their international sales partners :

„ https://www.ral-farben.de/weltweite-vertriebsstellen.html?&L=1
„ http://www.dorncolor.com/ (USA, Canada, Mexico)

Technical data 233
7.6 Spectral tools description

The "Spectral tools" dialog has six tabs which regroup the tools by "themes". Click on one of the
following links for a detailed description :
· Density tools description
· Metamerism Index (MI) tools description
· RAL DESIGN tool description
· Graph tools description (see the Graph tools GUI section)
· ISO 3664+ tools description
· Whiteness tools description
Click on a link to jump to the section presenting the tools Graphic User Interface (GUI) :
· Density tools GUI
· Metamerism Index (MI) tools GUI
· RAL DESIGN tool GUI
· Graph tools GUI
· ISO 3664+ tools GUI
· Whiteness tools GUI

234 BabelColor CT&A
7.6.1 Density tools description

A common tool in the pressroom, the densitometer is intimately associated to the half-tone (most
often CMYK) color reproduction process. Most printing presses require manual adjustments which
stem from the variables in the parameters of the CMYK plates separation software, the CMYK films
process, plate engraving, ink composition, paper selection, and the press' own adjustment
parameters. Some modern high-end presses measure density parameters on-line and make
continuous adjustments from them, a feature most useful for large production runs, but you still need
a reference, hence the usage of a press-proof.
The press-proof, either "real" or "soft" (i.e. simulated on a calibrated monitor or printer), should be
representative of the final product. Apart from the printed image, which is a "qualitative" proof, many
individual color patches of the primary inks are added on the printed sheet outside of the main subject
area. These patches are used for "quantitative" assessment of the reproduction quality.
Many different patch designs and patterns have been devised (Plate Control Targets or Color Bars)
and their selection is a matter of preferences, expected print quality, and project cost. For more
information, please consult the publications of the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF) :
„ http://www.gain.net .
The density tools comprise five measurement types. Click on a link for specific descriptions and
equations :
· Reflection density : Measure the absolute or relative (to paper) density of color patches.
· Dot / Tone (Dot Area) : Measure the Dot Area by comparing the densities of solid (no half-tone
dots) and tinted (half-tone dots) samples.
· Apparent Trap : Measure the ink covering properties by measuring the densities of the first ink laid
on the paper, the second ink, and the over-print (both inks super-imposed).
· Print Contrast : Measure the contrast in dim shades by comparing the densities of solid (no
half-tone dots) and tinted (half-tone dots) samples where the tinted samples have 75% coverage.
· Hue error - Grayness - Saturation : Obtain these parameters by measuring the absolute or relative
(to paper) density of color patches.
For help on these tools' graphic user interface, click here.

Technical data 235
7.6.1.1 Reflection density

Mathematically, the density is expressed as :
which is equal to zero (0,0 D) for 100% reflectance, 1,0 D for 10% reflectance , 2,0 D for 1%
reflectance, 3,0 D for 0,1% reflectance, etc. The lower the reflection, the higher is the density. A
similar equation can be defined for transmission, with "T" replacing "R".
Taking the logarithm effectively compresses the tonal difference and assigns the same significance, a
1,0 D difference, to a change between 1% and 10% compared to a change between 10% and 100%.
This is representative of the non-linear sensitivity of the human eye, and of the similar characteristics
of the photographic films used to make the printing plates.
A density is not a spectral characteristic per se, since it is a measure of reflection—or transmission—
only. By associating the density to a color filter, we are able to characterize the densities of specific
color ranges, the ones corresponding to the various inks of the color printing process for instance.
When an image is photographically reproduced, black and white separation films are exposed through
Red, Green, and Blue filters. These films are negatives, where the brightest areas are recorded as
black and the dimmest areas as white. The white areas of the red filtered image correspond to the
complementary color of red, which is cyan. Similarly, the complementary color of the green filter is
magenta and the complementary color of the blue filter is yellow :
The separation films are then used to expose the printing plates. Ink will be deposited proportionally to
the clear areas of the film. Accordingly, inks of the complementary colors of the filters, Cyan, Magenta
and Yellow (CMY), have to be used to properly reproduce the colors. Although the separation plates
can be generated directly by software, the final reproduction steps are the same, and the same filters
are assumed when measuring a hardcopy.
In densitometric instruments, the filters are most often referenced by their complementary colors, the
red filter is referred as cyan, etc. For example, if you measure two cyan color patches, with the first
patch being less saturated than the second patch, the measured density using the cyan filter is
smaller for the first patch than for the second patch. This is simply an indication that the second patch
has less red content—red is darker, with a corresponding higher density value—and the red
separation negative is more "white", hence more cyan ink is printed. Using this "inverse logic" makes
sense since we expect higher numbers for more saturated tints.
Different filter curves are used. Called "Status X", with "X" a letter such as "A", "E", "I" or "T", they are
selected according to the reproduction process, print or film, and to agreed standards.

236 BabelColor CT&A
As single density measurement always combines the effect of the ink AND the paper on which it is
printed; the measurement is thus an absolute value (Dabs). If you first measure the density of the
paper (Dpaper), also called "White base" or substrate, you can subtract this value from the absolute
measurement and obtain a relative density (Drel) representative of the ink deposition only :
One of the simpler measurements that can be done is to measure the density of solid patches of each
of the primary printing inks. By solid, it is meant that no half-tone is used and that the ink is uniformly
covering the color patch (i.e. 100% coverage). It is important to specify if the densities are to be
measured on wet or dry inks, since this has an impact on the values. A typical tolerance for densities
is plus or minus 0,05 D. Typical values—these are NOT standards—as measured on three coated
papers and one uncoated paper, and using a black backing, are :
The densities corresponding to the various filters can be combined to provide additional information
on the printing process, such as Dot Area, Apparent Trap, Print Contrast, and Hue error, Grayness,
and Saturation. These are defined in the following sections. Many of the equations used for density
characterization use the relative values instead of the absolute ones.

Technical data 237
7.6.1.2 Dot / Tone (Dot Area)

In the printing process, the various shades are obtained by adjusting the dot coverage; the higher the
tint number (i.e. the tone), the higher the dot coverage. However, ink deposition is influenced by the
interaction of the paper with the ink, as it can be absorbed more or less, which affects the dot size.
Dot Area is thus an important part of the print quality assessment process.
The two following formulas can be used to obtain Dot Area values :
Murray-Davies :
Yule-Nielson :
where Dsolid is the solid density, Dtint the tint density, and Dpaper the paper density. The only
difference between the two equations is the presence of the "n Factor" in the Yule/Nielson formula, an
empirically determined value based on the printing substrate. By setting the n factor to one, the
Yule-Nielson equation becomes identical to the Murray-Davies equation.
The n factor is typically set to values between 0,5 and 9,9. Approximate values for various materials
are :
· 1,60 to 1,70 for coated paper;
· 2,70 for uncoated paper;
· 2,50 for newsprint.
In this tool, a default value of 1,70 appears for the n factor when the Yule-Nielson formula is first
selected; this value can then be changed by the user.
The Dot Area on the separation film can also be measured; this measurement requires a transmission
densitometer (Note : this measure cannot be done with an Eye-One). By comparing the dot areas of
both the film and the print, one can obtain the Dot Gain, which is the increase in dot size between the
film and print. One can also assume that the Dot Area of the film is equal to the percentage tint
specified in the original data file (in Photoshop for example), and measure the Dot Gain as the
difference between the Dot Area of the print and the file value.
Dot Area and Dot Gain are typically measured for 25% (highlights), 50% (mid-tones), and 75%
(shadows) tints. Excessive dot gain in the shadows will result in "plugging" with a loss of contrast and
detail. Excessive dot gain in highlights will make light, "washed-out", colors difficult to reproduce. As
well, gray balance will be affected by inconsistent dot gains across the four printed colors.
Typical Dot Area and Dot Gain values—these are NOT standards—as measured on three coated
papers and one uncoated paper, and using a black backing, are :

238 BabelColor CT&A
In the table above, the Dot Gain is determined relative to a 50% tint, as specified in the original data
file. For example, for Magenta uncoated :
Dot Gain = (Dot Area of print) - 50% = 79% - 50% = 29% .

Technical data 239
7.6.1.3 Apparent Trap

Apparent Trap is the evaluation of the covering properties of a solid ink printed over another solid ink.
However, ink coverage is not perfect; it depends on a multitude of factors, which include : ink
viscosity, adherence (i.e. tack), thickness, paper characteristics, press adjustments (roller pressure,
print speed, etc.), temperature, etc. Poor trapping will be particularly noticeable where there are large
areas of similar colors, such as a blue sky, a combination of cyan and magenta.
The two following formulas can be used to obtain Apparent Trap values :
Preucil (GATF), defined as the ratio of the difference between the density of the over-print and the
density of the first ink printed (first-down ink) to the density of the second ink printed (second-down
ink) :
Brunner, which evaluates trapping as the apparent dot area of the second color as if it was printed
as a tint instead of solid :
where Dop is the density of the over-print, D1 is the density of the first-down ink, D2 is the density of
the second-down ink, and Dpaper is the density of the paper.
The computation is based on the filter corresponding to the dominant hue, usually from D2, which is
the filter with the highest density. For example, if yellow is printed over cyan, the trap value will be
computed using the "Y" filter values of all the samples (paper, 1st ink and 2nd ink). The trap value is
reported in the following format :
trap% Y/C green
where Yellow is printed over Cyan and green is the color of the over-print.
Typical Apparent Trap values—these are NOT standards—as measured on three coated papers
and one uncoated paper, and using a black backing, are :

240 BabelColor CT&A
7.6.1.4 Print Contrast

Print Contrast is a good indicator of the overall print quality. It is usually computed for a 75% tint since
shadows often carry much of the image information. It is computed using the following equation :
where Dsolid is the solid density and Dtint the tint density. The above formula shows only absolute
inputs; if desired, the print contrast can be determined with relative density values, where the
contribution of the paper density, Dpaper, is removed from both Dsolid and Dtint.
Typical Print Contrast values—these are NOT standards—that can apply for coated paper and
newspaper :

Technical data 241
7.6.1.5 Hue Error - Grayness - Saturation

In comparison with the other density measurement types, the Hue error, Grayness, and Saturation
measurements are computed by combining the densities of two or three filters from the same sample,
whereas the other measurement types always use values from a single filter.
The measurements are performed on solid patches (100% tint) of either cyan, magenta or yellow. The
individual CMY values are first ranked as Dlow, Dmid, and Dhigh, where Dlow is the lowest density of
the CMY values, Dhigh is the highest density, and Dmid is the middle density.
Hue error is a misnomer; it is not an error per se, but the variation from an ideal cyan, magenta or
yellow :
The Hue error is presented in the form :

22,5% C -> Y
The above example shows that the measured patch is Cyan (the filter with Dhigh) with a tendency
towards Yellow (the Dmid filter). In the example, the hue error is the ratio of the yellow ink density
over the cyan ink density once gray is removed by subtracting Dlow from each of them; the
yellow-with-gray-removed density is 22,5% of the cyan-with-gray-removed density.
Grayness, expressed as a percentage, indicates the level of gray in a color :
which you can visualize by the fact that there is at least a value of Dlow in each ink, creating a gray
background.
Saturation is the difference between the highest density filter value and the lowest one :
which can be looked at as Dhigh without the gray. Saturation is expressed in density units, not in
percentage.
The above formulas show only absolute inputs; if desired, they can be determined with relative
density values, where the contribution of the paper density, Dpaper, is removed from the absolute
values (Dlow, Dmid, and Dhigh).
Typical Hue error, Grayness, and Saturation values—these are NOT standards—as measured on
three coated papers and one uncoated paper, and using a black backing, are :

242 BabelColor CT&A

Technical data 243
7.6.2 MI tools description

Metamerism is not a well known word but its effect is experienced by anyone using a computer
display. Any given color shown on a computer display is derived by adding various proportions of the
three display primaries. The resulting spectrum of that color is likely very different from the spectrum
of the original color, but is perceived as same; these two colors are then said to be a metameric pair.
Matching an ink color to a textile color is a similar process. The ink pigments and the textile dyes
usually have different spectrums but a color match can still be obtained. However, because the
spectrums are different, the match is usually dependant on the illuminant. For instance, an ink patch
matched with a textile color under a halogen (tungsten) lamp may not match under daylight or
fluorescent illumination.
There are basically two aspects to look at when we want to match two colors under different lights.
The first aspect is how each color will be perceived under different lights, or how "constant" the color
is. An index which characterizes that stability has been defined : the Color Inconstancy Index (CII).
The CII computed in this tool is based on CIECAT02, the latest approved standard for Chromatic
Adaptation Transforms (CAT) (Ref. 26-28). The CAT matrix used in CIECAT02 is a variant of a
simplified Bradford CAT, where some non-linear parameters are omitted, and with a matrix which is
further optimized in regards to many experimental data sets.
Computing the CII involves the following steps :

1. Determine the XYZ coordinates of the sample under the test illuminant. This is done by using
the spectral data of the sample and the test illuminant, for a given Observer. This is how the
color is actually perceived under the test illuminant.
2. From the XYZ coordinates determined in step 1, and using the CIECAT02 CAT, determine the
equivalent coordinates of the sample color under a daylight reference illuminant (no spectral
data is used). These are what the coordinates should be for the sample to be perceived as the
same color under the reference illuminant.
3. Determine the XYZ coordinates of the sample using the spectral data of the sample, the
daylight reference illuminant, and the Observer. This is how the color is actually perceived
under the reference illuminant.
4. Convert both XYZ data sets, computed in steps 2 and 3, to L*a*b*.
5. Compute the color difference using any color difference formula.

244 BabelColor CT&A
The recommended daylight reference illuminant is D65. This is consistent with the use of L*a*b* as
the color difference space, since it is often considered that the L*a*b* space is most uniform for D65.
However, in BabelColor CT&A, the user has the option to select any of 12 preset illuminant, or even a
locally measured ambient source. From the procedure described above, we can see that if the test
illuminant and the daylight reference illuminant are the same, the CII will be zero.
The second aspect comes into play when you compare the two colors simultaneously. If the pigments
or dyes are of the same type and origin, the two patches should remain quite similar under various
illuminations. If not, which is quite common in the real world, the match will generally hold only for a
limited set of illumination conditions (if well done!).
There are two sub-cases here :

1. You are able to obtain a perfect match under one illuminant. The color difference that may arise
under another illuminant is called the Special Metamerism Index (SMI).
2. There is a color difference under the reference illuminant and there is a different color difference
under another illuminant. This condition can be evaluated using a general Metamerism Index (MI)
computed from the four color coordinates sets (two samples with two illuminants).
The second sub-case can be extended to color pairs which are quite different, beige and light gray
samples for example, but for which you want to keep the color difference relation across various
illuminants.
Because it is simply the color difference between two samples under a single illuminant, the SMI can
be determined using any color difference formula (CIELAB, CIE94, CMC, etc.).
The MI is more complex because you have a color difference under all illuminants. Many formulas
were proposed and tested, some which use residual differences of a wavelength by wavelength
comparison between the two samples (Ex.: Bridgeman's, and Nimeroff and Yurow's metameric
indices), and some which are simply based on the L*a*b* coordinates of the samples. While the
spectral math approach may seem more accurate, it was found that the L*a*b* based methods, which
take into consideration the illuminant, showed better correlation with the perceived difference (Ref. 29
).
The MI index used in this tool is the one often referred to as the Hunter Metamerism Index, and is
determined using the individual values of L*, a* and b* for the Reference AND Sample under EACH
Illuminant. Color difference computation for this MI is always based on CIELAB. The MI equation is :
where n1 refers to the illuminant of the Reference and n2 refers to the illuminant of the Sample, and
where
You will obtain the same value for the SMI and the MI if the Reference and Sample match for one
Illuminant (DL*, Da*, and Db* are zero for the matching illuminant), AND if you select CIELAB as the
color difference formula for the SMI.
Examples of the interface when measuring the CII, SMI and MI are shown in the Spectral tools GUI
section.

Technical data 245
7.6.3 RAL DESIGN tool description

A very common standard in Europe, the first RAL color standard was devised in Germany in 1927.
Now known as RAL CLASSIC, this standard comprises 210 shades, which are grouped according to
broad categories and identified with numbers which have no relation to colorimetric quantities, as is
the case with the FED-STD-595 system. Nonetheless, like the FED-STD-595 system, it has found
wide usage and many specifications still use these numbers as references.
However, apart from its limited size, RAL CLASSIC has a major drawback : it cannot describe "any"
color. To solve that issue, a new RAL system has recently been devised, this time based on modern
colorimetric criteria. Called RAL DESIGN, the system numbering scheme is a simple re-ordering and
rounding of the L*C*h* color space values which is presented as HLC, for Hue, Lightness, and
Chroma, with the hue being placed as the first coordinate.
For example, L*C*h* coordinates such as :

75,87 / 11,93 / 62,13
would be presented as :
062 76 12
in RAL DESIGN notation.
While any color can be represented in the RAL DESIGN notation, not all colors can be reproduced
physically on printed patches. In practice, 1625 patches are offered in fixed spaced increments of 5 to
10 units for each parameter. The nearest physical patch of the above example is :
060 80 10 .
If the match is critical, it may be advisable to identify two or three nearest patches and visually
interpolate between them. For the example above, where a patch with a Lightness close enough is
not available, these would be :
060 70 10
and
060 80 10 .
In order to obtain RAL DESIGN data, the requirements are as follow :
Note : The required instrument, model DC 3890 from the Datacolor company, is not available
anymore and support has been discontinued in September 2002. However, other instruments of the
same geometry are easily available from various manufacturers.
Important : As per RAL DESIGN requirements, the software uses the 10 degree Observer (CIE1964)
and the D65 illuminant for its calculations. These requirements correspond to the needs of the paint
and textile markets. Unfortunately, this also means that RAL DESIGN data cannot easily be converted
to, or compared with, typical data available in the printing and graphic fields, since these fields are
essentially based on the 2 degree (CIE1931) Observer.

246 BabelColor CT&A
Important : As indicated above, RAL DESIGN data should be derived from a spectrophotometer
configured with a d / 8° geometry, where the color sample is subjected to a diffuse illumination and
measurement is done 8 degrees away from the sample normal. Since the Eye-One
spectrophotometer is a 45° / 0° instrument, with a circular illumination at 45 degrees incidence and
measurement at 0 degree (i.e. on the sample normal), the RAL DESIGN values obtained with an Eye-
One will not be accurate for glossy samples. The reason is that, for glossy samples, the reflection
coefficients are slightly higher with a d / 8° instrument compared to the values measured with a 45° /
0° instrument. However, good measurement correlation can be obtained with semi-gloss and matte
samples.
Please consult the following Web site for more information on the RAL DESIGN system and how to
purchase color patches :
„ https://www.ral-farben.de/ral-online-shop.html
„ http://www.ral.de (Main Web page of RAL site)

Technical data 247
7.6.4 ISO 3664+ tools description

The ISO 3664 standard, Viewing conditions - Graphic Technology and Photography (Ref. 32), is
mostly a collection of other standards and accepted procedures to which it makes reference, and from
which it selects particular conditions in regards to its specific target audience. To these, BabelColor
CT&A adds some options and additional related measurements, thus the "+" after ISO 3664 (click
here for information on the ISO 3664+ user interface).
See the end of this section, or click on the references numbers, for contact and purchasing
information on the publications and standards mentioned herein.
The principal standards and procedures referred to by ISO 3664 are :

· CIE 13.3-1995 : Method of Measuring and Specifying Colour Rendering Properties of Light Sources
(Ref. 33). This procedure is used to determine the Color Rendering Index (CRI).
The CRI is a number between 0 and 100, with 100 being the best value, which defines how well
colors are rendered by a light source in comparison with a reference illuminant, or standard. This
standard can be either a thermal radiator (blackbody) or a D-series (daylight) illuminant.
The first step in obtaining the CRI is to compute the color difference (Ei) of eight pre-defined color
patches whose coordinates are determined using both the test source and the reference illuminant.
Subtracting the scaled color differences to 100 provides eight numbers which are called Special
Color Rendering Indices (Ri) :
The CRI is the average of the eight special indices :
The reference illuminant is D50 in ISO 3664, but in this tool, you have the choice of using either the
prescribed illuminant, other common illuminants, or let the program automatically select it. In "Auto"
mode, a D-series illuminant will be selected for color temperatures over 4000 K, and a blackbody
will be selected for color temperatures below 4000 K. The temperature is assigned in steps of 100 K
for D-series illuminants and 50 K for blackbodies.
The color patches are "real" patches (compared to CIE 51; see below) with the following
descriptions and references :

248 BabelColor CT&A
The CRI, even though relied on by many, and often quoted as a measure of quality by lamp
companies in particular, should not be considered simply at its face value. With the possibility of
selecting a reference in a large array of illuminants, it is not too difficult to find an illuminant for
which the computed CRI is over 90. To prevent any abuse, the reference illuminant should always
be given in association with the CRI. Also, even though the color rendering properties of illuminants
as different as a blackbody at 2856 K (Illuminant A) and D65 (daylight, 6500 K) are not the same,
they will both result in a CRI of 100 if the test source matches the reference.
Because of its limitations, many feel that a good CRI alone is not enough (some critics are even
harsher!). However, it can be shown (Ref. 30) that by combining a CRI value to a Quality Grade, as
obtained with ISO 23603 / CIE S 012, described below, one can obtain a more accurate
assessment of its viewing environment.
Note : This index is computed for ambient type illumination only, not for color monitors.
· ISO 23603 / CIE S 012/E : Standard method of assessing the spectral quality of daylight simulators
for visual appraisal and measurement of colour (Ref. 32). This procedure is used to determine a
Metamerism Index (MI) and a Quality Grade. This index is not the same as the one computed in
the MI Tool although it is similarly based on measuring metameric differences using the CIELAB
color difference formula.
ISO 23603 and CIE S 012 /E:2004 are identical; they are an evolution of the CIE 51 test :
CIE 51.2-1999 : A Method for Assessing the Quality of Daylight Simulators for Colorimetry (Ref. 33
).
The metamers of ISO 23603 / CIE S 012 are basically identical to the ones of CIE 51; however,
their spectrums have been extended to 380 and 780, from the 400 to 700 nm range of CIE 51 (see
Ref. 31 which contains tabular data on the metamers used for the visual index of CIE S 012). The
MI is computed in the same manner for CIE 51 and ISO 23603 / CIE S 012, and the quality grade
categories are the same.
The computation of this MI is based on the average color difference of five pairs of virtual metamers
(i.e. theoretical, or mathematically defined). These metamers have been defined in such a way that
the computed color difference is zero for all pairs if the illuminant under test has the same spectrum
as the ideal illuminants; computations are done with the 10 degree Observer (CIE1964). This ideal
illuminant is D50 for ISO 3664 but ISO 23603 also covers the use of the D55, D65, and D75
illuminants. A different pair of metamers is assigned by the standard for each reference illuminant.
Any of these reference illuminants can be selected within the tool; click here for information on this
interface.
The difference between ISO 23603 and CIE 13 is that CIE 13 compares the same patches with two
illuminants while ISO 23603 compares two metamers with the test illuminant.
The five virtual metamers have the following L*a*b* and L*C*h* coordinates :

Technical data 249
The coordinates in the "10 degree" table above are the same for both metamers of a given pair;
the coordinates would be different only if the test source was not identical to the reference
illuminant. The coordinates in the "2 degree" table correspond to the reference metamers of each
pair; the coordinates for the metamers assigned to each illuminant (not shown) are very slightly
different, simply because the metamers were optimized for the 10 degree Observer.
The average color difference from the five pairs, the MI, is used to assign the Quality Grade, a letter
between "A" and "E". Grade "A", the best grade, is quite challenging to achieve and any illumination
environment compliant with grade "B" is excellent, while grade "C" is still acceptable. The
assignation table is :
Note : This index is computed for ambient type illumination only, not for color monitors.
Note : ISO 23603 / CIE S 012 and CIE 51 not only describe how to measure a visible index, but an
Ultra-Violet (UV) index as well. In practice, the Eye-One cannot do measurements in the range
required for the UV index, and thus, only the visible index is computed.
Warning : The chromaticity tolerance called for in ISO 23603, CIE S 012 and CIE 51 is a 0,015
radius centered on the reference illuminant whereas ISO 3664 specifies a 0,005 tolerance. This
tolerance is expressed in u'v' coordinates determined with the Uniform Chromaticity Scale (UCS,
CIE1976), and the 10 degree Observer (CIE1964).
· ISO 12646:2004 : Graphic technology -- Displays for colour proofing -- Characteristics and viewing
conditions (Ref. 32). This standard is referred to but not specified in ISO 3664. This standard
contains, among other things, a brightness uniformity specification which we have adapted for this
tool because of its usefulness.
The monitor brightness uniformity test in the tool is based onthe nine measurement positions
defined in ISO 12646. The positions can be selected manually or automatically; see the ISO 3664+
user interface section for more information.
Important : the reference display illuminant for color monitors is D50 in ISO 12646 while it is D65
in ISO 3664. The difference stems from the different target applications. ISO 3664 is dedicated to
applications where the display and the hardcopy are viewed independently, and ISO 12646 is
dedicated to applications where direct comparison is made between the monitor and the hard copy.
Either illuminant (or others) can be selected as the reference in the tool.

250 BabelColor CT&A
Warning : If you elect to use the specifications of ISO 12646 for your color monitors, you should
be aware that the chromaticity tolerance for the D50 illuminant is 0,010, not 0,025 as in ISO 3664
(both expressed in u'v' coordinates, UCS, CIE1976 and the 10 degree Observer).
ISO 3664 VIEWING CONDITIONS

ISO 3664 identifies five viewing conditions :
· (P1) Critical comparison of PRINTS;
· (P2) Practical appraisal of PRINTS;
· (T1) Direct viewing of TRANSPARENCIES;
· (T2) Projection viewing of TRANSPARENCIES;
· Color monitors.
The following table shows a snapshot of the requirements for each condition :
Surround
u'v' luminous
Viewing Ref. Illuminance / CRI MI Illumin.
tolerance refl./
condition Illuminant Luminance (CIE 13) (ISO 23603) uniformity
(note 1) lum./
illumin.
2000 lux Visual : C

or better up to
± 500 lux 1mx1m
P1 (should be
(should be ³ 75% < 60%
± 250 lux) B or better) (neutral and
for larger matte)
Gen. UV : < 1,5 surfaces
500 lux index (should be
P2 ³ 60%
± 125 lux ³ 90 < 1)
D50 0,005
Special 5-10%
1270 cd/m2 of the
± 320 cd/m2 indices
T1 Visual : C luminance
³ 80
(should be or better level
± 160 cd/m2) ³ 75%
(should be (neutral and
B or better) extend at
T2 1270 cd/m2 least 50mm
(note 4) ± 320 cd/m2 on all sides
neutral and
dark gray
> 80 cd/m2 or black
Color D65 0,025 N.A. (should be
(should be N.A. N.A.
monitors (note 2) (note 2) (note 3)
> 160 cd/m2) £ 32 lux)
(shall be
£ 64 lux)
Note 1: The chromaticity coordinates, u' and v', are determined using the CIE1976 Uniform
Chromaticity Scale (UCS) equations and a 10 degree Observer (CIE1964); the tolerance is a radius
with its center on the reference illuminant.
Note 2 : In ISO 12646, the reference illuminant for the monitor is D50 and the chromaticity tolerance
is a 0,010 radius.
Note 3 : There are no specific requirements for luminance uniformity on color monitors in ISO 3664.
Nonetheless, BabelColor CT&A can perform uniformity measurements based on the nine positions
specified in ISO 12646.
Note 4 : Not supported in BabelColor CT&A.

Technical data 251
Purchasing ISO and CIE publications can be done through the following sources :
ISO
„ http://www.iso.org
CIE
„ http://www.cie.co.at/ (International headquarter)
„ http://www.cie-usnc.org/ (U.S.A. branch)

252 BabelColor CT&A
7.6.5 Whiteness tools description

The Whiteness tools are designed to measure the characteristics of white paper which influence how
it is perceived. These measurements are :
· the Whiteness and Tint;
· the Brightness, with and without a UV-blocking filter;
· the Fluorescence;
· and the Opacity.
This section presents a description of each tool. For a presentation of the tools' interface, go to the
Whiteness tools GUI section.
Important : Fluorescence measurements require a thin, transparent, UV filter, which is not provided,
and an Eye-One which is NOT UV-Cut. The other measurements require compliant white or black
backings, which are also not provided.
Many standards were developed over time and many are still in use. Because whiteness is not just
desirable for paper, similar standards have been developed for textiles, chemical powders and paper
pulp. The main differences between the standards are :
· the instrument measurement geometry;
· the light source used for the measurement;
· the illuminant and Standard Observer used for computation;
· the use or not of wavelength selective filters;
· the backing on which the paper is measured;
· and the equations!
We have selected the standards which correspond to the measurement geometry and light source of
the Eye-One, and which are relevant to the photographic and print fields.
Since backings are fundamental to reliable measurements, not only of white paper but also for colored
targets, we provide tools to check the compliance of white and black backings. As well, because the
precise characteristics of the UV filter must be used in the computations related to fluorescence, we
provide a tool to characterize your own filter.
Here is a description of the standards and measurement conditions used in each tool.
· Whiteness and Tint

· Instrument geometry : 0 deg./45 deg. or 45 deg./0 deg.
· Three formulas are available :
· CIE-GANZ 82 (Ref. 35) : The standard CIE formula. Based on XYZ measurements (D65, 2
degree Observer). This formula is also described in the ASTM E313 standard (Ref. 36), which
also provides formulas for a few combinations of formulas and Observers.
· CIE-Uchida (Ref. 37) : This formula extends CIE-GANZ 82 by supporting a wider range of tints
and purity over which whiteness can be evaluated. Based on XYZ measurements (D65, 2
degree Observer).
· CIELAB-HE 2007 (Ref. 38) : Based on CIELAB (D65, 10 degree Observer). Works over a wider
range of tints and purity. It is said to be more uniform and to better match visual ranking.
Of the three, the CIE-GANZ 82 is the most commonly used. Many more formulas and variants have
been defined over time. We have retained these three because they are either well known or, in the
case of CIELAB-HE 2007, could potentially provide better results. All these formulas are based on,
or are compatible with, the 45 deg./0 deg. illumination/viewing geometry of the Eye-One.

Technical data 253
Note : The 45 deg./0 deg. illumination/viewing geometry is equivalent to the 0 deg./45 deg.
geometry.
Whiteness is measured by placing the paper to be analysed on a compliant white backing; the exact
specifications are presented below in the BLACK AND WHITE BACKINGS sub-section.
The whiteness is expressed with a number relative to a perfect diffuser. The tint characterizes the
shift from neutrality, i.e. how much of a tint is perceived; a perfectly neutral white will have a zero
tint. In practice, perfectly diffusing and neutral paper is never seen. We do find neutral papers which
are nor perfect diffusers, but this usually at the expense of their brightness; these papers may
appear slightly gray when compared to wither papers which are not as neutral.
The typical whiteness and tint ranges for which the CIE-GANZ 82 formula is valid are :
40 < Whiteness < (5Y - 280)
and
-3 < Tint < +3
where Y is the measured CIE Y (the luminance, the Y of XYZ). Higher whiteness values correspond
to whiter samples. Positive values of Tint indicate a greenish tint, while negative values of Tint
indicate a reddish tint; the tint is stronger as the absolute value increases. A perfect diffuse reflector
will result in a Whiteness = 100 and a Tint = 0. A message is shown in the Whiteness tools window
when the Whiteness or Tint are out-of-range.
These formulas are not linear, and equal differences in Whiteness or Tint may not represent equal
perceptual differences. Also, the upper-limit for the validity of the whiteness range is a hard stop;
any sample exceeding this limit is not considered white, and because of the way the limit is
formulated (= 5Y - 280), lower-luminance samples (i.e. samples of lower Y values) are valid in
smaller ranges than higher luminance samples. These drawbacks are the reasons why the
CIE-Uchida formula were developed.
The CIE-Uchida equations are similar in structure to the CIE-GANZ 82 equations but the whiteness
and tint numbers are not the same. Compensation factors are added to the equation parameters, for
better linearity between the numbers and the perceptual differences, and the whiteness is no longer
limited by an upper range (the lower range is still 40 whiteness units according to the CIE-GANZ 82
formula). In practice, the Whiteness and Tint obtained with the CIE-Uchida formula are close to the
CIE-GANZ 82 numbers when the whiteness is within the limits of CIE-GANZ 82, but differ when the
upper limit is exceeded. In fact, the CIE-Uchida numbers are valid when the upper whiteness limit of
CIE-GANZ 82 is exceeded while the CIE-GANZ 82 numbers should be rejected. In addition, there is
no limits proposed by Uchida for the tint; accordingly, we do not test if the measurement is within tint
limits when this formula is selected.
The CIELAB-HE 2007 formula takes the same approach as the CIE-Uchida formula to improve the
linearity and extend the whiteness range, but the goal was to improve it even more by selecting the
visually uniform L*a*b* space instead of the XYZ space. Such an approach was looked at previously
by Ganz (Ref. 39), but it lacked the extended range and uniformity that the Uchida formula provides.
The CIELAB-HE 2007 was judged to be well correlated with visual estimation, and they concluded
that it does significantly improve the visual uniformity compared to the CIE-GANZ 82 and
CIE-Uchida formulas (and other formulas as well). You will note that the Whiteness and Tint values
obtained with this formula are quite different from the values obtained with the two other formulas
(more generally, you cannot directly compare the numbers between formulas).

254 BabelColor CT&A
· Brightness
· Standards : Defined in TAPPI T452 (Ref. 40), which is the same as ASTM D985 (Ref. 41)
· Instrument geometry : 45 deg. illumination/0 deg. viewing geometry
· The cone of light required by this method is wider than that specified for the CIE Standard 45
deg./0 deg. geometry.
· Lamp source : 3000 K (TAPPI T452); 2800 ± 100 K (ASTM D985). This is equivalent to Illuminant
A, i.e. a tungsten lamp. The relative spectral energy distribution of the light incident on the
specimen, E(l), shall be :
wavelength E(l)
320 nm 0,0
330 nm 0,7
340 nm 3,0
360 nm 9,7
380 nm 17,1
400 nm 26,0
420 nm 37,2
440 nm 50,3
460 nm 64,1
480 nm 80,0
500 nm 100,0
· The brightness scale is based on the reflectance of magnesium oxide, which defines a brightness
of 100,0; other reference diffusers are accepted if characterized relative to magnesium oxide.
· Other requirements : The measurement is done essentially in the blue part of the spectrum, in a
band centered around 460 nm. In the context of this standard, Brightness is associated with blue
reflectance. The effective wavelength of 457 nm, used in the brightness standard title, is obtained
by the combination of illuminant, glass optics, filters, and photodetector for which the
mathematical product of relative spectral power distribution, spectral transmittance, and spectral
response is shown (in %) in the following graph :
Important : There are sufficient differences between an Eye-One and an instrument designed
expressly for the requirements of TAPPI T452 or ASTM D985, that you should not expect to match
the results obtained with qualified equipment. However, the instrument geometry is close, the lamp
source is of the required type, the blue wavelength band is simulated in software, and the reference
white can be derived from the standard Eye-One calibration in reflectance.
Note : ISO 2470 is a standard often referred to for brightness assessment. While it is also
dedicated to the measurement of blue reflectance (ISO brightness), it requires a Diffuse
illumination/0 deg. viewing geometry instrument which is so different from the 45 deg.
illumination/0 deg. viewing geometry of the Eye-One, that any comparison between the numbers
obtained with each standard is not recommended.
The measurement is done by placing the paper on a white backing. The brightness can be
measured with or without a UV-blocking filter; the difference between the computed brightness is a
measure of the paper fluorescence. This is discussed in the Fluorescence sub-section below.

Technical data 255
Brightness values over 100 are common. This feat is possible by the use of additives, called Optical
Whitening Agents (OWA), Fluorescent Whitening Agents (FWA), or Optical Brightening Agents
(OBA), which increase the reflection coefficient and improve the neutrality of typically yellowish
paper fibers. The increase in brightness comes from a fluorescence effect; in such an effect,
Ultra-Violet (UV) light is absorbed by the additives and transformed into visible light, typically in the
blue wavelengths range. The transformation of invisible light into visible light improves the
brightness while the added blue compensates for the intrinsic yellowish color to make the paper
look more neutral; this is the principle behind adding blue dyes in washing detergents.
· Fluorescence
· Standards : Defined in TAPPI T452 (Ref. 40), which is the same as ASTM D985 (Ref. 41)
· Instrument geometry : 45 deg. illumination/0 deg. viewing geometry
· Other requirement : UV-blocking filter. The filter transmission is not given; instead, the relative
spectral energy distribution of the light incident on the paper with the UV filter present, F(l), shall
be :
wavelength F(l)
380 nm 0,0
400 nm 1,0
420 nm 8,2
440 nm 22,4
460 nm 45,3
480 nm 71,7
500 nm 100,0
If we compare the spectral distribution with a filter with the one without a filter, presented above in
the Brightness sub-section, we obtain the ideal TAPPI T452 filter transmission, where T = 100 *
(F(l) / E(l)), where the maximum transmission is normalized to 100 :
wavelength filter T (%)
380 nm 0
400 nm 4
420 nm 22
440 nm 45
460 nm 71
480 nm 90
500 nm 100
and the corresponding graph :
The fluorescence is obtained by the brightness difference without and with the UV-blocking filter :
Fluorescence = Brightnesswithout a filter - Brightnessw/filter
While fluorescence can brighten and whiten a paper appearance, the effect is affected by the UV
content of the light source, with halogen lights having much less UV than outdoor daylight. This
means that when you make an ICC profile of a paper which exhibits strong fluorescence, the colors
will change depending on the lights under which the print is seen. Because of this, many printers
and photographers favor papers which exhibit low fluorescence, or even no fluorescence at all.

256 BabelColor CT&A
Another drawback of fluorescent papers is that the additives lose their properties with time and
exposure to light. So even if the print is calibrated properly for viewing under a specific light source,
the colors will change with time.
Note : To our knowledge, a thin TAPPI T452 UV filter suitable for use under an Eye-One cannot be
found off-the-shelf. The filter we recommend, as well as the many equivalents mentioned in the UV
FILTER sub-section below, are available off-the-shelf, and are equivalent to those recommended in
the ISO 13655 standard (Ref. 42) for UV-cut and fluorescence measurements. They have a sharp
cut-off transmission curve which effectively blocks the UV as efficiently.
While the filter curve shown above does not reach 100% transmission, as in all real filters with no
anti-reflection coatings, we need to compensate for the imperfect transmission. We also need to
compensate for the visible radiation which is blocked below 450 nm. This is done by the program for
all measurements done with the "Paper w/filter" button.
Important : Because the suggested UV filters have transmission characteristics which are not
those required by the standards, you should not expect to reproduce the results obtained with the
prescribed filter. However, you will be able to reliably detect papers which are fluorescent and be
able to grade their susceptibility to fluorescence.
· Opacity
· Standards : Defined in CGATS.5 and ISO 2471
· Instrument geometry : 0 deg./45 deg. or 45 deg./0 deg.
· D50, 2 degree Observer
The opacity is obtained by the measuring the paper on the white backing and on the black backing.
The opacity is defined by the ratio of CIE Y (the Y of XYZ) on the black backing divided by CIE Y on
the white backing :
Opacity (%) = 100 * (Yblack / Ywhite)
For ISO 13655, a sample is considered opaque if its opacity is not less than 99%.
Note : One difference between CGATS.5 and ISO 2471 is that ISO 2471 calls for self-backing
instead of a white backing. Self backing, a backing made of a thick pile of the same paper, is
obtained when you place under the paper sheet to be measured as many additional unprinted
sheets as are necessary to ensure that no further change in measurement are seen when more are
added.

Technical data 257
BLACK AND WHITE BACKINGS
White backing requirements

According to ISO 13655 (Ref. 42) :
· the backing shall be opaque, with a measured opacity of no less than 99%;
· the backing surface shall be diffuse-reflecting, with no perceptible specular reflection when
viewed at any angle under typical office room illumination;
· the backing shall not be fluorescent when excited by the instrument source;
· the Chroma (the C* of L*C*h*, D50, 2 degree Observer) shall not be more than 3,0 and should
not exceed 2,4;
· the reflectance shall be equal or higher than the requirements at these eight (8) specific
wavelengths (this corresponds to a CIELAB L* value greater than 92; however, the CIELAB L*
value shall not exceed 97) :
wavelength Rmin
400 nm 0,30
410 nm 0,30
420 nm 0,75
450 nm 0,75
460 nm 0,80
670 nm 0,80
680 nm 0,75
700 nm 0,75
You can check the backing fluorescence in the same way that you would check paper fluorescence.
Please see the Whiteness tools GUI section for more information on the tools provided to check a
white backing compliance (Chroma, reflectance, fluorescence).
Black backing requirements

According to ISO 5-4 (Ref. 43) :
· the backing surface shall be diffuse-reflecting, with no perceptible specular reflection when
viewed at any angle under typical office room illumination;
· the optical density (ISO visual reflection density) shall be 1,50 ± 0,20; this is approximately
equivalent to a CIELAB L* value range of 15 to 27, or a reflectance range between 2% and 5%;
· the backing shall be spectrally non-selective, and the density range shall be less than 5% of the
average density when measured in the wavelength interval between 400 nm and 700 nm.
Please see the Whiteness tools GUI section for more information on the tools provided to check a
black backing compliance (optical density, density range).
Should you use a WHITE or a BLACK backing for your measurements?

A BLACK backing is recommended for :
· making densitometric measurements as defined in ISO 5-4 and, more generally, computing density
values from spectral data;
· standard viewing condition as defined in older versions of ISO 3664 (Ref. 32); however, more
recent versions of the standard do not favor one backing over the other.
A WHITE backing is recommended for :

· measuring color patches when the paper opacity is below 95%;
· measuring data for visual correlation (!).
The least we can say is that the situation is not black or white!. Because the backing used for
measurement can have an impact on the resulting data, especially if the opacity is on the low side, it
is recommended to use the same backing for measurements and visual assessment. There used to

258 BabelColor CT&A
be a preference for black backings, mainly because of ISO 5-4, but many now favor the white
backing, because it is closer to self-backing, while being more stable. Self-backing is a backing made
of a thick pile of the same paper, an approximation of what you find in books and magazines (with not
too much ink per page though!).
UV FILTER
The purpose of this filter is to cut the Ultra-Violet (UV) from the Eye-One lamp, so that no
fluorescence is generated. This is equivalent to an Eye-One with a UV-cut filter; however, because
the Whiteness tools also require measurements with an instrument which has no UV-cut filter, a UV-
cut Eye-One is not recommended for these tools.
Hint : Because a measurement made with the non-UV-cut Eye-One plus a separate UV-cut filter is
equivalent to making measurements with an Eye-One fitted with a permanent UV-cut filter, you can
use the Whiteness tools to rapidly make measurements with and without UV-cut. Such measurements
can also be done on colored patches, and are thus not limited to white paper, although you should
only look at the L*a*b* values in this case, and disregard the Whiteness, Brightness, etc. values. For
measurements without a UV-cut filter, you have to use the "Paper on Wh" button, and for UV-cut
measurements you need to place the UV filter between the Eye-One and the color patch, and press
the "Paper w/filter" button.
As we mentioned in the Fluorescence sub-section above, the TAPPI T452 UV filter cannot easily be
found off-the-shelf. However, we have found two very similar types of plastic sheets designed to
remove UV emissions from lamps (particularly fluorescent lamps) which effectively block UV
wavelengths. The default values used in the program are those of the GamColor 1510; a very similar
filter, Rosco 3114, can also be used. For purchasing information, please consult these web sites :
· GamColor 1510
„ http://www.gamcolor.com
· Rosco 3114
„ http://www.rosco.com
According to the ISO 13655 standard, other equivalent filters are the Wratten 2B and the FujiFilm SC-
41. All these filters have a sharper cut-off slope than the filters required by the TAPPI T452 standard,
and their 50% transmission point is at lower wavelengths, i.e. more towards the violet. However their
sharp cut-off effectively blocks the UV as efficiently. You will find files with the transmission
characteristics of these filters in the "UV-filters" folder located within the main BabelColor CT&A
application folder. In Windows, this folder can be opened directly with the "Start
menu/BabelColor/UV-filters files" shortcut.
When you do a measurement with the filter between the Eye-One and the paper (see the Whiteness
tools GUI section for more information), not only is the UV radiation prevented from hitting the paper,
but the visible radiation (i.e. the white light from the Eye-One lamp) is also affected by the filter. In
other words, this filter is not perfectly transparent and has a typical transmission of 90% in the visible.
In fact, the filter transmission affects the instrument light twice, once as the light goes from the
instrument to the paper, and another time when it has to go through the filter before going back in the
instrument. We thus need to compensate any absorption by the filter in the visible range, as if it was
perfectly transparent. This is why the filter characteristics, its transmission, is absolutely required by
the program, and why we provide default values as well as a method to re-generate the transmission
characteristics with your own filter.
Important : Even if you have a sheet of the default filter material, you should regenerate the UV filter
data with your own filter since manufacturing tolerances could change its characteristics. The
procedure is described in the Whiteness tools GUI section.

Technical data 259
7.7 References
Click on a reference number to go to the section that called it. You can also click on the Internet links;
a separate Web-browser window will open.
Ref. 1 Michael Has, Todd Newman, "Color Management : Current Practice and the Adoption of a
New Standard," available on the Internet on the ICC Web site at
http://www.color.org/wpaper1.html.
Ref. 2 Michael Stokes, M.D. Fairchild, Roy S. Berns, "Colorimetric quantified visual tolerances for
pictorial images," Comparison of Color Images Presented in Different Media, Proceedings
1992, Vol. 2, M. Pearson ed., Tech. Assoc. Graphic Arts and Inter-Soc. Color Council, pp.
757-777.
Ref. 3 Roy S. Berns, Mark E. Gorzynski, Ricardo J. Motta, "CRT Colorimetry, Part II : Metrology,"
COLOR research and application, Vol. 18, No. 5, Oct. 1993, pp. 315-325.
Ref. 4 J. R. Jiménez, J. F. Reche, J. A. Díaz, L. Jiménez del Barco, E. Hita, "Optimization of Color
Reproduction on CRT-Color Monitors," COLOR research and application 24 (3), 207-213
(1999)
Ref. 5 R.W.G. Hunt, The reproduction of Colour, 5th ed., Fountain Press (1995), ISBN
0-86343-381-2.
Ref. 6 C.S. McCamy, H. Marcus, J.G. Davidson, "A Color-Rendition Chart," J. Appl. Phot. Eng., Vol.
2, No. 3, Summer 1976, pp. 95-99, Society of Photographic Scientists and Engineers (now
called "The Society for Imaging Science and Technology"; http://www.imaging.org ).
Ref. 7 M.R. Luo, R.W.G. Hunt, B. Rigg, K.J. Smith, "Recommended colour-inconstancy index,"
Journal of the Society of Dyers and Colourist, Vol. 115, May/June 1999, pp. 183-188.
Ref. 8 Mary Nielsen, Michael Stokes, "The Creation of the sRGB ICC Profile," Proceedings of IS&T
Sixth Color Imaging Conference : Color Science Systems and Applications 1998, Scottsdale,
Arizona, ISBN 0-89208-213-5.
Ref. 9 PNG (Portable Network Graphics) Specification, Version 1.0, World Wide Web Consortium
(W3C) Recommendation 01-October-1996, available on the Internet on the site
http://www.w3.org.
Ref. 10 Roy S. Berns, Ricardo J. Motta, Mark E. Gorzynski, "CRT Colorimetry, Part I : Theory and
Practice," COLOR research and application, Vol. 18, No. 5, Oct. 1993, pp. 299-314.
Ref. 11 Charles A. Poynton, A Technical Introduction to Digital Video, John Wiley & Sons (1996),
ISBN 0-471-12253-X. From the same author, on the Internet, on the site
http://www.poynton.com/Poynton-color.html :
"Frequently Asked Questions About Gamma," available as "GammaFAQ.pdf;"
"The rehabilitation of gamma," available as "Rehabilitation_of_gamma.pdf;"
"Frequently Asked Questions About Color," available as "ColorFAQ.pdf."
Ref. 12 David L. MacAdam, "Visual sensitivities to color differences in daylight," J. Opt. Soc. Am.,
Vol. 32, 1942, pp. 247-273.

260 BabelColor CT&A
Ref. 13 Bruce Fraser, "Out of Gamut : Finessing Photoshop Color," available on the Internet at
http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/6541.html. For a list of this author's articles on the
same site : http://www.creativepro.com/author/home/40.html.
Ref. 14 The Science of Color, Committee on Colorimetry, Optical Society of America, Washington
(1973), ISBN 0-96003-801-9.
Ref. 15 MIL-HDBK-141, Section 4.
Ref. 16 ASTM E308-99 : "Standard Practice for Computing the Colors of Objects by Using the CIE
System," available from their Web site : http://www.astm.org.
Ref. 17 ICC Specification ICC.1:1998-09 : "File Format for Color Profiles," available on the Internet
at http://www.color.org.
Ref. 18 SMPTE Recommended Practice RP 177-1993 : "Derivation of Basic Television Color

Equations."
Ref. 19 Ján Morovic, To develop a Universal Gamut Mapping Algorithm, Ph.D. thesis, University of
Derby, October 1998.
Ref. 20 W. Thornton, "Matching lights, visual response, and the painfully sub-human CIE Standard
Observers," Perceiving, Measuring and Using Color, Vol. 26, 1990, p. 1250.
Ref. 21 CIE 116:1995 : "Industrial Colour-Difference Evaluation," Commission Internationale de

l'Eclairage (CIE) : International headquarter - http://www.cie.co.at; U.S.A. branch -
http://www.cie-usnc.org.
Ref. 22 Society of Dyers and Colourists (SDC) : http://www.sdc.org.uk. American Association of

Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) : http://www.aatcc.org. British Standards :
http://www.bsigroup.com. ISO standards : http://www.iso.org.
Ref. 23 ASTM D1535 : "Standard Test Method for Specifying Color by the Munsell System,"
available from their Web site : http://www.astm.org.
Ref. 24 Joy Turner Luke, "Uniform Color Scales," Optics and Photonics News, September 1999, p.
28.
Ref. 25 Roy S. Berns, Billmeyer and Saltzman's "Principles of Color Technology," 3rd ed.,
John-Wiley & Sons (2000), ISBN 0-471-19459-X.
Ref. 26 N. Moroney, M.D. Fairchild, R.W.G. Hunt, C. Li, M.R. Luo, and T. Newman, "The CIECAM02
Color Appearance Model," Proceedings of the IS&T/SID Tenth Color Imaging Conference,
Nov. 2002, pp. 23-27.
Ref. 27 R.W.G. Hunt, C. Li, M.R. Luo, and T. Newman, "Chromatic Adaptation Transforms," COLOR
research and application, Vol. 30, No. 1, Feb. 2005, pp. 69-71.
Ref. 28 M.D. Fairchild, "A Revision of CIECAM97s for Practical Applications," COLOR research and
application, Vol. 26, No. 6, Dec. 2001, pp. 418-427.
Ref. 29 A.K.Roy Choudhury, S.M. Chatterjee, "Evaluation of the Performance of Metameric Indices,"
COLOR research and application, Vol. 21, No. 1, Feb. 1996, pp. 26-34.

Technical data 261
Ref. 30 Y.-M. Lam, J.H. Xin, "Evaluation of the Quality of Different D65 Simulators for Visual
Assessment," COLOR research and application, Vol. 27, No. 4, Aug. 2002, pp. 243-251.
Ref. 31 C.S. McCamy, "New Metamers for Assessing the Visible Spectra of Daylight Simulators and
a Method of Evaluating Them," COLOR research and application, Vol. 24, No. 5, Oct. 1999,
pp. 322-330.
Ref. 32 ISO 3664:2009 : "Graphic Technology and Photography – Viewing conditions;"

ISO 12646:2004 : "Graphic technology -- Displays for colour proofing -- Characteristics and
viewing conditions;"
ISO 23603 / CIE S 0120E : "Standard method of assessing the spectral quality of daylight
simulators for visual appraisal and measurement of colour;" available from their Web site :
http://www.iso.org.
Ref. 33 CIE 13.3-1995 : "Method of Measuring and Specifying Colour Rendering Properties of Light
Sources;"
CIE 51.2-1999 : "A Method for Assessing the Quality of Daylight Simulators for Colorimetry;"
CIE S 012 /E:2004 : "Standard Method of Assessing the Spectral Quality of Daylight
Simulators for Visual Appraisal and Measurement of Colour;"
Commission Internationale de l'Éclairage (CIE) : International headquarter -
http://www.cie.co.at; U.S.A. branch - http://www.cie-usnc.org.
Ref. 34 Jim Long, Joy Turner Luke, The New Munsell Student Color Set, 2nd Ring ed., Fairchild
Books and Visuals (2001), ISBN 1563672006.
Ref. 35 Miyoshi Ayama,Takao Akatsu, Eiichiro Toriumi, Kenji Mukai, Sueko Kanaya, "Whiteness
Perception Under Different Types of Fluorescent Lamps," COLOR research and application,
Vol. 28, No. 2, April 2003, pp. 96-102.
Ref. 36 ASTM E313-05 : "Standard Practice for Calculating Yellowness and Whiteness Indices from
Instrumentally Measured Color Coordinates," available from their Web site :
http://www.astm.org.
Ref. 37 Hiroko Uchida, "A New Whiteness Formula," COLOR research and application, Vol. 23, No.
4, August 1998, pp. 202-209.
Ref. 38 Guoxin He, Mingxun Zhou, "Whiteness formula in CIELAB uniform color space," CHINESE
OPTICS LETTERS, Vol. 5, No. 7, July 10 2007, pp. 432-434.
Ref. 39 Ernst Ganz, Hartmut Kurt Andreas Pauli, "Whiteness and tint formulas of the Commission
Internationale de l’Eclairage: approximations in the L*a*b* color space," APPLIED OPTICS,
Vol. 34, No. 16, 1 June 1995, pp. 2998-2999.
Ref. 40 TAPPI T452 om-08 : "Brightness of pulp, paper, and paperboard (directional reflectance at
457 nm)," available from their Web site : http://www.tappi.org/.
Ref. 41 ASTM D985-97 (Reapproved 2007) : "Standard Test Method for Brightness of Pulp, Paper,
and Paperboard (Directional Reflectance at 457 nm)," available from their Web site :
http://www.astm.org.
Ref. 42 ISO 13655:2009 : "Graphic technology — Spectral measurement and colorimetric

computation for graphic arts images," available from their Web site : http://www.iso.org.
Ref. 43 ISO 5-4:2009 : "Photography and graphic technology -- Density measurements -- Part 4:
Geometric conditions for reflection density," available from their Web site : http://www.iso.org
.

help manual
Section
VIII
264 BabelColor CT&A
8 Tutorials
PREAMBLE
Compared to most graphic editing software, BabelColor CT&A uses exact mathematical color
transformations routines. Where look-up tables are used, this program will use matrix mathematics.
Also, all graphic editing programs that we know of use a simple gamma function; this program can
use either a simple gamma or a multi-parameters function, if one was defined for that given space.
Graphic editing software are optimized for speed and throughput, and the small error that may
subside hopefully goes unnoticed. This program is dedicated for critical color analysis, two colors at
the time. The small differences that will be seen between the color transformations of this software
and those of other software can often be explained by these factors.
Note : All the images in this help manual are heavily compressed in JPEG format. Because of this,
the color patches shown in the tutorials are not made of single solid colors; adjacent pixels of a given
patch may be of slightly different colors. This is not the case with the patches produced by the
program itself.
Select a tutorial from the list below :

· 1- Two simple Compares
· 2- Two simple Converts
· 3- Understanding clipping
· 4- A color picker with a twist (with three examples)
· 5- L*a*b* / L*u*v* input (with three examples)
· 6- Simulate a ColorChecker color patch
· 7- Using the decks
· 8- Measure your display ISO 3664 characteristics
· 9- Measure the display Contrast using the Graph tool
· 10- Measuring color patches on a display
Important : For more accurate visual results, your display should be calibrated with a custom ICC
profile. You can check that your display profile was properly recognized by the program by looking
into the Options / Preferences dialog. Your display profile should appear in the Destination profile
menu with "default:" written before its name. If you have not measured a custom display profile, you
should select "sRGB (CT&A)" for the Windows platform and for Mac OS X 10.4+, and "Generic RGB
(CT&A)" on a Mac with an older OS; you should also verify your display settings with the procedures
described in the Display calibration section.

Tutorials 265
Please note that the display profile has NO EFFECT on the accuracy of the computations; it simply
affects the appearance of the color patches.

266 BabelColor CT&A
8.1 1- Two simple Compares

INTRODUCTION
In this first tutorial we see that the same R'G'B' color coordinates in two different RGB spaces do not
correspond to the same color.
The tutorial is separated in two parts. The first part shows how identical RGB coordinates in Apple
RGB and sRGB really look quite different. Apple RGB was the de facto color space in older Mac
computers and many legacy images were created in this space. sRGB has been the standard RGB
space for Windows based computers for a long time, and is now the default space of Mac OS X
(starting with version 10.4). This tutorial will help you understand what happens when you open
legacy images generated in Apple RGB, which were most likely not tagged with an ICC profile, in a
new computer where the default space is sRGB. The difference between these two spaces is mostly
(and not totally!) in the spaces' gamma, which is 1,8 for Apple RGB, and 2,2 (if we use the simple
gamma) in sRGB.
· Click here for the Apple RGB vs sRGB tutorial.
The second part compares the same coordinates selected in the sRGB and Adobe (1998) spaces.
These two spaces have very similar gammas; the simple software-encoding gamma is the same
(=2,2), but sRGB's gamma is more accurately defined a multiple segments detailed gamma. However,
they have quite different gamuts, with Adobe (1998) being much larger and capable of representing
more colors.
· Click here for the sRGB vs Adobe (1998) tutorial.
Note : The Apple RGB vs sRGB tutorial cannot be done with an unregistered Mac copy of this
software.

Tutorials 267
8.1.1 Apple RGB vs sRGB

SETUP
This Help program can stay opened during the tutorial. If you are not familiar with BabelColor CT&A,
please go through the following setup steps, to make sure that this tutorial's screenshots and results
match your own :
· If BabelColor CT&A is running, first close it by selecting the File/Exit menu command in Windows,
or the BabelColor CT&A/Quit BabelColor CT&A menu command in Mac OS X
· Re-launch the program
· Open the Options / Preferences dialog by selecting the File/Options... menu command in
Windows, or the BabelColor CT&A/Preferences... menu command in Mac OS X
· Reset the Options / Preferences by clicking the "Default - All" button in the bottom-left of the
dialog :
When started, the program is in Compare mode, which can be confirmed by looking at the Mode
settings buttons located on top of the chromaticity diagram :
Space #1 and Space #2 are shown, both in sRGB. The R'G'B' coordinates are selected randomly
each time the program is launched.
Within each of the following steps you will find links to other help sections which provide more details
if required.

268 BabelColor CT&A
STEP 1
Set Space #1 to Apple RGB and Space #2 to sRGB :
You can verify in the chromaticity diagram that the spaces' illuminants are at the same location
(x=0.313 and y=0.329, the coordinates of illuminant D65). The diagram also shows the triangles
defined by the primaries of each space; they are of similar size but slightly offset from one another :
STEP 2
Double click in the data display of Space #1 which has a red background (the R' of R'G'B') to select
the displayed value (it should appear highlighted), and type 188.
Note : A single click may be sufficient to select the displayed value, depending on the platform,
Windows or Mac, and the Operating System (Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 7, Mac OS X).
Double click in the data display of Space #1 which has a green background and type 140; alternately,
press the Tab key to move from one data box to the other. Double click in the data display of Space
#1 which has a blue background and type 116. The R'G'B' displays should look like :
STEP 3
Type the same values in the data displays of Space #2. The color patches display should look like :

Tutorials 269
The first thing we notice is that the color looks much darker in the sRGB space even though the
R'G'B' coordinates are identical. A similar effect will be seen for all colors in an image, with the
resulting image much too dark.
DISCUSSION
The main effect behind this color difference is the spaces respective gammas. The gamma of 1,8 for
the Apple RGB space tends to be more linear than the gamma of 2,2 of sRGB. A space with a linear
gamma (gamma=1) will have its zero to 255 R'G'B' values uniformly distributed with light and dark
colors. As the gamma increases, there are more and more R'G'B' numbers used to represent darker
colors; this is consistent with how the human visual system works. Thus, the 2,2 gamma of sRGB will
result in more integer values dedicated to darker colors than the 1,8 gamma of Apple RGB. This is
why the numbers used to represent a color in Apple RGB actually correspond to darker colors in
sRGB. This said, if you look at the chromaticity diagram, you will also notice a color shift. In the
cut-out of the chromaticity diagram shown below, the green square, corresponding to Space #1, is
closer to the illuminant, meaning that the Apple RGB color is less saturated, i.e. more grayish :
The exact "xy" values can be obtained by selecting the xyY data displays in each space. Now lets
look at the DeltaE* display, which should be set to DeltaE*ab. It shows a color-difference of 7,03, a
very noticeable difference considering that a value of one is an accepted threshold :
The DeltaE* display also shows the individual contributions of lightness difference (DL*), chroma
difference (DC*) and hue difference (DH*) in the total DE difference. DL* and DC* also correspond to
the differences between the L* and C* coordinates shown for each space in their L*C*h* displays.
While DH* is what is left when you remove the DL* and DC* contributions in DE, Dh*, the hue angle
difference is directly related to the h* shown in the L*C*h* displays. See the L*a*b* or L*u*v* to L*C*h*
and DeltaE* sections for the mathematical definition of these parameters.
We see that most of the difference comes from the lightness (-6,48, i.e. darker by 6,48%), with a
smaller but noticeable contribution from chroma (2,68), which expresses color saturation, as we also
inferred by looking at the chromaticity diagram.

270 BabelColor CT&A
In practical terms, these simple steps show that legacy images created without embedded profiles in
Apple RGB, very likely on a Mac a few years ago, will look darker on a Windows based computer, or
on a Mac running Mac OS X 10.4+, if no compensation is done. On a Mac running Mac OS X with a
version prior to 10.4, the image would look quite similar to the original intent since these previous
versions of Mac OS X used Generic RGB as their default RGB space, a space which has the same
gamma as Apple RGB.
If the image has an embedded ICC profile and the software used to open it supports color
management, then it will be viewed with correct colors. If the image has no ICC profile but its Mac
origin is known, you can manually assign the Apple RGB profile to the image, with Photoshop for
example, and again obtain a proper image.
Note : Older, pre-Mac OS X, images originating from a Mac platform should be assumed to be
encoded in Apple RGB. More recent images with no ICC profile could be encoded either in Generic
RGB or sRGB; If the image looks darker when opened as sRGB, then try Generic RGB.
This concludes the first part of this tutorial; click here to go to the second part. Click here to go back to
the tutorials' Table of Contents.

Tutorials 271
8.1.2 sRGB vs Adobe (1998)

SETUP
This Help program can stay opened during the tutorial. If you are not familiar with BabelColor CT&A,
please go through the following setup steps, to make sure that this tutorial's screenshots and results
match your own :
· If BabelColor CT&A is running, first close it by selecting the File/Exit menu command in Windows,
or the BabelColor CT&A/Quit BabelColor CT&A menu command in Mac OS X
· Re-launch the program
· Open the Options / Preferences dialog by selecting the File/Options... menu command in
Windows, or the BabelColor CT&A/Preferences... menu command in Mac OS X
· Reset the Options / Preferences by clicking the "Default - All" button in the bottom-left of the
dialog :
When started, the program is in Compare mode, which can be confirmed by looking at the Mode
settings buttons located on top of the chromaticity diagram :
Space #1 and Space #2 are shown, both in sRGB. The R'G'B' coordinates are selected randomly
each time the program is launched.
Within each of the following steps you will find links to other help sections which provide more details
if required.
STEP 1
Set Space #1 to sRGB and Space #2 to Adobe (1998) :
You can verify in the chromaticity diagram that the spaces' illuminants are at the same location
(x=0.313 and y=0.329, the coordinates of illuminant D65). The diagram also shows the triangles
defined by the primaries of each space. The Adobe (1998) is the larger one, mostly due to its more

272 BabelColor CT&A
saturated green primary :
STEP 2
Double click in the data display of Space #1 which has a red background (the R' of R'G'B') to select
the displayed value (it should appear highlighted), and type 188.
Note : A single click may be sufficient to select the displayed value, depending on the platform,
Windows or Mac, and the Operating System (Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 7, Mac OS X).
Double click in the data display of Space #1 which has a green background and type 140; alternately,
press the Tab key to move from one data box to the other. Double click in the data display of Space
#1 which has a blue background and type 116. The R'G'B' displays should look like :
STEP 3
Type the same values in the data displays of Space #2. The color patches display should look like :
Because these two spaces have very similar gammas, we would expect that the two patches exhibit
the same level of lightness, and this is almost the case here, although the Adobe (1998) is slightly
brighter (compare the patches L* value). But what we clearly see is that the sRGB color, the larger
square, is much less saturated, i.e. less pure or muddy, than the Adobe (1998) color.

Tutorials 273
DISCUSSION
The main effect behind this color difference is the spaces' respective gamut size. The Adobe (1998)
space can represent more colors, and these additional colors are essentially all more saturated than
the colors of the sRGB space. If we assume that their gamma is the same, then the darker and lighter
colors should be represented by the same numbers. However, because the Adobe (1998) space also
contains more saturated colors, all R'G'B' coordinates of this space are more saturated. If you look at
the chromaticity diagram, you will notice this saturation shift. In the cut-out of the chromaticity diagram
shown below, the green square, corresponding to Space #1, is closer to the illuminant, meaning a
less saturated color. Also, the orange square, corresponding to Space #2, is shifted towards the red
primary :
The exact "xy" values can be obtained by selecting the xyY data displays in each space. Now lets
look at the DeltaE* display, which should be set to DeltaE*ab. It shows a color-difference of 7,27, a
very noticeable difference considering that a value of one is an accepted threshold :
The DeltaE* display also shows the individual contributions of lightness difference (DL*), chroma
difference (DC*) and hue difference (DH*) in the total DE difference. DL* and DC* also correspond to
the differences between the L* and C* coordinates shown for each space in their L*C*h* displays.
While DH* is what is left when you remove the DL* and DC* contributions in DE, Dh*, the hue angle
difference is directly related to the h* shown in the L*C*h* displays. See the L*a*b* or L*u*v* to L*C*h*
and DeltaE* sections for the mathematical definition of these parameters.
We see that most of the difference comes from the chroma (6,53), with smaller contributions by the
hue (2,37) and the lightness (2,15). The hue angle shift, at -4,84 degrees, indicates that we have a
slight red shift for the Adobe (1998) color relative to the sRGB color.
In practical terms, these simple steps show that images created without embedded profiles in sRGB
will look saturated if an Adobe (1998) profile is assumed. Conversely, an image created in the Adobe
(1998) space will look muddy when opened in a program which assumes that the image space is
sRGB.
If the image has an embedded ICC profile and the software used to open it supports color
management, then it will be viewed with correct colors. If the image has no ICC profile but its origin is

274 BabelColor CT&A
known, you can manually assign the sRGB or Adobe (1998) profile to the image, with Photoshop for
example, and again obtain a proper image.
However, still, there are many applications which do not support sophisticated color management,
Web-browsers coming to mind. In some cases, where color is critical, the fashion business for
example, the designer may insist to have its garments viewed in the same way with different computer
platforms. To be able to convert color coordinates between two color spaces then becomes useful.
This is the subject of the second tutorial: A simple Convert.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THE GAMMA AFFECTS THE COLORS

By default, BabelColor CT&A uses a detailed gamma when such a gamma is available for a given
space. Adobe (1998) is defined only by a simple gamma of 2,2 while sRGB is primarily defined by a
multi-segment gamma, but with the possibility of using a simple gamma. We will now see how using
the detailed gamma or the simple gamma affects the computed color.
BabelColor CT&A should be opened, with the settings and input values obtained at the end of this
tutorial. In particular, check that the DeltaE*ab values are the same as the ones shown in the
screenshot above. Now go back in the Option / Preferences dialog we opened at the beginning of this
tutorial, and select the "Math" tab. Select the "Always use a single parameter gamma (simple
gamma)" checkbox :
Notice how the DeltaE*ab values change when you select and unselect the box, which will now look
like this :
With the most significant change in the lightness difference which went from 2,15% to 1,68%. The
overall color difference is just a tad smaller, 7,04 instead of 7,27, but the difference in chroma is still
very high. You will also see a small change in the visual appearance of sRGB patch and its L*a*b*
coordinates, but no change in its R'G'B' values :
This concludes the tutorial. Click here to go back to the tutorials' Table of Contents.

Tutorials 275
8.2 2- Two simple Converts

INTRODUCTION
In the first tutorial we have seen that if we use identical R'G'B' values in Apple RGB, sRGB, or Adobe
(1998), we are in fact describing colors of different lightnesses (intensity), chromas (saturation) and
even hues.
For this second tutorial we look at how to convert R'G'B' color coordinates from Apple RGB to sRGB,
and then from sRGB to Adobe (1998), so that the colors represented by the RGB coordinates are the
same. Please note that we have selected a color in Apple RGB which is not clipped when converted
to sRGB and Adobe (1998); clipping is the subject of the third tutorial (Understanding clipping).
Note : If you are using an unregistered copy of BabelColor CT&A for Mac, you can only convert
between sRGB and Adobe (1998) and you should do the shorter version of this tutorial which looks at
the sRGB to Adobe (1998) conversion only.
SETUP
Set the program modes as follow :
· Compare mode with both sides set in RGB space mode
· Space #1 selection : Apple RGB
· Space #1 input mode : R'G'B'
· Space #2 selection : sRGB
· Gamma mode : detailed gamma; leave
unchecked in the Options / Preferences dialog
· DeltaE* display : DeltaE*ab

276 BabelColor CT&A
STEP 1
Click and drag the elevator box of Space #1 Y slider to its lowest position :
All R'G'B' displays of Space #1 should be zero. Click and drag the elevator box of Space #1 G (green)
slider until the display shows 135; click between the elevator box and the extremities for coarse
adjustments (+/- 10) or on the slider's arrows for fine (+/- 1) adjustments. The green square on the
chromaticity diagram should be directly on the Space #1's green primary :
Click and slowly drag the elevator box of Space #1 R (red) slider up to the top (R' = 255); as you
move, follow the green box on the chromaticity diagram as it slides along the line between the red and
green primaries of Space #1. You will also notice how the Y slider follows the red slider once it goes
beyond the green slider's position.
Click and drag the B (blue) slider up to 208.
Finally, click and drag the elevator box of Space #1 Y slider until the R display shows 200 (if you have
difficulty adjusting Y to 200, move it until you are close and adjust by clicking on the Y slider arrows
for fine adjustments of +/- 1); notice how all the RGB sliders move while the green square on the
chromaticity diagram does not. This last adjustment affects only the color luminance. The R'G'B'
displays should now show :

Tutorials 277
STEP 2
To convert this color in the sRGB space, simply click on the Compare button located on top of the
chromaticity diagram :
After the click, the three buttons' content and color will change to :
and the overall display will look like (main screen shown without the extra patches layouts) :
The orange square of Space #2 is now directly over the green square of Space #1 in the chromaticity
diagram, and the selected color has been translated to sRGB, with the following coordinates :
DeltaE*ab in the DeltaE* display is zero, this confirms that :

Apple RGB (200, 106, 163) = sRGB (215, 129, 177) .
STEP 3
We will now convert these sRGB coordinates in Adobe (1998) RGB. There are many ways to do this
but since we already have Space #2 set in sRGB with the correct values, we will simply change the
convert direction to be from Right-to-Left. To change the convert direction, click on either one of the
yellow arrows on top of the chromaticity diagram :
After the click, the direction arrows color will change to orange :
and the overall display will look like this :

278 BabelColor CT&A
You will notice that the R'G'B' boxes backgrounds have changed, with the ones with a yellow
background now seen on the Space #1 side. You can now change Space #1 from Apple RGB to
Adobe (1998) :
The R'G'B' values shown in Space #1 change to :
The color patches have not changed, just the R'G'B' coordinates of Space #1, which are now shown
relative to Adobe (1998) RGB. In other words :
Adobe (1998) (194, 128, 174)
= sRGB (215, 129, 177)
= Apple RGB (200, 106, 163) .
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
If you look at the DeltaE* display, you will see that the color-difference between the two coordinates
data sets is zero :
which means that there is no clipping resulting from the conversion (i.e. the Adobe (1998) space can
reproduce this sRGB color exactly).

Tutorials 279
In Convert mode, the program does an exact color conversion, determining the R'G'B' coordinates of
the converted space with fractional precision (they are rounded for display purposes only). To see
how integer values of R'G'B' in both spaces would compare, simply click on the Convert mode button
to go back to Compare mode (you may see changes in the xyY, XYZ, L*a*b* and L*u*v* values) :
Following the click, the software replaces the fractional R'G'B' values of Space #2 with the closest
integers. The DeltaE* display now shows :
the "real" difference between the Adobe (1998) and sRGB spaces for these R'G'B' data sets.
For more information on how the software treats integer variables, see the data integrity section.

280 BabelColor CT&A
8.2.1 Mac demo version

INTRODUCTION
Important : This tutorial was designed for those who use the Mac version of BabelColor CT&A in
demo mode (i.e. the unregistered version). You should do the complete version if you have a
registered copy.
In the first tutorial we have seen that if we use identical R'G'B' values in Apple RGB, sRGB, or Adobe
(1998), we are in fact describing colors of different lightnesses (intensity), chromas (saturation) and
even hues.
For this second tutorial we look at how to convert R'G'B' color coordinates from sRGB to Adobe
(1998), so that the colors represented by the RGB coordinates are the same. Please note that we
have selected a color in sRGB which is not clipped when converted to Adobe (1998); clipping is the
subject of the third tutorial (Understanding clipping).
SETUP
· Compare mode with both sides set in RGB space mode
· Space #1 selection : Adobe (1998)
· Gamma mode : detailed gamma; leave
unchecked in the Options / Preferences dialog

Tutorials 281
STEP 1
Click and drag the elevator box of Space #2 Y slider (on the RIGHT side of the main screen) to its
lowest position :
All R'G'B' displays of Space #2 should be zero. Click and drag the elevator box of Space #2 G (green)
slider until the display shows 154; click between the elevator box and the extremities for coarse
adjustments (+/- 10) or on the slider's arrows for fine (+/- 1) adjustments. The orange square on the
chromaticity diagram should be directly over Space #2's green primary :
Click and slowly drag the elevator box of Space #2 R (red) slider up to the top (R' = 255); as you
move, follow the orange box on the chromaticity diagram as it slides along the line between the red
and green primaries of Space #2. You will also notice how the Y slider follows the red slider once it
goes beyond the green slider's position.
Click and drag the B (blue) slider up to 210.
Finally, click and drag the elevator box of Space #2 Y slider until the R display shows 215 (if you have
difficulty adjusting Y to 215, move it until you are close and adjust by clicking on the Y slider arrows
for fine adjustments of +/- 1); notice how all the RGB sliders move while the green square on the
chromaticity diagram does not. This last adjustment affects only the color luminance. The R'G'B'
displays should now show :

282 BabelColor CT&A
STEP 2
To convert this color in the sRGB space, select the Mode/Convert/Right to Left menu command. After
the selection, the three buttons button located on top of the chromaticity diagram will change to :
and the overall display will look like (main screen shown without the extra patches layouts) :
You will notice that the R'G'B' boxes backgrounds in Space #1 are now yellow. The orange square of
Space #2, in the chromaticity diagram, is now directly over the green square of Space #1, and the
selected color has been translated to Adobe (1998) RGB, with the following coordinates :
DeltaE*ab in the DeltaE* display is zero, this confirms that :

Adobe (1998) (194, 128, 174) = sRGB (215, 129, 177) .
If you look at the DeltaE* display, you will see that the color-difference between the two coordinates
data sets is zero :
which means that there is no clipping resulting from the conversion (i.e. the Adobe (1998) space can
reproduce this sRGB color exactly).
In Convert mode, the program does an exact color conversion, determining the R'G'B' coordinates of
the converted space with fractional precision (they are rounded for display purposes only). To see
how integer values of R'G'B' in both spaces would compare, simply click on the Convert mode button
to go back to Compare mode (you may see changes in the xyY, XYZ, L*a*b* and L*u*v* values) :

Tutorials 283
Following the click, the software replaces the fractional R'G'B' values of Space #2 with the closest
integers. The DeltaE* display now shows :
the "real" difference between the Adobe (1998) and sRGB spaces for these R'G'B' data sets.
For more information on how the software treats integer variables, see the data integrity section.

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8.3 3- Understanding clipping

INTRODUCTION
In this tutorial we learn how to interpret the clipping indicators ( ! ) which appear now and then in the
bottom-left corners of the color patches :
and just above the R'G'B' data displays of converted spaces :
When converting color data from one RGB space to another, it is often found that a given color or,
more generally, a range of colors, cannot be displayed in the destination space. These colors are said
to be out of gamut. There are basically two choices when this occurs : either clip the color on the
edge of the destination space, or "compress" the distance between all colors and maintain the color
relations. In addition, some conversion is required to compensate for the "color" of different illuminants
which vary from yellowish to bluish. These two requirements are the basis of the "intent" choices
offered in high end image editing programs when converting data using ICC profiles.
For most color translation applications, it is important to maintain the perceived color as uniformly as
possible. An often recommended option is Relative Colorimetric intent. When selecting this intent,
the system first adapts the color of the sample to the color of the destination illuminant. The
chromaticity coordinates of the original and translated colors are different, but when they are viewed
under their respective illuminants, they are seen as being the same. However, once shifted to match
the destination illuminant, the color may still be out of gamut; in this case, it is usually clipped on the
gamut's edge.
For proofing applications, it is advisable to keep the same chromaticity coordinates, whenever
possible, and clip to the nearest gamut edge if not; this is usually called Absolute Colorimetric
intent. This type of conversion does not try to make the colors look identical under various illuminant.
A white patch under D50, a yellowish white, will look yellowish when seen under D65, and a white
patch under D65, a bluish white, will look bluish when seen under D50. This intent is not
recommended for general imaging applications.
If the perception of colors, when seen together, is more important than their individual accuracy, then
the program can modify the colors for the purpose; this is called Perceptual intent. With this option,
none of the converted colors are accurate. Another choice is Saturation intent, which is suggested for
applications where the vividness of the colors is more important than their hue, in business graphics
for example. Obviously, color accuracy is not an issue here.
Other intent choices, as well as variants of the above intents, are offered in some programs, the user
should consult their respective documentation.
BabelColor CT&A emphasizes perceived accuracy; accordingly, colors are converted internally using
Relative Colorimetric intent, and adapted to the other space illuminant using a Bradford Chromatic
Adaptation Transform (CAT) matrix. Please note that these conversions are independent of the ones
done for display purpose, where you may have selected another rendering intent in the display profile
settings.

Tutorials 285
Whenever clipping happens between a space coordinate and the sRGB color patches, clipping
indicators are displayed in their lower left corner. Similarly, when clipping arises in a conversion
between two spaces, clipping indicators appear above the converted space's R'G'B' data displays.
Another type of clipping indicator can be seen when in L*a*b* or L*u*v* input mode. This is discussed
in Tutorial 5.
SETUP
· Convert mode Left-to-Right (from Space #1 to Space #2)
· Space #1 selection : Adobe (1998)
· Gamma mode : detailed gamma (checkbox unchecked in the Math tab of the Options /
Preferences dialog)
· Display profiles : Select "sRGB (CT&A)" as Destination in the Display tab of the Options /
Preferences dialog
There are two reasons for selecting this built-in profile instead of your default display profile.
Firstly, this will ensure that the tutorial screenshots are identical to the ones you will obtain, since
even if your display is calibrated to sRGB, the profile may differ slightly from the ideal sRGB
profile. Secondly, clipping for color patches is shown individually for each primary when using
built-in profiles, instead of a single exclamation point in a triangle for ICC profiles, making this
tutorial more informative on what happens behind the scene.
Important : After you have completed this tutorial, do not forget to set your display profile back to
what it was when you started it.

286 BabelColor CT&A
STEP 1
Write the following coordinates in the R'G'B' display boxes of Space #1, which is set to Adobe (1998) :
R'G'B' = (49, 29, 8).
The coordinates are converted from Adobe (1998) RGB to sRGB. The sRGB values are :
There is no clipping and DeltaE*ab=0. On the chromaticity diagram, the small orange square
representing Space #2 is positioned on top of the green square representing Space #1. Since this is a
very dark brown, we suggest you increase the main screen to show the extra patches in the bottom of
the screen, and click on the patches until they are surrounded by a black background; this
background will make the brown more noticeable :

Tutorials 287
STEP 2
Click and drag the B (blue) slider to zero. A few things have happened following this action :
· A clipping indicator has appeared on the LEFT patch, corresponding to Space #1 :
Since the exclamation point is over the third dot from the left, it corresponds to the blue
coordinate. In other words, the display profile cannot accurately represent this color because the
blue is clipped.
· A clipping indicator has appeared on top of the B coordinate for Space #2 :
This is in line with what we just saw under the patch of Space #1 since both Space #2 and the
display profile are set to sRGB.
· We can see that the orange square of Space #2 is not just over the green square :
This is in line
· The color difference is not zero anymore
However, the color difference is quite small and probably not noticeable by most persons.

288 BabelColor CT&A
STEP 3
Click and drag the Y slider slowly to the top; as you drag, check the R coordinate of Space #2 and the
position of the squares on the chromaticity diagram. The squares should remain at the same position
until the R coordinate of Space #2 reaches 255 (this corresponds to R=229 in Space #1). From this
point on :
· A second clipping indicator appears below the LEFT patch and on top of the R coordinate for
Space #2
We now see that the sRGB patch representing Space #1 (Adobe (1998)) has both its red and
blue coordinates clipped. To match the Adobe (1998) we would need to add even more red and
"add" negative blue. This is one method to extend the gamut of RGB spaces, but it has not been
used in many products so far.
· We can see that the orange square of Space #2 goes away from the green square as we
increase Y (i.e. R) over 229 (here shown at Y = 255) and the color difference increases rapidly :

Tutorials 289
STEP 4
Open the Options / Preferences dialog and select the Apple RGB (CT&A) profile. Leave the Options /
Preferences dialog open but move it so that you can see both color patches on the main screen. You
will see that the patch on the right is now also clipped in the blue for display purposes :
Note : You can click on the bottom patches until the layout appears as in the above screenshot.
Note : It is hazardous to judge a color difference visually when one or both colors are clipped by the
display profile, since clipped colors are not accurate by definition!
What this display tells us is that :

· The Adobe (1998) coordinates are clipped in the red and blue by the Apple RGB profile; this is
shown by the clipping indicators in the bottom of the Space #1 patch, on the left.
· The Adobe (1998) coordinates are clipped in the red and blue when converted to the sRGB
space; this is shown by the clipping indicators located over the R'G'B' data boxes of Space #2. It
just happens that red and blue are clipped in both Apple RGB and sRGB; however, this does not
mean that the amount of clipping is the same for both spaces. Here, the color difference data
display gives us the answer for the sRGB space only.
· The sRGB coordinates of Space #2 are clipped in the blue by the Apple RGB profile, as we can
see by the clipping indicator which is located below the right patch (and in the center square of
the smaller patch display located just below the chromaticity diagram). In other words, this means
that sRGB = (255, 152, 0) is clipped when converted to Apple RGB.
We suggest that you try the other built-in profiles of the Options / Preferences dialog and look at their
effect on the main screen.
Important : When you are ready to close the Options / Preferences dialog, do not forget to set the

290 BabelColor CT&A
destination profile to what is was when you started the tutorial.
DISCUSSION
We saw in STEP 1 of this tutorial that a color can be clipped even if its "xy" coordinates are within the
triangular area defined by the space's primaries. To understand why, look at the following illustration
which shows all the colors, the gamut, of the sRGB space using xyY coordinates ("x" and "y" define
the plane of the horseshoe, "Y" is perpendicular to the "xy" plane) :
Almost every "xy" data set within the triangle defined by the space primaries has a different maximum
"Y" value. Moreover, the 3D shape is different from one space to the other. This is far from the uniform
cube representation of the R'G'B' space. It is thus risky to only use only the periphery, or area, of the
"xy" representation to compare color spaces; the third dimension, "Y", also has to be taken into
consideration.

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8.4 4- A color picker with a twist

INTRODUCTION
This tutorial shows the unique feature of BabelColor CT&A when used as a color picker.
Any software which manipulates color images or color objects usually has a color picker. It is often the
operating system's default picker but various schemes are proposed. Sometimes, the color picker is
made only of R'G'B' sliders and input boxes, but you can also find L*a*b* and HSB
(Hue-Saturation-Brightness) input controls. You usually have a color patch showing the current
selection and, sometimes, another patch showing the previous selection.
BabelColor CT&A offers :

· two identical and independent color pickers in a single screen,
· data displays that show the real luminance (Y) of two samples,
· color selection by clicking in a chromaticity diagram,
· multiple patch layouts to simultaneously compare the patches on standard backgrounds and
relative to each other's color,
· simultaneous examples of colored text on standard backgrounds and relative to each other's
color.
The following examples will show you how to use these features.
SETUP
· Compare mode with both sides set in RGB Space mode
· Space selection : sRGB for both spaces
· Input modes : R'G'B' for both spaces
· Hex # / HSB / HVC / L*C*h* / xyY / XYZ display : xyY in both spaces
· L*a*b* / L*u*v* display : L*a*b* in both spaces
· L*a*b* / L*u*v* in D50 checkbox : unchecked in both spaces
· Gamma mode : detailed gamma
EXAMPLE 1 : Setting two different colors to the same brightness

In this example we will match the luminance, or brightness, of two different colors. This can be useful
when you want to minimize any one color standing out when they are viewed together.
Write the following coordinates in Space #1 R'G'B' display boxes :

R'G'B' = (80, 108, 165). Space #1 displays should be :

292 BabelColor CT&A

R'G'B' = (202, 142, 227). Space #2 displays should be :
When seen together, Space #2 color is more noticeable because of its brightness :
Its "Y" value is 37,4 compared to 15,1 for Space #1. The "L*" values (of L*a*b*), more representative
of the perceived brightness, are 67,6 for Space #2 and 45,8 for Space #1.
To match their brightness, you have three choices, all done using the "Y" slider :
· increase the brightness of Space #1,
· decrease the brightness of Space $2, or
· increase or decrease the brightness of both spaces!
There is a caveat : You cannot arbitrarily increase the luminance ("Y") or brightness ("L*") of a given
color; there is a different maximum value for each "xy" data set (see the xyY and XYZ section for more
information).
For the purpose of the example, we will simply decrease Space #2 brightness. Click and drag the
elevator box of the "Y" slider until its "Y" coordinate approximately matches the value seen in Space
#1; you can also do the adjustment using "L*" as a reference.
Space #2 displays should be close to :
where Y=15,1 for both spaces (note that L*=45,8 also in both spaces), and the color patches display
now shows :
You will find that the perceived brightness is better matched using "Y" or "L*" as references compared
to making adjustments using the "B" of the HSB. To visualize this, set the Hex # / HSB / HVC / L*C*h*
/ xyY / XYZ display to HSB in both spaces.

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The displays should now be :
Although both spaces have the same "Y" and "L*" values, the HSB brightness of Space #2 is 59
compared to 65 for Space #1. If one was to set Space #2 HSB brightness to 65, using the "Y" slider,
the resulting color would be too bright (L*=50,2) as can be seen in the following illustrations (the color
patches matched with "Y" are also shown for comparison; please note that actual R'G'B' display
numbers may be (146, 102, 165) instead of (147, 103, 166), as shown, when moving the "Y" slider to
get B=65) :
EXAMPLE 2 : Selecting complementary colors using mouse input

In this example we will see how we can rapidly select colors by clicking in the chromaticity diagram.
The setup for this example is the one defined at the beginning of this tutorial.
Verify, in the "xy" mouse input display, that the Space #1 radio button is selected and that both
buttons are enabled :
Click (mouse left-click) in the chromaticity diagram window around the x = y = 0.250 location (plus or
minus 0.010). You can check the exact click location in Space #1 xyY display :

294 BabelColor CT&A
Select Space #2 by one of the two methods :

· Method 1 : Do a mouse right-click (ctrl + click on a one-button Mac mouse) in the chromaticity
diagram at a location, relative to the illuminant, approximately opposite from Space #1 color (x »
0.37, y » 0.42).
· Method 2 : Select the right radio button in the the "xy" mouse input display :
and click (mouse left-click) in the chromaticity diagram at a location, relative to the illuminant,
approximately opposite from Space #1 color (x » 0.37, y » 0.42).
Both methods achieve the same result but Method 1 is faster when you need to switch sides
repeatedly.
The color patches display will show you complementary colors :
Enlarge the main screen until you see the extra patches on the bottom of the display and the ones on
its right :

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If required, click on the bottom patches until you obtain the layout where the patches are
side-by-side.
By default, when selecting a color using mouse input, the software will set the luminance to its
maximum value. You can further adjust their brightness, using the Y slider, without changing their "xy"
coordinates. You can also use the Y and RGB sliders in conjunction with the DeltaE* display to
minimize DL* and DC*, and adjust Dh* to -180 degrees, which corresponds to the "exact"
complementary position (at least in terms of the L*C*h* representation). Here is the DeltaE* display
obtained by adjusting the position of Space #2 :
where we have minimized the lightness (L*) and chroma (C*) differences while obtaining an almost
exact 180 degrees shift in hue. The complete display is shown below :

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EXAMPLE 3 : Optimizing two colors to maximize text contrast

This example shows how you can rapidly modify the luminance of two colors to maximize text contrast
on various backgrounds. We will start with the complementary colors obtained at the end of the
second example. Graphic designers sometimes play with complementary colors for artistic effects.
Here we will keep the same hues but we will adjust their respective luminance so that text of each
color is legible on white and black backgrounds, and even on a background of the other color. To do
this we will use the text layouts in the bottom-right of the display (shown full size here) :

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Each color is legible on the black and white backgrounds but is almost impossible to read on a
background of the other color. This is normal since we matched the luminance in Example 2. We will
use only the Y sliders of each space to maximize the contrast on the colored backgrounds while
keeping a sufficient contrast on the black and white ones. However, before we adjust the luminance,
we write our own text and select a font, font style, and font size which is more appropriate for our
needs (we have selected: Times New Roman, Italic, and a Large size, in a Windows environment) :
Warning : Do not bring the luminance slider to zero; this will set all inputs to zero and bring the
chromaticity point on the illuminant. If this happens, you can type the R'G'B' values shown in the
screenshot at the end of Example 2 directly.
Now we can play with the luminance sliders on each side. Here are two possible combinations; many
others are possible...
Here is the main screen corresponding to the above-right combination. You will notice that the
position of the colors on the chromaticity diagram are the same as the ones we obtained at the end of
Example 2 :

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8.5 5- L*a*b* / L*u*v* input

INTRODUCTION
This tutorial demonstrates the features of the program's L*a*b* / L*u*v* input mode.
While R'G'B' inputs are natural when working in RGB spaces, many applications call for the use of
more standard colorimetric data such as XYZ, L*a*b* or L*u*v*. For example, specifying a reference
color for a company logo will often be done using L*a*b* coordinates determined with a D50
illuminant.
When incorporating a logo in a publicity brochure, there is a need to use the best (should we say
exact!) color information. A conversion of the L*a*b* data into the RGB space of the image rendering
tools is often required.
You may also have a need to convert L*a*b* to L*u*v* data, or convert L*a*b* or L*u*v* data from one
illuminant to another, or determine the equivalent xyY and XYZ coordinates. These are all transforms
which are independent of the RGB space environment but which are nonetheless available in the
program!
These features are demonstrated in the following examples.
SETUP
· Convert mode Left-to-Right, with both sides set in RGB Space mode
· Space selection : sRGB for both spaces
The next two steps are only done to insure that the tutorial's illustrations match the user screen.
· Space #1 input mode : R'G'B' (not L*a*b* / L*u*v* input yet)
· Click and drag the "Y" slider to the bottom : R'G'B' = (0, 0, 0)
Continue with these settings :
· Now set Space #1 input mode to : L*a*b* / L*u*v* input
· L*a*b* / L*u*v* in D50 checkbox : checked in both spaces
EXAMPLE 1 : Converting L*a*b* data into R'G'B'

In this example we will determine the R'G'B' coordinates corresponding to specific L*a*b* data.
Make sure that the L*a*b* / L*u*v* in D50 checkbox is checked since the sRGB space illuminant is
D65. If the box was left unchecked, the program would assume that the L*a*b* input is in D65.
Click the mouse in the L* box, the first box on the left with a green background. Write 92,7 in the box
and then press tab on your keyboard to go the next box on the right. Write -40,2 for a*, then another
tab to go to the third box, and write 94,1 for b*.
Do not click the button yet!
The color we just entered is L*a*b* (D50) = (92,7, -40,2, 94,1), a bright yellow-green.

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Space #1 display should be :
The display will not be updated until the "GO !" button is clicked. The R'G'B' and xyY displays still
show the previous data. The clipping indicator ( ! ) above the B' display box is an advanced warning
that the typed L*a*b* input represents a color which cannot be exactly represented in the sRGB
space; it will be clipped. The clipping indicator will disappear when we click the "GO !" button and the
closest valid color will be determined. If you now click the "GO !" button (you can also press the
Return key), the display becomes :
All three L*a*b* coordinates have changed to the closest matching color. The B' display now shows
zero, as a result of clipping. In such a situation, there are a few choices :
· clipping is deemed reasonable and the clipped R'G'B' coordinates are used as is (the clipping
error will be evaluated next),
· another target space with a larger gamut can be selected,
· a custom spot color could be used for printing, if this is the desired output media.
To evaluate the clipping error, change the RGB space of Space #1 to Adobe (1998), a larger space.
Re-enter the L*a*b* (D50) = (92,7, -40,2, 94,1) coordinates. Before clicking the "GO !" button, notice
the absence of clipping indicators above Space #1 R'G'B' displays, which indicates that the color is
within the gamut of Adobe (1998) RGB. Once the "GO !" button is clicked, the updated display is :
where none of the L*a*b* coordinates have changed relative to the input values. Since we are in
Convert mode, and since Space #2 is set in sRGB, Space #2 displays will show the values we had
initially when Space #1 was set to sRGB (92,8, -39,6, 87,6). In addition, the DeltaE*ab display shows
a 6,96 color-difference value between the non-clipped and clipped colors.

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Looking at the chromaticity diagram, we see that the green square of Space #1, representing the
non-clipped color, is slightly out of the sRGB triangle :
With the above procedure, we learned that the original L*a*b* color is not clipped in Adobe (1998)
RGB and we got the corresponding R'G'B' coordinates; we also determined the exact color-difference
value resulting from the use of sRGB.
EXAMPLE 2 : Converting from L*a*b* to L*u*v*, or vice-versa

BabelColor CT&A can be used when there is a need to convert data between the L*a*b* and L*u*v*
spaces, or between L*a*b* or L*u*v* and xyY or XYZ, even if there is no use for R'G'B' data.
Once the "GO !" button is clicked, you can display the data for all other representations. If we go back
to the display at the end of EXAMPLE 1, with the following L*a*b* (D50) display still visible (if required,
re-select the Adobe (1998) space, check the L*a*b* / L*u*v* in D50 checkbox, re-enter the L*a*b*
values and click the "GO !" button) :
We can also see :

· L*u*v* (D50) by selecting L*u*v* in the list box :
· L*u*v* (D65) by un-checking the L*a*b* / L*u*v* in D50 checkbox :

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· L*a*b* (D65) by re-selecting L*a*b* in the list box :
As well, Hex #, HSB, Munsell HVC, L*C*h*, xyY and XYZ can be displayed for this given L*a*b* (D50)
input. However, all of these representations, except L*C*h*, are shown relative to the illuminant of the
selected space, D65 in this case (for Adobe (1998)). L*C*h* is the exception; it will always correspond
to the L*a*b* / L*u*v* and L*a*b* / L*u*v* in D50 checkbox selections (click here for more info).
For conversions using this method, you should use the largest space available for a given illuminant :
· for illuminant C : NTSC,
· for illuminant D50 : ProPhoto,
· for illuminant D65 : Adobe (1998),
· for illuminant E : CIE RGB.
Important : If the L*a*b* or L*u*v* input data falls outside of the gamut of the selected RGB space,
the conversion will be clipped and the results will not be valid.

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EXAMPLE 3 : Converting D65 L*a*b* data into illuminant E
Let's go back to the display at the end of EXAMPLE 2, with the following L*a*b* display still visible (if
required, re-select the Adobe (1998) space, uncheck the L*a*b* / L*u*v* in D50 checkbox, re-enter
the following L*a*b* values and click the "GO !" button) :
Because we want to convert our D65 data into illuminant E data, we need to select CIE RGB space
for Space #2. We could also design a custom RGB space with Illuminant E, but this is not the purpose
of this tutorial! You will see that the DeltaE*ab display shows "N.A.", for "Not Applicable", since a
color-difference cannot be directly computed for data determined from different illuminants (D65 and
E) :
Select DeltaE*ab D50 in the list box :
To compute this color-difference, the spaces are first converted from D65 (the illuminant of Adobe
(1998)) to D50, for Space #1, and from E (the illuminant of CIE RGB) to D50, for Space #2; then the
color-difference is determined. In this case, a value of zero, meaning no clipping, should be seen
(Note : the DeltaE*ab D50 display may show a value of 0.01 due to rounding). As long as there is no
clipping, the conversion is valid. Converted to illuminant E, the data is :
where the data for the other representations, XYZ, L*a*b*, etc. can be seen as shown in EXAMPLE 2.

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8.6 6- Simulate a ColorChecker color patch

INTRODUCTION
Here is a procedure that enables you to simulate color patches of the X-Rite/GretagMacbeth
ColorChecker chart starting with xyY coordinates.
Note : Of course, if you have the L*a*b* coordinates of the patches, you can always select the L*a*b*
/ L*u*v* input mode, and enter the coordinates directly, but make sure they are of the proper
illuminant.
This procedure uses chromaticity coordinates referenced to illuminant D65; the data is presented in
the table below. Similar data for illuminants C and D50 is provided, as well as additional information,
in the ColorChecker chart section.
SETUP
· Compare mode, with both sides set in RGB Space mode
· Space selection : Adobe (1998) for both spaces
· Space #1 input mode : R'G'B' (i.e. uncheck L*a*b* / L*u*v* input)
· xy mouse input : Space #1
· Select the "Data/Graphic data/ColorChecker (D65)" menu command (Make sure to select the
(D65) version)

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PROCEDURE
1. Click on any red dot; compare the "xy" coordinates in Space #1 display boxes with the ones in
the table shown at the end of this tutorial. Use the data window in the chromaticity diagram as
a guide, shown here for patch #1 :
The red dot should be in the green square's center, but an exact value/position match may be
difficult to achieve for some patches due to the limited screen resolution; you should tweak the
location with the RGB and Y sliders if required and place emphasis on matching the numerical
values instead of the red dot and green square relative positions.
2. Using Space #1 "Y" slider, bring the "Y" of the xyY display as close as you can to the table
value.
3. Set the program in Convert mode Left-to-Right by clicking on the "Compare mode" button on
top of the chromaticity diagram. You now have a large color patch corresponding to one of the
ColorChecker chart's patches (assuming you use a calibrated display!). You can also enlarge
the main screen to show the patch layout in the bottom of the screen :

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To obtain the color coordinates in any of the other RGB spaces, simply select it in the Space #2 list
box. Also, for darker colors, you may want to dim the background of the chromaticity diagram.

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D65
# description x y Y
1 dark skin 0,399 0,360 10,0
2 light skin 0,383 0,356 34,7
3 blue sky 0,248 0,265 18,9
4 foliage 0,342 0,431 13,3
5 blue flower 0,269 0,254 23,5
6 bluish green 0,261 0,360 42,7
7 orange 0,508 0,406 29,6
8 purplish blue 0,211 0,184 11,8
9 moderate red 0,461 0,312 18,8
10 purple 0,291 0,220 6,32
11 yellow green 0,377 0,496 44,3
12 orange yellow 0,476 0,442 42,1
13 blue 0,188 0,142 6,02
14 green 0,305 0,490 23,3
15 red 0,542 0,321 11,6
16 yellow 0,449 0,476 59,3
17 magenta 0,369 0,241 19,2
18 cyan 0,198 0,269 19,8
19 white (0.05 D) 0,316 0,334 90,9
20 neutral (0.23 D) 0,312 0,330 58,5
21 neutral (0.44 D) 0,312 0,329 35,7
22 neutral (0.70 D) 0,311 0,329 19,1
23 neutral (1.05 D) 0,310 0,328 8,87
24 black (1.5 D) 0,311 0,326 3,17

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8.7 7- Using the decks

INTRODUCTION
This tutorial is an introduction on the use of BabelColor CT&A Deck mode and how it interacts with
the RGB spaces.
SETUP
· Space #1 selection and input mode : anything
· Space #2 selection : ColorMatch
· Space #2 input mode : R'G'B' (i.e. uncheck L*a*b* / L*u*v* input)
· Open the Options / Preferences dialog and make sure that the following checkboxes in the "
Display" tab are checked as follow (once it is done, keep this dialog opened for the next setting) :
þ Decks L*C*h* pad view : Draw borders around patches
o Decks List view : Draw borders around patches

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· Reset the L*C*h* pad tab parameters by clicking on the "Default" button of the "Math" tab :

310 BabelColor CT&A
STEP 1
Change the LEFT side into Deck mode by clicking on the label identified "Space #1" and slide the
cursor to the "Deck #1" selection :
The deck mode will appear. The selected deck will depend on which deck was last used. If not
already selected, select the Munsell deck :
STEP 2
Change the selected chip, located in the center of the L*C*h* pad, by clicking either on the color strip,
the arrows at each end of the color strip, or on the L*C*h* pad patches surrounding the center patch :
Try clicking on the patches labeled with + sat., + lum. and + hue and see how they respectively
select a chip with more saturation, more luminance, and a hue characterized by a larger h* angle.
Similarly, click on the patches labeled with - sat., - lum. and - hue to respectively select a chip with
less saturation, less luminance, and a hue characterized by a smaller h* angle.
The name of the chip represented by the center patch is shown below the pad. For the names of the
chips around the center, simply rest the mouse cursor over the patch and a tag with the chip name will
appear (in Mac OS 8 and 9, Balloon Help should be activated for the tag to appear). For more
information on the features of the L*C*h* pad, as well as its interaction with the DeltaE* setting, see
the L*C*h* pad section.

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STEP 3
Click on the "List" radio button located under the L*C*h* pad :
The deck display now has the following appearance (Note : the selected chip may be different) :
The largest patch in the center is the same as the one in the center of the L*C*h* pad. However, the
other patches over and under the central patch are shown according to their position relative to that
chip in the deck database, a snapshot of which is shown in the color strip. You can click on any patch
in the list to bring it to the central position; as well, like for the L*C*h* pad, you can click in the color
strip and on the arrows at each end.
STEP 4
Using the Mode menu, set the program to "Convert Right to Left" :

ColorMatch R'G'B' = (196, 81, 136).

312 BabelColor CT&A
The display should look like the following image (as seen on Windows XP) :
The program automatically selects the L*C*h* pad mode when you convert TO a deck; the List view
is not available. The center patch of the L*C*h pad shows the best match to the R'G'B' coordinates we
just entered. It is the 5RP 6/12 chip, where 5RP means the middle of the Red-Purple Hue zone in the
Munsell notation, while 6/ is the Munsell Value and /12 is the Munsell Chroma. The match is not exact
since we can see a difference in the patches display in the bottom of the main screen :
If we want the Munsell HVC equivalent to the ColorMatch R'G'B' coordinates, we simply select the
Munsell HVC display in Space #2 :
Which is shown as :
The 4,7RP 5,8/11,5 value is obtained by interpolating between known Munsell chips manufactured at
fixed hue, value and chroma intervals. For more information on the Munsell notation, please see the
Munsell Color System section; and you can have a look at the XYZ to Munsell section for more
information on the interpolation process.

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You will also notice that all the data boxes of the DeltaE* interface show "N.A.", which is expected
since the illuminant of the deck on the LEFT side is D65 while the illuminant on the RIGHT side, for
ColorMatch, is D50. We could select the DeltaE*ab D50 formula, but instead we will change the deck
illuminant :
With the same illuminant on both sides, values are now shown for DeltaE*ab, and we see that we
have a DE difference of 3,21.
STEP 5
On the other hand, if we want to find the exact ColorMatch equivalent to the Munsell 5RP 6/12 chip,
we just need to click on one of the conversion direction arrows :
to change the conversion direction from Right to Left to Left to Right, and we obtain the following
ColorMatch R'G'B' coordinates :
under which you will also notice that the interpolated Munsell HVC values are now equal to the ones
of the selected chip in Deck #1.

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8.8 8- Measure your display ISO 3664 characteristics

INTRODUCTION
This tutorial demonstrates how BabelColor CT&A can rapidly measure the brightness, chromaticity
accuracy, color temperature, and brightness uniformity of a color monitor.
In the program, this tool is called ISO 3664 with a "+" since it can not only help in making the
measurements required by the ISO 3664 standard, but can also be adjusted to meet many different
individual requirements. For instance, ISO 3664 specifies D65 as the chromaticity of the monitor while
many would prefer using D50, as specified in ISO 12646. This is possible in this tool by simply
selecting another reference illuminant. The same flexibility in setting the reference conditions is
available for the Color Rendering Index (CRI) and the Metamerism Index (MI), which can be
measured when selecting the other viewing conditions (Prints and Transparencies) defined by ISO
3664.
When calibrating or checking a display, you should wait at least one hour after powering up the
monitor, to give time for the electronic components and the LCD back lights—or the CRT tube—to
settle, before doing any measurements.
While the measurements can be performed in less than one minute, this tutorial presents and
discusses the various aspects of the requirements and the interface.
Important : To access these tools, you need to have an Eye-One spectrometer (Eye-One Pro)
connected to the same computer on which BabelColor CT&A is installed.
SETUP
· Click on the Peripheral menu and check if the "Calibrate" menu command is enabled. As a
minimum, the "Emission" command of the "Measurement mode" sub-menu should also be
enabled :
If the menu commands are not enabled, select the "Instrument info" menu command to look at the
instrument status; this command will also try to reconnect to the instrument if it was disconnected
at some point.
· By default, the measurement mode is set to "Reflectance". Select the "Peripheral/Measurement
mode/Emission" menu item to change the mode to "Emission", which we will use to measure the
monitor characteristics.
· Select the "Peripheral/Calibrate" menu item to launch the calibration for the selected

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measurement mode. The calibration in emission mode is done in two steps. The first step
requires that the Eye-One be placed on its base, to measure the noise floor of the black level, and
the second is used to measure the display White Level.
You may ask why a White Level calibration is required in BabelColor CT&A and not in
X-Rite/GretagMacbeth MeasureTool? In effect, MeasureTool also uses a White Level reference
value, very likely coming from a screen profile saved on your computer. The only difference is
that, with this program, you can set this reference to any display.
We suggest selecting and calibrating all the measurement modes you intend to work with at the
start of a working session. In any case, you will be instructed to calibrate your instrument if
required.
· Open the "Spectral tools" dialog using the "Tools/Spectral tools..." menu command.
· Click on the "ISO 3664+" tab of the "Spectral tools" dialog.
STEP 1
Select the "Color monitors" viewing condition :
The dialog display will change to show only the tools required by the selected viewing condition :
For color monitors, these tools are :

· Brightness : This is the brightness of a white patch. Some displays, particularly CRTs, will change
their brightness depending on what is displayed on the rest of the screen. For measurement
reproducibility purposes, it is recommended to use white patches over a black background.

316 BabelColor CT&A
The minimal ISO goal of 80 cd/m2 is considered insufficient by many but may well happen in real life
for monitors which are a few years old. However, going overboard on the plus side is not good
either. Recent LCD displays can often be adjusted to a brightness of well over 300 cd/m2 which is
considered too bright, also by many, for accurate color work, as it emphasizes the darker shades
which will be printed much darker than what is seen on the screen. You should be aware that
certain manufacturers of high-end monitors will not honor their warranty if their monitor is set at a
luminance higher than 100 cd/m2.
· Chromaticity : Expressed in u' and v' units of the Uniform Chromaticity Scale (UCS, CIE1976),
these are often specified instead of xy (CIE1931) units because they are more uniform; i.e. the
perceived difference between two sets of chromaticity coordinates better matches the numeric
distance between the two sets. Also, the 10 degree Observer (CIE1964) is used for this
measurement.
By default, "Goal" is selected for the "Target center", which, for the ISO 3664 "Color monitors"
viewing condition, corresponds to D65. However, you can select any of the following target centers :
In ISO 3664, the maximum offset for color monitors is a 0,025 u'v' radius. The radius of the green
circle in the illustrated target corresponds to this value. The offset value cannot be changed for a
given viewing condition but the provided numerical value will enable you to compare it against other
requirements you may have, such as the more stringent 0,010 radius called for in ISO 12646.
The "Meas. Temp." is the White Point temperature of your display. Technically, it is the Correlated
Color Temperature (CCT), in kelvin, corresponding to the measured chromaticity. Expressed
otherwise, this is the temperature to which you would set a blackbody in order for it to emit a white
of the same chromaticity.
Note : The reference illuminant for the CRI tool will also be based on the "Meas. Temp." (CCT)
shown here if "Auto" is selected as the reference CRI illuminant. As mentioned previously, the CRI
tool is available only for the Prints and Transparencies viewing conditions.

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· Brightness uniformity : This test is not part of ISO 3664, which specifies a brightness uniformity
for the Prints and Transparencies viewing conditions only, but an adaptation of the test specified in
ISO 12646. The brightness, as well as the chromaticity offset and the CCT, can be measured :
A position can be selected by clicking on one of the radio buttons. These positions correspond to
the nine positions specified for measuring brightness uniformity in ISO 12646, as shown on the
screenshot on the right, just above. As you see, you should not measure the brightness in the
extreme corners, but at a minimum distance of one quarter of the screen dimensions from the
edges. For example, the upper-left corner would be located at one-quarter of the screen height,
from the top, and one-quarter of the screen width, from the left.
Target images of white patches over a black background, for various screen resolutions, are
available in the "ISO12646_targets" folder located in the "BabelColor CT&A" application folder. In
Windows, this folder can be opened directly with the "Start menu/BabelColor/ISO 12646 targets"
shortcut. These images, available in BITMAP (*.bmp), Mac PICT (*.pct or *.pict), and TIFF (*.tif)
formats, can be opened with most image edition software. Measuring all patches can be automated,
as shown in STEP 2.
STEP 2
Click the "Take all" button located in the bottom of the "Brightness uniformity" group. Assuming that
calibration is done, the following dialog will appear (Windows version shown) :
By clicking "This display", the following image will fill your screen :

318 BabelColor CT&A
Position the Eye-One over the white circle and press the Eye-one button. Eight other similar targets
will follow; they will be located at the proper position according to ISO 12646 and the given screen
size. In each case, position the Eye-One over the target and press its button. If you want to cancel a
"Take all" sequence, just press any key on your keyboard.
Important : We do not recommend using BabelColor CT&A with the Eye-One when MeasureTool or
any other program which may wait for an Eye-One input is active. None of the programs will crash,
but the input will be assigned sequentially to the various programs.
When all measurements are done, you will be returned to the ISO 3664+ dialog where the brightness
uniformity will have a look similar to (hopefully better!) :
In the screenshot above, we see that the brightest spot is in the upper-right corner, with a 102%
brightness, and that there is a fall-off towards the bottom-left corner. With a relative brightness value
of 90% in the lower-left corner, this monitor just met the requirements.

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Here is an overall view of the dialog once the measurements are done :
You will note that the bottom-right position is selected. While the "Brightness uniformity" tells us the
relative brightness for a position, we see an absolute brightness of 93 cd/m2 for the selected position,
a value which meets the requirement. The chromaticity offset is 0,003, which easily meets the ISO
3664 requirement, and the measured CCT is 6506 K; please note that if we had used the more
stringent ISO 12646 chromaticity radius limit of 0,010, this chromaticity measurement would also be
well within the limit.
Clicking on any position (radio button) will enable you to look at the brightness, chromaticity offset and
color temperature of that position. You may notice, for example, that your monitor's corners are
"hotter" or "cooler" (i.e. have a higher or lower color temperature) than the center. The difference can
be a few hundred Ks for standard commercial monitors.
STEP 2
To save the measured data, click the "Save to file..." button located in the bottom of the dialog. The
exported report has tab-delimited data that can be directly imported in a spreadsheet program, and
opened in many text editing applications (it is suggested to use a monospace font, such as Courier, in
order to facilitate formatting).
You can also print a one-page report by clicking on the "Print report" button. The printed document
presents the measured data in a visual format ideal for compliance reports :

320 BabelColor CT&A
DISCUSSION
You could also select "Other display" in the dialog that appears after the "Take all" button is pressed,
and use the provided images, mentioned in the "Brightness" and "Brightness uniformity" paragraphs,
on a separate display than the one on which BabelColor CT&A is installed. Or, instead of clicking on
the "Take all" button, you could open a target image and manually select each position before taking a
measurement.

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8.9 9- Measure the display Contrast using the Graph tool

INTRODUCTION
This tutorial demonstrates some of the features of the "Graph" tab, one of the selections of the "
Spectral tools" dialog, while we measure the monitor contrast. In addition, we will compare the
ambient illumination falling on the monitor with ideal illuminants of the same color temperature.
The general purpose "Graph" tools enable you to observe, compare and analyze two spectrums and
their corresponding colorimetric data. The spectrums can be from reflectance, emission or ambient
measurements, and basic mathematical operations can be performed between them.
For this tutorial, we will select the emission mode to measure the luminance of black and white areas
of a saved image, and evaluate the monitor contrast ratio from these values. For optimal results,
your display should be calibrated using the Eye-One Match software prior to this tutorial. Also, the
calibration, and this tutorial, should be done at least one hour after powering up the monitor, to give
time for the electronic components and the LCD back lights—or the CRT tube—to settle.
Measuring the black level of a monitor is a delicate exercise since we are working close to the noise
level of the instrument; the ability to see a graph of the data is of tremendous help in identifying what
we are really measuring.
Important : To access these tools, you need to have an Eye-One spectrometer (Eye-One Pro)
connected to the same computer on which BabelColor CT&A is installed.
SETUP
enabled :
If the menu commands are not enabled, select the "Instrument info" menu command to look at the
instrument status; this command will also try to reconnect to the instrument if it was disconnected
at some point.
· Click on the "Graph" tab of the "Spectral tools" dialog.

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· In the "Next sample" group box of the "Graph" tab, select the "Emission" mode :
· Click the "Calibrate" button, located in the bottom-left of the "Spectral tools" dialog, to launch the
calibration for the selected measurement mode. The calibration in emission mode is done in two
steps. The first step requires that the Eye-One be placed on its base, to measure the noise floor
of the black level, and the second is used to measure the display White Level.
X-Rite/GretagMacbeth's MeasureTool? In effect, MeasureTool also uses a White Level reference
value, very likely coming from a screen profile saved on your computer. The only difference is
that, with BabelColor CT&A, you can set this reference to any display.
· We suggest selecting and calibrating all the measurement modes you intend to work with at the
start of a working session. In any case, you will be instructed to calibrate your instrument if
required. You can also calibrate all the measuring modes in the main screen, before opening the
"Spectral tools" dialog, using the "Peripheral/Measurement mode" and "Peripheral/Calibrate"
menu commands.
STEP 1
The D50 Illuminant and 2 degree Observer is selected by default in the "Color space setup" group
box. These settings are used to compute the colorimetric data shown in the bottom section of the
"Graph" tab (L*a*b* plus a user-selected color space); they have no effect on the measured and
displayed spectrums. You can keep these settings if your display is set to D50; if not, we suggest
selecting the illuminant which corresponds, or is closest, to your display White Point :
STEP 2
Open a test image from the "ISO12646_targets" folder located in the "BabelColor CT&A" application
folder. Select the image which name indicates a screen resolution which is closest to your present
monitor resolution (or the resolution of the monitor on which you will do the measurement).

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Here is a thumbnail of one such image :
For the purpose of the test, open the image using any graphics editing or viewing program, and size it
so that it fills the screen (which should be at 100% size or zoom if the image resolution corresponds to
your monitor resolution). There is a thin white border around the images to help match their size to the
monitor's viewing area.
Hint : In Windows XP, you can simply double-click on the file to preview the image, select the slide
show (F11), and pause at the selected image; press Alt + Tab to switch between opened
applications.
Hint : In Mac OS X, open the image using "Preview", select the slide show, and click on the icon
assigned to fill the screen with the image.
While the ISO 12646 target images are normally used to manually measure the brightness uniformity
in the ISO 3664+ tools (see also the previous tutorial), they have what we need to measure the
contrast ratio. It is not suggested to use small black and white patches over a crowded and colorful
desktop. Many displays will change their brightness depending on what is displayed on the rest of the
screen. In particular, if there are large zones of high luminosity, the light will leech through the monitor
face-plate and influence the black reading. Similarly, ambient (i.e. room) illumination will affect the
readings.
Just for the fun of it, if you are using a CRT, place a small opaque disk—a piece of cardboard will do
—over one of the patches, and see the whitish halo around it, which looks like the Sun's corona. This
shows how light bounces on the monitor glass and contaminates the surrounding colors. This effect is
basically inexistent on LCD displays which have thin glass cover plates.
Hint : You should keep your monitor resolution settings as fixed as you can, the reason being that the
screen brightness, its uniformity and chromaticity, and thus its profile, will be affected by a resolution
change. If a change is required, we suggest using different display profiles for each setting.
STEP 3
At this point, you should have a test image that fills the monitor screen. You do not need to see the
Spectral tools dialog to proceed with this step, but the dialog should be opened and set as described
previously.

324 BabelColor CT&A
Important : For the purpose of this test, make sure your ambient illumination is less than 10 lux. To
achieve such a low level, you will need to close the main room lights and pull the blinds; if needed, an
indirect desk lamp many feet/meters away should be enough. We will see in STEP 5 how this can
affect your measurements. In particular, when you calibrate the Eye-One on its base, make sure the
instrument is well seated and that no light from the monitor illuminates the base from the side (place
your hand as a shield if required).
Important : We do not recommend using BabelColor CT&A with the Eye-One concurrently with
MeasureTool or another program that may wait for an Eye-One input. None of the programs will
crash, but the input will be assigned sequentially to the various programs.
Simply position the Eye-One on the screen, over the white circle located in the test image center, and
press the Eye-One button. You should hear a "beep". Position the Eye-One over a black area,
between the four patches in the lower-right section for example, and press its button again :
You can now go back to the "Spectral tools' dialog. Do not close the test image as you may want to do
more measurements with it.

Tutorials 325
The dialog will look somewhat like the following screenshot (measurements taken on a CRT) :
The white center patch has a 99 cd/m2 Luminance while the black area has a 0,26 cd/m2 Luminance.
The contrast ratio is 381 (= 99 / 0,26). This value is typical of a calibrated CRT of average to good
quality.
Hint : The chromaticity of the white patch, the monitor White Point, can be seen by selecting the "xyY"
color space coordinates in the bottom-left list box ( which is also useful to verify the coordinates of
your monitor primaries) :
You may have noticed that high contrast values of 800:1 plus are advertised for many LCD displays.
However, you should be aware of the following :
· A higher contrast is not always better. The contrast should, in theory, be adjusted to the contrast
of the final application (i.e. the image support medium). Contrast values can range from 500:1 for
fine art prints, done with high-end ink jets printers and high quality papers, to 300:1 for standard
presses with ink on coated paper, to 200:1 for newspaper images.
· You cannot adjust the black level, and thus the contrast, of most LCD displays.

326 BabelColor CT&A
· While you can adjust the contrast on a CRT, most ICC profile generation software do not have an
input for this ratio, and cannot generate a profile for a specified contrast.
· For those interested, the Sony Artisan, a high-end professional CRT monitor with a built-in
calibration device, has software that enables the user to specify the contrast ratio. The bad news
is that it is discontinued, but somewhat available on the used market.
STEP 4
While somewhat similar, the two spectrums have very different scales. The one on the left, traced in
black, has a peak of about 3,5 mW /nm /m2 /sr at 630 nm, and the one on the right has a peak of
about 0,012 mW /nm /m2 /sr at the same wavelength. To better evaluate the spectrums, just move the
mouse cursor over them in the graph window and look at the numbers located on each side of the
graphs :
You can also compare the two spectrums with their maximum output normalized to one. Simply click
on the "Nor." radio button on each side :

Tutorials 327
STEP 5
We will now look at the influence of ambient lights on the contrast ratio. Open a desk lamp, or ceiling
lamps, and remove the monitor hood if your monitor has one. We will keep our black area reading, the
one on the right, displayed in red, and replace the white patch spectrum with a "contaminated" black
spectrum.
To see which side of the dialog will display the measurement at the next press of the Eye-One, look
for a yellow indicator near the "Get Sample" buttons :
A similar indicator is used for all spectral tools. If you do not want to assign the measurement to the
selected sample, simply click the other "Get Sample" button with your mouse (move the Graph tool
dialog in a corner of the monitor, far from your black measurement area, if it needs to be visible).
In the following screenshot, we see, for Sample-1 (S1: Emission), the measured spectrum of the black
area of the previous target image, when tungsten ceiling lights are opened above the monitor (about
53 lux illumination in front of monitor, measured with the monitor turned OFF) :
The black level is now 0,49, almost double what we initially measured, with a corresponding inverse
effect on the contrast ratio which is now 202:1. You will notice that all scales are in absolute mode
(the "Abs." radio button is selected). You may need to match the scales for better comparison using
the zoom arrows :

328 BabelColor CT&A
The "Subtract (S1 - S2)" operation has also been selected. The resulting spectrum, the bottom graph,
has the characteristic shape of a low temperature tungsten lamp spectrum, slowly rising when going
towards the red wavelengths.
The spectrum of the ambient light can easily be obtained by selecting the "Ambient" mode in the "Next
sample" group box :
and calibrating it, if not done previously. You need to install the provided accessory diffuser on top of
the Eye-One to perform the calibration and this measurement.
Important : Older versions of the Eye-One Pro do not support "Ambient" type measurements; these
instruments can be factory refurbished.
Hint : While you may take many samples during a measurement session, you may want to keep only
one for reporting or illustration purposes. To erase a sample, use Alt + click, in Windows, or Option +
click on a Mac; the "Get Sample" button will change its caption to "Clear" :
Place your Eye-One upside-down in front of your monitor and momentarily turn OFF the monitor in
order to eliminate its influence. Press the Eye-One button. Here is the spectrum of the 53 lux ambient
illumination which resulted in the lower contrast ratio measured in STEP 5 :

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In the screenshot above, the ambient spectrum was taken as Sample-1 (S1: Ambient), and the "S1 vs
Illum." function was selected to compare the measurement to an ideal illuminant, in this case a 2500 K
blackbody, both shown in the bottom graph; the measured spectrum is in black and the ideal
illuminant in green. The temperature of the blackbody was automatically selected by the program,
rounded to the nearest 50 K, and the blackbody spectrum was scaled to the original spectrum
illuminance (53 lux). The measured ambient color temperature is 2513 K, and the automatically
selected ideal illuminant temperature is 2500 K. See the Graph tools interface section for more
information on how the ideal illuminant is selected.
We clearly see that the ambient spectrum is almost a perfect blackbody with a shape similar to the
subtracted spectrum shown in the screenshot of STEP 5; the spectrum just measured has way less
noise of course. Here is an enlarged view in the red part of the spectrum where we can see a small
difference between the measured and the ideal spectrums :
The ability to see a spectrum and compare it to known illuminants can only re-enforce our analysis
that the ambient light mixes with the display light and lowers the overall contrast; this is a judgment
which is more difficult to give with numbers alone since, for the black level measurement, we are very
close to the noise floor, where small mistakes can cause large measurement errors.

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8.10 10- Measuring color patches on a display

INTRODUCTION
This tutorial explains what is going on internally in BabelColor CT&A when you measure color patches
on a display, i.e. in emission. We will make input measurements in the main screen and in the "Graph
" tab of the "Spectral tools" dialog, and see how they are processed. Such measurements are very
helpful when checking the calibration of a monitor or TV.
The main screen is dedicated to the comparison and conversion of RGB spaces and Color Decks. For
a given RGB space, color coordinates can be entered directly in RGB, as L*a*b* or L*u*v* values, or
converted from another RGB space or Color Deck. In this tutorial, we will use the L*a*b* / L*u*v* input
mode which can accept direct measurements from an Eye-One Display or Eye-One Pro.
The general purpose "Graph" tools enable you to observe, compare and analyze two spectrums and
their corresponding colorimetric data. The spectrums can be from reflectance, emission, ambient or
flash measurements, and basic mathematical operations can be performed between them. Because
these tools require spectral data, they can only accept data from an Eye-One Pro.
Important : When calibrating or checking a display, you should always wait at least 30 minutes,
preferably one hour, after you start your display, to give time for the electronic components and the
LCD back lights—or the CRT tube—to settle, before doing any measurements. Similarly, you should
temperature stabilize your Eye-One by leaving it on the display, in its cradle, while the display heats
up.
Note : The tutorial is separated in two parts. Steps 1 to 3, which form Part 1, can be done with an
Eye-One Display or an Eye-One Pro. Step 4 requires a spectrometer (Eye-One Pro) since we use the
Spectral tools.
SETUP (PART 1)
enabled :
If the commands are enabled, select the "Measurement mode/Emission" menu command. If not,
select the "Instrument info" menu command to look at the instrument status; this command will
also try to reconnect to the instrument if it was disconnected at some point.
· Space selection : Adobe (1998) for Space #1 and ProPhoto for Space #2

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· Input modes : R'G'B' for both spaces

· L*a*b* / L*u*v* in D50 checkbox : unchecked in both spaces
· Display profiles : Select "sRGB (CT&A)" as Destination in the Display tab of the Options /
Preferences dialog
There are two reasons for selecting this built-in profile instead of your default display profile.
Firstly, this will ensure that the tutorial screenshots are identical to the ones you will obtain, since
even if your display is calibrated to sRGB, the profile may differ slightly from the ideal sRGB
profile. Secondly, clipping for color patches is shown individually for each primary when using
built-in profiles, instead of a single exclamation point in a triangle for ICC profiles, making this
tutorial more informative on what happens behind the scene.
Important : After you have completed this tutorial, do not forget to set your display profile back to
what it was when you started it.
STEP 1
Note : For optimal results, you should do STEPS 1 and 2 in a close sequence, without moving the
instrument between measurements.
Calibrate your instrument using the "Peripheral/Calibrate" menu command. Alternately, do a mouse
right-click (with a three buttons mouse, or ctrl + click on a single-button Mac mouse) in most of the
gray areas of the main screen, and select the "Calibrate" command in the popup menu (notice the
menus for setting the measurement mode) :
The calibration in emission mode is done in two steps. The first step requires that the Eye-One be
placed on its base, to measure the noise floor of the black level, and the second is used to measure
the display White Level.
X-Rite/GretagMacbeth's MeasureTool? In effect, MeasureTool also uses a White Level reference

332 BabelColor CT&A
value, very likely coming from a screen profile saved on your computer. The only difference is that,
with BabelColor CT&A, you can set this reference to any display. You could for instance use a white
patch on your TV screen. You could even use a white patch from a projector, but we suggest you set
the measurement mode to Ambient and install the white diffuser on your instrument if you do so.
In addition to measuring the White Level, BabelColor CT&A also determines the Correlated Color
Temperature (CCT) of the white patch. Your monitor may or may not be calibrated but, in any case,
this is the white to which you will adapt your vision and relative to which all other colors will be
perceived. For example, if your monitor was calibrated to D65 but is, in effect, at D63, you will adapt
to D63 and never see the difference. The difference will become apparent if you compare the display
white with a perfect D65 white, in which case your monitor will look yellowish.
Important : Measurements on a display may be processed in different ways depending on what we

want to achieve. Her we measure the absolute coordinates of a display patch, without any attempt to
compensate for white point adaptation. It would also be possible to compensate for the actual white
point, measured during emission calibration, and shift the coordinates o all measured colors as if the
white point was the RGB space white point, doing in fact a Relative Colorimetric correction. Such a
method is part of the recommended procedure to certify monitors as specified by IDEAlliance (
http://www.idealliance.org ) and is the method used by BabelColor's PatchTool. You can consult a
BabelColor Application Note that explains how to perform the IDEAlliance procedure using PatchTool
: AN-4a Using PatchTool for IDEAlliance MONITOR proofing certification.
Now, lets measure the absolute chromaticity coordinates ("x" and "y").
STEP 2
Check the "L*a*b* / L*u*v* input" checkbox for each space.
Open an image with a white patch. It could be one of the ISO 12646 target files provided with
BabelColor CT&A, an opened empty file or folder background, or a patch in Photoshop. For a white
patch, there is essentially no difference between a color-managed and a non-color-managed
application since the white point and the gray ramp are handled via the graphics card's
Look-Up-Table (LUT) and not by the monitor ICC profile.
Place the white patch image in the center of the screen and position your instrument on the patch. If
you use an Eye-One Display, do a right-click (ctrl + click on a single-button Mac mouse) on the
main screen and alternately select "Measure-and-GO! LEFT" and "Measure-and-GO! RIGHT". If you
use an Eye-One Pro, you can also simply click twice on the Eye-One button; however, using the
software command minimizes the pressure between the instrument and the display, which could
possibly affect the measurements.

Tutorials 333
Here is a screenshot of what we obtained on one display after two measurements of a white patch :
The luminance and color temperature are the same for the two measurements, i.e. 85 cd/m2 and 6410
K. However, the measured patch color for Space #2 is slightly bluish (may not be visible in the above
screenshot). Since Space #2 is D50 based, it is normal that a measured white patch with a color
temperature of 6413 K appears bluish relative to the space white point.
We can also see that the measured chromaticities are different, even if the measured color
temperatures are the same. What happened?
Firstly, we see that both inputs are clipped. Secondly, we know that the display white point is around
6410 K. The display white point is closer to D65, the Adobe (1998) illuminant, than to D50, the
ProPhoto illuminant; still, the orange square of Space #2 is over D50, so there is definitely clipping
here. When measuring a display in relation to an RGB space, any measurement which exceeds the
maximum Y value associated with a xy pair, will be clipped. This is particularly delicate near the white
point, since only the white point can have a Y value of 100, as shown in the xyY diagram below :

334 BabelColor CT&A
Since the measured luminance is the same (85 cd/m2), and the measured CCT is also the same (well
within the measurement to measurement variation), we know that the xyY coordinates measured
were the same before being converted to R'G'B'. We also know that Y=100 (or is close to) in both
cases since it should correspond to the Y of the white patch used to calibrate the emission. Because
all RGB spaces only have one point with a Y=100, which corresponds to the chromaticity coordinates
of their illuminant, any other chromaticity with a Y of 100 will be clipped. Because our display has a
CCT of 6412 K, the clipping will be less severe when inputted in Adobe (1998), with a D65 illuminant,
than for ProPhoto, with a D50 illuminant.
To prove this, we measured a gray patch set to R=G=B=224 as input for each space (a simple square
in Photoshop will do). The rationale is that a lower luminance (i.e. lower Y) should prevent clipping
when we process the convert the xyY input to RGB. This gave us the following screen :

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Here again the luminances and color temperatures are essentially the same. You may notice that the
CCT is not exactly the same as for white. This often happens for a display which is not perfectly
calibrated; more precisely, this means that the graphics card Look-Up-Tables (LUTs), which linearize
the gray ramp and set the white point, needs to be redone. However, the chromaticities are now
identical, with x=0,316 and y=0,332. We also see a definite bluish tint for Space #2 when compared to
the first screenshot, because this measurement is not clipped to fit into the space.
Hint : To get the chromaticity values with more precision, just do a right-click (ctrl + click on a
single-button Mac mouse) with the mouse cursor over a xyY data field. A popup menu will enable you
to copy the values. You can then paste the values in a text file or a spreadsheet.
STEP 3
If we need to be further convinced that the chromaticity coordinates are correct, we can define a
custom RGB with the measured color temperature; we will see that this step facilitates our task of
measuring the chromaticities via the main screen. Open the "Custom RGB space" dialog with the
"Tools/Define custom RGB..." menu command :

336 BabelColor CT&A
In the opened dialog, select ProPhoto in the "Space" menu, then click on the "More..." button of the
"Illuminant" control group :
In the "Custom illuminant" dialog, select the "D series" illuminants and type your measured display
temperature (6413 K for our example) :
Click "OK" to accept the value and close the dialog. Click "OK" to accept the "Custom RGB space"
dialog settings and to close it.

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In Space #2, select the "Custom space", the last space in the menu :
We can now re-measure our white patch. For our display, we obtained the following results :
The screenshot above shows the L*a*b* data relative to the space illuminant, which is D64 as
indicated (D64 is a shorthand for D6413).

338 BabelColor CT&A
The White level is still at 85 cd/m2 and the color temperature is the same (within tolerance!) to what
we measured for the white patches in STEP 2. However, the measured RGB values are all equal to
255, with the corresponding L*a*b* values very close to (100, 0, 0), and the chromaticity coordinates
are the same as the ones measured for the gray patch.
Using this custom space, we can be pretty confident that most measured chromaticities will not be
clipped. Part of this confidence comes from an RGB space white point which corresponds to the
display white point. Another part comes from our selection of the space primaries, which are those of
ProPhoto, which has a gamut larger than essentially all commercial displays. Let's now see how these
measurements compare with what we get in the Spectral tools.
SETUP (PART 2)
Note : From here-on you need an Eye-One Pro to follow the procedure.
· Click on the "Graph" tab of the "Spectral tools" dialog.
· In the "Next sample" group box of the "Graph" tab, select the "Emission" mode :
· If required, click the "Calibrate" button, located in the bottom-left of the "Spectral tools" dialog, to
launch the calibration for the selected measurement mode.
· In the "Color space setup" control group, select D65 and the 2 degree Observer.
· Select the chromaticity coordinates ("xyY") in the bottom-left list box :
STEP 4
With the Eye-One set to "Emission" mode and properly calibrated, we measured two patches on our
display. The first patch is the White Level, i.e. R=G=B=255, and the second one is the gray patch at
R=G=B=224 that we also measured in STEP 2.
To make a measurement, just click on the Eye-One button or on one of the "Get Sample" buttons. To
see which side of the dialog will display the measurement at the next press of the Eye-One, look for a
yellow indicator near the "Get Sample" buttons :
If you want to change the indicator position to the other sample before taking a measurement, simply
click on the indicator. You can also click on the other "Get Sample" button with your mouse.

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Here are our measurements for the two patches :
The white patch results are on the left and its spectrum is shown by the black curve. The gray patch
results are on the right, illustrated with the red curve. The luminance levels are the same as the ones
obtained in the main screen, and the patches appearance. One difference here is that the chromaticity
measurements are not clipped as they can be in emission measurements done in the main screen. It
just happens here that the chromaticity is essentially identical to the one measured in the main screen
for the Adobe (1998) space (Space #1). We knew that we did not have a lot of clipping because our
display CCT (6403 K measured here) is close to D65; this measurement confirms it. It also confirms
that we had definite clipping when measuring the white patch in ProPhoto. The chromaticities of the
gray patch correspond exactly to what we obtained in the main screen; this was even more expected
than for the white patch.
You will note that the "Y" value of the white patch (on the left) is 101,0. Ideally it should be 100 (i.e.
100%) since we calibrated our display using the same white point. However, a display brightness is
not uniform across its surface and may also change in time; this measurements was probably not
done at the exact same location as the one used for calibration.
Note : In the Graph tools, the L*a*b* values are given relative to the selected Illuminant and Observer.
For Reflectance measurements, changing one or the other affects the displayed value for all color
spaces (L*a*b*, XYZ, etc.). However, in Emission and Ambient modes, you will notice that the xyY
and XYZ coordinates remain the same for a change in Illuminant, while the L*a*b* values change; this
simply indicates that the color of the emitted light is fixed, and that this color corresponds to various
L*a*b* coordinates depending on our choice of a reference Illuminant.

340 BabelColor CT&A
DISCUSSION
We have seen that the main screen and the Spectral tools give the same result when measuring a
display color, but that we have to be more careful when inputting data into the main screen due to the
fixed size of RGB spaces. In the main screen, once you have defined a custom RGB space based on
your display white point, you obtain non-clipped values for any patch color. With the Spectral tools,
you just make the measurement without any concern for fitting into an RGB space.
Here is how Emission and Ambient measurements are processed in BabelColor CT&A :
Important : Only x and y are absolute coordinates
Mode Main screen Graph tools
· Y and L* are relative to the · Y and L* are relative to the

calibration white Luminance calibration white Luminance
Emission
· The calibration Luminance is · The calibration Luminance is
normalized to 100 normalized to 100
Ambient · Y is maximized for the xy values · Y and L* are always equal to 100
Important : Do not forget to set the destination profile to what is was when you started the tutorial.

help manual
Section
IX
342 BabelColor CT&A
9 Technical support
FOR INFORMATION, COMMENTS, SUGGESTIONS, PROBLEMS OR BUG REPORTS
If you cannot find the information you need in this Help manual, please consult our Web site's FAQ.
You can also check if a new version of the program was released. Click on the link to open a
Web-browser window :
„ http://www.BabelColor.com .
If you still do not find an answer to a problem, or if you want to send us your comments and
suggestions, click on the link to send an e-mail :
„ [email protected] .
TO REPORT A PROBLEM
Please write a succinct description of the problem and include any information that could help in
solving the issue.
· If the program stops and an error message is displayed, please note the message as well as the
error code, if any.
· If the problem is data related and the program still operates when the problem is seen, save the
current data using the File/Save Data... menu command, or any report from the Spectral tools
dialog, and attach a copy to your e-mail.
· If the problem affects the display, you can make a copy of the program window by :
In Windows :
1. Activating the program window by clicking on it.
2. Pressing simultaneously on Alt + Print-Screen on the keyboard to copy an image of the
selected window to the clipboard (Note : If the program is frozen, just press Print-Screen to
copy the entire desktop).
3. Pasting the window image (usually the "Edit/Paste" menu command) in a graphic edition
program or word processor.
With Mac OS X :
1. Pressing simultaneously on z + shift + 3 on the keyboard to create a picture file of the entire
desktop, or pressing simultaneously on z + shift + 4 to create a picture file of a screen area
(after pressing and releasing the key combination, click and drag the mouse over the screen
area you want to take a picture of, or press the space bar and then select an individual
window).
2. The file will be saved on the Desktop in the Portable Network Graphics (PNG) image format.
OR
1. Launching the "Grab" application located in the "Applications/Utilities" folder.
2. Capturing the entire screen or a portion of it and saving as a "tiff" file.
You then attach the file containing the image to your e-mail.

Technical support 343
· Provide any of the following information that you may find useful to describe the problem :
Program related information :
The sequence of events that resulted in the problem
For RGB space and Deck modes :
Operating mode : Compare or Convert (and conversion direction)
Gamma mode : simple or detailed
Space description (Adobe, Apple, sRGB, Custom, etc.)
Input mode : R'G'B', "xy" Mouse input, "L*a*b*/ L*u*v* input", or Eye-One input
Display mode : Hex #, HSB, Munsell HVC, L*C*h*, xyY, or XYZ
Display mode : L*a*b*, or L*u*v*
State of "L*a*b*/ L*u*v* in D50" checkbox
For Spectral tools :
Instrument model (Eye-One Display, Display 2, or Pro)
Selected tool tab
Measurement mode (emission, ambient, reflectance, flash)
Tool settings
Computer environment information :
Computer brand and model
Operating system (Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 7, Mac OS X); indicate the service pack
level or the exact version number, if known
Processor type and speed (Intel, AMD, PPC, G4, G5, Mac-Intel)
Amount of RAM
International language settings
Display resolution and bit depth (number of colors)
Display appearance settings; for Windows : DPI value (96 (100%), 120 (125%), etc.)
Graphic card brand and model if applicable
Printer brand and model

Index 345
ISO 5-4 252
Index Bradford matrix

conversion equation 187
data dialog 152
definition 187
- A - show dialog menu 150
brightness 195
Adobe (1998) 214
ASTM D985 252
Ambient input
description 252
Metamerism Index tools 90
measurement 120
Ambient mode
TAPPI T452 252
Graph tools 99
brightness (HSB) 193
Apparent Trap
British Standard 5252F (see BS 5252F) 226
Brunner equation 239
Bruce RGB 217
definition 239
Brunner equation 239
interface 86
BS 4800 (see BS 5252F) 226
Preucil equation 239
BS 4900 (see BS 5252F) 226
Apple menu
BS 4901 (see BS 5252F) 226
Mac OS X 129
BS 4902 (see BS 5252F) 226
Apple RGB
BS 4903 (see BS 5252F) 226
color patches 67
BS 4904 (see BS 5252F) 226
description 214
BS 5252F
ASTM D985 120, 252
description 226
notation 226
- B - BS 6770 (see BS 5252F) 226
BabelColor CT&A
data flow 176 - C -
data integrity 178
Calibrate
purchasing 24
white level 143
registration 24
CCT
technical data 176
definition 185
technical support 342
Graph tools 99
upgrades 24
ISO 3664+ tools 110
version - Mac OS X 130
Main window 143
version - Windows 157
version history 33
CGATS.5 120, 252
What is Babel Color CT&A ? 11
chroma 193
BabelColor CT&A menu
CIE 1976 chroma 199
Mac OS X 130
L*C*h* 199
backings
RAL DESIGN 245
check compliance 120
chromaticity diagram
description 252
definition 180
BestRGB 215
interface 65
Beta RGB 216
CIE 180
black backing
CIE 13
check compliance 120
description 247
description 252
measurement 110
346 BabelColor CT&A
CIE 1931 180 Munsell Color System 229

CIE 1964 180 RAL CLASSIC 232
CIE 1976 195, 197 user-defined deck 55, 56
CIE 51 Color Inconstancy Index
chromaticity tolerance 247 definition 243
description 247 measurement 90
measurement 110 color patches
CIE RGB 217 Apple RGB 67
CIE S 012 sRGB 67
chromaticity tolerance 247 Color Rendering Index
description 247 definition 247
measurement 110 Graph tools 99
CIE94 color-difference equation 205, 207 measurement 110
CIEDE2000 color-difference equation 205, 210 color strip
CIE-GANZ 82 interface 62
description 252 ColorChecker
measurement 120 chart description 155
CIELAB color-difference equation 205, 206 show dialog menu 150
CIELAB-HE 2007 tutorial 304
description 252 color-difference
measurement 120 acceptability 209
CIELUV color-difference equation 205, 206 CIE94 207
CIE-Uchida CIEDE2000 210
description 252 CIELAB 206
measurement 120 CIELUV 206
CII CMC(l:c) 209
definition 243 Delta_h* 199
measurement 90 DeltaC* 199, 206, 207, 209, 210
clipping indicators DeltaH* 206, 207, 209, 210
color patches 67 DeltaL* 199, 206, 207, 209, 210
Density tools 86 paint and inks 206, 207
Graph tools 99 perceptibility 209
in converted space 48 textile 206, 207, 209
L*a*b* / L*u*v* input 51 video and TV 206
Metamerism Index tools 90 ColorMatch 218
RAL tool 97 color-matching functions 180
CMC(l:c) color-difference equation 205, 209 compare mode
Color Deck controls 162
BS 5252F 226 menu 148
chip name 63 screen appearance 162
Deck Select dialog 56 convert modes
deck selection 55 controls 164
decks in database 225 menu 148
effect of deck selection 55 screen appearance 164
FED-STD-595 227 Copyright 39, 40
illuminant selection 57 Correlated Color Temperature
interface 54 definition 185
mode selection 161 Graph tools 99

Index 347
Correlated Color Temperature display 74

ISO 3664+ tools 110 density
Metamerism Index tools 90 filters description 235
credits 41 filters selection 86
CRI White base selection 86
definition 247 Density tools
Graph tools 99 Apparent Trap 86
measurement 110 description 234
Custom RGB space Dot/Tone (Dot Area) 86
Custom illuminant dialog 78 GUI 86
export RGB to XYZ matrix 78 Hue error-Grayness-Saturation 86
export space parameters 78 Print Contrast 86
export XYZ to RGB matrix 78 Reflection density 86
gamma 78 display
Illuminant 78 calibration 31
interface 78 dim mode 131
primaries 78 requirements 30
DonRGB4 218
- D - Dot Area
Murray-Davies equation 237
Yule-Nielson equation 237
data displays
Deck interface 63 Dot/Tone (Dot Area)
definition 237
Space interface 48
interface 86
data flow 176
data integrity 178
DE2000 color-difference equation
Deck (see Color Deck) 54, 225
205, 210 - E -
Define custom RGB eciRGB
menu 149 eciRGB 1.0 219
definitions and theory 179 eciRGB_v2 202, 219
Delta_h* Ekta Space PS5 220
definition 199 Emission mode
display 74 Graph tools 99
DeltaC* export
definition 199, 206, 207, 209, 210 Custom RGB space parameters 78
display 74 custom RGB space RGB to XYZ matrix 78
DeltaE* custom RGB space XYZ to RGB matrix 78
definition 205 density measurements 86
display 74 ISO 3664 report 110
equations 205 main window report 140, 141
formats 29 metamerism report 90
QC setting in Compare mode 131, 205, 207, spectral data 99
209 spectrum images 99
DeltaH* Eye-One
definition 206, 207, 209, 210 Calibrate 143
display 74 Instrument info 143
DeltaL* L*a*b* / L*u*v* input 51
definition 199, 206, 207, 209, 210 measurement modes 143
348 BabelColor CT&A
Eye-One Color Deck 54

polarization sensitivity 110 Custom RGB space 78
RGB space input 166 Density tools 86
supported models 25 Graph tools 99
Eye-One Display ISO 3664+ tools 110
monitor type option 131 Main screen 44
RAL tool 97
- F - Space interface 45
Spectral tools 84
FED-STD-595
Whiteness tools 120
description 227
notation 227
Flash mode
Graph tools 99
- H -
measurement sequence 99 HDTV (HD-CIF) 221
fluorescence Help menu 157
description 252 Hex #
measurement 120 definition 192
FujiFilm SC-41 120, 252 display selection 48
R'G'B' to Hex # 192
- G - HSB
definition 193
display selection 48
GamColor 1510 120, 252
R'G'B' to HSB 193
gamma
Custom RGB space 78 hue (HSB) 193
detailed 189 hue angle
CIE 1976 hue angle 199
equations 189
L*C*h* 199
L* (L-star) 202, 219
RAL DESIGN 245
mode setting 173
option 131 Hue error
definition 241
simple 131, 189
measurement 86
gamut
L*a*b* gamut Efficiency 216 Hue error-Grayness-Saturation
definitions 241
RGB Encoding Efficiency 216
interface 86
Generic RGB
description 221 Hunter Metamerism Index
measurement 90
Graph tools
Ambient mode 99 HVC
Deck display selection 63
Emission mode 99
Munsell HVC to XYZ 200
Flash mode 99
Space display selection 48
interface 99
math operations on spectrums 99
Reflectance mode
Grayness
99
- I -
definition 241 Illuminance
measurement 86 Graph tools 99
GUI ISO 3664+ tools 110

Index 349
Illuminance sliders 47
Main window 143 Space 45
Metamerism Index tools 90 Space data displays 48
illuminants Spectral tools GUI 84
blackbody 185 Whiteness tools GUI 120
Correlated Color Temperature 185 ISO 12646
Custom blackbody 78 chromaticity tolerance 247
Custom D-series 78 uniformity 247
Custom illuminant dialog 78 ISO 13655 120, 252
data dialog 153 ISO 23603
definition 185 chromaticity tolerance 247
description 185 description 247
D-series 185 measurement 110
show dialog menu 150 ISO 2470 252
temperature 185 ISO 2471 120, 252
input formats 27 ISO 3664
input modes chromaticity tolerance 247
"xy" mouse input 166 description 247
color strip 166 measurement 110
Eye-One 166 Viewing conditions 247, 252
from the other space 166 ISO 3664+ tools
L*a*b* / L*u*v* 166 interface 110
L*C*h* pad 58, 166 tools description 247
List view 61, 166 ISO 5-4 120, 252
R'G'B' 166
interface
chromaticity diagram 65 - L -
Color Deck 54
L* (L-star) 202, 219
color patches 67
L*a*b*
color patches clipping indicators 67
color strip 62
definition 195
Custom RGB space GUI 78
L*a*b* to L*C*h* 199
Deck data displays 63
L*a*b* to XYZ 195
deck illuminant 57
lightness 195
DeltaE* 74
Density tools GUI 86
XYZ to L*a*b* 195
Graph tools GUI 99
L*a*b* / L*u*v* / L*C*h* in D50 63
ISO 3664+ tools GUI 110
L*a*b* / L*u*v* in D50 48
L*a*b* / L*u*v* / L*C*h* in D50 63
L*a*b* / L*u*v* input
L*a*b* / L*u*v* in D50 48
interface 51
L*a*b* / L*u*v* input 51
set mode 166
L*C*h* pad 58
L*a*b* gamut Efficiency 216
List view 61
L*C*h
Main screen GUI 44
chroma 199
menus 128
hue angle 199
Metamerism Index tools GUI 90
lightness 199
mouse input 73
L*C*h*
RAL tool GUI 97
350 BabelColor CT&A
L*C*h* Edit 142

definition 199 Exit - Windows 140
Space display selection 48 File - all platforms 139
L*C*h* pad File - Mac OS X 141
interface 58 File - Windows 140
options 58, 131 Graphic data 150
patches border 131 Help 157
search extent 131 Hide BabelColor CT&A - Mac OS X 130
sensitivity 131 Instrument info 143
L*u*v* Mac OS 8 and 9 128
Deck display selection 63 Mac OS X 128
definition 197 Measure LEFT 143
L*u*v* to L*C*h* 199 Measure RIGHT 143
L*u*v* to XYZ 197 Measure-and-GO! LEFT 143
lightness 197 Measure-and-GO! RIGHT 143
Space display selection 48 Measurement mode 143
XYZ to L*u*v* 197 Mode 148
L*u'v' 197 Options - Windows 140
Legal notice 39 Paste 142
lightness Peripheral 143
L*a*b* 195 Preferences - Mac OS X 130
L*C*h* 199 Print Graphic - Mac OS X 141
L*u*v* 197 Print Graphic - Windows 140
RAL DESIGN 245 Quit BabelColor CT&A - Mac OS X 130
List view Save Report - Mac OS X 141
interface 61 Save Report - Windows 140
options 131 Spectral tools 149
patches border 131 Table data 150
luminance 180, 193 Tools 149
Graph tools 99 top level 128
ISO 3664+ tools 110 Windows 128
Main window 143 metameric pair 243
Metamerism Index
CIE 51 definition 247
- M - CIE 51 measurement 110
CIE S 012 definition 247
menus
CIE S 012 measurement 110
About BabelColor CT&A - Mac OS X 130
Daylight Simulators 247
About BabelColor CT&A - Windows 157
Hunter Metamerism Index 243
Apple menu 129
Hunter MI measurement 90
BabelColor CT&A menu 130
ISO 23603 definition 247
Calibrate 143
ISO 23603 measurement 110
Clear 142
MI tools description 243
Compare 148
Convert 148 Metamerism Index tools
Color Inconstancy Index (CII) 90
Copy 142
Hunter Metamerism Index (MI) 90
Cut 142
interface 90
Data 150
Special Metamerism Index (SMI) 90
Define custom RGB 78, 149

Index 351
Metamerism Index tools Options

tools description 243 DeltaE in Compare mode 131
MI dialog 131
CIE 51 definition 247 dim chromaticity diagram 131
CIE 51 measurement 110 display space 131
CIE S 012 definition 247 Eye-One Display monitor type 131
CIE S 012 measurement 110 gamma 131
Daylight Simulators 247 L*C*h* pad 131
Hunter MI definition 243 List view 131
Hunter MI measurement 90 menu - Windows 140
ISO 23603 definition 247 print data with graphic 131
ISO 23603 measurement 110 output formats 28
Mode Settings 160
modes
Color Deck 161 - P -
compare 162
PAL/SECAM 222
convert 164
paper
gamma 173
brightness 120, 252
input 166
density 86
Space 161
fluorescence 120, 252
mouse input opacity 120, 252
interface 73
whiteness 120, 252
mode description 166
PatchTool
Munsell adding a user-defined deck 55, 56
notation 229
Preferences
Munsell Book of Color 200, 229 DeltaE in Compare mode 131
Munsell Color System 229 dialog 131
Munsell HVC dim chromaticity diagram 131
display space 131
Munsell HVC to XYZ 200
Eye-One Display monitor type 131
gamma 131
Murray-Davies equation 237 L*C*h* pad 131
List view 131
- N - menu - Mac OS X
print data with graphic
130
131
NTSC 222 Preucil equation 239
primaries
Custom RGB space 78
- O - primaries of RGB spaces 154
print
Observer
menu - Mac OS X 141
CIE 1931 180
menu - Windows 140
CIE 1964 180
Print Contrast
opacity
definition 240
CGATS.5 252
interface 86
description 252
ISO 2471 252 program
data flow 176
measurement 120
data integrity 178
352 BabelColor CT&A
program XYZ to RGB data dialog 153

definitions and theory 179 RGB Encoding Efficiency 216
technical data 176 RGB spaces
version - Mac OS X 130 Adobe (1998) 214
version - Windows 157 Apple RGB 214
version history 33 BestRGB 215
ProPhoto 222 Beta RGB 216
purchasing 24 Bruce RGB 217
CIE RGB 217
ColorMatch 218
- Q - DonRGB4 218
eciRGB 1.0 219
QuickStart
eciRGB_v2 202, 219
Main Screen 14
Ekta Space PS5 220
Spectral Tools 16
gamma parameters 154
Generic RGB 221
- R - HDTV (HD-CIF) 221
illuminant 154
RAL CLASSIC list of spaces 213
description 232 NTSC 222
notation 232 PAL/SECAM 222
RAL DESIGN primaries 154
chroma 245 ProPhoto 222
hue angle 245 SGI 223
lightness 245 SMPTE-240M 223
notation 245 SMPTE-C 223
RAL tool sRGB 224
interface 97 Wide Gamut 224
references 259 RGB to XYZ
Reflectance mode data dialog 153
Graph tools 99 definition 188
Reflection density export Custom RGB space data 78
definition 235 show dialog menu 150
interface 86 Rosco 3114 120, 252
registration 24
R'G'B'
definition 189 - S -
input boxes 48
input sliders 47 Saturation (density)
definition 241
R'G'B' to Hex # 192
measurement 86
R'G'B' to HSB 193
R'G'B' to RGB 189 saturation (HSB) 193
Save
RGB (linear)
Custom RGB space parameters 78
definition 189
Custom RGB space RGB to XYZ matrix 78
RGB to R'G'B' 189
Custom RGB space XYZ to RGB matrix 78
RGB to XYZ 188
density measurements 86
RGB to XYZ data dialog 153
ISO 3664 report 110
XYZ to RGB 188
main window report 140, 141

Index 353
Save Tools
metamerism report 90 blackbody chromaticity coordinates 78
spectral data 99 Define custom RGB space 78
spectrum images 99 D-series chromaticity coordinates 78
Save Report menu 149
Mac OS X 141 Spectral tools 84
Windows 140 Trademarks 40
SGI 223 tristimulus 180
simple encoding gamma 131, 189 tutorials 264
simple gamma 131, 189
sliders
SMI
47
- U -
definition 243
UCS 197
measurement 90
Uniform Chromaticity Scale 197
SMPTE-240M 223
upgrades 24
SMPTE-C 223
UV filter
SoLux lamp 99, 110 Whiteness tools 120, 252
Space
data dialog 154
effect of RGB space selection
interface 45
46, 178 - V -
mode selection 161 version
RGB space selection 46 Mac OS X 130
show dialog menu 150 Windows 157
Special Metamerism Index version history 33
definition 243 Viewing conditions 247
measurement 90
specifications
Spectral tools
25
- W -
Density tools 86 white backing
description 233 check compliance 120
Graph tools 99 description 252
ISO 3664+ tools 110 ISO 13655 252
menu 149 whiteness
Metamerism Index tools 90 CIE-GANZ 82 120, 252
RAL tool 97 CIELAB-HE 2007 120, 252
Whiteness tools 120 CIE-Uchida 120, 252
sRGB description 252
color patches 67 measurement 120
description 224 Whiteness tools
Standard Observer 180 interface 120
SWOP coated 150 tools description 252
Wide Gamut 224
- T - Wratten 2B 120, 252
TAPPI T452 120, 252

technical data 176
- X -
technical support 342 xyY
354 BabelColor CT&A
xyY
definition 180
XYZ to xyY 180
XYZ
definition 180
L*a*b* to XYZ 195
L*u*v* to XYZ 197
RGB to XYZ 188
RGB to XYZ data dialog 153
XYZ to L*a*b* 195
XYZ to L*u*v* 197
XYZ to Munsell HVC 200
XYZ to RGB 188
XYZ to RGB data dialog 153
XYZ to xyY 180
xyz definition 180
XYZ to RGB
data dialog 153
definition 188
export Custom RGB space data 78
show dialog menu 150
- Y -
Yule-Nielson equation 237

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BabelColor

Color Translator & Analyzer

© 2010 Danny Pascale

© 2010 Danny Pascale

Published in June 2010 in Montreal / Quebec / Canada.

Section II Main screen GUI 44

Section III Custom RGB space Interface 78

Section IV Spectral tools GUI 84

© 2010 Danny Pascale

Section V Menus 128

Section VI Mode Settings 160

Section VII Technical data 176

© 2010 Danny Pascale

Section VIII Tutorials 264

© 2010 Danny Pascale

Mac demo version

Section IX Technical support 342

© 2010 Danny Pascale

Thank-you for your interest in

Introduction - Table of Contents

Main Help Topics

BabelColor® CT&A V-3.0

© 2010 Danny Pascale

1.1 What is BabelColor CT&A ?

A bidirectional color-language translator and comparator :

© 2010 Danny Pascale

Click here for a QuickStart guide on the Main screen interface.

A multi-purpose set of spectral tools :

© 2010 Danny Pascale

Click here for a QuickStart guide on the Spectral tools.

© 2010 Danny Pascale

1.1.1 QuickStart: Main screen

© 2010 Danny Pascale

For information on the spectral tools :

© 2010 Danny Pascale

1.1.2 QuickStart: Spectral tools

A short introduction to each tool set follows.

© 2010 Danny Pascale

© 2010 Danny Pascale

Metamerism Index (MI) Tools

© 2010 Danny Pascale

RAL DESIGN Tool

© 2010 Danny Pascale

© 2010 Danny Pascale

ISO 3664+ Tools

© 2010 Danny Pascale

· Important : Fluorescence measurements require a thin, transparent, UV filter, which is not

© 2010 Danny Pascale

For information on the main screen features :

© 2010 Danny Pascale

1.2 Purchasing and Registration

To purchase, click on the following link to open a Web-browser window :

© 2010 Danny Pascale

© 2010 Danny Pascale

© 2010 Danny Pascale

For Color Decks :

© 2010 Danny Pascale

In addition, xy coordinates are shown in the chromaticity diagram .

For Color Decks :

In addition, xy coordinates are shown in the chromaticity diagram.

· Lab* referenced to the illuminant of the selected space

2.1.3.1 Lab* / Luv* input interface