A Scientific Approach to

Visual Color Evaluation

VISUAL
COLOR
EVALUATION
GUIDE
When color does not meet specification,
production can suffer down the line with
rejects and rework, increased costs, and
extended time to market. To ensure color
remains in tolerance from specification
through assembly and final delivery, it is
important to visually evaluate color under
standardized lighting.
Why Standardized Lighting is Important
for Visual Color Evaluation
White light is comprised of all the colors in the visible spectrum. When the type of light changes, the appearance of color can also
change.
Different light sources contain varying amounts of spectrum colors, which impacts how we perceive the color of an illuminated object.
The lower the color temperature of the light source, the warmer or redder the source will be. Inversely, the higher the color temperature
of the source, the cooler or bluer it will be. For example, a blue ball illuminated outside under a partly cloudy sky will appear bluer than it
will indoors under a lamp bulb with a tungsten filament because tungsten light does not generate as much light energy in the blue range
of the spectrum.

Many companies understand the importance of color measurement but overlook

the need for visual assessment.
Spectrophotometers can identify whether a color is within tolerance, but they measure and evaluate surfaces differently. Think of a chair with
plastic legs and a fabric seat cover. A spectrophotometer can measure the fabric and plastic to ensure the color of each is within tolerance, but
it is still possible to ship an unsatisfactory product if the fabric and plastic do not match under all light sources once the chair is assembled.

This is called metamerism, a phenomenon that occurs when two colors appear to match under one lighting condition but not when the light
changes. Metameric matches are quite common, especially in near neutral colors like grays, whites, and dark colors. Fluorescent optical
brighteners are also a common trigger for metamerism in papers, fabrics, and liquids. In this process, a chemical is added to absorb ultraviolet
energy from below the visible and re-emit it energy at longer wavelengths to make the color appear whiter. OBAs can be difficult to manage
and often cause metameric pairs.

Clothing manufacturers deal with metamerism, especially for whites that contain optical brighteners. If the collar and sleeves are sourced from
a different fabric or dye lot, it is possible they will appear to match under one type of light but shift under another.

Automakers also struggle with metamerism. The body paint is made from pigments different from those used on the bumpers and rearview
mirrors, the interior fabric is colored with dyes, and the plastic dashboard and console are molded from plastic masterbatch. Each of these
components are made by different suppliers, further opening the door for mismatched color at assembly.

Metamerism can be an issue for every industry. Evaluating products under multiple light sources can ensure assembled parts match under
multiple lighting conditions.

Visual Color Evaluation Guide | 3

THE VISUAL
COLOR
EVALUATION
TOOLSET
Controlled Lighting
Light booths can simulate many different types of light, including daylight, home light, and store light, to represent
how product color will react under different lighting conditions. Placing a product inside a light booth or under
overhead luminaires and changing the source will identify if color shifts when the light changes. This is the ideal
way to visually compare the color of a sample against a standard and evaluate how adjacent parts will look when
assembled under every light the product may encounter post-purchase.

Depending on the industry, the interior of X-Rite light booths are Munsell N7 or N8 – both neutral colors that allow
the eye to focus without distraction.

A Physical Color Reference

A physical color reference is one of the most precise ways to communicate color in many industries, including
textiles, print, automotive, paints, food, chemicals, packaging, plastics, and more. A physical reference can also be
compared against a production sample in a light booth to ensure the color is visually acceptable.

When creating a physical reference, it is important to use the same material and colorant as will be used for the
production process because materials behave differently with pigments, inks, or dyes. In other words, you cannot
compare a fabric sample against a plastic physical reference.

Many companies rely on experts like Pantone or Munsell Color to help with this crucial task.

Pantone makes two color systems – the Pantone Matching System (PMS) and the Pantone Fashion, Home +
Interiors (FHI) System. Each system is designed to feature market-relevant colors and helps ensure the colors
included are achievable and reproducible based on the materials used.

Munsell Color maintains a huge library of color standards as well as tolerance sets that include reference in
the middle, and examples of color that is too light, too dark, etc. around the edges. This makes it easy to visually
evaluate whether a sample is within tolerance. Munsell also produces custom physical standards to validate
specific colors and processes.

Color Vision Acuity

Most people don’t even know they have some type of color deficiency, but it is incredibly common. In fact,
approximately one in every 12 men and one in every 200 women worldwide exhibit some type of color deficiency.
Anyone responsible for making color decisions should take a color acuity test, such as the Farnsworth-Munsell
100 Hue Test, at least annually under controlled lighting.

The Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue Test consists of four trays containing a total of 85 removable color reference
caps that span the visible spectrum. To determine color vision aptitude, the test subject must sort the color caps
in incremental order of hue variation under standardized daylight conditions.

Visual Color Evaluation Guide | 5

SETTING UP A
SUCCESSFUL
VISUAL COLOR
EVALUATION
PROGRAM
Just using a light booth is not enough
to ensure a successful visual evaluation
program. These tips can help establish
success for any industry.
TIP 1

TIP 1 Use the Right Light Source

Light booths can be customized to replicate just about any viewing condition. The primary light sources
used in a light booth include:

• Daylight D50 (color temperature 5000K): A light bluish colored daylight source primarily used in
graphic arts and photography.
• Daylight D65 (color temperature 6500K): A daylight source that accentuates blue and subdues
green and red. D65 is used to visually evaluate color in industrial applications like paints, coatings,
plastics, textiles, and other manufactured products.
• Incandescent, Halogen, Tungsten: Yellow/red light sources that simulates typical home and retail
accent lighting. It is described as an ISO standard for use in color matching applications where a
yellowish-red source is required.
• Cool White Fluorescent (CWF, TL84, U30): A green, wide band fluorescent source commonly used
in commercial lighting applications in North America. It is characterized by emitting high amounts
of green and very little red energy.
• LED: As retail, office, and home environments switch to LED bulbs, it is becoming increasingly
necessary to evaluate color in LED viewing conditions. Although there is not yet an official LED
lighting standard for color matching, LED lamps can gauge how a product may appear in an
environment illuminated by a similar LED source.
• Ultraviolet (UV): A light energy that is present in natural daylight, but not visible to the human eye.
UV energy has the ability to excite optical brightener agents (OBAs) and fluorescent dyes and
pigments within a sample causing them to emit light in the visible spectrum, usually in the blue
region. These substances are used to brighten products such as detergents, papers, and fabric.
Ultraviolet primarily is used to detect the presence of optical brighteners in materials.

Additional light sources may be added to a light booth, such as a specific type used in a specific retail
store chain, to ensure products will have the proper appearance in the lighting environment.

Daylight CWF TL 84 Ultraviolet

Ultralume Incandescent A Horizon

Visual Color Evaluation Guide | 7

 TIP 2 Present the Sample and Reference
for Visual Evaluation
Visual evaluation is subject to human error. Follow these guidelines to eliminate the main sources of visual evaluation error.

• Position the samples to ensure they are viewed at a proper and consistent viewing angle.
• Do not wear bright colored clothing or place objects in the light booth. This can distract vision and cause color
perception to change.
• Keep the light booth in a dim room without other light sources.
• Do not wear tinted contacts or eye glass lenses. Even a slight yellow tint in your eyeglass lenses or a light blue color
on your contacts can affect color perception.
• Place the sample and reference so they are touching. Leaving any space between samples will not allow you to
accurately evaluate color variation.
• Evaluate within a few seconds then let your eyes rest. Staring at a sample for too long will cause your eyes to fatigue
and they’ll start sending incorrect color information to your brain.

TIP 3 Store Physical References Properly

Physical references are subject to dirt, smudges, and fading, which can change the accuracy of the color swatch. These
tips can extend usable life:

• Make identical duplicate standards when you produce the original. Archive and preserve one with great care – this will
be your “master” standard, which you can pull out when it’s time to create a new standard.
• Carefully store the others as your “working” standards.
• Use them one at a time, replacing when the current one becomes faded or damaged.
• Keep the standards controlled. Do not allow access by any random individual but rather they should be policed and
secured by a manager or lead person.
• Conduct routine audits of the current working standard by measuring it and comparing the results to the values of the
master standard. When the variation becomes too great (for example, if it exceeds 5% of the tolerance) replace the
standard.

TIP 4 Follow the Standards for Your

Industry and Customers
In addition to providing standard viewing conditions, the International Standards Organization (ISO) has also developed
standards for standard viewing conditions as well as sample illumination for visual evaluation. ISO 3664 was developed to
assist the photographic and graphics industries, and ISO 23603 was developed largely for manufacturers. ISO standards
provide a solid starting point for a visual evaluation program, but always check with your customer to ensure you are using
the correct standards.

8 | Visual Color Evaluation Guide

TIP 5 Evaluate Color at
Six Crucial Stages
Throughout the supply chain, color must be visually evaluated under different light sources to ensure it
remains within tolerance and matches assembled parts. There are six key times to visually evaluate color to
ensure it starts – and remains – within tolerance.

During Specification When Receiving During Color

and Design Raw Materials Formulation

Throughout After Before

Production Assembly Shipment
 Visual evaluation is a crucial step in every color control process.
A failproof visual evaluation program requires standardized lighting, a physical color
reference, and color vision acuity to predict how color will look under multiple light
sources to avoid color surprises when the light changes.

Learn more at
www.xrite.com/categories/light-booths

X-Rite is either a registered trademark or trademark of X-Rite, Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. PANTONE©, PantoneLIVE and other Pantone trademarks are the property of Pantone LLC. All other
trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © X-Rite, Inc. 2021. All rights reserved. L10-675-EN (01/21)