Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
CIE 1931 color space
open-in-new
<p>In 1931, the <a href="/facts/International_Commission_on_Illumination/46q6W1zk">International Commission on Illumination</a> (CIE) published the CIE 1931 color spaces which define the relationship between the <a href="/facts/Visible_spectrum/frPBh8o5">visible spectrum</a> and human <a href="/facts/Color_vision/j3ou3Izz">color vision</a>. The CIE color spaces are mathematical models that comprise a "standard observer", which is a static idealization of the color vision of a normal human. A useful application of the CIEXYZ colorspace is that a mixture of two colors in some proportion lies on the straight line between those two colors. One disadvantage is that it is not perceptually uniform. This disadvantage is remedied in subsequent color models such as <a href="/facts/CIELUV/E8eGBnBS">CIELUV</a> and <a href="/facts/CIELAB/jxx4j975">CIELAB</a>, but these and modern color models still use the CIE 1931 color spaces as a foundation. </p><p>The CIE (from the French name "<a href="/facts/International_Commission_on_Illumination/46q6W1zk">Commission Internationale de l'éclairage</a>" - International Commission on Illumination) developed and maintains many of the standards in use today relating to <a href="/facts/Colorimetry/CuchJjFL">colorimetry</a>. The CIE color spaces were created using data from a series of experiments, where human test subjects adjusted red, green, and blue <a href="/facts/Primary_color/F4wNk0TC">primary colors</a> to find a visual match to a second, <a href="/facts/Excitation_purity/WaePy7Ga">pure</a> color. The original experiments were conducted in the mid-1920s by <a href="/facts/William_David_Wright/1Hv9TaWL">William David Wright</a> using ten observers and <a href="/facts/John_Guild/fEPAmprA">John Guild</a> using seven observers. The experimental results were combined, creating the CIE RGB color space. The CIE XYZ color space was derived from CIE RGB in an effort to simplify the math. </p><p>These <a href="/facts/Color_space/zFvEyfHv">color spaces</a> are fundamental tools for measuring color for industry, including inks, dyes, and paints, illumination, color imaging, etc. The CIE color spaces contributed to the development of color television, the creation of instruments for maintaining consistent color in manufacturing processes, and other methods of <a href="/facts/Color_management/4PtNuCee">color management</a>. </p>