COLOR COMPUTERS - HOW DO THEY WORK?

The color computer is made up of a controlled light source that illuminates the sample of the object. The light that has been transmitted through or reflected from the object is gathered in the instrument's color analyzer, here it is converted from light signals to electrical signals to computer data. The color computer programs calculate the human vision response weighted by illuminant data and outputs the tristimulus X,Y,Z data which is calculated as human judgment data such as CIE L,a,b. We now have color data.

How do each of the components of the color computer work?

The light source is either constant burning or pulsed tungsten (incandescent), xenon flash, or light emitting diodes (LED). The critical issue is to get a source that is mathematically predictable. Usually color instrument light sources are corrected by filters or mathematically corrected as close to a daylight simulation as possible. Color measurement instruments must be calibrated to a known white and black routinely to be accurate. Keep your calibration materials clean and replace them if they are questionable. For companies that are ISO compliant, the white calibration tile must be certified traceable to an internationally accepted white standard.