What Shade Is Cold? The Temperature Of Tint
Lighting is an art. It can be seen in the pictures of Ansel Adams, the cinematography of Haskell Wexler, and the paintings of Caravaggio. Take away illumination and there is no color, no shadow, no contrast and no art, no science, no plant life, no anything. Light splits the darkness and is the foundation of life and culture. Light is a big deal. Yet most people treat light like a forgotten mistress. The giant solar orb rises and they can see just fine. The sun goes down and the streetlights come on. The house lights could be candles, incandescent bulbs, fluorescent lights, moon light or the glow of a computer screen. The suns natural light, fluorescent lighting, and the glow of a light bulb all illuminate, but they are not the same. Light has a color temperature. Artists, cinematographers and interior decorators are well informed of the color temperature of lights. They use them to great affect. Understanding color temperature is an important skill for any artist or designer.
Color temperature is talked about in terms of warm and cool. The warmest temperatures run in the reddish hues, the coldest in the bluish hue. Average person on the street associate heat with color, thinking the hottest light source should create the warmest colors. The inverse is occurs. The sun has blue tones and a flame has red tones. A flame is perhaps the easiest way to understand this range of tones. The section of the flame that is hottest is the section nearest to the burning surface. This part of the fire is usually blue. The tip of the fire is yellow, orange and sometimes even a bit red. Color Temperature can also be witnessed in the daily passage of the sun. In the cooler hours of the day, the rising or setting sun is red, while the noon day sun beats down hot and blue. Our eyes view sunlight as white and that is the challenge in photography, cinematography and design.
The human eye operates like one of the best filters ever created. Whenever the eyelid opens, the eye and the brain work together to produce the interpretation of color tone. A room with white walls lit by incandescent bulbs will appear white. During the day the same wall will appear white. The ocular nerves and the mind adjust. This can easily be seen by taking a photograph with the camera white balanced incorrectly. If it is white balanced for daylight and the room is lit by light bulbs it will appear very yellow. If it is white balanced for electric lights and shot under sunlit conditions the picture will appear very blue.
Interior designers, photographers, filmmakers and painters all take into account color temperature. The paint on the wall whatever color it is, will change tone with various lights. A good designer considers the color of paint under the various lighting sources that will illuminate the room. Colors help create ambiance. Even when a person believes they are looking at white, the body reacts to the warm and cool tones.
Knowing color temperature is a great skill for anyone interested in art or home design.
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