What’S The Difference Between A Colorimeter And A Spectrophotometer

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A True Measure of Color Quality: The Role of Spectrophotometers In Today’s Digital Workflow An X-Rite Editorial Backgrounder

What’s the difference between a colorimeter and a spectrophotometer? Don’t both measure color? Colorimeters and spectrophotometers are similar devices in that they play a critical role in today’s color management systems for photographers and other creatives by ensuring true color from image capture to final output. The difference lies in the way we see color and how each instrument measures color. Color is actually different wavelengths of white light. A colorimeter quantifies color by measuring three primary color components of light, which we see as red, green and blue, or RGB. A spectrophotometer, on the other hand, offers precise specification of any color. This is because, unlike a colorimeter, it encompasses the experience of color – i.e., the spectral reflectance or transmittance of an object – across the entire spectrum of human visible light wavelengths.

Recently, the term spectrocolorimeter has appeared on the market. Is this a new kind of a hybrid product? The key is in the name. A colorimeter is not designed to characterize color in the ways that a true spectrophotometer does. Spectrophotometers allow “hi res” color capture, approximately ten times greater than that of a colorimeter. This makes them essential for higher reliability with inks that are CMYK and beyond. Hi-res color capture also allows the safe conversion to CMYK and RGB under different lights. A spectrophotometer fully accommodates the simulation of this effect, which can have a significant impact on the way color is perceived.

Is that why X-Rite developed a line of color management solutions featuring the i1PRO spectrophotometer, to deliver more sophisticated color measurement functionality? Partially, yes. The digital photo industry is soaring, bringing with it growing demands for images that mirror what we see. Considering that the human eye can distinguish literally millions of colors, the finesse with which photographers and other design professionals can adjust hue, saturation, gamma, and all other nuances that create flawless, true-to-life images becomes critical. This, in turn, makes the functionality of your color-measuring device – i.e., its ability to capture color data – more important than ever. Just as important though, is the flexibility the right spectrophotometer can add to a color management system. The industry is evolving from device-driven needs to a creative workflow in which the output is open-ended. Today’s top creatives need the assurance of stellar color 051801848a20d8ea449c364fb71f3f21.doc 11/26/17 P2/2 quality across media – from image capture to in-studio prepress display checks to gallery-quality prints or big screen output. The company’s color expert team – formed in the wake of X-Rite’s acquisition of GregtagMacbeth – developed its i1Photo line with the industry’s best spectrophotometer at its heart to make it extremely adaptable to applications. The i1PRO is designed to support color quality in any of its final forms – on a monitor or scanner, in print or on a projector, even in a digital camera.

Are there any other advantages to choosing a spectrophotometer? Yes, and it involves the inherent complexities involved in reproducing color. As Leonardo DaVinci first noted, “The color of every object is affected by the color of the light which illuminates the object.” A spectrophotometer allows one to separate the real color of an object from the color of the light that illuminates it. A colorimeter cannot. Similarly, exposure to UV light can change the way a color appears, as can gloss variations. Only a spectrophotometer is designed to accommodate these variables. The i1PRO, for example, is equipped with special filters to handle both of these inconsistencies, so that photographers and designers who want to be in sync with upstream service providers such as color labs and printers have the assurance of color measurement consistency under any circumstance.

Are there any disadvantages to choosing a spectrophotometer? Not every studio needs a spectrophotometer. Those who are using monitors for in-house color checks do fine with a quality colorimeter such as that found in the i1Display line. However, no one should discount a spectrophotometer because it seems too daunting. Like almost every technology available today, spectrophotometers started out large and complicated but today, thanks to the latest user-friendly software, can be quite easy to learn and use. The pioneers who developed these devices helped industries stave off profit losses by producing colored goods more efficiently and objectively. Today, that expertise is in the all-new X-Rite i1PRO, easier than ever to access and operate within a seamless digital workflow.

About X-Rite (NASDAQ: XRIT) X-Rite, which recently acquired GretagMacbeth, is the global leader in color management, offering hardware, software and services for measuring, formulating and matching color. The company serves a range of industries, including printing, packaging, photography, graphic design, video, automotive, paints, plastics, textiles, dental and medical. X-Rite serves customers worldwide from its offices in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Visit www.xrite.com for more information. # # #