What Color Is Hot? The Temperature Of Color

February 16th, 2010 | Uncategorized

Lighting is a fine art. It can be seen in the photographs of Ansel Adams, the cinematography of Haskell Wexler, and the paintings of Caravaggio. Without light there is no color, no shadow, no contrast and no art, no science, no plant life, just a big fat empty void. Light fills the void and is the foundation of life and culture. Light is a huge deal. Yet tons of folks treat light like a forgotten mistress. The sun comes up and and they grumble ’cause the got to get out of bed. The glowing orb sets and the houselights come on. The house lights could be oil lamps, incandescent bulbs, fluorescent lights, moon light or the glow of a computer screen. The natural lighting of the sun, fluorescent lighting, and the glow of a light bulb all illuminate, but they are not the same. Different sources of light have a different color temperature. Artists, cinematographers and interior decorators are well informed of the color temperature of lights. They use them to great affect. Knowing about color temperature is an important skill for any artist or designer.

Color temperature is discussed 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 opposite 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 hottest part of the flame 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 illustrated in the passing of the sun. In the mornings and evenings, the rising or setting sun is red, while the midday sun shines down hot and blue. Our eyes see the daylight as white and that is the challenge in photography, cinematography and design.

The human eye operates like one of the best filters ever invented. Whenever the eyelid opens, the eye and the brain work work in conjunction with each other to determine color. A room with white walls lit by tungsten lightbulbs will appear white. During the day the same wall will appear white. The ocular nerves and the brain adjust. This can easily be seen by taking a photograph with the camera white balanced incorrectly. If it is white balanced for sunlight and the room is lit by light bulbs it will appear very yellow. If it is white balanced for electric lights and shot when lit by daylight the picture will appear very blue.

Cinematographers, artists and designers all take into account color temperature. The room paint whatever color it is, will vary with the quality of light. A good designer considers the color of paint in tandem with the source of light. Different chromatic shades help set a tone and a mood. Even when the untrained eye thinks it is looking at white, the body responds to different color tones.

Understanding color temperature is a great skill for anyone interested in art or home design.